"Back to Back Cruises"....Do you have to get off the ship to reboard?

[Healthmark]

I am doing a "Back to Back Cruise" in February and I have the same cabin.

Is it necessary to get off the ship and reboard and "go through the lines again" or does NCL arrange for you to exit briefly from the ship and get right back on?

Or even better, do they let you stay on the ship?

[julig22]

Depends on the port. Sometimes you can stay onboard at a designated location. Sometimes you have to completely exit, time frame would vary.  It's up to the port authority.

[Healthmark]

1 minute ago, julig22 said:

Depends on the port. Sometimes you can stay onboard at a designated location. Sometimes you have to completely exit, time frame would vary.  It's up to the port authority.

Thank you for the quick reply.....I did not know that.  I thought the cruise line handled this directly.

The port of departure is NYC if anyone has had this experience.

[smillerholmes]

6 minutes ago, Healthmark said:

Thank you for the quick reply.....I did not know that.  I thought the cruise line handled this directly.

The port of departure is NYC if anyone has had this experience.

I've done a B2B out of NY/MCT.  We received a notice in our staterooms a couple of days before and we were instructed to meet in Cagneys (I think it was 08:30ish)  There were about 30 of us and CBP came onboard and checked our documents.  It took about 15 minutes tops and we were allowed to enjoy the ship until the new passengers came on.

[Healthmark]

5 minutes ago, smillerholmes said:

I've done a B2B out of NY/MCT.  We received a notice in our staterooms a couple of days before and we were instructed to meet in Cagneys (I think it was 08:30ish)  There were about 30 of us and CBP came onboard and checked our documents.  It took about 15 minutes tops and we were allowed to enjoy the ship until the new passengers came on.

Wow....that's great.

Thanks for the information. 

[UKstages]

my experience was the same as smillerholmes... in NYC. 

 

CBP came onboard and did a routine passport check. i think we gathered in the social. (the venue may depend on how many B2B guests they have.)

 

in miami recently, we were required to get off and go through a CBP checkpoint and do a biometric eye scan. they gathered us in la cucina, there were about 40 of us... and it took forever because they had to clear the ship and get a 0 passenger count. it was close to 90 minutes before they took us off the ship. then they led us off as a group, and then returned us to ship as a group before new passengers boarded. (that is key, if you want to be first in line for vibe passes or new or revised restaurant reservations.)

 

obviously, i preferred the way they handled things in new york. even so. there is no guarantee of steaming onboard, CBP could decide they want everybody of the ship. 

[complawyer]

we did a b2bthis past july/ aug. 10 days from southampton to copenhagen, 9 days copenhagen to stockholm. my wife and my friend got of to go shopping in copenhagen, i stayed on board (in my same cabin) and vegged out. You just need to go down to guest services and get a new key card. we were on the dawn, so i can only speak about that ship

[smillerholmes]

9 minutes ago, UKstages said:

my experience was the same as smillerholmes... in NYC. 

 

CBP came onboard and did a routine passport check. i think we gathered in the social. (the venue may depend on how many B2B guests they have.)

 

in miami recently, we were required to get off and go through a CBP checkpoint and do a biometric eye scan. they gathered us in la cucina, there were about 40 of us... and it took forever because they had to clear the ship and get a 0 passenger count. it was close to 90 minutes before they took us off the ship. then they led us off as a group, and then returned us to ship as a group before new passengers boarded. (that is key, if you want to be first in line for vibe passes or new or revised restaurant reservations.)

 

obviously, i preferred the way they handled things in new york. even so. there is no guarantee of steaming onboard, CBP could decide they want everybody of the ship. 

I believe the port is the primary driving force for how things typically go, but there's definitely variations.  On my recent B2B out of CIVITAVECCHIA there may as well have been a visio document.  We had a meeting with over 100 people easy - maybe closer to 150.  Everything was "if this" "then this".  If your stateroom is changing, then "fill in the blank".  Nobody had to get off the ship, but many people were very confused depending upon their situation.

[UKstages]

typically, two days before the second cruise, you'll get a letter in your stateroom explaining everything. if there are a really large number of passengers doing a back to back, there may be a meeting in the theatre during which they explain everything and the excursions team may even give you an overview of the excursions on the. next cruise.the letter delivered to your room will include "in transit" or "transit passenger" stickers to wear while onboard during the switchover and - if you're changing cabins - it will include special luggage tags for your bag. you cabin attendant is responsible for moving your bags from one room to the other. i have always changed rooms on my B2Bs, so i needed a new key card. others have told me that if they weren't changing rooms, they didn't need a new card.

