Booking Back to Back Cruises

[DaKahuna]

6 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Yikes!  Is there anything stopping me from taking my luggage to the next room myself or do I have to let the room attendant do it?

 

To you have to, NO but I highly recommend you let your stateroom attendant take care of it.  If you do it (1) you might not be able to get into the new room (2) if you leave it in the hall, it could be collected and (3) if the new stateroom attendant did not know you put it there and found luggage she/he may remove it and it might accidently get sent ashore. 

 

 

[Silkroad]

7 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Yikes!  Is there anything stopping me from taking my luggage to the next room myself or do I have to let the room attendant do it?

I agree that it’s best to let the cabin attendants manage the switch. They know who is moving, and they coordinate with one another. We had to change cabins for the first time on our recent b2b. It went very smoothly. As directed, we left clothing on hangers, and packed everything else in our luggage. We kept valuables and items we thought we might need before having access to our new cabin with us. We used our cross body travel bags for this purpose. We left our packed & locked luggage in the middle of the room and exited our cabin for the last time before breakfast. After breakfast we reported to the b2b meeting location. Once we had obtained our new Sea Passes, we enjoyed roaming the nearly empty ship before enjoying celebratory cocktails🍹🥃 When we entered our new cabin, we found our clothes neatly hung in the closet, and our luggage lined up near the veranda. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

53 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

I agree that it’s best to let the cabin attendants manage the switch. They know who is moving, and they coordinate with one another. We had to change cabins for the first time on our recent b2b. It went very smoothly. As directed, we left clothing on hangers, and packed everything else in our luggage. We kept valuables and items we thought we might need before having access to our new cabin with us. We used our cross body travel bags for this purpose. We left our packed & locked luggage in the middle of the room and exited our cabin for the last time before breakfast. After breakfast we reported to the b2b meeting location. Once we had obtained our new Sea Passes, we enjoyed roaming the nearly empty ship before enjoying celebratory cocktails🍹🥃 When we entered our new cabin, we found our clothes neatly hung in the closet, and our luggage lined up near the veranda. 

Great information. Thank you!  So, you go to the b2b meeting and recheck in.. do you actually got off the ship or is this all done in the meeting?

[doghog]

23 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Great information. Thank you!  So, you go to the b2b meeting and recheck in.. do you actually got off the ship or is this all done in the meeting?

There's no rechecking in doing B2B cruises. Procedures on TAD for B2B cruises can vary from cruise to cruise. You will receive a detailed letter for your specific cruise in your stateroom a day or two prior to your TAD outlining everything you will need to know, where, when and what time to meet for the TAD process. 

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Great information. Thank you!  So, you go to the b2b meeting and recheck in.. do you actually got off the ship or is this all done in the meeting?

From this question I suspect you have never done a B2B.  

 

If there is a B2B meeting (there generally is unless the number of B2B passengers is very small) that meeting will be held several days before the turnaround day.  Instructions will be given in the succinct instruction letter regarding where folks remaining on board on turnaround day and those where who exit the ship will receive their new sea pass cards.  Even those in the same stateroom for all legs will receive new sea pass cards.  In some ports (Sydney, Australia comes to mind since this past spring we  did a B2B2B2B with all turnarounds in Sydney, and all passengers had to exit the ship until embarking passengers started to board) B2B passengers will need to leave the ship; in other ports B2B passengers who do not elect to leave the ship will receive their new cards in either the cruise terminal or possibly an outside deck.

 

Do not attempt to move your own luggage.  The experience reported by @BytownMatt is an aberration.  The process will be very smooth.

[di T]

On 10/16/2023 at 5:51 AM, trinitygirl said:

I tried to have this discount applied to my upcoming B2B cruise but it does not apply to the UK/AU/NZ markets.

Ah that makes sense, on our recent b2b booked in the Uk we were told no discount! But we have had discounts in the past when booking through our agent in the states.

