B2B OR B2B - change ships

[Hoopster95]

Thanks, I will check that hotel out. Looking for something that won't cost too much as we will only be there for 1 night. Once it is clean and close to the pier that is paramount.

 

Just to be clear, Old Town is not walking distance to the pier. I think there are no hotels whatsoever that you can walk to from the pier. Everything is at least a short taxi ride. Old Town around $15.

 

Personally I would take the extra 5 min cab ride into Old Town and stay at a hotel there rather than a 'resort' in Coronado unless all you want to do is hang out at the beach and in a resort rather than seeing the city. You will not need another taxi ride at all to see all the tourist attractions as you'll be walking distance to everything! Night-time walk along the water and the old wall is superb & safe, and only a few blocks from this hotel too. There's a few hotels to choose from... the one I stayed was one of the least expensive, easy to find, right in the middle of everything, and clean.

[ish drakes]

This is exactly what we're going to be doing in December. Week 1 on the Jewel and week 2 on the Adventure. Last time we did a b2b on the Adventure and it is one of our favourite ships. We really wanted to try a Radiance class ship though, and the Jewel has a really nice itinerary with 2 stops we haven't tried. We absolutely love the promenade though so we are hoping this will be the best of both worlds. Plus, I cannot think of a place I would rather spend an extra night in between cruises than San Juan - just thinking about it makes me happy!

 

We had an amazing time on our b2b last time though, and it really was wonderful not packing up after the first week. Whichever decision you make, I'm sure you'll have a great time!

 

Very encouraged to hear that someone is doing this as well. Makes me feel better about my decision ;). We are definitely going to go for the 2 ships :D. Just need to book now. I have never booked with RCCL, do they offer specials like Carnival? Should I book now or wait it out and hope for a price reduction closer to the travel time?

[ish drakes]

Just to be clear, Old Town is not walking distance to the pier. I think there are no hotels whatsoever that you can walk to from the pier. Everything is at least a short taxi ride. Old Town around $15.

 

Personally I would take the extra 5 min cab ride into Old Town and stay at a hotel there rather than a 'resort' in Coronado unless all you want to do is hang out at the beach and in a resort rather than seeing the city. You will not need another taxi ride at all to see all the tourist attractions as you'll be walking distance to everything! Night-time walk along the water and the old wall is superb & safe, and only a few blocks from this hotel too. There's a few hotels to choose from... the one I stayed was one of the least expensive, easy to find, right in the middle of everything, and clean.

 

I definitely won't need a resort for my 1 night in SJU. I would like to explore SJU as I am there and I haven't been there since I was child (a few years back ;)). I was trying to find the hotel you suggested online, do they have a website. Also how do I find others to compare?

[Cigar King]

FWIW, we're staying at the Sheraton...

 

http://www.sheratonoldsanjuan.com/

[donovan52]

I definitely won't need a resort for my 1 night in SJU. I would like to explore SJU as I am there and I haven't been there since I was child (a few years back ;)). I was trying to find the hotel you suggested online, do they have a website. Also how do I find others to compare?

 

I just tried to look at the website and it appears that it isn't working, the domain is expired. Might just be a temporary thing. There are reviews on tripadvisor though and they are on Facebook as Hotel Plaza De Armas. We haven't stayed here before, but it's one of the hotels we are considering.

 

I find the best way to compare hotels is to read the reviews and look at the pictures on tripadvisor. There are quite a few threads on the San Juan port of call board as well with lots of hotel recommendations. That's usually where I start!

[Dick and Jane]

I definitely won't need a resort for my 1 night in SJU. I would like to explore SJU as I am there and I haven't been there since I was child (a few years back ;)). I was trying to find the hotel you suggested online, do they have a website. Also how do I find others to compare?

 

 

If you are not particular about the hotel or a certain chain (I.e., loyalty program), you might want to bid on Priceline. I have gotten some great deals on this site.

 

 

Dick and Jane

Chicago, Illinois

[ish drakes]

I just tried to look at the website and it appears that it isn't working, the domain is expired. Might just be a temporary thing. There are reviews on tripadvisor though and they are on Facebook as Hotel Plaza De Armas. We haven't stayed here before, but it's one of the hotels we are considering.

 

I find the best way to compare hotels is to read the reviews and look at the pictures on tripadvisor. There are quite a few threads on the San Juan port of call board as well with lots of hotel recommendations. That's usually where I start!

 

Thanks. Will get on that. How did you book the cruise? I am finding it difficult to find a RCCL rep to help me

[ish drakes]

If you are not particular about the hotel or a certain chain (I.e., loyalty program), you might want to bid on Priceline. I have gotten some great deals on this site.

 

 

Dick and Jane

Chicago, Illinois

 

Ok. I've never used that site. Not sure how it all works

[Dick and Jane]

Ok. I've never used that site. Not sure how it all works

 

 

I wasn't sure how to use the site the first time either. They give you excellent instructions at the Priceline site. I also did a computer search for how to use Priceline. That provided a wealth of information with great suggestions. It turned out to be quite easy.

 

 

Jane (from the duo Dick and Jane)

Chicago, Illinois

[Smallfamily]

I would choose a side to side as I like more variety however my husband is stressed more easily than I am so I have chosen b2b so he can stay in relaxed vacation mode the whole time

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[donovan52]

Thanks. Will get on that. How did you book the cruise? I am finding it difficult to find a RCCL rep to help me

 

I'm actually away working in China so my father called for me to book the Adventure, and they booked the Jewel recently while they were onboard the Oasis (They will be joining us on the Jewel). I've read a lot about long waits to get through by phone, we've never experienced that before for any of our cruises so I find it very strange, but it is definitely a problem lately. It might be a good idea to try to use a travel agent so you can avoid the long waits for the call centre.

