Back - To - Back ?

[Calgon1]

Quick question - If doing a B2B, Do we HAVE to get off the ship on turn-around day?

[ar1950]

Quick question - If doing a B2B, Do we HAVE to get off the ship on turn-around day?

 

If you are in a US port, then yes.

[geoherb]

In Fort Lauderdale, you have to get off the ship to go through Immigration (showing your passport) and then get to get right back on after the ship has cleared. How long this process takes depends on how many passengers are doing the back-to-back cruises, how many decide to get off the ship earlier to do a tour or go out on their own, and if someone doesn't follow directions and holds everyone else up.

Edited August 10, 2014 by geoherb

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes.

[Calgon1]

Thank you.

[OCruisers]

In Fort Lauderdale, you have to get off the ship to go through Immigration (showing your passport) and then get to get right back on after the ship has cleared. How long this process takes depends on how many passengers are doing the back-to-back cruises, how many decide to get off the ship earlier to do a tour or go out on their own, and if someone doesn't follow directions and holds everyone else up.

 

Per above, it's normally quick and painless. They "mother hen" you though the whole thing. When you get back on the ship, you can go to your cabin if you wish to put up your passport, etc.

Easy! Have a great time! :D

LuLu

[paul929207]

It all depends on where you are. In most (All?) US ports, the answer is yes. In most non-US port, the answer is No

[BrandiGreg]

AND you don't have to go to the muster drill again! :)

[vickie_bernie]

yes you have to get off and clear immigration and customs. Note you are not allowed to take anything off to leave ashore. Last year we tried to take some stuff off for a friend we were meeting and the agent said we were not allowed. We had to return it back to our cabin. Then we were able to go ashore. Other times we have had to prove that there was nothing in our knapsack out of the ordinary. Technically we are not allowed to leave anything in the US until we get off completely at the end of the entire voyage.

 

We have had the experience take all of 15 minutes to clear the ship and get a zero count and as longs as two hours when they had to completely sanitize the ship and we were allowed back on but we all had to stay in club fusion until the cleaning was done.

[floridarob]

yes you have to get off and clear immigration and customs. Note you are not allowed to take anything off to leave ashore. Last year we tried to take some stuff off for a friend we were meeting and the agent said we were not allowed. We had to return it back to our cabin. Then we were able to go ashore. Other times we have had to prove that there was nothing in our knapsack out of the ordinary. Technically we are not allowed to leave anything in the US until we get off completely at the end of the entire voyage.

 

We have had the experience take all of 15 minutes to clear the ship and get a zero count and as longs as two hours when they had to completely sanitize the ship and we were allowed back on but we all had to stay in club fusion until the cleaning was done.

 

I've gotten off in the walk off group 1st thing in the morning when I wanted to do that while on b2b's. You take your customs form and declare anything that needs to be declared..if anything at all... the only difference when doing this vs getting off with the other b2b people is you need to wait until the ship is ready for general boarding, just can't get right back on with the group. No biggie really, because you already will have your new key and in transit card to show people when going through the terminal.

 

A majority of people working at the pursers desk are on 1st or 2nd contract and what they don't know, they make up or go by what they have been told... not much practical experience sadly

[flamomo]

A majority of people working at the pursers desk are on 1st or 2nd contract and what they don't know, they make up or go by what they have been told... not much practical experience sadly

 

 

Interesting that you would say this.

 

I have always found the Passenger Services desk staff on every Princess ship I have been on to be very helpful, and if they are "new" and don't know, or are unsure about, the answer to my question or issue, they immediately find someone who does know the answer or can resolve my issue.

[suzyed]

I've gotten off in the walk off group 1st thing in the morning when I wanted to do that while on b2b's. You take your customs form and declare anything that needs to be declared..if anything at all... the only difference when doing this vs getting off with the other b2b people is you need to wait until the ship is ready for general boarding, just can't get right back on with the group. No biggie really, because you already will have your new key and in transit card to show people when going through the terminal.

