Overnight at a tender port?

[KrueBlue]

Hi there! Jumping on my first Royal Caribbean cruise very soon. 

One of our stops has us at port overnight for 2 days. It will be a tender port so no docking here. 

I'm curious how the transportation to and from the cruise ship will work overnight. Is it a 24 hour service or is there a specific timeframe?

Any insight will be greatly appreciated. Cheers!

[twangster]

What port in particular?

Local regulations impact options to a degree so it is important to know where you are tendering.  When possible Royal has traditionally operated a tender 24 hours but the service overnight is typically reduced to reflect the lower volume of passengers that normally occur in the wee hours.

For example in Maui the daylight tendering tender operation typically has several tender boats in continual operation.  As one is loading at the ship another is making the transit while another is loading at the shore.  Sometimes they load from two sides of the ship in daytime to expedite passenger movement.  Overnight after 10pm this typically drops to one tender boat running continuously on a one hour cycle time.  If you just miss the boat you will likely have to wait nearly an hour for it complete a cycle.  

[Louisa]

How long does it take to tender all passengers from Quantum of the Seas in Maui?  I've heard it can take up to 4 hours to get all the passengers off the ship. I'm enquiring because I would like to book a private tour, but I'm not sure how long it will take me to get off the ship.

Also, when can I start booking my tender tickets?  Can I do this from home before we leave for our vacation, or does this have to be done on the ship?

Thanks for all the help.