For Back to Back cruises, do you have to get off the ship?

After the first leg of a back to back cruise, do you have to get off the ship while they get ready for the next leg or can you stay on?

If you have the same cabin, you leave your things onboard, but you have to get off and reboard, so that you get a new "key"/pass for the proper dates...it's and "off and on" thing--very quick. If you have a different cabin, then most lines will help you move to the new cabin, and you still have to do the "check-in" again.

On the night before the first cruise ends, you'll receive your new sign and sail cards. You will have to get off the ship and go through US Customs, but then you can get right back on the ship or you can go off on your own. When you get back to the ship, you don't have to wait in line, you just get back on the ship using your new sign and sail card.

On our b2b (meditreranean) our pass cards were dated right through and we never had to get off the ship to 're-join' it. just stayed on board in the bar as other cruisers were leaving.

It depends the port and country involved. We haven't needed to in Europe, but I know people who had to in the U.S..

We did a b2b2b and a b2b. We did not have to get off the ship in any of the turnaround ports. We did have to go to the gangway during the afternoon to close our old cruse card and activate our new one.

If you have the same cabin, you leave your things onboard, but you have to get off and reboard, so that you get a new "key"/pass for the proper dates...it's and "off and on" thing--very quick. If you have a different cabin, then most lines will help you move to the new cabin, and you still have to do the "check-in" again.

We have done a back to back changing cabins on Celebrity and haven't had to go through check-in again. We got our key cards the night before along with a transit pass so we could get off and sightsee and bypass the cruise check in when returning to the ship.

For a US port, you do have to get off and go back on again -to go through immigration and customs.

In Europe we were able to just stay on the ship.

The one thing that you need to do is to make sure that they have your credit card info for the sign and sail for the second leg as you can't carry the same account from the first leg. On one back to back, we asked if they needed our xpress passes and credit card again and they told us the info would be copied from our first leg. 3 days into the second leg, we got a letter from the bank asking us to come with our credit card as they had to reprocess the credit card for the new cruise.

If you are coming in a USA port yes, you have to get off the ship. However, if you are doing a back to back cruise in many other areas of the world, such as Europe this is not required.

Keith

It depends on the port. In Southampton, I was not required to leave the ship.

Last November in Fort Lauderdale we were told to disembark the ship when they made the announcement for last call of everybody to leave. Once I had cleared Customs/Immigration a Cunard rep escorted me to a waiting area until the ship was cleared. This took about 40 min. and then those of us waiting were invited to re-board.

You don't say in what port the ship will disembark and board new guests. Without know that, can't say for sure whether you will have to leave the ship in order to clear Immigration.

If your turnaround is FLL, yes, you will have to leave the ship, clear Immigration and wait until the ship 'zeroes' down before you can reboard. (That doesn't take long if you wait until the end of disembarkation to go.)

If you are talking about a European port, you may not have to get off and do Immigration at all.

We always do a 'turnaround' in Montreal for our Boston to Montreal to Boston cruises and if we don't wish to leave the ship, we don't have to. We love that city, though, so always go ashore.

It will be Port Lauderdale.

Thanks for all of the replies.

Since your cruise ends in FL, you will have to leave the ship and go through US Customs and give them your Customs Declaration sheet.

Actually, if you are getting back on, you don't need your customs sheet. I did a 32 day on Oosterdam that was also sold as a 14 and an 18 day. FLL was the end of the first leg. Our Seapass cards had the full 32 days on them, and they did not close out our onboard account until the end of the whold cruise. We did have to get off (were going to visit friends, anyway) and they did not want our customs form. EM

My enquiry is that it is ok for b2b getting to their cabin after dis-re-embarking on most ships but RCI lock their 'entry to the corridor' doors and no one can get to their cabin until 1pm can b2b people get to THEIR cabins regardless????:eek:

We have done a great many b-to-b's on HAL (and one on Princess) and every single time we have been permitted to go to our cabin throughout the day. We never were denied access to it on 'turnaround' day.

