Back to Back Cruises

[N&B]

If you book a b2b cruise and are lucky enough to get the same cabin for both cruises, can you leave your belongings in the cabin while the new passengers board - do you have to leave the ship? What happens if you have to change cabins?

[The_Big_M]

Yes, you can leave your belongings there if in the same cabin. They have a separate lounge so you don't have to leave the ship if you don't want to, and formalities are handled there.

 

If you have to change cabins though, you'll need to pack things. Cabin staff will then move your luggage and you can unpack later as though you started a separate cruise.

[sddsddean]

If you book a b2b cruise and are lucky enough to get the same cabin for both cruises, can you leave your belongings in the cabin while the new passengers board - do you have to leave the ship? What happens if you have to change cabins?

 

Oh yes!! Thats why its best to have the same cabin. While everyone else is packing on the last day, you can walk round looking really smug!!!:D If you have to change cabins, go and meet your new room steward a day or so before and ask him/her if they could 'clean' that cabin first. You can then just carry everything over (keep jackets etc on the hangers..take the hangers as well) and they usually have one of those trolleys like at hotels to help you shift stuff. The stewards will normally help as well. Leaving the ship depends where you are and what ship. As a rule of thumb, in a US port you will meet up, be escorted off the ship through immigration/customs and back on within 10-15 mins. Most other ports they leave your new seapass card on the bed...and thats it. If you do one b2b, you'll be doing another!

 

Simon

[hajekfam]

Usually at a US port, you will be escorted off the ship and right back on. However if you are doing a transatlantic(bringing the ship from Europe) & cruise from the US as the back to back, you may have to wait awhile to reboard as the ship will be undergoing a complete inspection including a intensive full crew lifeboat drill with the coast guard.

[raudacruise]

Karen, I think they do those coast guard inspections on any cruise that did not initiate in the US. We got to the port at 11am once and couldn't get on board until 2pm - ouch. The ship had sailed from South America. I did meet Bobby the Duck the first time on that cruise.

[hajekfam]

You are probably right - I believe that they told me that they do that whenever the ship comes back to the US for the first time after a season of sailing from a non-US port.

[Hamburg Avon Lady]

:) If you have shareholder OBC's which are applied to each leg of the B2B cruises --- you must spend all of the OBC that applies to that sailing before it ends. Any unspent $$$ will NOT be transferred over to the next

leg --- you start out with a new seapass account and a clean "slate". Just for your information --- if for whatever reason, you doubt that you

will spend all of the OBC's for each leg - go to the casino and "pull out

some in the form of cash" to gamble with. (Actually, you then can put

your money back in your pocket and spend as you wish on shore). :cool:

[Keith1010]

The key is to book the back to back cruise early enough so that you can get the cabin you prefer on both cruises. If you get the same cabin you do not have to move and can enjoy the cabin the way you would on any day. If your back to back cruise ends/begins in a USA port you need to get off the ship for a short period of time. In most other ports you can stay on the ship or get off the ship on the turnaround day as you would on any stop at a port of call.

 

So, book early to get the cabin you want on both cruises because you really want to avoid switching cabins.

 

Keith

[N&B]

Thanks for everyone's advise - we plan to book xmas 2010 while onboard the Milliumum in September.

[raudacruise]

You are probably right - I believe that they told me that they do that whenever the ship comes back to the US for the first time after a season of sailing from a non-US port.

 

There is actually a second problem with repos. There could be a lot of cruise ship personel coming off contract. Until they clear customs/immigration the ship cannot be boarded. I think that's what contributed to the 2pm embarkation besides the inspection.