Cruise Ship Tender Boats
There are several reasons why cruise ships tender with the most obvious reason being that some ports are tender ports where all cruise ships tender. Examples of tender ports are Cabo San Lucas and Catalina Island. Other cruise ports have several docks, but will allow a ship to tender to accommodate having an extra ship. Examples of ports with docks that also allow a ship to tender are Juneau, AK and Ketchikan, AK which have 4 downtown docks but will allow a ship to tender to accommodate a 5th ship in port. Sometimes ports that have docks will require cruise ships to tender if their docks have been damaged which recently happened in Skagway, AK.
Tendering ships require crew to dedicate more effort and time organizing tender boats to get cruise ship passengers to and from port. Passengers who book their shore excursions from the cruise line will often be prioritized when boarding tender boats, and most cruise lines will try to board passengers who booked the same excursion together as a group on the same tender boat. ShoreEx crew and Dock Reps who represent tour companies try to work together to keep shore excursions on time. However, it's common for tour companies to be more flexible with tour departure times for groups that arrive late. In rare instances, excursions are cancelled due to tour companies not being able to accommodate departure times when groups are unreasonably late to arrive on shore. Passengers are refunded the price they paid for a shore excursion when an excursion is cancelled because the cruise line fails to get them onto their tender boats and to shore on time.
Time is the number one issue with cruise ship tendering situations. It takes time to prioritize passengers. Cruise ship passengers are prioritized by the time of their shore excursion, being booked in suites and purchasing add on programs like Carnival Cruise Lines FTTF (Faster to the Fun) -- or The KEY for Royal Caribbean. If you book a shore excursion directly from the tour operator that requires you to be off the ship early, or at a certain time, you might want to consider purchasing a program like FTTF or The KEY to ensure you get on a tender boat at your needed time.
It takes time to secure the tender to the ship allowing passengers to safely walk on the tender, navigate stairs and get seated. Once a tender boat is secured it can take 15 -20 minutes until the tender is loaded with passengers. The tender boat must travel the distance from the ship to the port. Tender boats are not speed boats and often have speed limits as they share the water near the port with other vessels. A typical tender boat ride to shore is 15 - 20 minutes. Most tendered cruise ships use 3 - 4 life boats as tender boats which can create long lines for people waiting to board a tender that has a capacity of 100 - 150 guests. Some of the newer mega ship have larger life boats that have a larger capacity. Security procedures for passengers exiting the ship and returning to the ship are the same as when the ship is docked. All passengers must present their ID as usual, and all returning passengers will need their bags scanned.
There are different types of tender boats that are used to transport guests from the ship to shore. Most ships use life boats to transport their guests from the ship to shore. When life boats are used it limits special needs passengers with mobility challenges and disabilities to taking manual wheelchairs that can easily fold as opposed to being able to take their scooters. Special needs guests will also need to be able to walk down steps into and up out of the life boat. Space on life boats is limited so packing things like beach bags should be done with that in mind. In ports like Cabo San Lucas local boat companies supply tender boats that are larger and with a larger capacity than life boats. The tender boats in Cabo San Lucas can accommodate those with mobility challenges and disabilities with more options than manual wheelchairs.
The # 1 most important rule is to make sure you're back onboard the ship when the ship leaves port. Therefore, make sure you know when the last tender boat to take you back to the ship leaves. Missing the last tender boat returning to the ship can make you a pier runner with no pier to run. Next most important thing to know is how the cruise line your traveling with organizes and prioritizes tender boats. Some cruise lines use the cruise line app and digital queues, while other cruise lines use tickets. Once the cruise ship has opened the ability to schedule a tender boat boarding time you should schedule your needed or prefered time as soon as possible.
Don't be late if you have a scheduled time to board a tender boat for a shore excursion. You risk missing your shore excursion as tender boats often cause tours to leave later than scheduled departure times. A tour operator cannot afford to wait on you if the rest of the group is there. Failure to be on time to board a tender boat for a shore excursion may result in not receiving a refund if you are the only passenger who couldn't arrive on time. Know the difference between ship time and local time to ensure you know the correct time you need to be at the port for the last tender boat. Lines to board tender boats can be long, so if you don't have plans to do anything time sensitive in port it's best to wait a few hours and enjoy a leisurely tender boat experience by avoiding the crowds. Passengers who wait for the crowds to clear can take advantage of a later breakfast and a more peaceful time onboard the ship.
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