Extended Cruise or Back to Back??

[stacied68]

My husband are looking at doing an extended cruise (10-15 days).  We have also looked at doing a back to back cruise.  Can someone lists for me the pros and cons to deciding which option would be best for us?

 

TIA

 

[Butterbean1000]

We're thinking the same thing.  Following m

[tandemcruzr]

We like a B2B, say of 7 days with each cruise to a different  destination -- ie first leg eastern Caribbean and second leg western Caribbean in the same cabin. Counts as 2 cruises as opposed to a 10 or 15 day which counts as just 1 cruise.

Edited April 29, 2019 by tandemcruzr
spelling

[PhillyFan33579]

All things being equal, which they never are, I would prefer one longer trip if possible. If you do a B2B, at least in my opinion, you lose half a day on the turnover day. Plus you have to attend two safety briefings on a B2B. On the other hand, it is nice from a mental standpoint knowing you have another cruise when the first cruise ends. 

[crzndeb]

It really depends on where you want to go. Are you looking for the usual Caribbean sailings, or could you do a TA. Repo cruises are always great also, since they tend to be longer. If you want to stick to Caribbean, you could always look for a B2B that alternates parts of Carib. I personally prefer longer cruises, but I’m also retired and able to be gone for longer periods of time. If you can swing it, look at TA’s or repositioning cruises first.

[paper1122]

At some point I want to do a longer cruise so I can see further away ports. There is one line that does one from Miami to tiera del fuego and up to California. I think it like 70 days. Bucket list....

[bakersdozen12]

If you do a B2B, you get two cruises towards your next milestone (25, 50, 75, etc). Plus, the changeover day is pretty fun. You get to watch everyone else debarkation knowing you don’t have to (the best feeling), and you get the ship to yourself for a little while. 

 

If you are talking about a Journeys cruise for the longer cruise option, a plus would be that these cruises tend to have ports that Carnival doesn’t go to as often. Plus, they do special activities on these cruises that they don’t do on non-Journeys cruises. 

Edited April 29, 2019 by bakersdozen12

[gatour]

Assuming your are thinking that an extended cruise means 10-12 days or perhaps a bit longer.

 

Extended cruise  means you can sail from a mainland US port and reach into the deep Caribbean ports think Aruba and Curacao.

 

For a B2B you get a few extra days on board.  If you haven't done the typical Eastern/Western Caribbean runs many times, then this is a good option.

 

We have done both.

 

We have done a few 11-12 day cruises to "check-off" some islands or ports of call.  We have also done a couple of B2B cruises, that went to ports that we have been to many times before.  It was more like relaxing on the ship and visiting some favorite restaurants and bars that we had discovered on previous cruises.

 

If you decide on a B2B, I would recommend having the same cabin for both legs.  While the cabin stewards will move your hanging clothes, you will still need to pack things into your luggage which the cabin stewards will also move.

 

You really can't go wrong no matter which way you decide to go.

 

[yogibear]

I have done Carnival  Legend  B2B 2005,   Golden Princess B2B 2006 and Carnival Pride  14 day cruise  2018.

 

Looking back over all 3, I think I liked the extended cruise better. There was different entertainment and different meals. Journey cruises (10-14 days) are the best.

On both B2B, there was too much repeated in both the meals and the entertainment.

On the Carnival B2B, the golf pro was the only thing not repeated. He got fired at the end of the first segment.

If you decide on a B2B, make sure the 2 cruises are linked. If you  are going to change VIFP categories on the 2nd leg, it is important to link as it will then give you the upgraded amenitites on both segments.

Karen

[shof515]

a big con for a back to back cruise is the entertainment is the same. Same theater shows, same musicians around the ship, etc. The only thing that might be different will be the fly on entertainers and comedy people

[jsglow]

I honestly have no interest in a B2B in comparison to an extended Journey.  

[CruisingAgain]

I would love to do either of these. So far our longest was 8 days.  We are both retiring soon so maybe it is in the future for us.

But I don't understand one thing mentioned here .... what does it matter if it gives you 1 or 2 cruises? 

