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Tendering in Southern Caribbean?


Ian T

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We are booked on a 12 night Southern Caribbean sailing on Anthem in late 2021 with friends of ours. It will be their first time cruising and their teenage daughter, whilst super excited, is a bit anxious about a few things. I think we have managed to put her mind at ease that the Bermuda Triangle is safe ? but she is also concerned about sea sickness, which is one of the reasons we have gone with a larger ship; however one thing that has just occurred to me is this may necessitate the use of tenders. I would be grateful therefore if anyone could tell me whether any of the following ports are unable to accommodate a Quantum class ship? 

  • Philipsburg, St Maarten
  • St John's, Antigua
  • Bridgetown, Barbados
  • Castries, St Lucia
  • Basseterre, St Kitts

Many thanks! ?

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No tendering even on Oasis class. (Well technically they don’t tender off Oasis Class.) We just did this on Freedom last year. No problem. I know all these can take Freedom class and I would imagine Quantum too. Tendering is a pain in the butt! 
 

I would think the teen would be most concerned about Internet ? 

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Done these ports as 1st cruise in 2018 with a wife that hates water, no issues with sea sickness what so ever. 

As for teenager just tell her she may bump into Rihanna in Barbados,  she will soon forget about everything else.

The house Rihanna grew up in is a short distance from port and the street has been renamed Rihanna Dr. 

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11 hours ago, Jill said:

No tendering even on Oasis class. (Well technically they don’t tender off Oasis Class.) We just did this on Freedom last year. No problem. I know all these can take Freedom class and I would imagine Quantum too. Tendering is a pain in the butt! 
 

I would think the teen would be most concerned about Internet ? 

So true... The internet was the only real show stopper, but once I assured her the WiFi code will be waiting for her in her cabin she was sold! ?

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10 hours ago, Ray said:

Done these ports as 1st cruise in 2018 with a wife that hates water, no issues with sea sickness what so ever. 

As for teenager just tell her she may bump into Rihanna in Barbados,  she will soon forget about everything else.

The house Rihanna grew up in is a short distance from port and the street has been renamed Rihanna Dr. 

I guess that's our shore excursion sorted then ?

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10 hours ago, twangster said:

I just did a similar itinerary on Anthem in January of this year.  There was no tendering.  

You can read about my trip here:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/17677-anthem-jan-5-2020-11-nights-southern-caribbean-recap/

 

Loved the blog, thanks! It has got me really excited to be sailing on the same ship and itinerary... only 536 days to go!! ?

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I can't ride in the backseat of a car without getting sick, can't go on roller coasters, and I have to wait to get on a plane until right before they close the doors because everyone walking down the aisle to board is too much for me. Forget watching the kids play a realistic video game or a scene in a movie than pans over the top down view of land or sea. I take a non-drowsy Dramamine every morning of the cruise though, and I am fine. I double up if we are going on an excursion that day which involves a smaller boat to get to the site such as a snorkeling excursion. Maybe her mom could pick something up just in case it's needed. They also make a kids version which worked for my kiddos too when we went through a storm on one of our sailings, but your friend's teenager is probably in the age/weight category for the adult version. 

Have a great trip!

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16 hours ago, melmar02 said:

I can't ride in the backseat of a car without getting sick, can't go on roller coasters, and I have to wait to get on a plane until right before they close the doors because everyone walking down the aisle to board is too much for me. Forget watching the kids play a realistic video game or a scene in a movie than pans over the top down view of land or sea. I take a non-drowsy Dramamine every morning of the cruise though, and I am fine. I double up if we are going on an excursion that day which involves a smaller boat to get to the site such as a snorkeling excursion. Maybe her mom could pick something up just in case it's needed. They also make a kids version which worked for my kiddos too when we went through a storm on one of our sailings, but your friend's teenager is probably in the age/weight category for the adult version. 

Have a great trip!

Thanks for the advice. I have seen recommendations for Dramamine on other posts etc too but it does not appear to be available in the UK (at least not over the counter). I presume however that we will be able to pick some up at a Walgreens or similar in NY before we board.

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17 minutes ago, Ian T said:

Thanks for the advice. I have seen recommendations for Dramamine on other posts etc too but it does not appear to be available in the UK (at least not over the counter). I presume however that we will be able to pick some up at a Walgreens or similar in NY before we board.

The active ingredient in Dramamine is Dimenhydrinate.  In Canada it's marketed as "Gravol".  According to wikipedia is it available in the UK:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimenhydrinate#Nausea

  • Dimenhydrinate (marketed as Gravol in Canada and Dramamine in the United Kingdom and the United States) is an over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamine indicated for the prevention and relief of nausea and vomiting from a number of causes. 

Bonine is another popular motion sickness solution that is less drowsy.  

Both have precautions as it relates to consuming alcohol which is often associated with cruising so do your research.

Perhaps inquiring with your doctor will yield something they can recommend.  Failing that it will be available without a prescription in the US before you board.

Don't assume you will need it.  I never take it but I always carry some just in case.

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9 hours ago, twangster said:

The active ingredient in Dramamine is Dimenhydrinate.  In Canada it's marketed as "Gravol".  According to wikipedia is it available in the UK:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimenhydrinate#Nausea

  • Dimenhydrinate (marketed as Gravol in Canada and Dramamine in the United Kingdom and the United States) is an over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamine indicated for the prevention and relief of nausea and vomiting from a number of causes. 

Bonine is another popular motion sickness solution that is less drowsy.  

Both have precautions as it relates to consuming alcohol which is often associated with cruising so do your research.

Perhaps inquiring with your doctor will yield something they can recommend.  Failing that it will be available without a prescription in the US before you board.

Don't assume you will need it.  I never take it but I always carry some just in case.

 

9 hours ago, twangster said:

The active ingredient in Dramamine is Dimenhydrinate.  In Canada it's marketed as "Gravol".  According to wikipedia is it available in the UK:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimenhydrinate#Nausea

  • Dimenhydrinate (marketed as Gravol in Canada and Dramamine in the United Kingdom and the United States) is an over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamine indicated for the prevention and relief of nausea and vomiting from a number of causes. 

Bonine is another popular motion sickness solution that is less drowsy.  

Both have precautions as it relates to consuming alcohol which is often associated with cruising so do your research.

Perhaps inquiring with your doctor will yield something they can recommend.  Failing that it will be available without a prescription in the US before you board.

Don't assume you will need it.  I never take it but I always carry some just in case.

Really helpful info; thanks very much.

 

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Also if you get really sea-sick, discuss with your general practitioner a Scopolamine patch. (it is a transdermal patch worn behind the ears). In the UK it's called Scopoderm. 

As a natural alternative, ginger pills can help a lot! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! (... or in metric... 28.3 grams of prevention is worth 0.4 Kg of cure... doesn't sound as catchy...) 

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