Tendering

Tendering is not at all common as most destinations have ports that are large enough to accommodate your ship. While it’s true that some mega-ships are designed as destinations in themselves, one of the most exciting parts of cruising is disembarking your vessel to do some exploring ashore. But how do you get there, exactly? There are two main ways that cruise ships transfer their passengers to land: docking and tendering.

Santorini with all the tenders in the background.

Tendering (the process of a cruise ship berthing at anchor and using small boats to transport passengers ashore) can be quite fun. That is assuming that the sea conditions are not too rough which can not only make tendering uncomfortable, it can make it impossible. It is also a great way to get some good images of a ship.

We have had to disembark our ship by tender in Guernsey,  Santorini, Waterford – Ireland and Villefranche. On all these occasions the destination did not have a large enough harbour to accommodate our ship. In some areas tendering may be required as the water in the harbour is too shallow.

General tips I have learned from my experience:

Listen to ship announcements carefully – you may need to collect a tender ticket before boarding which is a way of keeping the queues and waiting times to a minimum.

Let crew members know in advance if you need assistance getting on and off the tender.  Some cruise lines, unfortunately, cannot transfer wheelchair users due to health and safety, but they will always try to accommodate those with mobility problems.

There’s no need to rush back on board if you’re having fun, just keep in mind the time of the last tender back to the ship.  The last tender is often the quietest of the day, so it can be quite a relaxed and special journey.

If your tender has an exposed upper deck, try and grab a seat up there as the views are unobstructed and completely breathtaking, especially as you get right alongside your cruise ship.

Take your camera! Being able to view the cruise ship from water level is a truly unbelievable sight.  You can get some incredible photos of your ship as you sail away.