Tendering and disembarkation by tender

When a ship docks at a quay, it lies alongside a pier and passengers go ashore via a gangway. When tendering, the ship is anchored away from a suitable quay; smaller boats ferry guests between the ship and shore. A tender port call therefore involves not only the berth but also the short boat ride to the harbor.From ship to shore and back

The journey has several stages: from the cruise ship to the boarding area, by tender boat ashore, and from there onward to the port town. The return involves the same stages in reverse. The tender boat is the means of transport between ship and shore; it is not a quay and is not necessarily a conventional lifeboat. Depending on the cruise line and ship, a dedicated watercraft or another suitable boat may be used.

Royal Caribbean’s guidance on mobility aids describes one example of how access may depend on the boat: on most tenders, guests must be able to walk a few steps and use a collapsible manual wheelchair. According to the cruise line, motorized wheelchairs and scooters can be taken only if a tender has a suitable roll-on option, which is not guaranteed. This is the policy of that provider and is not a general assurance for other cruise lines or ships.

Conditions and accessibility

Wind,

sea conditions

and other factors can affect whether tender operations can take place safely. Royal Caribbean states that weather and sea conditions may prevent transfers, and that the captain and crew decide whether it is safe to transport guests. A port being listed as a tender port therefore does not determine whether the boats will actually operate on a particular day.Accessibility also depends on more than the cruise ship’s gangway: the tender boat’s boarding arrangements, design and access ashore all matter. Conditions vary between cruise lines and ships. If traveling with mobility aids, the specific policy of the provider in question is therefore what matters most.

The shore visit includes the boat transfer

At a tender port, boarding and leaving the boat, as well as the journey between shore and ship, are part of the shore visit.

Excursion times and return plans

must therefore allow for the tender service. A change in conditions can affect the planned schedule; this is what distinguishes a tender port from direct access via a quay.Royal Caribbean explains its own tendering and mobility policies in its

guidance on assistance on board and ashore

.

Photo: Tanja