Back to back-2 different ship, 2 different ports

[mitsugirly]

Recently did a B2B2B starting in Tampa. Second leg left Miami the same day. Third leg was Miami again. Worked out great. Rental car from Tampa to Miami. Skip the Sky, worst older ship in the fleet.

 

Why do you feel that the Sky is the worst older ship in the fleet? Any particular reasons?

 

The Sky is pretty much the only option I have for a shortened cruise to add on, plus it's very cheap, so I can't pass it up if we do book. We will be going as an added bonus and it's not always just about the ship for us. :)

 

Mitsugirly-

 

Tampa to Miami is not a big deal-

As a recently former Sarasotian, I can confirm that we have zipped down The Alley many, many times.

 

Go for it . With the KSF, why not try a shorter cruise?

 

And you can refer to it as anything you like. Perhaps Back-to Belly?

 

We will all be blessed with a DOUBLE review-especially good if Kendra joins you. And , since it is in November, you can stop at an airboat place and show your daughter the Everglades and some amazing gators. They don't like to come out as much in the summer months, but the fall is perfect for Everglades tours.

 

We have found our few short cruises quite enjoyable. Even on older ships.

 

Annmeat

 

 

THAT'S IT!!! A back to belly!! I like it!!! :D

 

"Blessed" & "Kendra" in the same sentence made me giggle :eek: :p

 

Honestly, if I lived in Florida or very close to Florida, I would probably do a lot of shortened cruises just for the heck of it. The only thing that holds me back is the cost of airflight. It's usually several hundreds more than the actual cruise. Sigh. Why do I have to live so far away? Maybe some day I'll be closer. :)

[mitsugirly]

I would not miss the chance to visit the Key Largo and the FL. Keys one hour south of Miami .

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbIO2NYnTu8

 

I would think about the 7 day cruise 4 days in the keys then the 3 day Sky cruise . :D

JMHO

 

I have been to the keys before. It's really neat there. But, I really can't do a 7 day, then a land vacation, then a 3 day. :( That's just way too long for me and the hubby to be away.

 

Our very first cruise ever was on the Sun in the early 2000's. We loved every minute of it. I still think of it every time I hear "Here comes the sun" on the radio. It was played at the pool deck all the time.

 

That being said, we have since sailed on many NCL ships and a few others. I have come to believe that we are "big" ship kind of people. We loved the Epic and many did not. We are leaving for the Getaway on Friday. I want to do the Breakaway but since we drive to port sailing out of NY is a bit of a problem because of parking costs.

 

Several years ago my DD and I took a 4 day on the Majesty out of Charleston. It was a wonderful cruise but it really seemed like we had to get off as soon as we get on. The trip just went too quickly.

 

Just my 2 cents worth, 7 days is the minimum I would want to cruise on a ship, we had no problem with the 4 day being a party cruise. I do not think I would want to go to the hassle of disembarking, travelling and then embarking for a short cruise but that's just my way of thinking.

 

I am however, probably going to go on the Getaway twice within 30 days due to "free offers" so maybe I am just a bit loony anyway.

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

I was exactly the same way. I have always said that I would never consider a shorter cruise. But, I had never considered doing one against a 7 day cruise either and just thought of it the other night. I just think of it as an "extension" to our cruise. I'm only considering it because of the cheap price plus the KSF, it's just hard to pass up. Plus it will knock off another NCL ship that I haven't done before. :D

 

I also thought we are only "big ship" people. We did the Epic first (when my husband took his first cruise) and then did smaller ships since then and it just wasn't the same. However, we did the Getaway a little over a month ago and was just a little overwhelmed by everything there was to do and it really did wear me out. I'm actually looking forward to a relaxing, non-go-go-go cruise with trying to fit everything in. I have always wanted to do a Bermuda cruise and until I went on the Getaway, I wanted to go on the Breakaway to Bermuda. Now, I have totally ruled that out (unless it's a dirt cheap price) and will do the Dawn to Bermuda when I go. I guess maybe if we had a trip that wasn't too port intensive, then I would try the bigger ship again. Although, I do plan on sailing the Allure or Oasis some day...but I will be doing that merely for the ship and not the ports when I do. :p

