B2B Procedures??

[DTW Cruiser]

Could anyone explain the procedure on turnaround day if you are doing back to back cruises? We will be in the same cabin for both cruises but we are wondering when we get our new cards. Do we have to meet with others doing B2B's and leave the ship and re-board together as we've heard they do on other cruise lines? Is it a lengthy procedure?

 

This will be on the pride of America in Honolulu and we're trying to figure out how to plan the rest of our day, what time we could pick up a rental car or take a tour, etc. Any information will be greatly appreciated!

:)

Elaine

[Demonyte]

Not sure if things are done different in Hawai'i (some things are different between PoA and other ships in the fleet) but from my experience of two B2Bs in Miami, I'd say that if you're going to tour around on turnaround day, you can just leave as you wish after the disembarkation has begun. The meeting, going to terminal and getting back onboard procedure affects those physically staying onboard in US ports while the ship is cleared for embarkation of new passengers - if you are already out of the ship, you don't need to worry about it as it's done purely because they can not have any passengers onboard in order to the ship to be cleared by authorities.

 

We have always booked our B2Bs as 14-nighers so we have had the same keycards from start to end but in the Freestyle Dailies there has always been info of how to proceed to get keycards for the second leg (just visit Guest Services Desk) during the last few days of the first leg. You should probably also get a letter to your cabin explaining the process.

[biker@sea]

You can pick up your new room key before you leave the ship and back 2hrs before the ship leaves . Or if you wish you can walk off the ship with a small group til the ship clears then reboard ( take about 10 -15 min. )

[DTW Cruiser]

Thank you both so much for sharing this information with me!

:)

Elaine

[Raleigh Traveler]

Like everything else the details may depend on your port and ship. We did a b2b on the Sky out of Miami. The Daily gave us instructions about where and when to meet on the day of the changeover. We were some of the last to leave the ship, went through customs and everything and ended up outside the terminal and had to re-enter like everyone else. Guest services told us all we needed was the room key/card but they specifically asked for our confirmation papers to enter the terminal; I would take them just to avoid the hassle. Once we made it to the waiting room we approached the staff at the door, explained we were b2b and they let us board immediately, long before the others. None of this was explained to us, we were just told to go out and come back through the normal embarkation process.

[Ilovesailing]

In 1/2012 we did not have to get a new key card for the b2b and yes you will have to clear ship for Hawaii its mainly ship routine for this cruise. Don't know what the exact procedure is as we've always left the ship and toured on our own or have rented a car.