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?? regarding back to back cruises on NCL


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Although we have taken several cruises, we have not done a Back to Back on NCL. We are booked to do this in October. I have some questions about this.

1. Is there a number to call with NCL that allows you to link these 2 cruises as can be done with other cruise lines.

2. Can you check in for both cruises on the first cruise or do you have to disembark (go through immigration, etc.) and then recheck in.

 

3 . If you are in same cabin for both cruises, can you leave luggage in room after first cruise or do you need to send it out and then recheck it.

 

 

Any answers to above questions will be greatly appreciated and any other helpful insight as to B2B with NCL would be welcomed.

 

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Oh you are so lucky!! Wish it was us....

 

In answer to your questions:

 

1. Is there a number to call with NCL that allows you to link these 2 cruises as can be done with other cruise lines. NCL will link the 2 cruises

2. Can you check in for both cruises on the first cruise or do you have to disembark (go through immigration, etc.) and then recheck in. You check in once at the beginning of your first cruise, and it is not necessary for you to disembark after the "1st cruise" and go through immigration / check in again. You stay on the ship with the others that are also doing a back to back and have some quiet / fun time....

 

3 . If you are in same cabin for both cruises, can you leave luggage in room after first cruise or do you need to send it out and then recheck it. Your luggage remains in your cabin. No need to move it and recheck it in.

Bottom line is it will be like you having one loooong cruise. Definitely no upheavals between the 2 cruises.

 

Enjoy every moment!!

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If both the cruises begin and end in the USA, I don't believe that "Happiness" is correct. A back to back cruise is actually 2 separate cruises. If you are in a US port, Immigration and Customs require the ship to have "zero" passengers before they can begin boarding the next cruise; everyone needs to disembark. It is my understanding that you will be required to check in again as well. Please note, this is based upon cruises that begin and end in a US port. If you are doing to back to back from a foreign port, what I have written may not apply.

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If both the cruises begin and end in the USA, I don't believe that "Happiness" is correct. A back to back cruise is actually 2 separate cruises. If you are in a US port, Immigration and Customs require the ship to have "zero" passengers before they can begin boarding the next cruise; everyone needs to disembark. It is my understanding that you will be required to check in again as well. Please note, this is based upon cruises that begin and end in a US port. If you are doing to back to back from a foreign port, what I have written may not apply.

 

Yes, there is no absolute rule as to how the turnaround day is dealt with, as this is very much influenced by the requirements of the port/immigration etc.

 

When I have done them in Europe we have just picked up our new keycard in the morning and were then just able to walk on or off the ship as we wished. We weren't required to stay with other people doing B2B's, or check in or anything like that.

 

My understanding in the US is that you do need to leave the ship and are then checked back in.

 

In other places there are different variations between those two extremes.

 

My understanding is that you don't have to carry your luggage around, however everything else is dealt with, although I may be wrong with that.

 

My advice to anyone doing a B2B is to ask the question onboard, and read the details that will be sent to your room. You can't just take a general answer from the internet, as things may be different for you.

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we did a Panama cruise Miami to Vancouver, some people booked Miami to LA & some did L.A. to Vancouver

 

800 passengers were “back to back” in LA. We booked an NCL excursion, were given an “in transit” sticker, breezed through customs, got on a bus & came back in time for muster. Everyone who stayed on the ship, were corralled into the Port & it took 2 hrs to prove to CBP that the ship was empty. Standing, no water, over 90 degrees outside!

 

 

I would never risk staying on the ship for an “easy, relaxing day”.

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In Europe we stayed aboard our ship . One time in the US we were escorted off the ship and then were escorted back aboard . It took only a few minutes . Last year in San Juan everyone staying aboard met in the Asian restaurant were checked off and went on with our day . There will be a letter in your stateroom explaining the procedure for your particular B2B . All in all very easy .

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If it say a cruise out of Miami back2back, you will be given instructions on how the 2nd Disembarkation/Embarkation will work. You are gathered in a group at a specific location at a specific time, led off the ship, through Customs and back onto the ship. You will also be required to attend the 2nd Muster Drill.

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just looked at your signature, my experience with Canadian Customs at Quebec Port, they were VERY relaxed, the ship overnights in Quebec City, so lots of people were coming and going. (I am Canadian, maybe we had a different line, not sure, it was 3 years ago). I would plan to explore, get away from the ship, great food, shopping (learn hello, thank you and the answer to "Comment allez-vous" in French - people were friendly but appreciated the effort & I was embarrassed that I was so tired I couldn't answer très bien)

 

I would REALLY like to do this cruise! Hope you have a great time

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If it say a cruise out of Miami back2back, you will be given instructions on how the 2nd Disembarkation/Embarkation will work. You are gathered in a group at a specific location at a specific time, led off the ship, through Customs and back onto the ship. You will also be required to attend the 2nd Muster Drill.

 

Mandy, you’re only required to attend a second Muster if you have changed cabins.

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If both the cruises begin and end in the USA, I don't believe that "Happiness" is correct. A back to back cruise is actually 2 separate cruises. If you are in a US port, Immigration and Customs require the ship to have "zero" passengers before they can begin boarding the next cruise; everyone needs to disembark. It is my understanding that you will be required to check in again as well. Please note, this is based upon cruises that begin and end in a US port. If you are doing to back to back from a foreign port, what I have written may not apply.

