Disembarkation…..

The most common and easiest way of getting on shore is by docking, this is what it sounds like;

The ships tie up at the pier and guests are able to simply walk off, either via a ramp, gangplank or gangway.

As with all means of disembarkation, you will be required to swipe your key card to let the crew know you are ashore. On some cruises, every port will have docking facilities, some being simply concrete piers while others are large terminals and with very much overpriced tacky shops.

Even though you can walk off the ship the bigger ones will have long waits, also if you have tours booked you are able to leave earlier and times are given to you before the day.

The other type of disembarkation is tendering, where ships drop anchor away from the shore and use small boats (tenders) to carry passengers on to land, these journeys are usually only a few minutes, the most common in regions such as the Norwegian Fjords. Tenders are invariably small and compact so can provoke seasickness in some passengers even in calm conditions.

Guests with accessibility issues may find getting on and off difficult,  wheelchair users are often not permitted in tenders at all which would mean having to stay on board.

Another means of getting ashore although less common is a wet landing. This consists of boarding a Zodiac from a floating dock on the ship to the shore, stepping directly in water and wadding ( at knee height) to the sand. A dry landing is similar but straight onto the sand. You will only ever see these on incredibly remote and exotic ports of call, such as the Galapagos or as in Costa Rican ports of Isla Parida, Puerto Jimenez, and Tahas in French Polynesia.

If you need any advice or help with any issues on embarking or disembarking always speak to the staff.

Happy Sailing……….