Switching cabins on back-to-back cruises

[bomabound]

We are booked on back-to-back cruises from Vancouver to Seward and then Seward to Vancouver.  When we booked we made sure we had the same cabin for both trips.  However, we then bid on upgrades for both trips figuring it would be worth the switch to try a suite for the first time (on the Spirit, so not Haven).  Well, we ended up getting upgrades on both trips, and predictably to different cabins!

Has anyone done back-to-backs and switched cabins in the middle?  I have no idea what to expect.  We’ll obviously need to get out of our first cabin early so that they can get it ready for the next guests, but then our second cabin won’t be ready so I’m wondering if we will have to actually leave the ship and check in again.  I sure hope not.

[MeHeartCruising]

It's really not a big deal.  Discuss the specifics with your cabin steward on the first cruise.  If you're in the same area on the second cruise, all the better.  He/she will tell you how they prefer it to be done.   Generally, you pack your suitcase and leave it inside the room.  They may or may not tell you that you can leave clothes on the hangers in the closet.  They move them that way for you.  I prefer to put everything back in suit cases just so it won't get lost going down the hall.   I put the luggage tags for the second cruise on the bags, just in case there is a mixup somewhere.  

 

Generally, the steward will get your bags to the second cabin for you.

 

You should get instructions near the end of the first cruise as to how they will handle B2B passengers for that cruise.  They may or may not require you to leave the ship.  They likely will have all B2B passengers gather together in a lounge at a certain time, that morning for processing.   You will get your new key cards the morning of your second cruise or delivered in the B2B letter.  It varies from ship to ship.

 

I always like to stop by guest services after a couple days on the first cruise to make sure they have me on the list of B2B passengers.  They usually call them "continuing passengers", I think.

 

That's pretty much it.  You will be informed what to do.  But definitely discuss it with the room steward.  

 

Also, you generally are given the choice of returning to the ship quickly or going out into the port for a bit.  You'd be instructed how to bypass the lines to get back on the ship.  Sometimes, they may make you get off the ship and then wait until the next cruise boards.  But you're usually in a special area and taken back on the ship first, ahead of the new passengers.  Again, it varies.

Edited May 2, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[bomabound]

25 minutes ago, MeHeartCruising said:

It's really not a big deal.  Discuss the specifics with your cabin steward on the first cruise.  If you're in the same area on the second cruise, all the better.  He/she will tell you how they prefer it to be done.  

 

Thanks for the detailed reply!  This is really helpful.

[UKstages]

3 hours ago, bomabound said:

Has anyone done back-to-backs and switched cabins in the middle?

 

many people do this on every cruise. sometimes there are 40 continuing passengers, sometimes 200 or more. depends on the itinerary. i'm on an upcoming prima roll call here on cruise critic where it seems like half the ship (or at least half the roll call) will be doing a B2B. you will need to vacate your first cabin at the usual time, probably no later than 9:30. most areas of the ship will be open for you to hang out in, however, food service may be limited.

 

yes, you can stop in at guest services and confirm that you are on the list of continuing passengers, but your travel agent or cruise consultant is chiefly responsible for first noting this in your reservation. 

 

i did a B2B on the joy last year. in that case, with new york being the port, they did not require us to get off the ship. they brought immigration officers onboard who cleared everybody in one of the clubs or lounges.

 

you will receive special luggage tags in your stateroom a day or two before the first cruise ends. they will  indicate that your bags are continuing on the next cruise and the packet will have complete instructions on what to do. generally, they ask you to leave the bags in your room, with the luggage tags attached. my understanding is that it is the first stateroom's attendant who is responsible for transporting your bags to the next stateroom.

 

if you're able to stay onboard, listen for the crew announcement. at some point, the captain or the cruise director will come on the PA and address the staff. you'll learn how many passengers are on the next cruise, their average age, how many kids will be traveling, as well as which staff departed or will be new to this sailing and various other data points or obstacles relating to the upcoming cruise. it's usually pretty interesting. 

[The Traveling Man]

3 hours ago, bomabound said:

We are booked on back-to-back cruises from Vancouver to Seward and then Seward to Vancouver.  When we booked we made sure we had the same cabin for both trips.  However, we then bid on upgrades for both trips figuring it would be worth the switch to try a suite for the first time (on the Spirit, so not Haven).  Well, we ended up getting upgrades on both trips, and predictably to different cabins!

