Protocol for B2B cruises

[Cellagirl]

How does  it work for ending one cruise and starting the other?  We have the same cabin. This is our first B2B

Thanks

[DCPIV]

You will meet up in a common area with any other B2Bers.  You'll likely need to get off the ship for immigration (or just to zero out the ship), but that will be coordinated by crew.  Then, you get back on before they start boarding everyone else, and you're good to go!

 

You will get something in your room letting you know what to do.  That'll come when everyone else is getting their luggage tags to leave.

 

Things may vary a little from ship to ship and port to port, but that's the basic idea.

[Cellagirl]

3 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

You will meet up in a common area with any other B2Bers.  You'll likely need to get off the ship for immigration (or just to zero out the ship), but that will be coordinated by crew.  Then, you get back on before they start boarding everyone else, and you're good to go!

 

You will get something in your room letting you know what to do.  That'll come when everyone else is getting their luggage tags to leave.

 

Things may vary a little from ship to ship and port to port, but that's the basic idea.

Thank you!  This will help a lot🎉🎉

[miched]

Take your smart phone or Tablet with you.   It usually involves a lot of waiting.  They also want you to have   your documents.   
 

You will be in a waiting area to get off of the ship.  Then the long walk thru the terminal to another waiting area for the ship to be cleared.   Last year when we did the B2B the suite guests were separate from the others and boarded first.  Then the long walk thru the maze back.   This was in Ft Lauderdale.   There were over 250  doing B2B. 
 

You will also be given a code for 30 minutes of free internet time to do the on line survey.   You can use the remaining minutes for your own choice but I don’t think you can save them for future use.  Once you log in you have to use the minutes. 
 

Depending on the cruise they may offer a discount for the first night at a specialty restaurant that needs to be booked at the B2B meeting.    You can use your  next cruise OBC to pay for it.    They will also give you a ticket for the embarkation lunch in the MDR.   We didn’t use it as we were in a suite.   Many will go to the buffet as it is empty and they will be the first there, but you will have to wait until they open the food stations.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited February 17, 2023 by miched

[cruisestitch]

Where is the cruise? There are different protocols if you are in the US versus out of the US.

[Cellagirl]

3 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Where is the cruise? There are different protocols if you are in the US versus out of the US.

The Netherlands 

[cruisestitch]

It is highly likely that you will not have to leave the ship at all. Look for a letter in your state room giving you instructions for how to get your new Seapass card.

 

One important thing to be aware of is that if you have any unused onboard credit from the first cruise, it does not roll over into the second cruise. Each one is a separate booking.

[Jim_Iain]

You will have a letter delivered to your room as well as a meeting to give full details.   The protocol is usually the same but sometime you are processed aboard other times (most common) in the Terminal.

 

The letter pretty much tells you everything you will need to know .

 

 

 

[Silkroad]

7 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

You will have a letter delivered to your room as well as a meeting to give full details.   The protocol is usually the same but sometime you are processed aboard other times (most common) in the Terminal.

 

The letter pretty much tells you everything you will need to know .

Lol that letter looks very familiar.

[Cellagirl]

51 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

You will have a letter delivered to your room as well as a meeting to give full details.   The protocol is usually the same but sometime you are processed aboard other times (most common) in the Terminal.

 

The letter pretty much tells you everything you will need to know .

 

 

 

What is a transit pass???

[davekathy]

13 minutes ago, Cellagirl said:

What is a transit pass???

It's a pass you can get to leave the ship on TAD and also allows you to skip the normal embarkation line when you want to return to the ship. You will still have to go thru the security line at/in the terminal. 

Edited February 17, 2023 by davekathy

[Cellagirl]

1 minute ago, davekathy said:

It's a pass you can get to leave the ship on TAD and also allows you to skip the normal embarkation line when you want to return to the ship. You will still have to go thru the security line at/in the terminal. 

Sorry, now what is TAD?

[davekathy]

3 minutes ago, Cellagirl said:

Sorry, now what is TAD?

TAD = Turn Around Day

[Cellagirl]

Just now, davekathy said:

TAD = Turn Around Day

How do you get this pass?

[davekathy]

4 minutes ago, Cellagirl said:

How do you get this pass?