[AKR2011]

It depends on customs I believe. We did B2B last summer out of Boston. First Bermuda/Bar Harbor and then Canada/New England. Because we did customs on Bar Harbor day the first leg, we did not have to get off. They gave us stickers to wear on turnover day and we had free rein of the ship. There were a few hours there when we were some of the few guests on board, and it was lovely! 

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, Healthmark said:

Thank you for the quick reply.....I did not know that.  I thought the cruise line handled this directly.

The port of departure is NYC if anyone has had this experience.

Perhaps because my last B2Bs in NY were a couple of years ago my experience was different than some others have reported. Every time in the past in NY we've had to disembark and be checked by USCBP in the cruise terminal and then we reboarded only after the ship reached a "zero count", meaning everyone had disembarked .

[itsnotjustme]

Our experience was in Athen, on the Jade, with no change of cabin.

 

It was like a port day for us, with the exception that we were given a sticker to wear that said something like continuing traveler so that the staff knew we could be on the ship, as well as go ashore and re-board. 

 

Of note, our key cards continued to work for our room, but we could not charge or use them for free drinks until we made a pass-through guest services.

[The Traveling Man]

4 hours ago, Healthmark said:

I am doing a "Back to Back Cruise" in February and I have the same cabin.

Is it necessary to get off the ship and reboard and "go through the lines again" or does NCL arrange for you to exit briefly from the ship and get right back on?

Or even better, do they let you stay on the ship?

You definitely do not have to go through the check-in lines a second time.  You will receive a letter or packet of info in your room a couple of days before your first cruise ends.  You'll need to stop by the guest service desk the morning of turnaround day, or preferably the night before, to pick up your new key card with a new expiration date.  You'll also get a name tag of sticker to indicate that you are a continuing traveler.  When you get off to explore the turnaround city then return to the port, the port personnel will see the tag and let you pass straight through to the gangway, just as you do on any other intermediate port.  In most cases you will be asked to exit the ship, at least for a little while, so the ship can zero out the passenger count.  In a few cases, so I've heard, passengers have been allowed to remain on board after checking with security or guest services to let NCL know that they were accounted for.  If you will be changing rooms at turnaround, you need to pack your bags, tag them with your new cabin number, and leave them in your room.  Your steward will take them to your new room while you are out on the town.

[UKstages]

my understanding, after several back to back cruises, is that the zero count specifically excludes B2B guests. to achieve a zero count, all disembarking guests have to be off the ship. in my experience, the B2B guests either stay on, as described in several posts above, or they need to get off to clear customs and border patrol (or that country's equivalent), also as described in several posts above.

 

either way, the "zero count" can be achieved with B2B passengers still onboard.

[ChiefMateJRK]

I'm a newbie to B2B.  I've only done one, this past April.  It was Bliss in Seattle.  I got a letter a few days before the switch.  I could leave everything as I wanted in the cabin.  We had to get a new key card from guest services on disembark day, and then meet in one of the bars.  Most wanted to get off the ship to explore Seattle, so they did so with certain instructions.  Three of us wanted to stay on the ship.  We were escorted down to the disembark point (still on the ship) where the NCL rep told the scanning folks that we were the B2Bs who were staying on the ship.  I think they scanned our cards and may have had us look into that recognition thingy.  We were then excused to hang around on the ship.  After that, it was just chill and look forward to meeting my new friend @graphicguyon leg two.

 

B2Bs are REALLY cool.  Like the saying goes, "once you've gone B2B, you'll never look back" 🤣

 

disclaimer: there is no such saying (until now?)

 

I liked B2B so much that I now have seven more booked.  No, that is NOT hyperbole.  I actually have seven B2B's booked between now and 2026.😎

🐀heaven:

Book early.

Book often.

Book inside (i.e. cheap).

Book B2B.

 

B2B = twice the fun, half the hassle

 

 

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

Does anyone have b2b experience they can share regarding Port Canaveral?  We board on Sunday and are curious how it will work.

[UKstages]

if you board on Sunday, embarkation is what you'd normally expect. i have no B2B experience in port canaveral; but I feel quite confident that it will be handled for your second cruise in one of the two ways discussed above... you'll either stay on the ship and clear CBP on the ship... or you won't! if you are required to leave the ship, you will be brought back onboard before all new passengers. either way, you will have the option of exploring port canaveral for the day and bypassing checkin on your way back.

