Why book a B2B?

[Mary Ellen]

Why do you care what other people do with their vacations???? They don't need to justify their choices to you (or anyone else) any more than you need to explain yours. Different strokes for different folks. ;)

[Cuizer2]

Why do you care what other people do with their vacations???? They don't need to justify their choices to you (or anyone else) any more than you need to explain yours. Different strokes for different folks. ;)

 

I think the OP was looking for information - not trying to be critical.

[Krazy Kruizers]

One of the things I like best is spending time in a place on the front and/or back ends of a cruise so I can get some land-based time on an otherwise cruise-centred vacation. Although I love my time on any given cruise, I am always glad to disembark and have the opportunity to really explore places, at a slower and more immersive pace. Alternatively, cruising to new destinations is always a compelling motivation for booking vacations.

 

I don't understand the appeal of B2B cruises. If you have the time to indulge in another cruise, to the same places with the same time constraints (usually), as the first one, why would you bother? There are always land-based options to agree with any budget, so economics isn't an issue. You still get only 4 or 8 or 12 hours in a port, so you aren't going to add that much to your previous experience of a place, and your overall shipboard situation is going to be more or less a replica of the one you just finished.

 

So why book a B2B when you can spend that time on land or book a different cruise to new destinations?

 

We love doing back-to-back cruises. Have done quite a few of them.

We figure that if we have to go through all the hassle of flying as we have no direct flights to any ports, we might as well as make the most of it. We spend 2 - 3 days in the embarkation port then cruise for usually 20 days and spend time on land before flying home.

About 98% of our back-to-back cruises are different itineraries.

[Born Cruiser 2]

Actually, you made the false assumption, as did most of the other respondents. I fully understand cruises with different itineraries, but that wasn't what I was curious about. I think I was pretty clear in specifying B2B's with the SAME itineraries :)

 

Well, I think you will get a "laugh" out of this reason. My husband and I are doing a 14 day Canada/New England out of Cape Liberty, New Jersey on the Constellation. We are DRIVING to New Jersey from Texas. Why? you say: Because of the luggage issue. We both are "clothes horses". (Two large cases, two medium cases and two carry-on's). Along, with a laptop, and, of course, the wine for dinner. And, most of them are probably "over weight".

 

Then, because we've already packed the clothes, when we get back to

Cape Liberty, New Jersey, we pick up the car and drive down to Ft. Lauderdale to board the Infinity for 14 days to San Diego. Decided on the B-T-B (another 14 days) from San Diego to Ft Lauderdale because our CAR IS PARKED in Ft Lauderdale (Ha, Ha). Decided we would rather cruise back then fly!

 

Oh well, when you are retired, its nice what you can do with the extra free time.

[BARBARA J.W.]

I have been on afew BTBs........

Yes some has gone back to the same ports..

I don't care where the Ship goes.

I like Cruising.......I like being on the Ship.

I am getting ready to do my first

BTBTB,,,,,,,,guess what I'll be in

NASSAU three times on my BTBTB......

I don't care,,,,,,,,I'll just have a goood time....

HAPPY BTBs OR BTBTBs everyone.........

[John&LaLa]

Princess provides info to b2b passengers a few days before the end of the first cruise. It specificly says b2b passnegers only have to participate in the muster drill at the begining of the first cruise.

 

good for them, RCL and CCL will make you show up for the second muster. rules are always changing though. i heard that some RCL ships are not requiring you to show up with live vests at the muster

[AmoMondo]

I think a lot of people who do B2B don't do the same itinerary. If you are having to fly half way around the world to join a cruise you probably want longer than 7 nights. On my last cruise which was a 7 day West med out of genoa in North Italy, there were quite a few passengers who had sailed on another ship in the same cruiseline the week before out of Venice. They also had pre and post cruise land stays too. Doing the B2B allowed them to pretty much cover the whole of the Med and let them experience 2 different ships with only a small transfer in between.The cost and time for air travel was also a consideration as most of them were from Australia.

 

I also considered doing a B2B a few years ago in South America. The ship was alternating routes each week , saliling South one week and North the other. I was also booked for a Princess cruise in the Caribbean that was sold to the UK market as a 14 night cruise but in reality was 2 B2B 7 nights with different itineraries - so that they could cater for both US and European markets. Unfortunately this was cancelled as the ship had to go in to dry dock. Had I done either of these cruises I mentioned I would have had an overnight stay or 2 too.

 

I like really long cruises but they are harder to find in the summer months so I can certainly see the attraction of B2B. I wpould not however consider repaeting the exact same cruise.

[WhansaMi]

 

So why book a B2B when you can spend that time on land or book a different cruise to new destinations?

 

 

We've never booked a B2B, but I could easily see us doing one, especially if it made travel to and from port easier (such as in a north and south bound Alaska trip).

 

For us, the ship is often the primary destination. We love the ambience of a ship. We love not having to get up and DO anything. I love sitting and watching the ocean, but since I'm fair-skinned and older, I don't sit in the sun. The ship offers me the luxury of both.

 

In a couple of weeks, we are leaving on a cruise. There are three ports. I might not get off the ship at two of them. Definitely won't at one.

 

Last year, we went to Europe. Port-intensive, and we got off the ship everywhere. I could easily imagine going out one way, and, on the back leg, deciding which I wanted to go out on again, and skipping some, just to stay on the ship.

 

Ultimately, I'd probably be okay with a two week cruise to nowhere!