Bacb to Back question

[lindasuej]

Do you have to wake up early and get out of your cabin or can you sleep in? Would the laundry rooms be available. What would you do all day? Do you have to get off the ship. Any other info would be appreciated.

Do you have to do 2 muster drills? Thanks. Linda

Edited September 29, 2014 by lindasuej

[DMRick]

We have slept in..yeah! Then I did our laundry. We did have to meet in a dining room with our passports on one of our back to backs. We did not have to do the muster again..we enjoyed the pool.

[lindasuej]

Thanks.

[beg3yrs]

You didn't say in which port you do the B2B. Not all ports are the same in their procedures.

 

In some ports you will be required to disembark (you don't pack your cabin) and go through immigration and then get back on the ship. This is mostly a US procedure with San Pedro and Fort Lauderdale being foremost in this requirement.

 

Hopefully others will chime in with a more detailed list.

[Putterdude]

What itinerary are you looking at. For instance in Alaska most the laundries are closed while in port. In the Caribbean you will have to muster with a group of b/b pax and go thru CBP in the US port you do the turn around in...the muster time is usually about 10:00.

[Astro Flyer]

The procedure for a b2b can vary by the turnaround port with most if not all US ports requiring everyone to get off the ship. Those doing a b2b may get off the ship to spend the day in port or get off the ship to go through immigration before reboarding. Sometimes reboarding may be delayed by those who ignore the requirement to get off the ship & have to be escorted off before anyone can reboard the ship. :(

 

In many non-US ports you may not be required to disembark the ship & can activate your new cruise card on the ship. Once in Copenhagen we had the option to activate our new cards onboard or could do it at the gangway if leaving the ship for the day.

 

Before the end of the cruise you'll get a letter explaining the procedure including new cruise cards & they make it very easy. The letter also informed us that we were not required to attend another muster drill. We've been able to sleep in & even get room service breakfast. However the procedure can vary & is not always the same procedure so you'll hear about different experiences...enjoy! :)

[jammen]

Do you have to wake up early and get out of your cabin or can you sleep in? Would the laundry rooms be available. What would you do all day? Do you have to get off the ship. Any other info would be appreciated.

Do you have to do 2 muster drills? Thanks. Linda

 

This can vary at your 2nd cruise turnaround port. As for sleeping in, no problem.

Edited September 29, 2014 by jammen

[skynight]

If in a U.S. port then you must go through an immigration check (not Customs) on turn around day. You meet at a designated ship location with a staff member who escorts you off and then back onto the ship. The meeting time is around 9:30am (so you can't sleep real late). You will need your passport and cruise cards. No luggage. If you are staying in the same cabin then no other issues. If you are changing cabins then you must pack up your things and the cabin steward will have them moved to your new cabin. Leave as much on hangers as possible as the staff will just place the hangers onto the cart when moving. You will receive detailed instructions in your cabin a day or two before. If you wish to leave the ship to shop or tour around you may do so anytime after disembarkation has started up to the last disembark call. You will require your passport, cruise cards and intransit cards provided by the ship. If you leave then you can return anytime after general boarding as started, around 11:30/noon. In most ports laundry is open.

 

If it is Alaska then the process is a little different.

[geoherb]

When we boarded the ship in Whittier, the self-service laundries were open. We had spent five nights before the cruise on land and I wanted to wash a few things.

 

When we took b2b cruises last year in Fort Lauderdale, the process should have been simple. Those passengers staying on for the next cruise had three options: (1) take an excursion, (2) leave the ship on their own, or (3) meet at the designated location at 10:30 with their passports and old and new cruise cards.

 

We chose #3. Unfortunately for us, two women who also chose #3 did not follow instructions. They kept being paged over and over again and did not show up. Finally, after about an hour of waiting in the Wheelhouse Bar, the Princess crew member led us down to present our passports to the Immigration officials. But then they had to hold us in the terminal until those two women finally showed up, about 15 minutes later. The ship had to be cleared before they would let us back on.

