back-to-back questions

Hi, We just booked our first back to back for a 21 day cruise. For those of you who have taken back to back would appreciate some insight ..

our cabin number is the same for both cruises.

What happens on turn around day? Do we also have to vacate our cabin early with the rest of the passengers who are leaving that day to get out of the way of the turn around cleaning efforts?

If so, is there a ship location you're asked to proceed to?

I know we have to get off the ship .. and reboard.. how is this handled? Do we have to check in pier side again?

Account -- with the same cabin number, do they leave your account open and close at the end of the second cruise? Wondering, as TA provides OBC, and if any remaining amount would be carried over to next cruise.

For things like drink packages ..we have classic and will probably upgrade to premium on board .. do we have to do the upgrade on each cruise segment? We alway purchase dining packages .. same question .. do we only purchase the number of nights we would use on each cruise segment?

Your back to back experiences .. do you enjoy, too repetitive (we are going to different ports) with dining and entertainment?

Any helpful tips sincerely appreciated.

Thanks,

Peggy Sue

Your cruised are considered separate. After the first cruise, your Seapass account is closed out, and you’re issued a new one. Usually you don’t have to vacate your cabin early. But depending on the day port, you may be asked to meet with other passengers, also on a B2B, and in mass, be taken off the ship, given a New Seapass card, and then can board again.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hi, We just booked our first back to back for a 21 day cruise. For those of you who have taken back to back would appreciate some insight ..

 

our cabin number is the same for both cruises.

 

What happens on turn around day? Do we also have to vacate our cabin early with the rest of the passengers who are leaving that day to get out of the way of the turn around cleaning efforts?

If so, is there a ship location you're asked to proceed to?

==> you will be invited to a meeting the day before turn around. You'll be told where to meet if you do not want to get off the ship. Or you can get off and you'll be given "transit cards" that will allow you to quickly return. You will also be given your new Sea Pass/room keys either at the meeting or they will be left on your bed the last night. You will need both keys and you photo ID to exit/return to the ship.

 

I know we have to get off the ship .. and reboard.. how is this handled? Do we have to check in pier side again?

==> We tell our room steward that we are B2B and to "do our cabin last" and we tip her/him. Thus we are in no rush to get out of the cabin but if you want breakfast you need to be mindful of the food service times.

 

Account -- with the same cabin number, do they leave your account open and close at the end of the second cruise? Wondering, as TA provides OBC, and if any remaining amount would be carried over to next cruise.

==> You start a new account. The old one is closed and the new is opened.

 

For things like drink packages ..we have classic and will probably upgrade to premium on board .. do we have to do the upgrade on each cruise segment? We alway purchase dining packages .. same question .. do we only purchase the number of nights we would use on each cruise segment?

==>Yes. each cruise is separate. You should have 2 different booking numbers.

 

Your back to back experiences .. do you enjoy, too repetitive (we are going to different ports) with dining and entertainment?

==> We've done several 7 day B2B. Love turn around day. Everyone is rushing off or running on and we're relaxing and enjoying an empty ship.

 

Have fun!

Lois

We almost always to B2B or B2B2B series. We have to fly to ports, so it just makes more sense given the air fare costs.

In addition the prior comments, you will receive a succinct instruction letter regarding the turnaround day process. If you have any questions check at Guest Relations. The actual process can be handled in a variety of manners, but each leg is considered a separate cruise so such things as unused internet minutes and OBC don't carry over to the next leg. And even though you are in the same cabin for both legs you will receive a new sea pass card.

A number of posters have described in detail their particular turnaround day. The Cruise Critic search function should help you find those descriptions. But just remember that what happened on their particular turnaround day may not be identical to how it will be handled on your turnaround day.

Hi, We just booked our first back to back for a 21 day cruise. For those of you who have taken back to back would appreciate some insight ..

 

our cabin number is the same for both cruises.

 

What happens on turn around day? Do we also have to vacate our cabin early with the rest of the passengers who are leaving that day to get out of the way of the turn around cleaning efforts?

If so, is there a ship location you're asked to proceed to?

 

I know we have to get off the ship .. and reboard.. how is this handled? Do we have to check in pier side again?

 

Account -- with the same cabin number, do they leave your account open and close at the end of the second cruise? Wondering, as TA provides OBC, and if any remaining amount would be carried over to next cruise.

 

For things like drink packages ..we have classic and will probably upgrade to premium on board .. do we have to do the upgrade on each cruise segment? We alway purchase dining packages .. same question .. do we only purchase the number of nights we would use on each cruise segment?

 

Your back to back experiences .. do you enjoy, too repetitive (we are going to different ports) with dining and entertainment?