That will depend on the cruise and where it embarks from and the team doing the TAD process. The one and only time I requested a pass was in SJ. I went to a pre TAD meeting (usually a day or two prior to TAD) and the person in charged asked if anyone planed on leaving the ship on TAD. I did and received my pass at that time. My wife stayed onboard the ship. 

[Cellagirl]

Just now, davekathy said:

That will depend on the cruise and where it embarks from and the team doing the TAD process. The one and only time I requested a pass was in SJ. I went to a pre TAD meeting (usually a day or two prior to TAD) and the person in charged asked if anyone planed on leaving the ship on TAD. I did and received my pass at that time. My wife stayed onboard the ship. 

Thank you .  We are definitely leaving the ship on that day. So, I will hope to get this pass.  You have been a great help😉

[davekathy]

1 minute ago, Cellagirl said:

Thank you .  We are definitely leaving the ship on that day. So, I will hope to get this pass.  You have been a great help😉

If the pre TAD meeting is scheduled for your cruise, I highly recommend you attend. A lot of great info for first time B2B cruisers and the meeting details are specific to your cruise. 

[Northern Aurora]

5 minutes ago, Cellagirl said:

Thank you .  We are definitely leaving the ship on that day. So, I will hope to get this pass.  You have been a great help😉

 

We almost always do at least B2B pairs, and our next series of cruises will be a B2B2B2B.  We have never had to ask for a transit pass.  The passes are included in the envelope with the succinct instruction letter about the turnaround day process.

[Cellagirl]

1 minute ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

We almost always do at least B2B pairs, and our next series of cruises will be a B2B2B2B.  We have never had to ask for a transit pass.  The passes are included in the envelope with the succinct instruction letter about the turnaround day process.

Could be you have a higher category of cabin that is automatic 🤔

[Northern Aurora]

1 minute ago, Cellagirl said:

Could be you have a higher category of cabin that is automatic 🤔

 

Cabin category is not relevant.  EVERY B2B passenger will have a transit pass whether they need it (ie, are staying onboard) or not.

[SbbquilterUT]

4 hours ago, Cellagirl said:

The Netherlands 

We had the best time for turn around in Amsterdam.  We were docked by the Movenpick Hotel and were able to walk off as early as we wanted (did not have to wait for anyone).  Spent the morning enjoying Amsterdam - yarn store, book shop, coffee and a shared apple pancake, finally on the way back to the ship we came across a small farmers market and bought a lovely bouquet of fresh flowers for the cabin.  With your transit card when you get back to port you by pass the lines to get back on board.

[davekathy]

19 minutes ago, Cellagirl said:

Could be you have a higher category of cabin that is automatic 🤔

Not in our experiences. Every ship, itinerary and embarkation port can be different even from one sailing to the other on the same ship. You will be given plenty of guidance for your specific cruise. Celebrity does a good job handling consecutive cruisers. 

Edited February 17, 2023 by davekathy

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, Silkroad said:

Lol that letter looks very familiar.

If it was yours --- credits due to you.     I just googled on it and foudn a copy.   Couldn't find mine -  too many pictures.

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, Cellagirl said:

Could be you have a higher category of cabin that is automatic 🤔

Unfortunately no.  

 

Even when traveling in a Penthouse you have to go through it.  

 

We were given a Golden Glove treatment on a recent cruise as a Zenith and top Cruiser on the next.   They had us wait in the retreat while others met in a lounge and then when ready the Documentation Officer came into Retreat and asked us to follow him and he escorted us off so would be first to clear immigration.    LOL.... Then we waited in a gang area with everyone else before allowed back on the ship.    It was a nice gesture

[Jim_Iain]

We hand an interesting B2B in Reykjavik.    It was a total mess for both departing and arriving passengers as they just didn't have the infrastructure of busses and taxi's to handle the passenger load. 

 

The night before we were told that Iceland authorities considered us in-transit since we had stops before and after in Iceland.    They gave us our new sea passes and asked for our old ones to scan us off the fist cruise.  We got them back later.  

 

We had to change rooms but our room attendant got our room ready while we were at breakfast and and we had full access of the ship until General Boarding began.  

 

Downside it was such a mess at the port with some waiting 2 hours for cabs that we didn't even get off the ship and didn't see Reykjavik.