 

After eating lunch in the dining room, we walked off the ship and went to Total Wine to buy our two additional bottles of wine for the second cruise. By the time we got back to the ship, we had no problem with the lines--breezing through the security screening, declaring our two bottles of wine, and then showing our "in-transit" passes and new cruise cards to get back on the ship.

Edited September 29, 2014 by geoherb

[AKman2495]

I tend to think of the turnaround day as a "port day" with the exception of the immigration checks. Sometime we get back on the ship and just hang out.

 

On our last cruise we took advantage of a princess excursion in FLL that took some people to the airport and most people back to the ship. We went to the everglades and to Flamingo Gardens and it was like any other port visit-except we were in the USA...

 

One thing though. By the end of a cruise, it is normally calm-people going around, elevators not overly crowded no wild melees....

 

When we got back aboard it was around 1:00 pm and it is like the insane asylum was let loose on the ship! people running around like mad, elevators jammed packed people walking around confused.....

 

It was quite the shock...but that's turn around day!

[ronl]

On back to back do u let any one now ?

[AtlantaCruiser72]

On back to back do u let any one now ?

 

If you are uncertain if your TA or the princess rep linked your bookings together you can visit guest relations to have them check and make any necessary updates to the bookings. Bring your booking confirmation for the 2nd cruise with you just in case. It should only take a few minutes.

[lindasuej]

Sorry I haven't posted back sooner. Busy busy. The B2B I am speaking of is a 10 day Southern Caribbean followed by 10 day Eastern Caribbean. it would be Fort Lauderdale coming and going. Not sure yet if I can get the timeoff of work for both. My sister and her hubby are doing both. I figured I would book it because the deposit is small and in a few months I would know if I could take it. If not I would cancel 1 cruise. Thanks. Linda.

[pablo222]

When we took b2b cruises last year in Fort Lauderdale, the process should have been simple. Those passengers staying on for the next cruise had three options: (1) take an excursion, (2) leave the ship on their own, or (3) meet at the designated location at 10:30 with their passports and old and new cruise cards.

 

If you choose #2, do you advise anyone -- so that they're not looking

for you at 10:30, or do they just check the A-pass to see if you have

left the ship?

[skynight]

Sorry I haven't posted back sooner. Busy busy. The B2B I am speaking of is a 10 day Southern Caribbean followed by 10 day Eastern Caribbean. it would be Fort Lauderdale coming and going. Not sure yet if I can get the timeoff of work for both. My sister and her hubby are doing both. I figured I would book it because the deposit is small and in a few months I would know if I could take it. If not I would cancel 1 cruise. Thanks. Linda.

My posting #8 is accurate. Also on these 10 day b2b's expect lots of passengers doing the same thing. We had over 500 on the 10 day east/west this past January.

[lynwar]

Hi,

We just came off a 9 day on Caribbean Princess. The first week (5 days) we went to Grand Cayman and Cozumel before returning to Ft. Lauderdale. Those of us staying on, were to report to a dining room at 10:30 to be guided to the terminal by a staff person. The time was moved up to 10:15, as traffic was moving quickly.

We needed our passport, ID like drivers license and the in transit cards. We were escorted through and then to a seating area around the terminal until it was time to get on. WE KEPT OUR SAME CARD, which was also needed during this process. We "clocked out" going off the ship with the group, and then "clocked back in" upon returning to the ship. The entire process took about one hour. Everything was very organized. Thankfully, we didn't have a problem.

Yes, I agree that you will receive instructions and the in transit cards before this event.

 

And, it IS interesting to see the new passengers coming on board after the rest of us have settled in and know our way around on the ship. They have that "lost" look. LOL. I know, we've all had that look ourselves on new ships.

 

Good luck. I love the Eastern itinerary, but this time it was a Western one-we hadn't been that way in awhile.

 

Lynne