14 day cruise or 9 day and 5 day cruises?

[kosoffj]

Hey i am planning on booking my FIRST back to back in early december :) we need much more than a 7 day trip right now (rough year lol) and there were no 14 days that appealed to me...

 

Anyway here's my ??? - price aside (cause if one is alot cheaper that's what i'm doing) - are there any advantages/disadvantages to booking this as a 14 day or as 2 seperate cruises?

 

if it matters in your awnser, we become platinum ;) this cruise (the first one if it's 2 cruises)

 

thanks in advance for your help!

[tgptmp]

I have never done back to back. Did do a 12 day southern carribbian. Found the bar entertainment (which we enjoy) to get very repetitive. When we came off the ship we felt that the next time we would try back to back (on different ships).

 

My guess is that the long cruise will probably be cheaper. If I were to do back to backs I would want to do them on different ships. My guess is that if you did back to back on the same ship, then even the stage shows would be the same.

[lambs2]

We did a 21 day B2B last year on the Jade (9 day + 12 day) last Jan/Feb. At the time we booked it only the B2B was available in the US market, although it was sold as a 21 day trip in Europe. The Jade made it easy for us on the turnover day. We could do all the paperwork and got our new room keys (although we stayed in the same stateroom for the whole time) the night before. We had an excursion planned for the turn-over day, so when we walked off the ship early that morning we scanned our old key cards, then when we returned we used our new ones. We did not have to participate in the life boat drill for the second cruise. In fact, I was taking a shower at the time! We also found that the front desk just kept our account going from the first cruise to the second. We found that nothing was charged to our credit card from the cruise until AFTER the completion of the second cruise! We had some leftover OBC from cruise 1 and that rolled over to cruise 2. We had a FANTASTIC trip and did not want to get off after the 21 days! ENJOY YOUR CRUISE(s)!!!

 

By the way, the production shows were the same, but they changed all the other entertainment. We just did other activities, dined late at a specialty restaurant, or watched movies on the repeated-show nights. No problem with that! We also found out that the menu never repeated EXACTLY - they had a surprising variety - so they must have at least 21 days worth of different menus!

[kosoffj]

this would be on the same ship. not too worried abotu the shows (we don't go to alot of them anyways - i swear after 14 ncl cruises we have somehow seen them all anyways), we are totally looking to just relax and be together as a family :) so low expectations

 

i guess i was more wondering if there were perks to one over the other or something i wasn't thinking of

[Scoop_MSU]

Just kind of depends - I've been looking at the Dawn for 2/11 - cat BB (which works for us) is $394 cheaper if you book the 9 day and 5 day versus booking the complete 14 day.

[STARFISH*4]

looking to do the 9 day S.Caribbean next dec and then 5 day W.Caribbean

same ship....9 day just wasnt long enough....didnt want to spend any extra days "waiting" for the next cruise...this just FIT

[lambs2]

looking to do the 9 day S.Caribbean next dec and then 5 day W.Caribbean

same ship....9 day just wasnt long enough....didnt want to spend any extra days "waiting" for the next cruise...this just FIT

 

You will LOVE that 9/5 combo in the Caribbean on the DAWN!!!! :D

[MrLee]

i guess i was more wondering if there were perks to one over the other or something i wasn't thinking of

 

I guess the only thing that comes to mind right now is a 14 day counts as 1 cruise towards latitude status and the 9 and 5 count as 2.;)

[kosoffj]

thanks! i guess i will just have to price them seperately.... i wonder how obc works too, some sights have a $ amt for 6+ days and 1 for 3-5 days, so i might get more for booking htem seperztely....

 

mr lee - does it matter when you get to platinum? is there anywhere else to go lol? sadly enough since we are travelling with our 3 year old, we are most looking forward to the free laundry perk :rolleyes:

 

that is what we are looking at the 9 and 5 on the dawn. i have done the 9 2 times on the jewel (similar itinerary except st kitts) AND we were on the dawn this summer to bermuda (didn't love the set menu but the kids stuff for our son won out as being the most awesome of all NCL boats i've been on.)

 

we are targeting 12/4, sooooooooooooooooooooo excited!

 

you guys rock! anymore thoughts?

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

I LOVE the idea of the 9/5 combination. Have yet to do a back to back.

 

I DREAD the disembarkation anouncements that comes 2 days before the cruise ends...just think, when you hear those announcements, that's the begining of your second week! I think it would be that much more exciting to anticipate 2 cruises rather than one.

