B2B Civitavechia - cabin availability question

[seapad]

New to Princess. Will be doing a B2B early next year. The turnaround port is Civitavecchia. Does anyone have experience how the process works? 

Specifically too when we are allowed to go back to the ship, do we have to wait with everyone else until the cabins are ready at 2-ish before we can get into our own cabin? We are staying in the same cabin on both cruises. 

Thanks in advance!  

[Ombud]

Just did my 1st B2B.  Here's what hsppened:

> instruction letter the night before 

> all those doing B2B met in Explorers Lounge

> 30 in the group. escorted off after everyone else debarked, 17 went sightseeing with an in-transit card to skip embarkation process

> staff walked 13 back thru terminal & back on immediately 

> full access to everything open onboard (went to room to drop off passport then off to International Cafe for tea & pastry)

> other passengers embarked an hour later

> loved having a nearly empty ship & can't wait until my next B2B 

 

This was LA but I hear the process is the same all over

Edited July 23, 2023 by Ombud

[SCX22]

It all depends on what Italy and EU immigration wants.  Guest Services will send a letter to your stateroom a few days before turn around days giving instructions.  If immigration in Civitavecchia doesn't require a zero guest count, you will not even be required to disembark and re-embark. Last year, Barcelona started to require a zero count, requiring all transiting passengers to disembark, go through immigration, and re-embark.  Pre-pandemic, Civitavecchia didn't require a zero count.  If a zero count is required, it usually entails all transiting passengers to meet in a lounge at a specific time, going though immigration together, and being brought back on the ship as soon as everyone clears the formalities.

 

You will have access to you cabin at all times, presuming that you will not change cabins on the second segment.  Speak to your room steward and tell them what your plans are for turnaround day.  They usually prioritize making up transiting passengers rooms because they know that will be on board.  (As a courtesy to my steward, I instruct once a day service in the evening on turnaround days so they can concentrate on making up the other cabins for embarking passengers.)  If you are switching cabins, you should go to Guest Services and have them send a message to the room steward of your new cabin, so you can vacate your old cabin and move to the new cabin ASAP.  They will also activate your Medallion to open your new cabin early.  You'll ever be in a situation where you're cabinless for a period of time.

 

 

Edited July 23, 2023 by SCX22

[seapad]

1 hour ago, SCX22 said:

It all depends on what Italy and EU immigration wants.  Guest Services will send a letter to your stateroom a few days before turn around days giving instructions.  If immigration in Civitavecchia doesn't require a zero guest count, you will not even be required to disembark and re-embark. Last year, Barcelona started to require a zero count, requiring all transiting passengers to disembark, go through immigration, and re-embark.  Pre-pandemic, Civitavecchia didn't require a zero count.  If a zero count is required, it usually entails all transiting passengers to meet in a lounge at a specific time, going though immigration together, and being brought back on the ship as soon as everyone clears the formalities.

 

You will have access to you cabin at all times, presuming that you will not change cabins on the second segment.  Speak to your room steward and tell them what your plans are for turnaround day.  They usually prioritize making up transiting passengers rooms because they know that will be on board.  (As a courtesy to my steward, I instruct once a day service in the evening on turnaround days so they can concentrate on making up the other cabins for embarking passengers.)  If you are switching cabins, you should go to Guest Services and have them send a message to the room steward of your new cabin, so you can vacate your old cabin and move to the new cabin ASAP.  They will also activate your Medallion to open your new cabin early.  You'll ever be in a situation where you're cabinless for a period of time.

 

 

Thank you for the detail! We are staying in the same cabin. Do we still need to ask Guest Service to re-activate the Medallion to open our room? Thanks! 

[SCX22]

30 minutes ago, seapad said:

Thank you for the detail! We are staying in the same cabin. Do we still need to ask Guest Service to re-activate the Medallion to open our room? Thanks! 

No need to stop by Guest Services.  It will be seamless for the most part.  There will a short period, like a couple of minutes maybe not even, where the ship’s door electronic door panels will be reset after the last disembarking passenger is off the ship.  During this time you may be “locked out” of your cabin, but once the reset is done, access is immediate.

[seapad]

39 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

No need to stop by Guest Services.  It will be seamless for the most part.  There will a short period, like a couple of minutes maybe not even, where the ship’s door electronic door panels will be reset after the last disembarking passenger is off the ship.  During this time you may be “locked out” of your cabin, but once the reset is done, access is immediate.

Thank you 👍

[Cruise Crazy 62]

I did B2B thru Rome in November 2022 and was not required to disembark.