[snorkelmom19]

Hey Mitsugirly,

 

We sailed out of Tampa on the Star in Dec 2011 and just thought I'd give you something to consider if you end up flying in late in the afternoon or evening before the cruise. There is a Marriott right in the airport. Just walk down the hall and you are there. We didn't have any vacation days left so had to fly in late the day before the cruise and it was so easy--no car rental or cab fees and we actually had a decent meal in the airport. We were able to use the pool that night and the next morning since we are all water rats-ha! Easy to grab a taxi or shuttle in the morning. Have a great Fourth!

[mitsugirly]

Hey Mitsugirly,

 

We sailed out of Tampa on the Star in Dec 2011 and just thought I'd give you something to consider if you end up flying in late in the afternoon or evening before the cruise. There is a Marriott right in the airport. Just walk down the hall and you are there. We didn't have any vacation days left so had to fly in late the day before the cruise and it was so easy--no car rental or cab fees and we actually had a decent meal in the airport. We were able to use the pool that night and the next morning since we are all water rats-ha! Easy to grab a taxi or shuttle in the morning. Have a great Fourth!

 

Thanks so much for the awesome info!!! :) Was it expensive? I would think staying right there might be a little expensive. I'll have to check it out. Did they offer any transportation to the port or anything? (Since I haven't been to the port of Tampa or the Tampa airport, I have no idea how far they are from each other. :confused:

 

What shuttle service did you use (or taxi) and how much did it cost you?

[biker@sea]

Post cruise car rentals in Tampa .

 

Marriott hotel has Hertz.

 

Embassy hotel had avis /budget .

 

Both a short walk of a couple blocks from the ship on South florida ave [ 500 - 700 block ]

[anandaindonesia]

We did sort of b2b, 2 different lines, 2 different ships, 2 different itineraries.

 

Our 7 days Western Caribbean cruise on the Allure ends on April 27 in Fort Lauderdale. We then meet our limo (pre-booked) and go straight to the Port of Miami. On the same day there we board the Epic for a 14 days Trans-Atlantic to Barcelona.

 

One thing to remember :

After collecting your luggages from the first cruise, take off all disembarkation tags from it, and put on the luggage tags of the second cruise. Oh, that's a great moment! A cruise just ends, another cruise to start!

 

I think the excitement is more with 2 different ships. B2b on the same ship is just like an extension of the same cruise as you already knows the ship. With 2 different ships you have everything new to explore!

 

Enjoy your cruise(s) !

Edited July 4, 2014 by anandaindonesia

[FireEater]

Tampa to Miami is 4 to 5 hours. Take I-275 south to be able to go over Skyway Bridge. Costs a buck or so but a treat. There are rest areas on both sides you can stop at and admire the surroundings, then ride high over Tampa bay to get to I-75 to head south on 75, then east across 75 (Alligator Alley) to Miami. There is a fee to go across Alligator Alley.

 

Best way is a one way car rental to Miami. Check out Enterprise. They might have a neighborhood drop off for you so they can drive you to a hotel for the night then have the hotel bring you to the port.

 

Here is a write up I did on the Sky from back in May.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2041631

[SenatorsFan]

Hi Kim,

Last summer we did a 6-day on Carnival Breeze sailing from Miami, spent 2 days in Miami then did the 4-day on Sky. That was our first NCL cruise and we all had a great time. I found our cabin a little rough-looking (chipped paint, really sagging bed and the sofa bed was ridiculous for my 6"5" teenage son) but all the public areas were really nice and everything was kept clean by the friendly crew. We were also impressed by the pool deck and the size of the pools. I know that swimming is important to Sakari! And don't forget, the Sky has been in dry dock since then, so who knows what's changed. I say, call it a back to back if you want! In my countdown clock last year I put "Is it a B2B? Close enough!" :D

Heather

Edited July 5, 2014 by SenatorsFan

[mitsugirly]

Post cruise car rentals in Tampa .

