13 On Caribbean - what is it like to have to go back to Ft lauderdale halfway thru?

[love2shell]

I am considering booking the 13 day Holiday cruise on the Caribbean Princess but not sure if worth it as it goes back to Ft. lauderdale halfway through the cruise, and you have to get off the boat and then back on. Has anyone done this before on Princess? What is the process like? Is it a hassle? Do you feel like you are loosing vacation time? The alternative is a 10 day cruise where we do not have to return to home port in the middle of the trip.

 

Thanks in advance!

[tallygram]

We've done it and it's simple. You will be a "through passenger" so exiting and reboarding are simple. You walk off, spend any amount of time ashore...we usually walk to Public to resupply and then head back. All passengers must disembark so they can zero the ship. Once that has been achieved you are welcome to board and enjoy the day in port..

[chrysalis]

Lots of info here...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2296963&highlight=b2b

 

and these days, some cruises have 600 or passengers doing that.

[nukesubsailor]

The night before you are to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale you will be given instructions. When we last did this, we were given "IN TRANSIT" cards.

We had the option of going ashore and taking an excursion or doing whatever we wanted or we could meet with the other "in transit" passengers at a designated location and time, file off the ship together, go through immigration, wait in the terminal for a brief time and then return to the ship. It was very easy.

If you opt to go ashore on your own, you will have to go through customs. When you return to the terminal you must go through security and then wait until boarding starts before you can go back onboard but you will be the first group allowed to board.

[WeBeCruisers?]

The night before you are to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale you will be given instructions. When we last did this, we were given "IN TRANSIT" cards.

We had the option of going ashore and taking an excursion or doing whatever we wanted or we could meet with the other "in transit" passengers at a designated location and time, file off the ship together, go through immigration, wait in the terminal for a brief time and then return to the ship. It was very easy.

If you opt to go ashore on your own, you will have to go through customs. When you return to the terminal you must go through security and then wait until boarding starts before you can go back onboard but you will be the first group allowed to board.

Can I assume your luggage stays on the ship?

 

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[mmckm]

We find it a nice relaxing day. We let our room steward know that we are sleeping in and he can do our room last after he has all the new guests rooms done. We have been to FLL many times so we just get off and back on.

[JF - retired RRT]

Can I assume your luggage stays on the ship?

 

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If you aren't changing cabins...nothing happens to your luggage.

I changing cabins, you need to put all the "loose" odds & ends in a suitcase. Hanging clothes and suitcases are moved by staff while you are off the ship.

[mcordry]

There is a Facebook page called cruising princess cruise line with Vickie. There is a link to her blog. She has so much info about turnaround day. It has helped alot. She does live blogs some can find just about any info u need. We are doing our first back to back in April, and it has been my go to place for info on what to expect.

[FawnRiver]

We did one of their tours to the Everglades & Flamingo Park.

It was a great tour, one of the best we've ever done. We weren't expecting much from it, but we're very pleasantly surprised.

[capriccio]

We did one of their tours to the Everglades & Flamingo Park.

It was a great tour, one of the best we've ever done. We weren't expecting much from it, but we're very pleasantly surprised.

 

If you've never been a tourist in Fort Lauderdale the ship excursions or DIY touring on turn-around day are great ideas. The most frequently recommended (with good reason) attraction is actually a narrated boat ride and transportation combined: the water taxi (http://www.watertaxi.com). If your ship is docked at terminals 2 or 4 the closest stop is an easy (assuming no mobility challenges) 1/2 mile walk to the Hilton Marina. Even closer (hail it down on 17th Street) is the sun trolley (http://www.suntrolley.com) that offers cheap transportation ($1/ride or $3/day pass) to the beach and Las Olas Boulevard (http://www.lasolasboulevard.com) areas. For more info on what to do in Fort Lauderdale (attractions, transportation, restaurants, etc.) check out http://www.sunny.org.

Edited February 7, 2016 by capriccio

[USNUZULOOSE]

DH and I would just go around town and board like coming back to a cruise. We really enjoyed Florida. So for us we would enjoy the time there.

[cruisequeen4ever]

We did that cruise in December. Though DH was not thrilled to have to waste time going back to FLL, I was happy to use it as an excursion day in FLL. We did the water taxi, which was fun for the first 45 min and then pretty boring thereafter.