Back-to-Back Not

[berry22192]

Princess Caribbean offers 7 and 14 days cruises out of San Juan. Both 7 and 14 days cruises start on the same day, the passengers on the 14 day cruise staying on board for an extra 7 days. For instance, the passengers joining the 7-day cruise on Jan 17 will be on Itinerary No. B004 and the passengers joining the 14 day cruise on the same Jan 17 will be on Itinerary B004A. Now, why should cruisers taking the 14-day be considered having a back-to-back cruise? The 14-day passengers only signed up for one cruise itinerary but it appears from recent board threads that 14-day passengers have to go through additional mid-cruise processing. This includes new photos & ID cards, settle accounts, and go through immigration. What would be wrong with reusing the same 7-day old photo? Why not issue a 14-day ID card? Why not a 14-day account for a 14 day cruise? On the seventh day I had hoped to, how can I put it? ...relax completely. Come on Princess Cruises, please rethink your procedures and choose options that are easiest on the cruiser.

[Shogun]

Hi There,

 

May be down to the border controls, every passenger may need to leave ship to get to zero count, so issuing new cards is a good way to control this, just an idea.

 

yours Shogun

[paul929207]

Although you may have booked it as a 14 day cruise, it is in fact two 7 day cruises. You will find that the menus and entertainment are repeated. new Id cards are issued to reduce the confusion on the part of the security personnel as you board and leave the ship.

 

You have the option of settling your account at the end of the first cruise or crrying it over to the second cruise.

 

Immigration is not a Princess rule, it is a US rule. I have done b2b's with turnarounds in Acapulco, Santiago, Manaus and Dover and never went thru immigration. We were just asked to go to the gangway sometime during the aftenoon to have our new picture taken. I did not find it to be too taxing.

[rumcokenice]

oh to have such worry's....;)

[PrincessE]

My husband and I did a back to back on the Caribbean Princess this February R/T out of SJU.

 

We carried over our account, but were reissued new cruise cards. We had to disembark and go through customs and immigration again. It took less than 15 minutes.

 

We were actually getting off the ship that day to do some sight seeing, so it worked out well. It was easy, breezy and didn't disrupt our day in the slightest.

 

It isn't the line that mandates this disembarkation, it's the government.

 

These two cruises were by far the best cruises we've taken. Have fun!

[jagoffee]

You may not always realize it, but even on a seven day cruise if you go to a foreign port prior to visiting St. Thomas, you go thru an immigration/custom process. That part is easy to understand, but clearing your account, new cards, etc. does seem odd since they market the cruise as a 14 day cruise. I have noticed this on certain other cruises. I have never done a B2B, but from other reports it does sound like the process is not too bad and it must be a good feeling to get to stay while most everyone else has to depart. Especially during the turn around time. Good problem to have.

[newfirsttimer]

Did this exact 14 day back to back last year out of San Juan and Princess counted it as one cruise for their recordkeeping and CC, not two. As was said, the menus repeated themselves as did the entertainment. The ports, however, with the exception of St. Thomas were all different. It was a great way to see the Caribbean and used the turnaround day to see San Juan.

[A Sixth?]

The biggest difference is if you book it as a 14 day cruise instead of two 7 day cruises you get one cruise credit not two.

 

If the price is the same, and you can get the same cabin, book two sevens.

[paul929207]

Did this exact 14 day back to back last year out of San Juan and Princess counted it as one cruise for their recordkeeping and CC, not two. As was said, the menus repeated themselves as did the entertainment. The ports, however, with the exception of St. Thomas were all different. It was a great way to see the Caribbean and used the turnaround day to see San Juan.

The number of credits you get depends on home you book it. If you book one 14 day cruise you get one credit, but if you book two 7 day cruuises, you get two. I usually book it so I get more cruises. Not only do you get more cruises which may get you the Elite OBC sooner, but you can use more FCC's and possibly get more OBC. Finally, as a shareholder, I get two of those OBC too.

[awhcruiser]

Didn't you already post a thread on this same subject???

 

Passengers Forced off Caribbean Princess?

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberre...?EntryID=60045

 

Princess Caribbean offers 7 and 14 days cruises out of San Juan. Both 7 and 14 days cruises start on the same day, the passengers on the 14 day cruise staying on board for an extra 7 days. For instance, the passengers joining the 7-day cruise on Jan 17 will be on Itinerary No. B004 and the passengers joining the 14 day cruise on the same Jan 17 will be on Itinerary B004A. Now, why should cruisers taking the 14-day be considered having a back-to-back cruise? The 14-day passengers only signed up for one cruise itinerary but it appears from recent board threads that 14-day passengers have to go through additional mid-cruise processing. This includes new photos & ID cards, settle accounts, and go through immigration. What would be wrong with reusing the same 7-day old photo? Why not issue a 14-day ID card? Why not a 14-day account for a 14 day cruise? On the seventh day I had hoped to, how can I put it? ...relax completely. Come on Princess Cruises, please rethink your procedures and choose options that are easiest on the cruiser.

[paul929207]

Didn't you already post a thread on this same subject???

 

Passengers Forced off Caribbean Princess?

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberre...?EntryID=60045

I guess complying with the laws of the US, ie going thru immigration is being forced off the ship.

[jfv379]

I guess complying with the laws of the US, ie going thru immigration is being forced off the ship.

 

I don't recall being forced off the ship on our 14 day out of San Juan. We were booked as one 14 day cruise. Yes, we got new cards. That was painless.