Has anyone done back-to-backs and switched cabins in the middle?  I have no idea what to expect.  We’ll obviously need to get out of our first cabin early so that they can get it ready for the next guests, but then our second cabin won’t be ready so I’m wondering if we will have to actually leave the ship and check in again.  I sure hope not.

There is some great info here from others who have replied.  We have a trick that we have used a couple of times when we have changed cabins on a B2B.  On the final day or next to the final day of the first cruise, we turn in a bag of laundry.  We mark the ticket and the bag with the number of the cabin we will be moving into for the second leg of our journey.  That way we only have to pack our suitcases with our shoes, toiletries, and miscellaneous items.  Leave your bags in your room with luggage tags for your second room.  Your cabin attendant will see to it that they get to your new room.  When the laundry finishes with your clothes, they also will be delivered to your new room.  Easy peasy.  One other thing to remember has to do with your key cards.  Either the evening before or the morning of your room switch, stop by the Guest Services Desk to pick up your new cards.  Once you no longer need to get into your first room, put that card away and begin using your new room key for gift shop purchases, exiting the ship, etc.  Once you have used your new card for the first time, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE YOUR OLD CARD AGAIN.  Doing so messes things up and you could find yourself not only locked out of both rooms, but unable to check in through security when returning to the ship.

[bomabound]

1 hour ago, UKstages said:

 

many people do this on every cruise. sometimes there are 40 continuing passengers, sometimes 200 or more. depends on the itinerary. i'm on an upcoming prima roll call here on cruise critic where it seems like half the ship (or at least half the roll call) will be doing a B2B. you will need to vacate your first cabin at the usual time, probably no later than 9:30. most areas of the ship will be open for you to hang out in, however, food service may be limited.

 

yes, you can stop in at guest services and confirm that you are on the list of continuing passengers, but your travel agent or cruise consultant is chiefly responsible for first noting this in your reservation. 

 

i did a B2B on the joy last year. in that case, with new york being the port, they did not require us to get off the ship. they brought immigration officers onboard who cleared everybody in one of the clubs or lounges.

 

you will receive special luggage tags in your stateroom a day or two before the first cruise ends. they will  indicate that your bags are continuing on the next cruise and the packet will have complete instructions on what to do. generally, they ask you to leave the bags in your room, with the luggage tags attached. my understanding is that it is the first stateroom's attendant who is responsible for transporting your bags to the next stateroom.

 

if you're able to stay onboard, listen for the crew announcement. at some point, the captain or the cruise director will come on the PA and address the staff. you'll learn how many passengers are on the next cruise, their average age, how many kids will be traveling, as well as which staff departed or will be new to this sailing and various other data points or obstacles relating to the upcoming cruise. it's usually pretty interesting. 

Thanks.  Yes, we have done B2B Alaska cruises before, but we kept the same room so we didn’t pay any attention to instructions about switching rooms.  We noticed there were a lot of people continuing on but they all seemed to be keeping the same cabin.  We didn’t get to see what the changeover was like because we booked an excursion that left first thing in the morning and didn’t return until after everyone had boarded.  So the day just felt like a port day really.  We did the same thing with B2B Caribbean cruises and again spent the entire day out on an excursion and returned late in the afternoon.  With the change in room it feels like we’ll want to stay on the ship until we get settled into the second room, but who knows.  We’ll pay more attention this time to all the instructions!

[ChiefMateJRK]

Here's what we received for April 22 when continuing on a Bliss B2B.  The letter showed up in our cabin a couple of days prior to the end of the April 15 sailing.  Although not stated in the letter, we were told at Guest Services to come to their desk the morning of disembarkation to get our new key cards.  That was quick and easy.  Our account did remain open which helped us to balance some unused non-refundable OBC.  Despite what the letter says, we did NOT have to enter the Seattle terminal.  I believe that there were about 20 B2B passengers, and all but three (myself, DW and one other person) chose to leave the ship.  The three of us were personally escorted down to the ship exit point (with facial recognition and CBP personnel).  We looked in the thingy, got the green light and were promptly escorted to a back hallway and released to roam the ship.  We never set foot off the ship. The escort simply told the CBP that we were her B2B passengers remaining on the ship.  She indicated that she would have to manually "return" us to the ship once the flip to the new sailing occurred.  Beyond that it was really easy.  I don't think the ship was truly cleared for about another hour, as we kept hearing a PA asking for a shrinking number of names to get their b$tts down to the exit.  I believe that slowed the embarkation, and I didn't even see those funny Haven-parades before 11.  That's when the buffet opened and we had access to the entire buffet, with full staff and food, with us being the only ones there.  Fun stuff!