 

My humble apologies, we did a back to back on the Mediterranean and it was as I had posted. I wasn't aware and didn't think for one moment that it could be different anywhere else in the world, e.g. USA. Once again, my apologies for any confusion. :confused:

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In 2014 we did two cruises B2B that started/ended in the US for both cruise segments. Started in Los Angeles, and then Miami was the port where cruise no. 1 ended and cruise no. 2 began. Miami was pretty much just a regular port day for us, except that you were obliged to leave the ship and stay off until it was cleared (could take a few hours). If I remember corretly, we were pre-checked by an US immigration officer on board the ship before reaching Miami, and got a sticker on our ship card. The last night of the first cruise segment I believe that they (guest services) prolonged the validation of our ship card for the second cruirse segment (we stayed in the same cabin for both cruises), and the day we arrived in Miami we got a sticker to put on our clothing that said "In Transit - I am still on vacation" or something similar. We spend much of the day doing sightseeing in the Miami area, and when we arrived back to the ship, the muster drill was already done with (as our "all aboard" was the regular 30 min before sailing time, not 1-2 hours as normal embarkation would be, depending on ports).

 

Main point: For you it will be like any other port day, except that you will have to leave the ship for as long as it takes to get the ship cleared.

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Although we have taken several cruises, we have not done a Back to Back on NCL. We are booked to do this in October. I have some questions about this.

1. Is there a number to call with NCL that allows you to link these 2 cruises as can be done with other cruise lines.

2. Can you check in for both cruises on the first cruise or do you have to disembark (go through immigration, etc.) and then recheck in.

 

3 . If you are in same cabin for both cruises, can you leave luggage in room after first cruise or do you need to send it out and then recheck it.

 

 

Any answers to above questions will be greatly appreciated and any other helpful insight as to B2B with NCL would be welcomed.

 

We did a back to back on NCL out of Miami a few years ago. We all met and were escorted off the ship. (I think we were the last ones off.) We were given a tag and waited in a separate area. Once the ship was cleared we were the first ones to be escorted back on the ship. Since we were in the same cabin, everything was left there.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Forums mobile app

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In Europe we stayed aboard our ship . One time in the US we were escorted off the ship and then were escorted back aboard . It took only a few minutes . Last year in San Juan everyone staying aboard met in the Asian restaurant were checked off and went on with our day . There will be a letter in your stateroom explaining the procedure for your particular B2B . All in all very easy .

This past April on a B2B on the Epic (TA and Mediterranean) we were led off the ship, had our passports stamped and re-boarded. Apparently this was a first for Europe and somewhat confusing for the Epic staff.

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We have done 3 back to backs and how they handled the muster varied.

We were in the same cabin for both segments each time and all 3 times we were told that we had to attend the muster drill at the start of the second cruise.

 

 

Only the last time when we showed up to the drill and checked in at the muster station they could not find us on the list.

The staff doing the check in asked if were on the previous cruise.

We told them yes and were told that we could leave if we wanted as there was no need for us to attend the second drill.

 

 

 

We have another back to back this fall and if we have to do a second drill we won't let it bother us.

While the drill is going on there is not really anything going on anywhere aboard the ship anyway.

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This past April on a B2B on the Epic (TA and Mediterranean) we were led off the ship, had our passports stamped and re-boarded. Apparently this was a first for Europe and somewhat confusing for the Epic staff.

 

 

That will have been because of the immigration requirements for the ship arriving into Europe. It doesn’t happen on general European sailings.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  • 10 months later...
On 6/19/2018 at 1:03 PM, skeetns said:

We have done 3 back to backs and how they handled the muster varied.

We were in the same cabin for both segments each time and all 3 times we were told that we had to attend the muster drill at the start of the second cruise.

 

 

Only the last time when we showed up to the drill and checked in at the muster station they could not find us on the list.

The staff doing the check in asked if were on the previous cruise.

We told them yes and were told that we could leave if we wanted as there was no need for us to attend the second drill.

 

 

 

We have another back to back this fall and if we have to do a second drill we won't let it bother us.

While the drill is going on there is not really anything going on anywhere aboard the ship anyway.

When you did your latest back to back last fall did anything change from previous B2B?  Was it a US port?

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Not an answer to the OPs question but in case other B2Bers are reading and wondering, if you are in a different cabin for the second cruise, you will be given a different luggage tag.  You are advised to place on your luggage and leave the bags INSIDE your stateroom.  The bags will be waiting inside your new room.

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  • 5 months later...

My hubby and I are booked on A 5 day NCL Getaway January 12, 2020 returning January 17, then start a 9 day cruise returning on the 26th. We’ve never done a back to back before, and are not sure of the procedure. We are going cheap on the first leg with an inside cabin, but the second cruise will be midship balcony. Can anyone explain what we do with our luggage if we will be switching cabins? Will a crew member transfer them , or do they go in a holding area until we reboard? Don’t know if platinum status has anything to do with priority reboarding. Thanks in advance

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46 minutes ago, paf910 said:

My hubby and I are booked on A 5 day NCL Getaway January 12, 2020 returning January 17, then start a 9 day cruise returning on the 26th. We’ve never done a back to back before, and are not sure of the procedure. We are going cheap on the first leg with an inside cabin, but the second cruise will be midship balcony. Can anyone explain what we do with our luggage if we will be switching cabins? Will a crew member transfer them , or do they go in a holding area until we reboard? Don’t know if platinum status has anything to do with priority reboarding. Thanks in advance

Pack up your first stateroom, leave In stateroom (when others will be putting their's outside) and your attendant will coordinate to move your things to the new stateroom where it will be waiting for you.

 

Also answered in the post you resurrected from 5 months ago..... ☺ 

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