When we turned around in FLL, they had the doors to the corridors closed, but they are not locked...I think that would be illegal for safety reasons...I just opened the door and walked through. EM

I have a back to back on Princess in Alaska, two separate bookings and two separate cabins. Is having the same cabin important enough to offer to be downgraded from my better cabin in order to have the same cabin on both legs?

If the recommendation is to try to keep the same cabin, since I am boarding the first leg on Monday, where on board do I go to ask for a cabind downgrade/reassignment?

If you are changing cabins, do they allow you to leave your clothing in your first cabin and then hand carry it to the second cabin, or must you pack up your suitcase completely and check it (or take it with you) while they turn the ship over between voyages?

Thanks.

When we book back-to-backs, we only book consecutive cruises where there is availability for us to stay in the same cabin.

But it isn't a big deal to move.

On HAL (can't speak for Princess but think it probably is similar), the drawers in the cabins are interchangeable. The stewards from your 'old' location and your 'new' one will help you move the filled drawers and replace with the empty ones from the cabin into which you are moving. They will bring a rolling rack like in a hotel for your hanging clothes so you don't have to pack any of that.

You will have to pack up your bathroom articles and whatever 'things' you have around your cabin not in a closet or drawer.

Most ships go out full these days so dont hope too hard that you will be able to make changes in your cabin assignments once on the ship. It could happen but don't count on it. Not a big deal to move.

Enjoy.

we have done b2b2b on both Carnival and RCCL. actually my wife has done it, i usually meet her for the third leg. both trips were out of Port Canaveral and they were very different. on the Carnival cruise my wife only got off to escort me onto the ship ahead of the rest of the passengers. on RCCL she had to disembark, but got on right away. however, i was not allowed on early. they did let me enter with the suite passengers though. we are doing B2B in September and we made sure to get the same room. have fun

My enquiry is that it is ok for b2b getting to their cabin after dis-re-embarking on most ships but RCI lock their 'entry to the corridor' doors and no one can get to their cabin until 1pm can b2b people get to THEIR cabins regardless????:eek:

To answer your question: Yes, on our recent B2B (RCCL) we were able to get to our cabin, even when the fire doors/corrdior doors were closed. Our Cabin Steward said it was OK for us to come and go as we pleased - the doors are easy to open and close. We didn't even have to get off the ship, our new seas passes were brought to our cabin the night before.

Enjoy

We have done quite a few back-to-back cruises on HAL, Cunard, Princess and NCL.

Fort Lauderdale -- you will have to get off the ship to go through immigration. Once the ship has gone to "zero" count -- meaning that everyone has cleared the ship, then you will be permitted to get back on the ship. Sometimes we have waited only a few minutes in the terminal to get back on the ship -- other times we have waited 1 1/2 hours.

If you intend to do a tour or go anywhere on your own in Ft Lauderdale, then you will need to fill out a customs card to turn in as you leave the terminal.

We always book far enough in advance that we have the same cabin for both cruises.

All the B2B passengers who were staying on the ship met in a lounge . We were all walked off to a customs person. Showed them our passport and turned around and walked back on the ship. On both our B2Bs they didn't want any forms, just looked at our passports.

To answer your question: Yes, on our recent B2B (RCCL) we were able to get to our cabin, even when the fire doors/corrdior doors were closed. Our Cabin Steward said it was OK for us to come and go as we pleased - the doors are easy to open and close. We didn't even have to get off the ship, our new seas passes were brought to our cabin the night before.

 

Enjoy

We were going to do a b2b and decided not to... we are going to skip a week (live only 1hour from port) go home wash dirty clothes... re-group , and then leave the next sunday ! I could not make up my mind !!!!:)

If I lived that close I would get off the ship take any booze I bought and my dirty laundry home. Wash everything and return to the ship. If you are going back the next week are the ports the same? On our B2Bs the ports have been different each week.