[TomCruise48]

We have done both.  One thing we like about back to back is that on a single cruise, you can't take in all of the entertainment.  On a back to back, we are able to see all of the Playlist shows and Dive-in movies that interest us.  On a 14 day Journeys cruise, you get to know the staff and other passengers better.  Also the Journeys cruises have many additional activities such as Academy of Fun lectures and ballroom dancing classes.

 

We always fly to the port, so we often try to get two or three cruises from one flight.  We also do side-to-side, where we change to another Carnival ship, or a ship on another line.  

 

We have three cruises in a row scheduled for later this year from the same port.  The first is on RCCL, followed by two short B2B cruises on a Carnival Fantasy class ship.  We haven't been on a Fantasy class for more than 10 years, and want to see the 2.0 upgrades on this class.  We also need a couple more cruises to make the next milestone level on Carnival to use on a 16 day TA next year.

[TomCruise48]

17 minutes ago, CruisingAgain said:

But I don't understand one thing mentioned here .... what does it matter if it gives you 1 or 2 cruises? 

Milestone rewards are based on number of cruises (25, 50, 75, and 100), not number of cruise days.

[CruisingAgain]

1 hour ago, TomCruise48 said:

Milestone rewards are based on number of cruises (25, 50, 75, and 100), not number of cruise days.

Is that for Travel Agents? Because 8 years ago Carnival changed it's program to use cruise nights, not number of cruises, for regular passengers.  So I was confused about what 1 vs 2 cruises would do for us.

[cloudninecat]

The only pro I can see to doing the B2B over the longer cruise is having the ship to yourself for a few hours and the few little perks you get when you do the B2B's which seem to change based on whom you talk to. We've only done one so far and we were the only ones doing the B2B for that cruise and we were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary so we may have gotten extra perks that others don't get when they do the B2B's. We received a photo with the crew when we came back on board, free mimosas, a fruit basket and a free bottle of wine in our room, a free bottle of wine with dinner and the use of the platinum and diamond service line the remainder of the second leg. My understanding is the photo and free mimosas is pretty standard. After that experiences seem to vary. It was nice knowing while others had to get off the ship we had another whole cruise coming.

 

The cons are the 2nd muster drill, the few hours you have to exit your cabin and go back through customs, and the day sitting at the home port. If the itinerary is the same that can be a pro or con depending on how you look at it. It gives you a chance to see something different at that port or to stay on the ship and nab that elusive clam shell or pool side lounger. The shows tend to be the same which again can be a pro or con. If you missed a show you'd like to see for some reason then you get a second chance at it. Also, the menu in the MDR repeats so again, a pro or con depending on if there is something you would really like to have again. For me it's the spring rolls and the Tiramisu.  

 

As much as we loved our B2B I still think I'd opt for the longer cruise before the B2B. 

Edited April 29, 2019 by cloudninecat

[RWolver672]

6 hours ago, TomCruise48 said:

Milestone rewards are based on number of cruises (25, 50, 75, and 100), not number of cruise days.

 

That is incorrect.  Milestone rewards are based on days cruised, not number of cruises.

 

4 hours ago, CruisingAgain said:

Is that for Travel Agents? Because 8 years ago Carnival changed it's program to use cruise nights, not number of cruises, for regular passengers.  So I was confused about what 1 vs 2 cruises would do for us.

 

If you do a B2B for 14 days or a 14 day extended cruise, you will get 14 days credit either way.  As another poster mentioned, with a B2B, you will have to go to two safety meetings and see the same entertainment both weeks.

[PhillyFan33579]

5 hours ago, CruisingAgain said:

Is that for Travel Agents? Because 8 years ago Carnival changed it's program to use cruise nights, not number of cruises, for regular passengers.  So I was confused about what 1 vs 2 cruises would do for us.

 

The VIFP levels were changed from number of cruises to number of days. The milestone program is based on the number of cruises. This applies to everyone. 

[balcony bound]

1 hour ago, RWolver672 said:

 

That is incorrect.  Milestone rewards are based on days cruised, not number of cruises.