 

Marriott hotel has Hertz.

 

Embassy hotel had avis /budget .

 

Both a short walk of a couple blocks from the ship on South florida ave [ 500 - 700 block ]

 

Thanks for the info. I'll check in to it. :)

 

We did sort of b2b, 2 different lines, 2 different ships, 2 different itineraries.

 

Our 7 days Western Caribbean cruise on the Allure ends on April 27 in Fort Lauderdale. We then meet our limo (pre-booked) and go straight to the Port of Miami. On the same day there we board the Epic for a 14 days Trans-Atlantic to Barcelona.

 

One thing to remember :

After collecting your luggages from the first cruise, take off all disembarkation tags from it, and put on the luggage tags of the second cruise. Oh, that's a great moment! A cruise just ends, another cruise to start!

 

I think the excitement is more with 2 different ships. B2b on the same ship is just like an extension of the same cruise as you already knows the ship. With 2 different ships you have everything new to explore!

 

Enjoy your cruise(s) !

 

I will have to take a picture of the "removal" of the old and "putting on" of the new. :D It will be like a ceremony.

 

I agree about being on 2 different ships and going to different places on both cruises. I wouldn't want to do the same ship and the same ports over again after just finishing them. It would be a little awkward (not saying I would ever refuse ANY cruise, :D :p, just that it wouldn't be my "choice").

 

hehe

[alwalaska]

I'm not sure if I have anything totally new to add here, but I will add my opinion to the mix and you can add it to your pile of info to use or ignore at your discretion.

 

I can feel you excitement with trying something new and getting something at least close to what would normally be called a B2B. Go for it - Enjoy - and call it whatever you want. :D

 

We sailed the Sky twice on the Mon-Fri sailings and enjoyed both. It was not a big "party" environment either time that we went. We do like the smaller and older ships, so please take that into consideration.

 

We did the drive Miami to Tampa and it isn't bad, but be careful of the area down near the everglades where you need to buy a toll pass before getting there or you will get a present in the mail from FL after you get home asking not only for the toll fees, but also administrative fees. There is no way to pay cash.

 

Since one way car rentals can have an expensive drop-off fee sometimes, you may want to look into flying TA to MIA - it is an up and down and you might be able to get a good rate on it.

 

Have fun - whatever you decide.

[mitsugirly]

Tampa to Miami is 4 to 5 hours. Take I-275 south to be able to go over Skyway Bridge. Costs a buck or so but a treat. There are rest areas on both sides you can stop at and admire the surroundings, then ride high over Tampa bay to get to I-75 to head south on 75, then east across 75 (Alligator Alley) to Miami. There is a fee to go across Alligator Alley.

 

Best way is a one way car rental to Miami. Check out Enterprise. They might have a neighborhood drop off for you so they can drive you to a hotel for the night then have the hotel bring you to the port.

 

Here is a write up I did on the Sky from back in May.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2041631

 

Thanks for the info. I'm taking notes. :D

 

Hi Kim,

Last summer we did a 6-day on Carnival Breeze sailing from Miami, spent 2 days in Miami then did the 4-day on Sky. That was our first NCL cruise and we all had a great time. I found our cabin a little rough-looking (chipped paint, really sagging bed and the sofa bed was ridiculous for my 6"5" teenage son) but all the public areas were really nice and everything was kept clean by the friendly crew. We were also impressed by the pool deck and the size of the pools. I know that swimming is important to Sakari! And don't forget, the Sky has been in dry dock since then, so who knows what's changed. I say, call it a back to back if you want! In my countdown clock last year I put "Is it a B2B? Close enough!" :D

Heather

 

 

Ahhh, how did you like the Breeze? I would love to go on the Breeze! It's on my bucket list. :D

 

Swimming is very important to Sakari and actually the only real thing I'm worried about on the Sky. I know there's no slides or anything, so that's a bummer for her. She enjoys them so much. Also, since this is a port intensive cruise (every day there's a stop), I'm afraid that when all the passengers return, the pools will be loaded (which is not good for her because people, including kids, can get rowdy in the pools). Maybe she'll have enough of swimming since we'll be in port every day doing that. :o

 

I still like the "back to belly" comment. I think I'm sticking with that. :p

[mitsugirly]

I'm not sure if I have anything totally new to add here, but I will add my opinion to the mix and you can add it to your pile of info to use or ignore at your discretion.

