B2B Cruise

[ronjj66611]

I was wondering if we will need to vacate the boat in between our b2b's. Princess C.S. says no, but has anybody done this? We're scheduled on the 7/2/05 and 7/9/05 CB to Eastern and Western Caribbean. It would be heaven if we had the boat all to ourseleves on the morning of the 9th and didn't have to worry about getting off for any reason.

 

Thanks,

Ron

[spongerob]

We were required to gather with the other B2B passengers and go through customs. Princess provided instructions on what to do, and when, and had new cruise cards sent to our cabin the night before the turnaround. We had to have new photos taken at the security station with our new cards. The whole thing took about 45 minutes, during which time our steward cleaned our cabin.

[cabana]

Or if you get off the ship in Ft Lauderdale. You get a pass called Vistior in Transit card. You just show it when you get back on. We just did it a few weeks back. And don't stand in line, just go over to the last entrance and go thru the metal there. If I can help any more just let me know. It seems like a hassle but it's not. They take your picture again with the new Cruise Card as you get back onthe ship. Smile.:) They will look after it for you, it card comes in the mailbox the night before .

[Dreamer333]

Do you have to do the Muster Drill both times, if you are on a B2B?

[Coral]

Do you have to do the Muster Drill both times, if you are on a B2B?

 

Nope - just the first one.

[CanuckCruizer]

We are doing the Coastal and Mexican Riviera back to back on the Sapphire. Right now, we have a confirmed cabin for the 1st cruise and a different category guarantee for the 2nd cruise. We could possibly end up with the same cabin all the way through depending on the upgrade fairy (wishful thinking!). We don't really know what we will have to do. T.A. says you need to pack everything up but not haul it off the ship (Princess will supposedly take it from our cabin that same morning??) and just carry off our hand luggage and get new cards. Has this ever happened to any of you (having two different cabins on a back to back) and if so, what happened? Do we have to go through customs for example and line up with all the new people for the next cruise again? Also, if we have wine/beer we have brought on for the 1st cruise, what do you do with it etc.? Any info. would be helpful!!

[DeltaOne]

It would be heaven if we had the boat all to ourseleves on the morning of the 9th and didn't have to worry about getting off for any reason.

 

There's probably only an hour, two at the most, where you'd have the ship to yourselves. Typically the last passengers disembark around 10 to 10 :30 am, and around 11:30 to noon the next passengers are allowed on board.

[Coral]

We are doing the Coastal and Mexican Riviera back to back on the Sapphire. Right now, we have a confirmed cabin for the 1st cruise and a different category guarantee for the 2nd cruise. We could possibly end up with the same cabin all the way through depending on the upgrade fairy (wishful thinking!). We don't really know what we will have to do. T.A. says you need to pack everything up but not haul it off the ship (Princess will supposedly take it from our cabin that same morning??) and just carry off our hand luggage and get new cards. Has this ever happened to any of you (having two different cabins on a back to back) and if so, what happened? Do we have to go through customs for example and line up with all the new people for the next cruise again? Also, if we have wine/beer we have brought on for the 1st cruise, what do you do with it etc.? Any info. would be helpful!!

 

I had to switch cabins during one back to back. On this sailing, we did not have to leave the ship at all. We did pack our bags and left them in our old cabin while the cabin steward cleaned our cabin - we probably could have stayed but I thought this was the right thing to do (to get out of her hair). When my new cabin was ready (I checked with my new cabin steward) - I went back to my old cabin and my old room steward called someone and they arrived with a luggage cart. They moved my luggage from the one cabin to the next cabin. I left the hangered items hanging and it was fine on the luggage cart. It was pretty easy - it would have been a lot easier if the people in my new cabin had left the cabin earlier but overall - it was painless.

[Dreamer333]

That seems like a pain to have to pack and re-pack if you have a different room...

 

I wonder, if the second room is close by, can you carry your clothes that are already on the hangers?

[ronjj66611]

Thanks everyone! Luckly, we have the same cabin for both weeks so we don't have to worry about packing up. If we have to get off and go through customs, so be it, it could be worse, we could be heading for the airport!:p

 

Does anyone know if we can make reservations for M.U.T.S. and Sterling Steakhouse during week one for nights of the second week?

 

What about clearing our onboard account, would we have to do it at the end of the first week, or can we let it go until the end of week two?

[CanuckCruizer]

Thanks, Coral for the info. I don't understand though, why you didn't have to get off the ship? Did they just deliver your new cruisecard? I was told you had to go through customs again??