 

Any helpful tips sincerely appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Peggy Sue

B2Bers are the last ones off the ship and the first ones back on the ship. You will receive detailed instructions a couple of days before TAD outlining the procedures as where to meet, what time and what to bring with you. It's a piece of cake. We always have the same cabin for the second leg. Your cabin attendant will make sure your cabin is done before TAD procedures are completed. Once TAD procedures are complete you are allowed to go back to your cabin if you wish. The fire doors will be closed but not locked. Everything for the second leg starts new. Nothing carries over. Make sure to use your OBC as it will not transfer to the second leg. If it's nonrefundable OBC you will lose it if you don't use it. If it's a refundable OBC it will be credited back to your Credit Card. You will need to upgrade your BP if that's what you want for the second leg. On all of our B2B cruises we were invited to have lunch in the MDR with other B2Bers. Repeat menus isn't an issue for us. We just select something different the second time around. Entertainment (production shows) also repeats so if we liked the show we go again. If we didn't like it we skip it. Guest entertainers usually change. You will also have to do the muster drill again on the second leg.

As other folks have mentioned, each cruise is treated separately to include purchasing separate dining packages. We've only been on one B2B so this may not be applicable on all B2Bs. But when we went to the B2B meeting, we were offered a free specialty dinner if we bought at least a 3-dinner package at the meeting for the second leg of the cruise.

It totally depends on what your home port is. If it is in the US, then all of the above apply. If it is not in the US, then it is treated as any other port.day, no need for immigration or zero down the ship. EM

What happens if at the end of the first we will become elite? Do we just go to Captains Club Desk to get the upgrade for the second leg?

Deleted

Hi, We just booked our first back to back for a 21 day cruise. For those of you who have taken back to back would appreciate some insight ..

 

our cabin number is the same for both cruises.

 

What happens on turn around day? Do we also have to vacate our cabin early with the rest of the passengers who are leaving that day to get out of the way of the turn around cleaning efforts?

If so, is there a ship location you're asked to proceed to?

 

I know we have to get off the ship .. and reboard.. how is this handled? Do we have to check in pier side again?

 

Account -- with the same cabin number, do they leave your account open and close at the end of the second cruise? Wondering, as TA provides OBC, and if any remaining amount would be carried over to next cruise.

 

For things like drink packages ..we have classic and will probably upgrade to premium on board .. do we have to do the upgrade on each cruise segment? We alway purchase dining packages .. same question .. do we only purchase the number of nights we would use on each cruise segment?

 

Your back to back experiences .. do you enjoy, too repetitive (we are going to different ports) with dining and entertainment?

This subject comes up frequently on these boards. To recap some answers that were previously posted on another thread:

The turnaround day procedure can vary from port to port and from one cruise to another. Sometimes it will vary even for the same ship at the same port.

You may or may not be required to leave the ship.

Near the end of the first cruise, you will receive a packet with instructions for your turnaround day procedure.

It will tell you when and where to appear for a meeting with the other B2B passengers, if they are having a meeting.

At the meeting is where they will answer questions and explain the procedures for that particular turnaround.

The packet may or may not include your new seapass card for the next cruise. It may contain the transit pass to use in the port on the turnaround day, or you may not receive the transit pass or new seapass card until later.

For some ports, you clear immigration in advance so there is no need to do it on the turnaround day.

At other times, you may need to leave the ship to meet with the immigration officials, or else they may come on board to meet with you right on the ship.

What has always been constant is that we have always been issued a new seapass card and a new onboard account for the next cruise.

They close out the old accounts at the end of the first cruise (regardless of whether or not you are changing cabins) so nothing from your account on the first cruise will carry over to the next one.

If you have non-refundable OBC on the first cruise, you need to spend it on the first cruise or loose it.

What varies is when and where you get your new seapass cards for the next cruise.

Sometimes we received them in the packet in our stateroom in advance, sometimes at the meeting of back-to-back passengers, sometimes on the turnaround day before leaving the ship, and other times not until after we were off the ship, before re-boarding.

On the turnaround day you always punch out with your old card and then punch back in with your new card, but how, when and where that occurs can vary.

On some cruises, they handle the procedures right on board and you do not need to get off the ship at all.

On our most recent cruises, we have not needed to register our credit cards with them again for the following cruise as they automatically used the same credit cards again for the next cruise, unless you told them otherwise.

(But on previous cruises, we needed to go to Guest Relations to re-register our credit cards.)

You should receive a transit pass that permits you to come and go freely throughout the day, leaving the ship and returning as you wish, and yes, you do get to re-board before the new passengers who are just arriving and checking in for the first time.

If you are on the ship at lunch time, you may eat lunch in the main dining room.