B2B NCL letter.pdf

[bomabound]

43 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

There is some great info here from others who have replied.  We have a trick that we have used a couple of times when we have changed cabins on a B2B.  On the final day or next to the final day of the first cruise, we turn in a bag of laundry.  We mark the ticket and the bag with the number of the cabin we will be moving into for the second leg of our journey.  That way we only have to pack our suitcases with our shoes, toiletries, and miscellaneous items.  Leave your bags in your room with luggage tags for your second room.  Your cabin attendant will see to it that they get to your new room.  When the laundry finishes with your clothes, they also will be delivered to your new room.  Easy peasy.  One other thing to remember has to do with your key cards.  Either the evening before or the morning of your room switch, stop by the Guest Services Desk to pick up your new cards.  Once you no longer need to get into your first room, put that card away and begin using your new room key for gift shop purchases, exiting the ship, etc.  Once you have used your new card for the first time, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE YOUR OLD CARD AGAIN.  Doing so messes things up and you could find yourself not only locked out of both rooms, but unable to check in through security when returning to the ship.

Great info, thanks!  I’m surprised there wouldn’t be concern about your clean laundry getting returned to the new cabin before the last people left. 😀. I’ll definitely try this as packing dirty laundry is something I really don’t like doing.  This seems like a great solution.

[The Traveling Man]

2 hours ago, bomabound said:

Great info, thanks!  I’m surprised there wouldn’t be concern about your clean laundry getting returned to the new cabin before the last people left. 😀. I’ll definitely try this as packing dirty laundry is something I really don’t like doing.  This seems like a great solution.

We usually wait until the turnaround day to turn in our bag of laundry.  That way it comes back to us in our new room the day after turnaround.  We just leave it next to our packed suitcases.  The only time that we turned it in a day early, we checked with our cabin attendant to make sure he knew we would be changing staterooms and that the laundry needed to go to our new room, not our old one.

[The Traveling Man]

3 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Here's what we received for April 22 when continuing on a Bliss B2B.  The letter showed up in our cabin a couple of days prior to the end of the April 15 sailing.  Although not stated in the letter, we were told at Guest Services to come to their desk the morning of disembarkation to get our new key cards.  That was quick and easy.  Our account did remain open which helped us to balance some unused non-refundable OBC.  Despite what the letter says, we did NOT have to enter the Seattle terminal.  I believe that there were about 20 B2B passengers, and all but three (myself, DW and one other person) chose to leave the ship.  The three of us were personally escorted down to the ship exit point (with facial recognition and CBP personnel).  We looked in the thingy, got the green light and were promptly escorted to a back hallway and released to roam the ship.  We never set foot off the ship. The escort simply told the CBP that we were her B2B passengers remaining on the ship.  She indicated that she would have to manually "return" us to the ship once the flip to the new sailing occurred.  Beyond that it was really easy.  I don't think the ship was truly cleared for about another hour, as we kept hearing a PA asking for a shrinking number of names to get their b$tts down to the exit.  I believe that slowed the embarkation, and I didn't even see those funny Haven-parades before 11.  That's when the buffet opened and we had access to the entire buffet, with full staff and food, with us being the only ones there.  Fun stuff!

B2B NCL letter.pdf 456.16 kB · 9 downloads

We always have chosen to get out and about to see the town on turnaround day between the two legs of a B2B.  In addition to our new key cards for our new stateroom, the Guest Services folks also have given us wristbands, special name tags, or lanyards indicating that we were B2B passengers.  We usually put those in our pocket while visiting the port city, then put them on upon returning to the port terminal.  The tags allow us to bypass the check-in lines and head straight to the gangway.

