For the first time ever, one of Royal Caribbean's biggest ships had to use tender boats.
(Credit: Aloschi Bros / Facebook)
Last week, one of the world's largest cruise ships successfully tendered thousands of passengers ashore.
Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas made history as the first Oasis Class ship to tender guests ashore in La Spezia, Italy, on May 28, 2026. This overturned an industry assumption that these massive vessels were too large to do so efficiently.
Tendering is when cruise ships anchor offshore and use smaller boats to transport passengers from the vessel to shore. If no pier can accommodate a cruise ship's size, tendering is required.
Sometimes, certain ports don't have piers, like Santorini, Greece; George Town, Grand Cayman; or Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. As such, the only way to visit these destinations is to tender from the cruise.
(Credit: Aloschi Bros / Facebook)
Aloschi Bros, a European tour operator with origins dating back to 1932, shared photos of Harmony of the Seas' tender operation on Facebook, saying, "With over 226,000 GT, more than 6,000 guests and 2,000 crew members onboard, operations of this scale require exceptional coordination, precision and operational expertise."
"Aloschi Bros is proud to have managed and supported this unprecedented call in La Spezia, delivering a smooth and efficient operation for one of the world’s largest cruise ships."
One passenger, Stephen Martin, added that they were impressed with how Royal Caribbean handled the process. Rather than waiting in a crowded tender queue, it was easy to book a timeslot through the mobile app the day before, which made "the whole experience far smoother and more organised."
(Credit: Stephen Martin / Facebook)
Moreover, Martin claimed tendering was the only way they could visit La Spezia due to the ongoing pier work, which would explain why previous Oasis Class visits on vessels like Allure of the Seas didn't require passengers to tender ashore.
"[T]oday ran surprisingly smoothly, so it certainly proved that tenders can work even for mega-ships," Martin remarked on his Facebook post.
Harmony of the Seas was in port from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., according to CruiseMapper. It was the third stop on the ship's current seven-night itinerary, which departed Barcelona, Spain, on May 31. She's expected to return to La Spezia again on Wednesday, June 10.
An even bigger cruise ship is expected to tender in La Spezia next month
La Spezia is a popular port of call on Mediterranean itineraries. It serves as a gateway to some of Italy's most famous destinations, including Cinque Terre, Florence, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The successful tender operation by Harmony of the Seas is important for Royal Caribbean and the Italian city as they prepare to welcome its first Icon Class ship.
Legend of the Seas is scheduled to make her inaugural call in La Spezia on July 2, 2026, during her debut Mediterranean season. This specific call is on the ship's preview voyage. She'll return on July 10 with paying passengers.
Legend of the Seas comes in at a staggering 248,663 gross tons, 1,196 feet in length, and can accommodate over 5,600 passengers at double occupancy, according to Royal Caribbean.
The ship's itinerary for the July 4 voyage indicates that guests will also be required to tender ashore, which suggests the port's pier work may continue throughout the summer.
As such, Harmony won’t hold the title of the largest cruise ship to tender passengers ashore. It will be passed off to Legend once she successfully completes her call in La Spezia in July.
Could this open up more ports for Oasis and Icon Class ships?
(Credit: Stephen Martin / Facebook)
Having large ships like Harmony of the Seas and Legend of the Seas tender ashore has sparked discussion among cruise fans about whether this could become more common in the future.
Generally speaking, it could, especially in destinations with pier limitations or ongoing infrastructure work that prohibit vessels from coming alongside the dock.
However, it is not likely to lead to any major changes to cruise itineraries in the near future since, in many cases, the destinations aren't equipped to handle the volume of passengers these ships bring ashore.