 

I can feel you excitement with trying something new and getting something at least close to what would normally be called a B2B. Go for it - Enjoy - and call it whatever you want. :D

 

We sailed the Sky twice on the Mon-Fri sailings and enjoyed both. It was not a big "party" environment either time that we went. We do like the smaller and older ships, so please take that into consideration.

 

We did the drive Miami to Tampa and it isn't bad, but be careful of the area down near the everglades where you need to buy a toll pass before getting there or you will get a present in the mail from FL after you get home asking not only for the toll fees, but also administrative fees. There is no way to pay cash.

 

Since one way car rentals can have an expensive drop-off fee sometimes, you may want to look into flying TA to MIA - it is an up and down and you might be able to get a good rate on it.

 

Have fun - whatever you decide.

 

Thanks so much for your input. It reassures me more and more when people tell me it didn't seem like a booze cruise to them. That's good to hear and hopefully we will experience the same thing.

 

Oh yes, those little "toll fee letters". We received one of them before, I think it was from Detroit, from using the express lane. Oops. :eek: I had no clue what it was for....and they were happy to explain it to me when the ticket arrived. :o What do you mean there is no way to pay cash? The toll booths don't take cash?

 

I will check into flights. I had thought of that, but just figured it would probably be cheaper to drive since there's 3 of us. Good suggestion though. We'll see.

 

Thanks so much. :)

[rigs32]

One more tip. Hotwire now allows for one way car rentals. The best part was I could choose my company to make sure they offered a port shuttle and I paid the car rental company directly. But booking through Hotwire saved me about 40% than going directly through the rental website.

[JuneauWhatIMean]

I love your plan, Kim. Go for it! You will have so much fun working out all the details.......half the fun, right? :D

 

We have a second home in Fort Myers that we check up on from time to time. Last year DH flew out there alone and I suggested he do the 3 day Sky cruise while he was there. He made the drive the morning of the cruise with no problem. It was during Spring Break and he loved the ship. Busy pool but no drunks, just a very interesting mix of people from all walks of life. He laid on the beach at Great Stirrup Cay, hung out at Senor Frog's in Nassau after walking around town, and made great new friends in the Longboard Bar onboard. He's thinking about going again in October. It really is a nice cruise for the money.;)

 

It seems to me it would be a great way to experience a new-to-you ship and ports and maybe relax and unwind a bit before heading back to work.

 

I will join the other folks anxiously awaiting your return and review.:D

[alwalaska]

Mitsugirly - I just added links to my photo books for my Sky cruises to my signature. Please let me know if they don't work for you.

 

Rigs32 - Thank you for the hint about Hotwire. I didn't realize you could now pick the company AND do one ways. Great info.

[mitsugirly]

One more tip. Hotwire now allows for one way car rentals. The best part was I could choose my company to make sure they offered a port shuttle and I paid the car rental company directly. But booking through Hotwire saved me about 40% than going directly through the rental website.

 

Thanks for the info. I have never used hotwire before. I will have to check it out.

 

I love your plan, Kim. Go for it! You will have so much fun working out all the details.......half the fun, right? :D

 

We have a second home in Fort Myers that we check up on from time to time. Last year DH flew out there alone and I suggested he do the 3 day Sky cruise while he was there. He made the drive the morning of the cruise with no problem. It was during Spring Break and he loved the ship. Busy pool but no drunks, just a very interesting mix of people from all walks of life. He laid on the beach at Great Stirrup Cay, hung out at Senor Frog's in Nassau after walking around town, and made great new friends in the Longboard Bar onboard. He's thinking about going again in October. It really is a nice cruise for the money.;)

 

It seems to me it would be a great way to experience a new-to-you ship and ports and maybe relax and unwind a bit before heading back to work.

