Something Strange On Itinerary

[DisneyPrincess21]

I just received an email confirmation about my upcoming DCL in January and I noticed that on the itinerary for the day at Saint Thomas next to the times ashore and to board it says "Tender".

Does DCL normally know ahead of time which ports you will have to take a tender boat?

I thought they didnt usually know till they get to each port, and I have never heard of DCL telling passengers ahead of time, so it seemed odd to me because I had never seen this listed on an itinerary before.

[Ed]

Not unusual. The same thing showed on our itinerary when we went to St. Thomas in '05. The ship anchored in the center of the harbor and we were shuttled back and forth on tender boats. If memory serves me, the dock at St. Thomas only holds about three ships.

[DisneyPrincess21]

Not unusual. The same thing showed on our itinerary when we went to St. Thomas in '05. The ship anchored in the center of the harbor and we were shuttled back and forth on tender boats. If memory serves me, the dock at St. Thomas only holds about three ships.

Oh okay. I never saw it before and I thought it was a little odd. This information unfortunatey has me worried because I am prone to motion sickness on small boats & ferries.....Afraid that the tender ride might throw me for a loop and end up running my whole day in port, which in turn would cause me to need to return back to the ship....

[Ed]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, the tenders they used in St. Thomas were pretty large, holding perhaps 50~60 people at a time, and very smooth running. Also, the ship is anchored in a sheltered cove with almost no wave action, and only about a quarter mile offshore. The trip from ship to shore only takes about three minutes, so your chances of getting are pretty low.

[DisneyPrincess21]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, the tenders they used in St. Thomas were pretty large, holding perhaps 50~60 people at a time, and very smooth running. Also, the ship is anchored in a sheltered cove with almost no wave action, and only about a quarter mile offshore. The trip from ship to shore only takes about three minutes, so your chances of getting are pretty low.

Ed, again you save the day! That made me feel a ton better! I was picturing this little tiny boat that holds a few people and it taking forever to make it to shore while fighting off the horrible waves that were trying to over take the boat

(In case you are wondering, I have a very active imagination )

Seriously though, that makes me feel better to know it is a fairly good size sea worthy vessel and a quick ride!

Since you are a wealth of knowledge, could you explain how exactly you get from the DCL onto the tender boat, you can image what images me and my active imagination will come up with if you don't set me straight. LOL!

[DisneyFr33k]

When we sailed on the Magic several years ago, we disembarked on decks 1 or 2. The tenders would pull up to the boat and crew would assit us onto them. Very smooth and not scary at all. So much so, I am having trouble remembering exactly if they had a small ramp set off the boat or not.

I am not sure how the Fantasy does this, so someone who has sailed on her will have to respond.

Have fun!

[Ed]

Usually you board the tender, as mentioned, from deck 1, the same as you do at Castaway Cay. A short ramp is set against the side of the ship, and there is a platform at the bottom of the ramp. The tender pulls up against the platform; this is where you board to go ashore and disembark on your return. Below is a picture of one of the tenders approaching the side of Magic in St. Thomas harbor a few years ago. As you can see, it's a rather large boat, and the water in the harbor is flat calm.

[DisneyPrincess21]

When we sailed on the Magic several years ago, we disembarked on decks 1 or 2. The tenders would pull up to the boat and crew would assit us onto them. Very smooth and not scary at all. So much so, I am having trouble remembering exactly if they had a small ramp set off the boat or not.

I am not sure how the Fantasy does this, so someone who has sailed on her will have to respond.

Have fun!

I will be sailing on the Magic, thanks for the info

Usually you board the tender, as mentioned, from deck 1, the same as you do at Castaway Cay. A short ramp is set against the side of the ship, and there is a platform at the bottom of the ramp. The tender pulls up against the platform; this is where you board to go ashore and disembark on your return. Below is a picture of one of the tenders approaching the side of Magic in St. Thomas harbor a few years ago. As you can see, it's a rather large boat, and the water in the harbor is flat calm.

Thanks for your help Ed, that boat is a lot bigger than I imagined.

[DisneyDudet]

St. Thomas is one of those islands where there are MANY different options to getting on the island. My first time there, we docked in a port alone, but it was pretty darn new. They were still dredging for the rest of the port, and there were NO stores close by, while Carnival and Royal Caribbean were docked at the busier port. The last time, we were docked at the busier port, near the main area of town.

It probably depends on how many ships will be there at a time. Almost all, if not all, cruise ships have to tender in Grand Cayman, so its not something they just do every-so-often. They do it every other week on the Western itinerary.

I was nervous my first time (in Grand Cayman on a Carnival cruise), but wait for a few people to go so you can watch how its done first, then you should know what is happening. They monitor everything and crew members are VERY concerned for your safety. Remember that. They would not do anything to put you in harms way.

[DisneyPrincess21]

Thanks for the responses everybody!

One last question, does anyone have a picture of what the ramp/boarding area looks like where you cross from the ship over to the tender boat? I am trying to get a better visual idea of the process to ease my fears

Sorry to keep bothering everyone, but I am the "planning" type and when I am approached with a situation I am not familiar with and one that cause me to worry, I like to have a better visual idea of what exactly happens so I am not nervous

[Donald_Quackers]

I don't have a photo, but the ship has these large platforms that open to provide the "dock" (for lack of a better word) that the tender can tie onto. I remember there being some stairs you take down and there are crew members there to assist people in getting onto the tenders, which wasn't hard at all.

It was my first time using a tender too, and it was much better than even I had anticipated.