Not every cruise ship can pull right up to the dock. In ports where harbors are too shallow, reefs need protecting, or no pier is large enough, ships drop anchor offshore and shuttle guests to land on smaller vessels called tenders. Travel agent Susan Guthrie, owner of Cruisin' with Susan and More, says a typical seven-night itinerary might include one or two such stops, with popular tender ports ranging from Grand Cayman and Bonaire in the Caribbean to Santorini, St. Barts, and Kotor, Montenegro, in Europe.
The process usually works like this: the cruise line announces tender operations the night before or early that morning, passengers booked on shore excursions get priority boarding, and everyone else may need to pick up a numbered tender ticket. Rides to shore generally take between five and twenty minutes, though lines during busy periods can stretch the wait considerably longer. Guthrie advises returning to the tender pier 30 to 60 minutes earlier than you think necessary to avoid missing the last boat back.
Weather is a wildcard. Rough seas or high winds can make tender rides uncomfortable — and if the captain judges conditions unsafe, the port call may be cancelled entirely. Ship size also plays a role in whether a given vessel tenders or docks: at La Spezia, Italy, for example, Royal Caribbean's larger Legend of the Seas required tenders while Princess Cruises' Sun Princess was able to dock directly at the pier.
Accessibility is a significant concern at tender ports. Wheelchair user and accessible travel blogger Cory Lee told USA TODAY he has only been able to go ashore at one tender stop in dozens of cruises, because the process typically involves crossing a gap between the ship and the tender boat and descending stairs. He missed visiting Montenegro entirely due to the limitation. Lee's advice: call your cruise line directly before sailing to find out which ports will be docked versus tendered, and seek out Facebook groups or online communities of cruisers with disabilities for firsthand accounts.
This story was originally reported by Nathan Diller for USA TODAY.