[cruisegirlppp]

19 hours ago, BytownMatt said:

Have been on 2 B2B so far with more planned - my TA has included $120 (CDN) discounts (recognize this may vary from country to country and maybe from one TA to another). One piece of advice for those changing staterooms is to speak with your room attendant in advance to confirm the details. For my first B2B on the Apex, everything was perfectly handled and simple. My experience on the Beyond was less positive - luggage disappeared for 14 hours until it was found in the unclaimed luggage storage area on deck 2. 

Every time I read about disappearing luggage I am grateful for the small investment we made in air tags. Yesterday I read a review about a hotel that delivered luggage to an unoccupied room and the couple had to view cctv to figure out where their luggage was. 

[terrydtx]

On 10/15/2023 at 8:30 PM, Silkroad said:

There’s a $100 b2b discount for cruises 10 nights or longer, and a $50 discount for cruises less than 10 nights. TAs and CVPs should know to get the discounts applied, but not all reservation reps seem to know about the discounts. Note: I’m not sure if there’s a minimum cruise length for the discount because my shortest cruise was 7 nights.

We got the $100 discount for our B2B Edge cruise for Aus/NZ in January when we booked in February 2022 and the same SS cabin for both.

Edited October 17, 2023 by terrydtx

[Silkroad]

36 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We got the $100 discount for our B2B Edge cruise for Aus/NZ in January when we booked in February 2022 and the same SS cabin for both.

How long were your cruises? We received two $50 discounts for a b2b consisting of two 7-night cruises. On our last b2b, we received a $100 discount for our 12-night cruise and a $50 discount for our 9-night cruise.

[terrydtx]

Just now, Silkroad said:

How long were your cruises? We received two $50 discounts for a b2b consisting of two 7-night cruises. On our last b2b, we received a $100 discount for our 12-night cruise and a $50 discount for our 9-night cruise.

12 and 10 nights.

[Silkroad]

11 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Great information. Thank you!  So, you go to the b2b meeting and recheck in.. do you actually got off the ship or is this all done in the meeting?

We didn’t go through the initial boarding process again. Instead, we met at a designated area to be officially checked out (not sure of their term for this) for the first cruise and checked in for the second cruise. During this process, our sea-pass cards for the first cruise were collected by security and we were given new sea-pass cards for the second cruise.

 

To answer another question, we were required to disembark the ship (into the terminal) and re-board a short time later when we had a b2b turnaround in Fort Lauderdale. We were not required to leave the ship when we had a b2b turnaround in Amsterdam. Each country has their own security requirements, but these are the only two processes I have personally experienced.

[Silkroad]

16 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

12 and 10 nights.

Based on my experience, you should have received $200 ($100 for each leg).

Edited October 17, 2023 by Silkroad

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, Silkroad said:

To answer another question, we were required to disembark the ship (into the terminal) and re-board a short time later when we had a b2b turnaround in Fort Lauderdale. We were not required to leave the ship when we had a b2b turnaround in Amsterdam. Each country has their own security requirements, but these are the only two processes I have personally experienced.

Again, thank you!  Our b2b is out of Ft. Lauderdale so I guess we will disembark/re-embark as well.  Was hoping we could just stay on board but that's just me being impatient, lol.  

[doghog]

35 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Again, thank you!  Our b2b is out of Ft. Lauderdale so I guess we will disembark/re-embark as well.  Was hoping we could just stay on board but that's just me being impatient, lol.  

Things could change as procedures for B2B cruises are not always the same. All this will be discussed in the pre TAD meeting, in your TAD letter and at the meeting place on your TAD. 

 

We've been on B2B cruises where we had to wait in the terminal for about an hour due to Coast Guard inspection. Others we never left the ship. Others walked off and right back on. 

Edited October 17, 2023 by doghog

[Carol28]

19 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

with all turnarounds in Sydney, and all passengers had to exit the ship until embarking passengers started to boar

We will be doing our B2B in Sydney!  We are in the same room for both cruises.  I understand we will have to leave the ship, but we want to be sure we don't have to pack up our belongings!