 

I would also like to know the answers to Ronjj's questions about clearing your account and booking for restaurants etc.

[UK Cruiser]

we had different cabins. We packed all the "loose" items and left all the hanging items. we actually got off the ship for the day, returning around 4 pm and went to our new cabin. All our hanging clothes had been hung in the new cabin and our cases were waiting for us.

 

We thought about staying on the ship, but as has already been said - you don't get a lot of time to be there on your own. We strolled across to the nearest water taxi stop and spent a pleasant day in Fort Lauderdale. When we returned we were some of the last people on to the ship. We walked straight on board. We felt as if we had the ship to ourselves during the second muster drill, which we were told we didn't need to attend, so we spent the time on a deserted deck!

[britsbest]

Thanks, Coral for the info. I don't understand though, why you didn't have to get off the ship? Did they just deliver your new cruisecard? I was told you had to go through customs again??

 

I would also like to know the answers to Ronjj's questions about clearing your account and booking for restaurants etc.

 

 

Don't know about booking but your balance is transferred @ Pursers Desk to new account. This is whether you change rooms or not.

[CanuckCruizer]

Thanks everyone for the info. Sounds like TA is wrong - relief!! Sounds like you don't have to pack EVERYTHING up! We wanted to try and spend some time in LA - well, I guess, it'll be San Pedro. Maybe trying to find some nearby shopping or a good restaurant overlooking the water. Anyone done anything like that at LA pier?

[cabana]

We didn't pack up and move when we did the B2B in May. We had the same cabin worked out before hand. Wife said even if they moved us up to the President's Suite she wasn't packing. lol They total off your cruise card after the first week. Then it rolls over with the second week. The first line on your second week is the total from the first week. The best advice is to make sure you read everything that you can find. Small little boxes mean something some where. We forgot to check the Billed in Canadian Box. Princess have a much higher bank rate then the one we use. IE it cost us around 150 to 200 dollars more on our final bill. Ouch that left a bit of a mark. And the Purses desk can only Cash Back you anything that they credit it you for off of your bill after 2:00 am on the friday night. So get your bill and look at it before the final cut off. And be ready for that final little surprize in the mailbox. no matter how much you thought you spent, well you spent more. lol

[Coral]

I wonder, if the second room is close by, can you carry your clothes that are already on the hangers?

 

I probably wasn't clear - they put the hanging items on the cart with luggage and it moves easily.

[Coral]

Thanks, Coral for the info. I don't understand though, why you didn't have to get off the ship? Did they just deliver your new cruisecard? I was told you had to go through customs again??

 

I would also like to know the answers to Ronjj's questions about clearing your account and booking for restaurants etc.

 

This varies and may not be the same on each cruise.

 

Both of my B2Bs were in Whittier, Alaska. The first time was very organized and we received our cruise cards the day before along with a note indicating that our balance would role over until the following week, info on when the dining rooms would be open for lunch, intransit card info, etc. . We did not have to go through customs or immigration and could stay on the ship the entire time. We had cleared customs when we left Canada/Vancouver and had not been in a foreign port (all Alaskan ports after we left Vancouver) so we did not have to get off the ship. They just told us to make sure we had our picture taken for our new card.

 

This past May I did a B2B on the Sun Princess. The cruise was pretty chaoic because we had norovirus on the ship and that threw everything off. We received a new card in our box the day before but we never received any other info in reference to our charges, etc. . I heard that they were not organized due to the norovirus chaos. In addition, Princess wanted us all (everyone doing a B2B) off the ship because they wanted to "do a full ship santizing" before new passengers embarked so they booked us all on a complimentary all day excursion which was mandatory that we either be off the ship all day or go on this excursion. Like I said earlier, this was unusual because of the norovirus. All of us also had our accounts charged after the first week and we started fresh the second week with new accounts - we did not have a choice about this. On other cruises - people were giving choices but we were not. It wasn't a big deal to me but it affected others (shipboard credit issues, charging to wrong currency, etc. .)

 

I would be prepared to go with the flow. Usually Princess sends you info towards the end of the first week with procedures for the transition to the second week (which dining rooms are open, times, info about intransit cards, about getting new room cards, etc. .). On this last cruise - we were given practically no info. In fact, I wasn't given any info and if it wasn't for friends who were doing B2Bs also, I would not have known what was going on - though I do believe this was unusual and due to norovirus chaos.