The menu there is very limited however, so you may want to look it over at the entrance before deciding whether or not you want to eat there.

The cabins for B2B passengers are usually available early, but even that is not consistent.

For example, on turnaround days when they needed to do a deep cleaning of the ship, all passengers were required to get off and we were not allowed back on for several hours.

Normally, if you speak with your stateroom attendant, they can be very accommodating as to the time when they will make up your cabin that day for the next cruise, (if you have a preference for having yours done first, or last, or if it doesn't matter to you).

We enjoy B2B cruises. Yes, some of the entertainment may repeat, but that is not a problem for us as we typically do not go to all the shows anyway, so it gives us another chance to catch some shows that we missed the first time. But often we don't go the next time either. :D

There is enough variety in the food choices, and enough alternative dining venues, so that repeating menus are not really a problem for us.

Hope you enjoy your back-to-back cruises.

You will have big, happy smiles on your faces the last night of the first cruise when you see all the people putting their suitcases out in the hallway, and again the next day as you see the new luggage arriving, and realize that you don't need to unpack or put away anything at all.

What happens if at the end of the first we will become elite? Do we just go to Captains Club Desk to get the upgrade for the second leg?

I suggest you go speak with the Captains Club host at least three or four days prior to the end of the first leg and let her/him know you have the required points for Elite for the second leg. That way she/he will have time to verify your tier level change and start the process so you can be recognized as Elite when the second leg starts.

What happens if at the end of the first we will become elite? Do we just go to Captains Club Desk to get the upgrade for the second leg?

When you return to your cabin on the turnaround day, the elite handouts should be there waiting for you and your new seapass card should say Elite on it.

What is the reason you have to physically leave the ship and then re-board at some ports at the end of cruise 1 - does it only happen if all passengers must clear customs?

I understand it if the ship requires a deep cleaning, but if not, why can't they just scan your old card and new card without you having to physically leave the ship ?

What is the reason you have to physically leave the ship and then re-board at some ports at the end of cruise 1 - does it only happen if all passengers must clear customs?

 

I understand it if the ship requires a deep cleaning, but if not, why can't they just scan your old card and new card without you having to physically leave the ship ?

Only in US ports, including San Juan, there is a requirement to zero down the ship in the home port, which would also be the turnaround port, before new guests are allowed to board. If there are enough guests doing the B2B, an immigration official might come onboard to check them off. EM

Only in US ports, including San Juan, there is a requirement to zero down the ship in the home port, which would also be the turnaround port, before new guests are allowed to board. If there are enough guests doing the B2B, an immigration official might come onboard to check them off. EM

We have done six B2B transatlantics and except for the first one on the Solstice, we had to leave the ship. on that one, immigration came on the ship. Three of them had the turnaround day in Europe, two in Barcelona and one in Southampton.

Cobeck, The Elite one category upgrade is something you arrange for at the time of booking, not something that happens once in the ship.

It is actually a price decrease more than an upgrade. You book a category 6 and pay the category 7 price, or book a 2C and pay the 2D price, as examples.

Since you are long after Final Payment by the time you are on the ship, there is no price adjustment for turning Elite.

That’s something you would get on a future booking.

It’s still worth it to let the Captain’s Club staff know that you will be Elite for the second cruise so they can set you up for the benefits and correct designation on your new key card.

B2Bs are fun. Don't stress, it is not a big deal and they will give you all the required information. You will not be the only B2B passenger. Great to be in the same cabin. Princess does not require you to go to the second muster drill. Celebrity does. Enjoy!

Thanks for all the fantastic information!!

Is it necessary to fill in the disembarking form on the first leg, and Mark as consecutive cruise?

Is it necessary to fill in the disembarking form on the first leg, and Mark as consecutive cruise?

What disembarkation form?

What disembarkation form?

The one you fill with the data of your flight, you will have your own transport or have a tour or want celebrity shuttle also has a space for consecutive cruises we fill one of that forms in our last Eclipse cruise

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The one you fill with the data of your flight, you will have your own transport or have a tour or want celebrity shuttle also has a space for consecutive cruises we fill one of that forms in our last Eclipse cruise

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Is this an end of cruise form? If so I haven't for any of our B2B cruises.

Princess does not require you to go to the second muster drill. Celebrity does.

I wonder why X makes the 2nd drill mandatory. They should allow you to skip it on the 2nd leg of a B2B.

I wonder why X makes the 2nd drill mandatory. They should allow you to skip it on the 2nd leg of a B2B.

They like you can suffer through the muster video a second time.;p

Not all ships use the disembarkation form. It’s podsible to have cruises on Celebrity and not seen one.