[Northern Aurora]

4 minutes ago, Carol28 said:

We will be doing our B2B in Sydney!  We are in the same room for both cruises.  I understand we will have to leave the ship, but we want to be sure we don't have to pack up our belongings!

 

We have done several turnaround days in Sydney.  This past spring we were on a B2B2B2B series with all three turnaround days in Sydney.

 

Since you are in the same stateroom for both cruises you do not pack your belongings.  If you were changing staterooms you would need to pack the items in the drawers but not items on hangers.  If you were changing staterooms you would not put your suitcases in the hallways the night before the turnaround day.

 

Sydney is someone what unique in that B2B passengers must exit the ship until embarking passengers begin to board.  You will need to have your passport with you as you will need to show it to Australian Border Force (ABF) before re-boarding.  And once you have re-boarded you will not be able to leave the ship again.  You will receive a "Transit Pass" which allows you to bypass the long lines in the terminal.  You will show your transit pass and will be directed to a set of elevators.  You proceed to the top floor and you will be reminded that once you show your passport to ABF you will not be allowed to leave the ship again.  You show your passport to ABF officers, go through hand luggage screening and re-board.

 

Celebrity uses the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney.  So convenient to so many attractions.  Sydney is a great place to have your turnaround day.

[Carol28]

28 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

Celebrity uses the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney.  So convenient to so many attractions.  Sydney is a great place to have your turnaround day.

So, we can leave the ship and sightsee, then when we return we show our passports and are escorted to a deck?  Is this the same for suite guests?

What sights should we see?

[Northern Aurora]

2 minutes ago, Carol28 said:

So, we can leave the ship and sightsee, then when we return we show our passports and are escorted to a deck?  Is this the same for suite guests?

What sights should we see?

 

Yes -- you leave the ship and can sightsee.  You will not be dragging your luggage at all.  When you return you will need to show your passports to ABF.  We were in a suite for all legs of our B2B2B2B last spring.  After the security screening of handbags and so forth we just walked back on board.  We were on the Eclipse, which is a ship we have spent a significant amount of time onboard through the years.  We didn't see the need to be escorted back onboard.

 

The OPT is in an area of Sydney called "the Rocks."  It is the oldest part of Sydney.  It is full of historic buildings.  Great restaurants and pubs.  The iconic Opera House is just across from the OPT; it would be easy to go online to schedule Opera House tour.  The famous Botanic Gardens are about a fifteen minute walk.  The famous bridge is right there too.  The Rocks Discovery Center (museum) is about a five minute walk from the OPT.  The edgy Museum of Contemporary Art is across the street; their restaurant is being re-modeled, we don't know when the work is scheduled to be finished, but they have a great cafe on their top floor with views of the ship and famous bridge.  Others will chime in with more suggestions.

 

 

[Carol28]

9 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

The OPT is in an area of Sydney called "the Rocks."

I thank you for this excellent information.  Perhaps you can suggest a hotel in Sydney as we will fly in a day early and probably fly out a day after we disembark.  And, is there Uber in Sydney?  This will probably be our one and only trip to Australia/New Zealand.

[terrydtx]

11 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

Yes -- you leave the ship and can sightsee.  You will not be dragging your luggage at all.  When you return you will need to show your passports to ABF.  We were in a suite for all legs of our B2B2B2B last spring.  After the security screening of handbags and so forth we just walked back on board.  We were on the Eclipse, which is a ship we have spent a significant amount of time onboard through the years.  We didn't see the need to be escorted back onboard.

 

The OPT is in an area of Sydney called "the Rocks."  It is the oldest part of Sydney.  It is full of historic buildings.  Great restaurants and pubs.  The iconic Opera House is just across from the OPT; it would be easy to go online to schedule Opera House tour.  The famous Botanic Gardens are about a fifteen minute walk.  The famous bridge is right there too.  The Rocks Discovery Center (museum) is about a five minute walk from the OPT.  The edgy Museum of Contemporary Art is across the street; their restaurant is being re-modeled, we don't know when the work is scheduled to be finished, but they have a great cafe on their top floor with views of the ship and famous bridge.  Others will chime in with more suggestions.