 

I will join the other folks anxiously awaiting your return and review.:D

 

Oh yes, I really enjoy the planning and deciding where to go. I haven't been able to decide on my 1st half of the cruise yet...now I have 3 more places to decide on top of that. LOL :D

 

I officially booked today. GO ME! And since I was "in the mood" I also booked our first Bermuda cruise as well. :p

[mitsugirly]

Mitsugirly - I just added links to my photo books for my Sky cruises to my signature. Please let me know if they don't work for you.

 

Rigs32 - Thank you for the hint about Hotwire. I didn't realize you could now pick the company AND do one ways. Great info.

 

Thanks so much! I will have to check them out tomorrow. I'm getting ready to head in to work. Maybe I'll get to see some fingers blown off from the idiots lighting all these fireworks outside. It sounds like a battlefield and I just hope I make it out of here alive. If I do, I'll probably be saving their lives tonight. LOL (Sorry, I'm just a "gory" kinda girl). :)

[BlueJai]

Hi Kim, we did this last year although we left from the same port for both ships. We boarded the Sky for the 3 day, had one night in hotel and then boarded the Sun for an 11 day.

 

We loved it and it was so much fun knowing that at the end of the Sky, we still had a whole other adventure!

 

Packing was an issue. Because we went on the Sky first, our carry ons held most of what we were going to need for the weekend. The cabins were small (we had an aft and were surprised how small it was). We ended up putting our full suitcases under the bed (never to be opened until boarding the Sun!) and the smaller suitcases stayed open on the sofa - we never actually unpacked and put anything away for the 3 day. You will have to do some planning for the 3 of you in the cabin. But if you have a night in between, you can kind of plan what you need for the Sky and just have that available.

 

I can't wait to read your review of the trip. We are on the Sun again in February and am looking forward to hearing how your trip was. Tampa is a new port for us - but the Sun is like home!

 

You will have a great time!

[SenatorsFan]

Thanks for the info. I'm taking notes. :D

 

 

 

 

Ahhh, how did you like the Breeze? I would love to go on the Breeze! It's on my bucket list. :D

 

Swimming is very important to Sakari and actually the only real thing I'm worried about on the Sky. I know there's no slides or anything, so that's a bummer for her. She enjoys them so much. Also, since this is a port intensive cruise (every day there's a stop), I'm afraid that when all the passengers return, the pools will be loaded (which is not good for her because people, including kids, can get rowdy in the pools). Maybe she'll have enough of swimming since we'll be in port every day doing that. :o

 

I still like the "back to belly" comment. I think I'm sticking with that. :p

 

We loved Breeze. It's now my favourite Carnival ship. :) There's so much to see and do and 6 days just wasn't enough. I would seriously consider a redo at some point.

I forgot that Sky had no slide. Still, I remember being surprised by how quiet the pools were at some times. We were usually back on board before the deadline, so maybe that had something to do with it? And we never had trouble finding chairs farther back from the pool, which I realize is not ideal with a little one like yours. Get her good and waterlogged at the ports and maybe you can distract her with ice cream or a crepe. :D

Heather

Edited July 7, 2014 by SenatorsFan

[DrNora]

One more tip. Hotwire now allows for one way car rentals. The best part was I could choose my company to make sure they offered a port shuttle and I paid the car rental company directly. But booking through Hotwire saved me about 40% than going directly through the rental website.

 

Great piece of info!,

Thanks

[mitsugirly]

Hi Kim, we did this last year although we left from the same port for both ships. We boarded the Sky for the 3 day, had one night in hotel and then boarded the Sun for an 11 day.

 

I really wish they were leaving the same port for me. That would be awesome and save even more money. But it is what it is. We have only docked in port with the Sun once before (in Jamaica) and I have looked at doing the 10 or 11 day cruise on it. I want to go to the southern caribbean so bad. Now it looks like the Sun isn't doing the southern. I'll have to find another.

