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[DVCLady]

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[markey]

First, it is a pain. We were on the Western last year and the main reason for me picking the Eastern this year was to get away from it. But just my luck we had to tender in St. Thomas. The people with a shore excursion are given priority to get off the ship first. All the other people have to go to the theater and get a ticket, I think after 10am you don't have to bother with a ticket. You go in, get a ticket and sit down. When there is room on the boat you go row by row to the boat. We started at 8:10 and the tender boat left at 8:50, kept waiting for shore excursion groups. When you return you board the boat at the dock, have to show your card and the boat takes you back to the ship. For me it is really a big pain, I like to walk off the ship and walk right back on. It really wastes a lot of time. We went to the beach in the am and shopping in the pm and I figure we lost at least an hour or more of Island time.

 

[WDWLVR]

We did tendering in Grand Cayman this past May and found it painless. Yes, if you are not on an excursion you have to show up and get a ticket. My in-laws did this and they were the first boat off the ship, even before the excursions. In fact they were running separate boats for a while. The excursions using large double decker boats and the regular being smaller boats like the friendship boats you see in Epcot. When we got back to the pier after our excursions and shopping they had a covered area to wait and had ice cold water waiting. We got right on a boat and had a nice ride back to the ship. Got some great pictures as well!

I wouldn't want to tender at every port, and I love the fact that you dock at Castaway Cay, but I wouldn't let tendering sway you away from cruising to a certain location.

 

[Favorite Auntie]

In January I had to tender in St Thomas. It was horrible. To get back on the ship you had to wait in a huge very long line for about an hour! Getting off the ship was not as bad for me because I was on an excursion to St John, but I heard that was equally painful. I have heard that the tendering on the Western is not so bad, I am wondering if it is because they tender there all the time, and only a couple of times a year on the Eastern.