 

 

Thank you for the information, we have the same cabin for both legs and we have already booked a walking tour of the Rocks for the morning we are in Sydney. 

[DaKahuna]

2 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Thank you for the information, we have the same cabin for both legs and we have already booked a walking tour of the Rocks for the morning we are in Sydney. 

 

Terry - If you get the chance, I would also recommend you visit Kings Cross.  That was one of my favorite places to visit when I was in Sydney.  It has probably changed considerably since I was there for their bicentennial in 1988. 

 

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Terry - If you get the chance, I would also recommend you visit Kings Cross.  That was one of my favorite places to visit when I was in Sydney.  It has probably changed considerably since I was there for their bicentennial in 1988. 

 

Thanks, we will look into doing that, we have 3 days in Sydney before our first cruise.

[skatelady]

8 hours ago, Carol28 said:

I thank you for this excellent information.  Perhaps you can suggest a hotel in Sydney as we will fly in a day early and probably fly out a day after we disembark.  And, is there Uber in Sydney?  This will probably be our one and only trip to Australia/New Zealand.

We stayed at Rydges Sydney Harbor in April for a few nights before our cruise.  It was recommended by someone on our roll call.  Quite a few of the roll call stayed 

there, we had a meet and greet in their lobby bar.  HOHO bus was down the street, we wheeled our luggage to the ship.  It is in The Rocks, as people have mentioned lots to see and plenty of restaurants.  We walked to the opera house for a tour.  We were happy with our stay there.  Someone on our roll call noticed that you can join Rydges loyalty program for a discount even if it's your first time in their hotels.  Slight issue, I have tried to unsubscribe from their emails since I don't see us in that part of the world anytime soon but they keep coming.  Delete always works.

[Northern Aurora]

14 hours ago, Carol28 said:

I thank you for this excellent information.  Perhaps you can suggest a hotel in Sydney as we will fly in a day early and probably fly out a day after we disembark.  And, is there Uber in Sydney?  This will probably be our one and only trip to Australia/New Zealand.

 

Carol:  Don't think that your trip may be your one and only to Australia and New Zealand.  Our trip last spring was our eighth trip to Australia and I think our fifth to NZ.  Later this month we plan to board the Edge to go through the Suez Canal and deliver the ship to Australia.   Both of these countries are very interesting and we have done land trips in addition to cruises in both.

 

In Sydney we generally stay at the Sir Stamford at Circular Quay.  Love the hotel and its ambiance.  But in March we decided to try something different just to try something different.  We were at the Rydges Sydney Harbor.  Reviews for the Rydges are all over the place.  Our room was fine for three nights but the decor was a little dated.  We had no issues with cleanliness or water pressure.  We booked a rate with included hot breakfast and thought the breakfast was great.  Very easy walk to the OPT and we also wheeled our luggage to the ship.  While I think the Sir Stamford is nicer the Rydges was perfectly acceptable, and even a shorter walk to my husband's favorite Sydney pub -- the Lord Nelson Brewery and Hotel, which in addition to having interesting beer, has great pub food and a nicer restaurant too.

 

When we leave a ship in Sydney we generally fly the next day.  We usually have more OBC than we can use so we book the ship transfer to the international airport.  We then walk across the street to the Rydges at the airport.  It is literally "katty corner" to the end of the airport terminal.  We are members of the Rydges loyalty program so purchase a delayed checkout.  Again, we book a room with the hot breakfast.  We fly to Honolulu the next day to spend a few days before the flights to home in Alaska.  Just can't do the ten hour flight from Sydney to Honolulu and then add more flights home the same day.  

[Kteacher]

Thank you for all this information. We’re doing our first B2B next spring on the Reflection, staying in the same cabin, and wasn’t aware of any additional discount. We booked each leg separately- does that make a difference in having a discount applied ( booked one leg then a month or so later added the second leg)?