 

We had a good experience using Priceline a few years ago for San Juan. Essentially, you go on their website and pick a certain area you would like to stay in as well as the star level. Then you bid a certain price to see if it accepts your offer. You won't find out which hotel you get unless it accepts your bid, so if they are any hotels in that star level you are unhappy with, Priceline might not be the best way to go for you. We ended up paying 110$ about two years ago for the Marriott Stellaris which many people on these boards seem to enjoy. It was great for the price.

 

There are message boards for Priceline and Hotwire that list the hotels commonly bought for each star level, in each area. (For example if you select San Juan - Old San Juan/ Condado area it shows which hotels would be considered 4* vs 3.5). If you google "Priceline and Hotwire Forums" the message boards should be easy to find.

[goodycruising]

We loved our B2B on Radiance. It is very nice knowing you are staying on. We did change rooms, but it was nice only partially packing as they took our hanging items for us.

 

Another bit of trivia....the cruise staff seemed to look blank when we mentioned back to back. They told us it is known as consecutive cruises. The person we dealt with was the consecutive cruise coordinator (or something similar). We also had an issue in that we booked each cruise at different times. They didn't have a record of that. We nearly missed the meeting for consecutive cruisers as we had told the service desk first day that we were back to back people, and I don't think he understood, so he did not pass on the message. Luckily we had others in the diamond lounge mention the meeting.

 

We did enjoy also the relaxation of knowing that if we missed a show one time, it would most likely be on the next week. One show we enjoyed so much we went twice! Actually we did the same ship two months before that as well. Every trip has been so different. Different rooms, different friends (new and old). I think whatever choice you make you will enjoy it, and you can do it the other way next time :)

 

So that is another option, book your first cruise and then you can still wait and decide if you want the same or different ships. Whatever grabs your interest!

Edited April 5, 2014 by goodycruising

[ish drakes]

I wasn't sure how to use the site the first time either. They give you excellent instructions at the Priceline site. I also did a computer search for how to use Priceline. That provided a wealth of information with great suggestions. It turned out to be quite easy.

 

 

Jane (from the duo Dick and Jane)

Chicago, Illinois

 

Oh ok. Thanks

[ish drakes]

I'm actually away working in China so my father called for me to book the Adventure, and they booked the Jewel recently while they were onboard the Oasis (They will be joining us on the Jewel). I've read a lot about long waits to get through by phone, we've never experienced that before for any of our cruises so I find it very strange, but it is definitely a problem lately. It might be a good idea to try to use a travel agent so you can avoid the long waits for the call centre.

 

We had a good experience using Priceline a few years ago for San Juan. Essentially, you go on their website and pick a certain area you would like to stay in as well as the star level. Then you bid a certain price to see if it accepts your offer. You won't find out which hotel you get unless it accepts your bid, so if they are any hotels in that star level you are unhappy with, Priceline might not be the best way to go for you. We ended up paying 110$ about two years ago for the Marriott Stellaris which many people on these boards seem to enjoy. It was great for the price.

 

There are message boards for Priceline and Hotwire that list the hotels commonly bought for each star level, in each area. (For example if you select San Juan - Old San Juan/ Condado area it shows which hotels would be considered 4* vs 3.5). If you google "Priceline and Hotwire Forums" the message boards should be easy to find.

 

Thanks for the advice/help

[ish drakes]

We loved our B2B on Radiance. It is very nice knowing you are staying on. We did change rooms, but it was nice only partially packing as they took our hanging items for us.

 

Another bit of trivia....the cruise staff seemed to look blank when we mentioned back to back. They told us it is known as consecutive cruises. The person we dealt with was the consecutive cruise coordinator (or something similar). We also had an issue in that we booked each cruise at different times. They didn't have a record of that. We nearly missed the meeting for consecutive cruisers as we had told the service desk first day that we were back to back people, and I don't think he understood, so he did not pass on the message. Luckily we had others in the diamond lounge mention the meeting.

 

We did enjoy also the relaxation of knowing that if we missed a show one time, it would most likely be on the next week. One show we enjoyed so much we went twice! Actually we did the same ship two months before that as well. Every trip has been so different. Different rooms, different friends (new and old). I think whatever choice you make you will enjoy it, and you can do it the other way next time :)

 

So that is another option, book your first cruise and then you can still wait and decide if you want the same or different ships. Whatever grabs your interest!

 

Ok, thanks for another perspective. Think I will take your advice and try it both ways. This time around I'll do different ships as I have never been on RCCL and would be able to experience 2 different class of ships :D. Next time, I'll do it for the relaxing vacation :)

[denamo]

What do I want to do? I am leaning towards changing ships but I am opened to opinions and suggestions. I am not sold on anything.

 

Like you I agree, that any cruise is fabulous and I am thinking this is a really good opportunity for us to experience to different ships, "killing 2 birds with 1 stone" so to speak.

 

While it would be easier to do a B2B on the same ship, the thinking of experiencing two different class of ships sounds most appealing. Might check in with RCCL and see if they offer a hotel deal for your overnight. Have heard yes and no for them doing that.

[Deborito]

What happens if you do a side by side and the first cruise bumps you up to the next C&A level? The next cruise you are on a different ship will you be able to use the new C&A benefits? I know it is pretty easy if you are on the same ship but may be a little more difficult on a different ship.

[Clarea]

What happens if you do a side by side and the first cruise bumps you up to the next C&A level? The next cruise you are on a different ship will you be able to use the new C&A benefits? I know it is pretty easy if you are on the same ship but may be a little more difficult on a different ship.

Visit the Loyalty Ambassador when you get on the second ship, and show them your SeaPass card from the first ship. You may find they extend the perks of your new level.