The perils of a tender port

Have you ever gone ashore abroad using one of the tenders and thought, What happens if I cant
get back on board?

This is something that has never crossed my mind. I have worried about getting back to the port
in time for the ship leaving and always made sure I was back on board before the last tender but
the thought of the Tender not managing to get back to the ship is not something that I have ever
considered.

I am assuming the guests this weekend on P&O Azura would not have considered this either.
What a shock it would have then been to the more than 1,000 passengers in Monte Carlo were
unable to return to P&O’s Azura ship due to choppy weather conditions.
The majority of the ship, according to ship sources, were at shore in Monte Carlo by 10 am and
enjoying a glorious 23 degrees and the famous sights and sounds of the Principality when panic
struck in the afternoon when they tried to board the tenders to get back to the ship. The seas
where too choppy to allow this to happen safely so the decision was made to have the 1,170
passengers stay in port that night.

Great you would think. Monte Carlo is world famous for its luxury and comfort. What a fab
opportunity to get a sneaky night there. Well, those thoughts came a cropper when the
passengers soon realised they would be sleeping in make shift beds and on tables at various
basketball courts and given some towels in lieu of bedding. Not exactly the glam surroundings I
would have imagined.

A spokesman for P&O Cruise said: “Due to unexpected poor sea conditions it was necessary to
stop tender operations in Monte Carlo on Saturday.

“Shelter and food were provided by the ship’s crew for those guests still on shore.
“Guests travelled from Monte Carlo to neighbouring Villefranche Sunday morning where the
tendering operations were resumed.
“All guests are now back on board. We are so sorry that this happened.
“It’s certainly not what we would ever want for our guests but safety is our absolute priority.”

I would love to know your thoughts on this. Should the guests be grateful that their safety was
at the forefront or are they still allowed to be slightly peeved at the way they were treated at the
makeshift sleeping areas.