[Coastalbreezes]

4 hours ago, WhenIsOurNextCruise said:

Does anyone have b2b experience they can share regarding Port Canaveral?  We board on Sunday and are curious how it will work.

Port Canaveral makes you get off the ship. I have done several B2Bs in the last year from this port and the first few times were nightmares: We met in the theater, hung around until there was zero count (nearly an hour), then were brought as a group off the ship, through the terminal and downstairs to facial recognition where they made us wait again until the guest services team member was told he could bring us back up to board (about 40 minutes of just standing there). Because there was a huge lack of communication between the port personnel and NCL, by the time we got back upstairs general boarding had already begun and we were in a very, very long line to board. We were not happy and very frustrated!

 

After boarding, I met up with the GM and he asked how the B2B process went and I was honest about how ridiculously long it took.

 

A few weeks ago, I did another B2B from PC and the process was nearly perfect. We were taken off the ship fairly quickly by a guest services rep, were met and escorted by the assistant GM and although we still had to go through the terminal and downstairs again, he made sure we were scanned and back on the ship before regular boarding began. If not for his presence we might have had a long wait again.

 

 

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

Thanks for the info!

[D_And_K_gocruising]

7 hours ago, WhenIsOurNextCruise said:

Does anyone have b2b experience they can share regarding Port Canaveral?  We board on Sunday and are curious how it will work.

If you check out a live trip right now called "Escape Escape 2 times the Escape"  I think page 7?  Maybe 6 they have a copy of the paper they got and how it works. 

[graphicguy]

10 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I'm a newbie to B2B.  I've only done one, this past April.  It was Bliss in Seattle.  I got a letter a few days before the switch.  I could leave everything as I wanted in the cabin.  We had to get a new key card from guest services on disembark day, and then meet in one of the bars.  Most wanted to get off the ship to explore Seattle, so they did so with certain instructions.  Three of us wanted to stay on the ship.  We were escorted down to the disembark point (still on the ship) where the NCL rep told the scanning folks that we were the B2Bs who were staying on the ship.  I think they scanned our cards and may have had us look into that recognition thingy.  We were then excused to hang around on the ship.  After that, it was just chill and look forward to meeting my new friend @graphicguyon leg two.

 

B2Bs are REALLY cool.  Like the saying goes, "once you've gone B2B, you'll never look back" 🤣

 

disclaimer: there is no such saying (until now?)

 

I liked B2B so much that I now have seven more booked.  No, that is NOT hyperbole.  I actually have seven B2B's booked between now and 2026.😎

🐀heaven:

Book early.

Book often.

Book inside (i.e. cheap).

Book B2B.

 

B2B = twice the fun, half the hassle

 

 

That was fun.  Still trying to pull off a B2B.

Edited December 15, 2023 by graphicguy

[KKB]

19 hours ago, Healthmark said:

I am doing a "Back to Back Cruise" in February and I have the same cabin.

Is it necessary to get off the ship and reboard and "go through the lines again" or does NCL arrange for you to exit briefly from the ship and get right back on?

Or even better, do they let you stay on the ship?

Have done B2B on NCL, Princess, Celebrity & MSC out of FLL, MIA, Orlando & Hamburg, Germany.

Every time we collect in a communal area until all other guests are off. 

Then they walk us off & right back on.

[Coastalbreezes]

15 hours ago, KKB said:

Have done B2B on NCL, Princess, Celebrity & MSC out of FLL, MIA, Orlando & Hamburg, Germany.

Every time we collect in a communal area until all other guests are off. 

Then they walk us off & right back on.

Unfortunately that doesn't ever happen at Port Canaveral.

[DominicAUS]

I’m doing my first B2B in San Pedro (LA) in Jan Mexico 5 day and then 15 day Panama Canal. Happy to report back, fingers crossed for a smooth transition, moving from the Haven to club balcony, how the mighty fall! Hehe

[surfclam2003]

2 hours ago, DominicAUS said:

I’m doing my first B2B in San Pedro (LA) in Jan Mexico 5 day and then 15 day Panama Canal. Happy to report back, fingers crossed for a smooth transition, moving from the Haven to club balcony, how the mighty fall! Hehe

Let us know how the move goes. We are doing 12 night transatlantic in the Haven and moving to club balcony for 10 night Med. Price was double for the 10 night Haven! Want to see how transition is.