Thread: List of tender ports & other info

Royal Caribbean has posted this helpful information.



Getting on and off the Ship

Airport Transportation
If requested in advance, Royal Caribbean can arrange for accessible transportation to transfer guests between the airport and the pier. This service is offered at no extra charge to our air/sea guests or those who have purchased cruise-only transfers. Accessible transportation may be limited or not available outside the U.S. See a travel agent or contact us for details.

Extra Assistance at the Pier
Royal Caribbean International® offers boarding and departure assistance with wheelchairs to guests with mobility disabilities. Request assistance once you arrive at the pier or contact us prior to your cruise so that we may prioritize your assistance to go onboard. During peak times there may be a wait for assistance.

While many ports provide easy access for wheelchairs and scooters, however due to various conditions: steepness of the gangway, tendering, weather, tidal and sea conditions, and shore-side facilities, guests using assistive devices may be precluded from getting on or off the ship.

We will make reasonable efforts to assist our guests, but for safety reasons, our staff is not permitted to lift guests or equipment. Assistance with manual wheelchairs, walkers, canes, etc. will be provided.

Assistance Onboard
We will provide reasonable mobility assistance to guests in accessing areas of the ship that are not accessible.

Traveling from Ship to Shore
At some ports, the ship will anchor off shore, and guests are taken to shore by small boats called tenders. Even if the ship is scheduled to dock at a pier, it can change to tendering.

Guests with assistive devices who are unable to take a few steps will be unable to board tenders unless roll-on capability is available.

In order to safely board most tenders, guests must be able to take steps and use a collapsible manual wheelchair. In addition, motorized wheelchairs and mobility scooters can not be taken on tenders, unless roll-on capability is available. Inquire about tender roll-on capability at Guest Relations Desk while on board. Please note roll-on capability is not guaranteed.

Weather, sea conditions and other factors may preclude tendering. Safety of our guests and crew is our primary consideration, and the Captain and his staff will make the final decision regarding transferring guests and their assistive devices based on safety reasons.

If guests are unable to tender or disembark because of due to these circumstances, there will be no refund or credit for missed ports. While we recognize your disappointment, the safety of our guests and crew takes precedence.

Ports that Require Tendering:

Airlie Beach, Australia
Ajaccio, Corsica
Bali (Padang Bay), Indonesia
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bay of Islands, New Zealand
Belize City, Belize
Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Buzios, Brazil
Cabo Frio, Brazil
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Cannes (Monte Carlo), France
Champagne Bay, Vanuatu
CocoCay, Bahamas
Corfu, Greece
Cozumel, Mexico
Denarau, Fiji
Edinburgh, Scotland
Esperance, Australia
Exmouth, Australia
La Spezia (Florence/Pisa), Italy
Geiranger, Norway
George Town, Grand Cayman


Hanoi (Halong Bay), Vietnam
Icy Strait Point, Alaska
Ilha Grande, Brazil
Ilhabela, Brazil
Ilheus, Brazil
Isle of Pines, New Caledonia
Jeju, Republic of Korea (South Korea)
Kailua Kona, Hawaii
Kotor, Montenegro
Lahaina (Maui), Hawaii
Lifou, Loyalty Island
Lombok, Indonesia
Malacca, Malaysia
Moorea, French Polynesia
Mykonos, Greece
Mystery Island, Vanuatu
Naples (Salerno) Italy
Nha Trang, Vietnam
Villefranche (Nice), France
Ouvea (Wadrilla), Loyalty Island
Phuket, Thailand
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Port Douglas, Australia
Portobelo, Brazil
Punta Del Este, Uruguay

Rockland, Maine
Samana, Dominican Republic
Santorini, Greece
Split, Croatia
St. Peter Port, Channel Islands
Ushuaia, Argentina
Visby, Sweden

Excellent info, Char. I hope everyone knows that things could change, especially if there is any damage during storms or renovations going on.

Char, I read small ships can dock at Monte Carlo. That was why I started the "How big is too big?" thread. I also did not see two of the ports on a U.S. West Coast cruise listed: Santa Barbara, CA and Catalina Island, CA.

Am I missing something here? I always read the gateway to both Pisa and Florence is Livorno and had never seen the La Spezia.

I read mixed reports about the Greek ports. One person wrote at Mykonos tendering was required; another docked at Mykonos. If that can happen anywhere, there should be a list of ports that are able to dock some ships but must tender others because of size restrictions or something else.

This information is from Royal Caribbean and I suspect that the ports listed are ones that their ships visit. I'm sure that there are other tender ports that other cruiselines call on.

We docked the Century at Cozumel so the list does have some variability.

Originally Posted by nealberk

We docked the Century at Cozumel so the list does have some variability.

IIRC HAL inserts the letters D and T next to each port name, so if you want to know where its ships tender and dock you can see it on their website. But I looked at that five years ago so don't bash me if it is not there now.

What I saw on that list was D/T or something like that to show the ports where some ships dock and others tender in addition to all dock and all tender ports.

Here is the list for HAL that ANdrea mentioned:

http://www.hollandamerica.com/assets...ender_List.pdf

Two things to keep in mind:
1- Most of HAL's ships are smaller than most of Royal's ships.
The Eurodam, HAL's largest, holds less than 2100 passengers. Royal Caribbean's smallest holds about 2400, I think. This makes a difference in where a ship can go and where it will be able to dock.

2 - Different companies have contracts with different ports.. Royal shows that Edinburgh is a tender port. That city actually has 3 ports, Leith, S. Queensferry and Rosyth. Each has different set-ups, and different cruiselines may be at different ports. Also, the cruiselines may use different ports from year to year as the ports get upgraded or because of pricing.

I wish there was a comprehensive list for all ships on all lines that tells us which ships dock and which ships tender at all D/T ports. I want to know if, for example, the Grand Princess tenders where the Crystal Serenity docks or all ships larger than Silver Shadow must tender. Or can I dock on any ship except the RCCL giants?

All ships were tendering at the Caymen Islands- even crystal.