 

Smart thinking about the OBC too. Seems like you would get a credit on each, but be sure to bring your paperwork; a few cruises ago we lost $400 I think as they couldn't find record of the OBC and I didn't print anything from the travel agent about it. Still loved the cruise though...so much...had two Owners Suites in the Mediterranean, how could anything spoil that! My vote is booking the B2B...and as MrLee points out the double credit is an added perk.

 

Let us know what you decide. How lucky to have such a problem, right!? :)

[insidecabin]

2 chances of a call from the upsell fairy and 2 latitudes credits.

 

B2B

[snorklinbarb]

Price aside, it would be nice to dine with DH in Le Bistro the second leg not to mention the bag of laundry. If one or both of you have the time (3hrs) you might enjoy the Behind the Scenes tour that would be complimentary to you if you become Platinum for the 2nd leg.

 

OBC, if offered, is a definite consideration though as others point out.;)

[lambs2]

2 chances of a call from the upsell fairy and 2 latitudes credits.

 

B2B

Right at the end of our first leg (9 days) on our B2B we got offered to move to a mini-suite for the 12 day leg for $400. We ended up not taking it because we did not want to spend the extra money plus we were very happy with our cozy OV cabin - it felt like home!

[kosoffj]

still searching away at it

 

 

snorklingbarb - we actually will be platinum the first leg :)

 

good point on the le bistro dinner - i would guess we'd get 1 dinner if we book a 14 day, and 2 dinners (1 for each cruise?) if we book 2 seperate?

 

i think i'd probably still get the laundry cause it says "whenever bulk laundry is offered" - and boy will that be nice with a 3 year old boy in tow :) and i think we'd like to do the behind the scenes tour, but once will be enough for that :)

[k4btzs]

We are doing a B2B to the Caribbean in 2011 and we booked it as a 14 day. We had 1 future cruise credit to use and booking this way meant not having to put a deposit down on the second lag. And I think when I priced it there was only an 8

$8 or $10 difference (not sure which way was cheaper) but it let us keep our money longer.

[Richie2pies]

If it matters, if you do a 9+5 and buy duty-free booze, you can pick it up at the end of the first leg and enjoy it in your room on the second leg. The guy in the booze store doesn't know you are doing a second leg.

[kosoffj]

AHA richie, that might be the best reason yet :) too bad we are probably doing the 9 day first lol....

[guyver]

I guess the only thing that comes to mind right now is a 14 day counts as 1 cruise towards latitude status and the 9 and 5 count as 2.;)

 

I have a 14 day B2B booked on the Dawn in January. I booked it as a 14 day. We actually gain silver status after the 1st leg. I too wondered if booking like this would only count as 1 cruise. I sent an email to my PCC about it and she told me that it does count as 2 and that I should get notified about it while on the ship.

Here's to hoping she knows what she is doing.

Guy

[boeckli]

I have a 14 day B2B booked on the Dawn in January. I booked it as a 14 day. We actually gain silver status after the 1st leg. I too wondered if booking like this would only count as 1 cruise. I sent an email to my PCC about it and she told me that it does count as 2 and that I should get notified about it while on the ship.

 

Here's to hoping she knows what she is doing.

 

Guy

 

That's very interesting. We have booked 5+9 on the Dawn next month as a 14 day (B2B with the 14 day repo :p ) - will ask the latitude person onboard if your PCC was correct.

[kosoffj]

thought i'd come back with an update. we booked :D! in the time i posted the 14 day went up alot and the 9 and 5 came down (go figure?) anyways it was 800 bucks cheaper to book seperately plus more obc, possibly 2 le bistro + wine dinners (we turn platinum on leg 1), etc... no brainer. we were also lucky enough to get the same cabin, so we don't have to pack up or anything :) soooooooooooooooooo excited!

[IWORK2CRUISE]

We did an 18-day repositioning B2B on the Sun last year and received 2 credits.

When we booked it was ONLY being sold as an 18-day voyage.

Closer to our sailing we saw the 7-day Alaska and 11-day Mexico offered separately but for more than we had spent on the 18-day that we booked. And, it must have been offered separately at a time earlier than we had booked because most passengers were doing one leg only.

 

Some recent posts have stated that on upcoming cruises the price seems better on separate bookings.

 

What this all boils down to is that you should book what you are comfortable spending in the 1st place. In some cases you MAY be able to take advantage of price dorps.