 

I don't think you have to go through Customs & Immigration on turn around day. Your last port call before turn around day in San Juan is St. Thomas. You already cleared Customs & Immigration in St. Thomas

 

I didn't read that other post, but I understand it's writing was rather complicated to know exactly what happened.

 

Maybe whats confusing here is Customs and Immigration. Two different things. US citizens don't go through Immigration, just Customs. Maybe the couple in the other post were not US citizens.

 

I suppose, I could be wrong altogether.

[sempronialou]

The number of credits you get depends on home you book it. If you book one 14 day cruise you get one credit, but if you book two 7 day cruuises, you get two. I usually book it so I get more cruises. Not only do you get more cruises which may get you the Elite OBC sooner, but you can use more FCC's and possibly get more OBC. Finally, as a shareholder, I get two of those OBC too.

 

Wait a minute..... So if you book it as a 14 day cruise, it only counts as 1 cruise credit rather than 2?! Bummer....I wish I had known that when I was booking the Western/Eastern on the Emerald June 2010 a few weeks ago. I feel rather silly going to my TA and asking if she'll rebook it as two 7 day rather than the 14 day for the credits and possibly lose the room I booked already. Well, it's good to know for the future.

[paul929207]

Wait a minute..... So if you book it as a 14 day cruise, it only counts as 1 cruise credit rather than 2?! Bummer....I wish I had known that when I was booking the Western/Eastern on the Emerald June 2010 a few weeks ago. I feel rather silly going to my TA and asking if she'll rebook it as two 7 day rather than the 14 day for the credits and possibly lose the room I booked already. Well, it's good to know for the future.

Sorry, but yes that is the way it works. If you book it as one cruise you get one credit. If you book it as two you get two credits. I just booked a b2b and I see my TA has bookd it as one cruise. Guess I will call her in the morn & see if it can be changed. This will be my 19th and (hoefully) my 20th cruises, so I will start getting the little Elite OBC. Plus I can get 2 FCC obc and 2 shareholder obc.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Wait a minute..... So if you book it as a 14 day cruise, it only counts as 1 cruise credit rather than 2?! Bummer....I wish I had known that when I was booking the Western/Eastern on the Emerald June 2010 a few weeks ago. I feel rather silly going to my TA and asking if she'll rebook it as two 7 day rather than the 14 day for the credits and possibly lose the room I booked already. Well, it's good to know for the future.

 

No worries - they also count the number of days you've spent onboard. So, although you'd only get 1 cruise credit for booking a 14 night cruise, you'd still get credit for being onboard for 14 days. Elite is 15 cruises OR 150 days: http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na845

[Pam in CA]

I'm not understanding the OP's problem. Even taking the 14-day cruise, you're re-entering U.S. territory in San Juan after seven days with a stop the next day at St. Thomas. Take your issues up with Homeland Security.

 

Last year while on a 28-day HAL cruise that was specifically sold as a 28-day cruise with it's own "name," they also sold this cruise as two 14-day cruises. Because this was in Europe and not subject to US border controls, we didn't have to leave the ship on the 14th day, but we did (to go to Rome for the day.) However, we were REQUIRED to do the Muster drill a 2nd time.

 

Take your pick: getting off the ship for a few minutes due to US laws or have to go through Muster drill a 2nd time.

[paul929207]

This is true, but for some people, platinum or elite cmes quicker with the number of cruises, so two cruiese would accelerate the process. In addition, there is an ONC after 20 cruises.

[Pam in CA]

This is true, but for some people, platinum or elite cmes quicker with the number of cruises, so two cruiese would accelerate the process. In addition, there is an ONC after 20 cruises.

I understand. After all, I've booked two cruises as back-to-backs for next Christmas as completely separate bookings after which my daughter will become Elite. What I don't understand is if it matters so much to the OP why they didn't book them as two cruises to start with. If you go to Princess.com, it's easy to find these as separate cruises or one cruise. Plus, a good TA would have caught that and advised the OP.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Again, it doesn't really matter if it's two cruises or one. The days sailed still count toward the CC level.

[Pam in CA]

Again, it doesn't really matter if it's two cruises or one. The days sailed still count toward the CC level.

It does matter, at least in my daughter's case. I book her as a single in a cabin so by booking two separate cruises, she gets 4 points, not two.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Ah...if you're booking a single or a suite, yes, it does matter. Thought the OP was talking about a double occupancy.

[jfv379]

I'm not understanding the OP's problem. Even taking the 14-day cruise, you're re-entering U.S. territory in San Juan after seven days with a stop the next day at St. Thomas. Take your issues up with Homeland Security.

 

I just looked at their itinerary and it is different than ours was with St. Thomas/San Juan.

[Pam in CA]

Ah...if you're booking a single or a suite, yes, it does matter. Thought the OP was talking about a double occupancy.

ROFL! I was talking about myself. My bad. :)

[sempronialou]

No worries - they also count the number of days you've spent onboard. So, although you'd only get 1 cruise credit for booking a 14 night cruise, you'd still get credit for being onboard for 14 days. Elite is 15 cruises OR 150 days: http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na845

 

 

Ahh...okay, that helps. That's good to know. Thanks!

[A Sixth?]

Ahh...okay, that helps. That's good to know. Thanks!

 

It's better to get two credits and 14 days, than one credit and 14 days. But at least Princess has got a greet counting system that benefits the customer.