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SeaWalk may end those tendering walls

By: Ron Pradinuk

Posted: 09/8/2012 1:19 PM | Comments: 0

The tendering process from ship to shore can be long and cumbersome. A solution may be in sight. (RON PRADINUK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

WE may be back to work, and they may be back to school, but beneath all the stress of adjusting to a new fall routine, travel questions still abound.

QUESTION: One of the things I find most frustrating about cruising is the amount of time it takes to tender between the ship and shore at so many of the destinations.

As much as they try, it simply is too long a process.

Even when returning, since passengers don’t all come back at the same time, it seems we spend a lot of time waiting for the tender to become near full before it takes us back to our vessel.

Can’t something be done to make the process faster?

ANSWER: I think they have tried to make it as efficient as possible. It is one of the upsides of small-ship cruising over the big monster boats of today.

However, there appears to be a solution in sight.

A creative company has invented what they are calling a SeaWalk floating pier.

The first of its kind was recently utilized by the Queen Elizabeth as a trial at its stop in Skjokden, Norway.

The floating dock is 220 metres long and is operated with a 250 h.p. mechanism that allows it to unfold in a zigzag that lets people walk to shore, eliminating the need for tendering.

The company says the SeaWalk can handle 4,000 people per hour, which could be a boon to cruisers who, like you, dislike the herding process involved with tendering.

It is unknown how long the trial will take, or how many cruise lines will be willing to participate in the sizable investments required.

QUESTION: I keep seeing promotions for travel aboard the Orient Express to places I was not aware the railroad went.

Is there more than one of these storied versions running around the world?

ANSWER: There is indeed!

The original Orient Express started its history almost 130 years ago. In 1893 it began its inaugural journey between Paris and Vienna.

Created as a luxury train it was the choice of royalty and the rich.

It was so successful that, while others suffered through the economic downturn of the 1930’s, the line was extended to include many more destinations through southern and central Europe.

Today it is owned by Eastern & Oriental; E&O as they are more commonly recognized by now. It still offers luxury rail service, and has had a lasting allure for those who seek to live some of the experience of a by-gone era.

Today E&O operates routes through Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and others. They have modified the motifs and interiors based on the each different route, but the adherence to quality and tradition remain as strong as ever. Dining aboard one of these trains is a most pleasurable experience.

The feel of the dining car, the style of service and the commitment to culinary quality that is in place on board provide one with lasting memories and a noteworthy travel experience.

One’s imagination can easily slip back to another time and for a few hours at least you feel an aristocratic surge give you a sense of how movie stars and business icons lived in generations past.

QUESTION: One of my most indelible memories comes from my visit to the Holy Land. I am not that religious a person, but being in the centre of the foundation of faiths was an overpowering experience.

On that trip I did travel with an organized group and wonder if there are more such opportunities to other places. From my perspective it does not necessarily have to be confined to Christian locations.

ANSWER: Spiritual travel and its somewhat related cousin faith-based travel have inspired an entirely new segment of the industry. The latter has been around for a very long time, but the more tranquil spiritual travel has also found its own footing.

Some of the latter was given an extra lift after the book Love Eat Pray became popular and thousands and thousands were trying to duplicate the personal journey of the writer.

Combined, when you include these with pilgrimages from around the world the numbers are estimated to be upwards of 300 million people.

Motor coach companies have gotten into the market in a big way. They have customized itineraries for a very long time to suit the interests of a wide range of faith driven markets. They are now being followed by cruise lines that are actually creating itineraries that focus on the historical and religious icons of history.

The spiritual side of the demand caters to those who may be looking for calmness of soul from eastern based philosophies or simple looking for places that are tranquil and away from the crowds as described in my previous column two weeks ago around the subject of spa- and remote outdoor-style vacations.

There are few people who go to monumental religious sites, or who visit destinations as simple as the land their forefathers left to come to Canada who don’t come back with a greater sense of who they are, as well as a better sense of how they fit into the world around them.

Forward your travel questions to askjourneys@journeystravel.com . Ron Pradinuk is president of Journeys Travel & Leisure SuperCentre and can be heard Sundays at noon on CJOB. Previous columns and tips can be found on www. journeystravelgear.com or read Ron’s travel blog at www.thattravelguy.ca .

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