 

We loved it and it was so much fun knowing that at the end of the Sky, we still had a whole other adventure!

 

I kind of wish mine was opposite (the short cruise before the longer one). But after looking at the dates, if we booked the other way around, we would have 2 days in between cruises and it would cost more. Oh well.

 

Packing was an issue. Because we went on the Sky first, our carry ons held most of what we were going to need for the weekend. The cabins were small (we had an aft and were surprised how small it was). We ended up putting our full suitcases under the bed (never to be opened until boarding the Sun!) and the smaller suitcases stayed open on the sofa - we never actually unpacked and put anything away for the 3 day. You will have to do some planning for the 3 of you in the cabin. But if you have a night in between, you can kind of plan what you need for the Sky and just have that available.

 

As many times as we have cruised, I still swear I over pack more than I should. Every time it gets less and less and I still end up with things left over that we didn't wear. I think I have a habit of bringing too many dress clothes. By mid cruise, I don't feel like dressing up and want to just relax and be comfortable. :D I do think I'll probably have to get a place that has a laundry facility or something on our over night stay for the shorts however. This is really going to take some planning.

 

I can't wait to read your review of the trip. We are on the Sun again in February and am looking forward to hearing how your trip was. Tampa is a new port for us - but the Sun is like home!

 

You will have a great time!

 

Tampa is a new port for us too. I hope it goes as smoothly as our trips from NOLA and Miami.

 

We loved Breeze. It's now my favourite Carnival ship. :) There's so much to see and do and 6 days just wasn't enough. I would seriously consider a redo at some point.

I forgot that Sky had no slide. Still, I remember being surprised by how quiet the pools were at some times. We were usually back on board before the deadline, so maybe that had something to do with it? And we never had trouble finding chairs farther back from the pool, which I realize is not ideal with a little one like yours. Get her good and waterlogged at the ports and maybe you can distract her with ice cream or a crepe. :D

Heather

 

I can only imagine not having enough time on the Breeze, especially on a 6 day. I know the Dream had a lot to do but it's missing the ropes course and all, so we did have time to do everything. Does the Breeze have the 3-4-5 (?) D movie theater? Or is that the Magic? I really want to go on the one that has that. I love those kind of things.

 

We really never get chairs most of the time. Finding a spot to just lay our things down and in the water we go. If anyone sits down, it's usually the hubby. We are on the go all the time and don't like to take up the chairs if we don't need to. So, we should be good with that...as long as there's not a bunch of rowdy people in the pool.

 

Distraction with ice cream....YES! I don't think she has ever tried the crepes. That's my thing. :D

[Tiggertastic]

Go for it, have a car service booked ready to collect you around 8.30-9am at the disembarkation port to take you to the next

 

We've done it before and are doing it again next year but its a little easier to do FLL to Miami. Booked in advance the van was waiting and took us off to the next stop.

 

We even packed all the things we would not be wearing the next time into one case and never opened it at the next ship

 

works great

[mitsugirly]

Go for it, have a car service booked ready to collect you around 8.30-9am at the disembarkation port to take you to the next

 

We've done it before and are doing it again next year but its a little easier to do FLL to Miami. Booked in advance the van was waiting and took us off to the next stop.

 

We even packed all the things we would not be wearing the next time into one case and never opened it at the next ship

 

works great

 

Yea, it's too bad that we aren't doing one from FLL/Miami. That would definitely be a lot easier using the transportation companies like SAS or MJS. I think transportation from Tampa to Miami would be a little too much (if a place would even do that since it's such a long drive). I think my only option is to either fly over or rent a car and drive.

 

I do the exact same thing with our dirty clothes even on a 7 day cruise. I have this HUGE "zip-lock" bag that's the size of the suitcase and we put our dirty clothes in it all week. Then when it comes time to pack on the last day, that entire bag goes in 1 suitcase and the left over clean clothes, things purchased and so on go in the other suitcase. So this should work out pretty well. :D