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, Ombud said:

Just did my 1st B2B.  Here's what hsppened:

> instruction letter the night before 

> all those doing B2B met in Explorers Lounge

> 30 in the group. escorted off after everyone else debarked, 17 went sightseeing with an in-transit card to skip embarkation process

> staff walked 13 back thru terminal & back on immediately 

> full access to everything open onboard (went to room to drop off passport then off to International Cafe for tea & pastry)

> other passengers embarked an hour later

> loved having a nearly empty ship & can't wait until my next B2B 

 

This was LA but I hear the process is the same all over

The US procedure is unique and not the same at all as overseas.  Overseas, a turnaround port is the same as any other port and guest can come and go as they please.  Someone noted a possible exception in Barcelona.  That said, we had a turnaround there in Oct 2022 and it was nothing.

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, seapad said:

Thank you for the detail! We are staying in the same cabin. Do we still need to ask Guest Service to re-activate the Medallion to open our room? Thanks! 

There is nothing to be concerned about in Europe and Civitavecchia.  It is seamless when you are not changing cabins.

[Ombud]

2 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

The US procedure is unique and not the same at all as overseas.  Overseas, a turnaround port is the same as any other port and guest can come and go as they please.  Someone noted a possible exception in Barcelona.  That said, we had a turnaround there in Oct 2022 and it was nothing.

I wasn't sure so that's why I put in the port. So by what you're saying I'd rather do a B2B here so I could experience a basically empty ship .... but good to know that I don't even have to get off in Europe

[Steelers36]

5 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I wasn't sure so that's why I put in the port. So by what you're saying I'd rather do a B2B here so I could experience a basically empty ship .... but good to know that I don't even have to get off in Europe

Well, in most (all?) Med ports - and other Euro ports - you have various voyages going on with multiple booking options.  Not like most US voyages that begin/end in FLL, LA, SF, etc.  For example, you have Rome-Athens-Barcelona-Rome.  So guests can book to start and end in any of those three ports.  Therefore, you do not have the entire ship turning over at any one port.  That said, many B2B'ers will be treating the turnaround port as a regular port day that it is and touring in the city or nearby area.  I wouldn't be able to say with precision, but the ship could mostly be like any other port day in terms of fullness/emptiness.

[dreaminofcruisin]

We too are doing our first B2B this fall. Our turnaround day is in Athens.

A reply to OP was that we will need to wait to disembark until all other passengers disembark.

Is that true? Anyone with experience what time that will be?

TIA

[SCX22]

19 minutes ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

We too are doing our first B2B this fall. Our turnaround day is in Athens.

A reply to OP was that we will need to wait to disembark until all other passengers disembark.

Is that true? Anyone with experience what time that will be?

TIA

 

You won't have to wait.  You're free to go ashore when as soon as the ship gains clearance.  

[skynight]

My experience in Europe is that it is just like any other port day. Stay onboard, take a tour, whatever you want. Your cabin will be serviced like any other day. We always mentioned to our cabin steward that they could if it is convenient service our cabin last. This allowed the steward to focus on those cabins that had to be prepared for new passengers. Your on board accounts will roll over until your final disembarkment. On one occasion  the fire doors leading to the cabins were closed.  They are heavy but we just opened them to access our cabin. All our stuff was there and we did require access. However, we do try to stay away from the cabin area as it is very busy. 

There are some differences in MDR breakfast hours. The International Cafe remains open. The buffet area may have a gap between breakfast and lunch which they do not have on other days. On deck food venues open as normal at 11am.

The process at U.S. ports mentioned in post #2 is unique to the U.S. It does not apply in Italy.

[Y21]

Sorry OP for piggybacking on this subject, but I have a similar, but separate question if I may. I'll be on B2B (but brought the entire duration as one) later this year. The latter half is TA back to the US. On the turnaround day in Southampton, do we need to go through a sort of "immigration check" to make sure you are eligible to visit the US or will that be done on the initial embarkation day? If anyone, perhaps someone who is not a US citizen, has this information, please let me know.

[sultan_sfo]

2 hours ago, Y21 said:

...

On the turnaround day in Southampton, do we need to go through a sort of "immigration check" to make sure you are eligible to visit the US or will that be done on the initial embarkation day? If anyone, perhaps someone who is not a US citizen, has this information, please let me know.

Experience As Of May 2023 at Southampton:

Like other Princess B2B, you will get a letter with a "Transit Card". The letter said to just have the Transit Card, Medallion, and Govt. Issued ID. (prefer Passport) when coming back to ship. Remember you will have the SAME single Medallion for both legs. The Medallion gives only the Embarkation Date -- not the End Date.

 

Reality: A "few" of the British Port Officers at the re-entry "Entrance" were a little more cautious! They looked at the date and said the Medallion had expired! We explained. The Officer had a Printed List of all Transit Passengers and he compared our names on the Medallion with that list. Just took extra 10 minutes. Most of the Transit Pax were just allowed in with just the Transit Card and Medallion without the extra verification! Depends who was checking at the re-entry.

[Y21]

@sultan_sfo Thank you for your reply and the details. That helps.