[ChiefMateJRK]

7 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

We always have chosen to get out and about to see the town on turnaround day between the two legs of a B2B.

This was Seattle and we've seen plenty of it on prior cruises.  It was fun to just chill on the ship and be first in line for everything.😎

[don't-use-real-name]

8 hours ago, bomabound said:

We are booked on back-to-back cruises from Vancouver to Seward and then Seward to Vancouver.  When we booked we made sure we had the same cabin for both trips.  However, we then bid on upgrades for both trips figuring it would be worth the switch to try a suite for the first time (on the Spirit, so not Haven).  Well, we ended up getting upgrades on both trips, and predictably to different cabins!

Has anyone done back-to-backs and switched cabins in the middle?  I have no idea what to expect.  We’ll obviously need to get out of our first cabin early so that they can get it ready for the next guests, but then our second cabin won’t be ready so I’m wondering if we will have to actually leave the ship and check in again.  I sure hope not.

You received an upgrade on both legs of the B2B to a suite -

With a suite you get a Butler and Concierge service - 

The Butler will help you move your belongings to your new (suite) cabin digs - no need to pack

everything away - like a bell man at a hotel the Butler will bring around a clothing rack to hang

your clothes and trolly the empty suitcases on the bottom of the rack. You only need to carry

any documents valuables medicines in a small tote bag and away you go - if changing deck

levels you may be escorted via interior crew elevators to speed the move - this happened

to me. The only other thing you need to do as others have noted is visit Guest Services and

get the new cabin key card and determine if you need to leave the ship or not/

Exciting - enjoy the pomp and circumstance of the escorted upgrade !

[bomabound]

Since you’ve all been so helpful I’m going to push my luck by asking perhaps a ridiculous question….

We took the free beverage package on the first 7 days but not the last 7 days as I figured I couldn’t sustain that much drinking, and now I see these details about the owner’s suite (see picture).  With the drinks package I don’t know what I’d do with 3 bottles of liquor!  I’m curious if we’d get away with transferring it to our second cabin since we won’t have the drinks package then.  I mean, I can just tell the butler that we don’t want anything, but I’m curious.  I have no idea what “bottles of liquor” even refers to though.

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

21 minutes ago, bomabound said:

 I’m curious if we’d get away with transferring it to our second cabin since we won’t have the drinks package then.

I would just stick them in my suitcase.  Nobody will care.

[bomabound]

3 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I would just stick them in my suitcase.  Nobody will care.

I thought customs might, haha.

[ChiefMateJRK]

4 minutes ago, bomabound said:

I thought customs might, haha.

Yeah, I don't think customs is involved when your suitcase goes from one cabin to another.  Of course, I don't know anything so could be wrong.  I'm sure if I am wrong one of our "experts" will emerge to get us back on the straight and narrow. 🤣

[The Traveling Man]

43 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Yeah, I don't think customs is involved when your suitcase goes from one cabin to another.  Of course, I don't know anything so could be wrong.  I'm sure if I am wrong one of our "experts" will emerge to get us back on the straight and narrow. 🤣

We have tucked a couple of bottles of wine into our luggage when changing rooms on a B2B.  The cabin attendant transferred our bags to our new room and nobody said a word about it.

[UKstages]

no problem whatsoever with taking the liquor provided for one cabin and transferring it to another, as a continuing passenger on the same ship. you can carry it your hands, put it in a sack, put it in your bags, or throw it over your shoulder like a continental soldier.  nobody will be the slightest bit concerned.

[gmbhardy]

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

no problem whatsoever with taking the liquor provided for one cabin and transferring it to another, as a continuing passenger on the same ship. you can carry it your hands, put it in a sack, put it in your bags, or throw it over your shoulder like a continental soldier.  nobody will be the slightest bit concerned.

It all depends on the port. In Los Angeles we were required to go through security before returning to the ship.

[MeHeartCruising]

5 minutes ago, gmbhardy said:

It all depends on the port. In Los Angeles we were required to go through security before returning to the ship.

 

Never mind. Sorry.

Edited May 3, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, gmbhardy said:

It all depends on the port. In Los Angeles we were required to go through security before returning to the ship.

With your luggage?

[gmbhardy]

37 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

With your luggage?

No, but I was responding to a poster that suggested taking it with you.