 

Sorry but you are wrong.  The milestone reward has nothing to do with the VIFP program and is totally separate.  Milestone rewards are based on number of cruises NOT days cruised just as TomCruise48 stated above.  Two different reward programs with two different basis of calculation.

 

From Carnival website:

 

Guest Recognition - Milestone Rewards Program

As part of Carnival’s Guest Recognition Program, Milestone Rewards was developed in appreciation of longtime Carnival guests.  This milestone reward benefit is in addition to the wide range of amenities and privileges that guests already receive as part of the VIFP Club.

Milestone Rewards Program denotes a guest’s 25th, 50th 75th and 100th revenue cruise with Carnival.  Guests will receive a special Milestone Sail & Sign card on their corresponding Milestone cruise.  We want to distinguish guests on their Milestone sailing with a unique card so that we can make his/her Milestone experience extra special and memorable.  After this milestone cruise, they will revert to the card that corresponds to their VIFP level.

In appreciation for their loyalty, the guest will also be granted the opportunity to redeem a future non-refundable onboard credit equivalent to 25%, 50% or 75% of the cruise ticket price, corresponding to the milestone reached. And when a guest reaches his/her 100th cruise, will qualify for a FREE Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska or Australia cruise of their choice (8 days or less, for 2 guests), in accommodations up to and including Ocean Suites (category OS). This onboard credit may be applied to any future cruise in accordance with the terms and conditions below.  

[RWolver672]

46 minutes ago, balcony bound said:

Sorry but you are wrong.  The milestone reward has nothing to do with the VIFP program and is totally separate.  Milestone rewards are based on number of cruises NOT days cruised just as TomCruise48 stated above.  Two different reward programs with two different basis of calculation.

 

 

 

You are correct.  What happened was the subject started out as VIFP points and somehow milestone points got interjected into the conversation.  

[naxer]

We've done both.  The extended cruise is designed as an extended cruise, and the entertainment planning is where we saw the biggest difference.  On an extended cruise, fewer things are repeated, special acts are flown in, and then on a Journey cruise, they have the "throwback day" and the midnight buffet.  On a back to back, it's essentially a repeat of everything the week before.  Although the exclusive entertainment with a B2B  is turnaround day--we do like experiencing that.

 

For us, we easily take advantage of all the different venues and food options, so even on a B2B we don't find ourselves repeating things--in some ways we experience more because we finally choose some second choices.  Our next B2B is the Panorama, with the same itinerary.  

 

We are people who can easily entertain ourselves, so a B2B works for us.  If we appreciated scheduled entertainment more, we would probably prefer an extended cruise.  But either way, we're on a cruise.

Edited April 29, 2019 by naxer
grammar

[ABQrobin]

Biggest difference I have seen is that the longer cruises tend to be an older demographic, much less families and less kids, and much more Platinum/Diamond guests.  If that matters to you, good or bad.

 

 

[elcuchio24]

It 100000% depends on the itinerary 

[AmBear]

Longer is better whichever way you go, that being said,,,,,our preference is a longer cruise!

The B2B has the additional safety drill, hate them. You're saved this by going on a longer cruise.

The B2B has you leave the ship for clearance at the port which isn't that bad, but it takes an hour or 2 out of your time! Again you're saved this on a longer cruise.

On a longer cruise you usually will go to some ports not visited on regular cruises, so it adds a little variety.

It seems a total waste of time to come back to your port half way thru your cruises! We'd rather be out in the Caribbean somewhere!

Either way, enjoy your longer time cruising, we only cruise B2B's or longer cruises now, cause the drive to the ports, seems too much effort for one week!-))

[DiverJohn]

On 4/29/2019 at 8:22 AM, ABQrobin said:

Biggest difference I have seen is that the longer cruises tend to be an older demographic, much less families and less kids, and much more Platinum/Diamond guests.  If that matters to you, good or bad.

 

 

Definitely second this, on our 15 day half transit of the Panama Canal ship was like a ghost town by 11:00 most nights. Decided on a b2b for this December, first in New Orleans  then to Miami next day for second cruise.