 

A majority of people working at the pursers desk are on 1st or 2nd contract and what they don't know, they make up or go by what they have been told... not much practical experience sadly

 

That explains a lot! LOL!;) That certainly was the impression we got on one of our NCL sailings!

Edited August 11, 2014 by suzyed

[beg3yrs]

AND you don't have to go to the muster drill again! :)

 

That has been true in the past and we've greatly enjoyed skipping the second drill.

 

On our most recent B2B it was made quite clear that everyone had to attend the muster drill on the second leg, regardless of having attended the drill on the first leg.

[san diego sue]

In San Pedro on B2B, we got off, went through immigration, had a big bag of stuff that we took off . We had our car parked in the parking lot,

put all the stuff we didn't need for second cruise in it. We didn't get off with a group, just us. So we went through like departing customers.

(Hawaii then Mexico cruises).

[caribill]

I've gotten off in the walk off group 1st thing in the morning when I wanted to do that while on b2b's. You take your customs form and declare anything that needs to be declared..if anything at all...

 

If you are on a b2b on turnaround day, you should not fill out or turn in a customs form unless you are actually taking purchased items off the ship and leaving them on shore. You normally only do this when your cruise is over completely.

 

And if you do turn in a customs form on turnaround day, you are limited on what you can have exempt from duties on another customs form within 30 days. The limit is $200 in that case.

[Craigster-diver]

I did a B2B Princess Alaska cruise last summer. Turn-around-day was in Alaska (a US port by my limited geopolitical awareness). We only had to have our new (2nd leg) cruise card scanned/activated at the security station by the gangway. No getting on / off ship for customs or immigration purposes. Maybe that's just because Alaska is "different."

 

C.

[beg3yrs]

I did a B2B Princess Alaska cruise last summer. Turn-around-day was in Alaska (a US port by my limited geopolitical awareness). We only had to have our new (2nd leg) cruise card scanned/activated at the security station by the gangway. No getting on / off ship for customs or immigration purposes. Maybe that's just because Alaska is "different."

 

C.

 

That is likely because your previous port was a US port.

 

When you arrive from foreign ports to a turnaround in the US, you must get off the ship.

[AKman2495]

That has been true in the past and we've greatly enjoyed skipping the second drill.

 

On our most recent B2B it was made quite clear that everyone had to attend the muster drill on the second leg, regardless of having attended the drill on the first leg.

 

Our last cruise was back at the beginning of February. Our letter said we did not have to attend the second muster. I do not know if February is "in the past", but we did not have to go to the second muser....

[beg3yrs]

Our last cruise was back at the beginning of February. Our letter said we did not have to attend the second muster. I do not know if February is "in the past", but we did not have to go to the second muser....

 

Our required second muster was in May of this year. Ocean Princess in Cape Town. Now that said, we were in port for two nights. Don't know if that has anything to do with it, just putting it out there.

Edited August 11, 2014 by beg3yrs

[vickie_bernie]

we recently did a 49 day cruise that was made up of three segements.

 

On the first turn around we didn't have to do muster drill again as it had only been 17 or so days since the last one.

 

On the next turn around - those of us who got on at the begining over 30 days prior were sent a notice that we had to attend the muster drill again as rules state after 30 days you have to re attend.

 

But those that go on in Buenos Aries (our first Turn around) did not have to re do muster drill.

 

This is the first time we had been on this long so we didn't know, but it all worked out.

[Nancyquilts]

On our b2b last fall from San Francisco, we met at Vines at 10:30, had our old cards scanned out and our new ones in, and went back to our rooms. Hope the new terminal does the same, but I doubt it. Pier 35 didn't have a place for immigration.

[caribill]

I did a B2B Princess Alaska cruise last summer. Turn-around-day was in Alaska (a US port by my limited geopolitical awareness). We only had to have our new (2nd leg) cruise card scanned/activated at the security station by the gangway. No getting on / off ship for customs or immigration purposes. Maybe that's just because Alaska is "different."

 

 

Before you got onto the ship in Vancouver you went through US immigration. From that point on to Whittier you were in the USA. Thus no immigration on turnaround day.