golfguyhhi Posted June 17, 2016 #1 Share Posted June 17, 2016 We are doing the Grand Voyage from Rome to London on Marina next May. Since this is stitched together Rome to Barcelona, Barcelona to London back-to-back, must we debark in Barcelona with luggage, do customs and immigration and then re-board immediately after? We're in the same cabin for the full 22 day cruise. Or, do we have the option to stay aboard, or go ashore and consider Barcelona a port visit and get in some sightseeing? I ask because a couple doing a back-to-back (but not a Grand Voyage) had to do that (get off, do customs and immigration and get back on) in Miami as we were ending our 14-day (Miami to Miami) cruise and they were staying on for the next one (another Miami to Miami). This is not an "I'm concerned" question, merely an "I'm curious" question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitraveler Posted June 17, 2016 #2 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Miami is unique, in that it requires all passengers off. You don't have to disembark unless you want to. Enjoy Barcelona. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare pinotlover Posted June 17, 2016 #3 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Depends upon the port. Some ports, where embarkment/disembarkment occur require a zero count on the ship at some point (normally around 9:30). In those ports, if one is doing a b2b, they typically do not have to take their luggage off the ship, but they will have leave the ship. O normally gives instructions for those passengers to take their passports and other needed documentation for reboarding. The length of time for that absence, from the ship, depends upon the port. Quite often, do not expect to be let back on until regular general boarding occurs ~ 11:00 or so. Otherwise, enjoy your day in the City exploring the wonderful scenes and facilities. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted June 17, 2016 #4 Share Posted June 17, 2016 A GV is the same as a B2B As stated some ports require the ship to have zero count USA ports & UK ports seem to do this In Miami we had to leave the ship & just reenter the building after handing in the customs forms ...we waited about 1 hr before reboarding Other ports may vary You will get full instructions a few days before the end of the 1st leg NO you do not have to pack up your things if in the same cabin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floridiana Posted June 17, 2016 #5 Share Posted June 17, 2016 All US ports require that all passengers get off. No need to pack if in the same cabin and you can leave your luggage on the ship, same or new cabin. Anyway, yours is Barcelona. I don't know how Spain handles it, but don't worry about the luggage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare vlthom Posted June 17, 2016 #6 Share Posted June 17, 2016 (edited) We are doing the Grand Voyage from Rome to London on Marina next May. Since this is stitched together Rome to Barcelona, Barcelona to London back-to-back, must we debark in Barcelona with luggage, do customs and immigration and then re-board immediately after? We're in the same cabin for the full 22 day cruise. We recently did a GV (Miami to Barcelona, followed by Barcelona to Athens). We did not have to do anything special in Barcelona other than have our passports stamped. We had a leisurely breakfast in the GDR and then got off the ship, saw the officials and then went sightseeing. We continued to use the same world card for the second part of the trip. It was all very easy. Edited June 17, 2016 by vlthom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathi Posted June 17, 2016 #7 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Interesting thread as we are on the 2016 world cruise and we have just embarked the last bunch of leggers or segmenters. We have never had to take luggage off - that one threw me!! Some countries do make you do a face-to-face inspection which sometimes are on board and sometimes on shore but we've never had to leave the ship for a designated time period. One of the funniest things that have happened is when we were going to Angkor Wat for a couple of nights. As my better half pulled his rolling carry on down the corridor a woman asked him if he was leaving and what would happen to his cabin. Wanted to know if we would get the same cabin when we came back!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted June 18, 2016 #8 Share Posted June 18, 2016 Interesting thread as we are on the 2016 world cruise and we have just embarked the last bunch of leggers or segmenters. We have never had to take luggage off - that one threw me!! Some countries do make you do a face-to-face inspection which sometimes are on board and sometimes on shore but we've never had to leave the ship for a designated time period. Are you saying when you hit the USA port on the west coast you did not have to get off the ship during customs/immigration check?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbb Posted June 18, 2016 #9 Share Posted June 18, 2016 not speaking for cathi, but also as a RTW...neither in Hawaii or in LA did we HAVE to get off ship. Our only requirement was that we had to wait until all the "segmenters" left the ship before we could...either for shorex or as independent travelers. c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathi Posted June 18, 2016 #10 Share Posted June 18, 2016 What cbb says is true - we never HAD to get off the ship. In Hilo, our first port in the USA, we did a face to face. In LA we did have to wait until the disembarking people had all left the ship but then we just walked off. No immigration or customs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted June 18, 2016 #11 Share Posted June 18, 2016 not speaking for cathi, but also as a RTW...neither in Hawaii or in LA did we HAVE to get off ship. Our only requirement was that we had to wait until all the "segmenters" left the ship before we could...either for shorex or as independent travelers. c Thanks That is interesting In LA on a B2B we had to leave the ship..no problem we went site seeing anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golfguyhhi Posted June 18, 2016 Author #12 Share Posted June 18, 2016 Thanks everybody -- very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ORV Posted June 19, 2016 #13 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Depends upon the port. Some ports, where embarkment/disembarkment occur require a zero count on the ship at some point (normally around 9:30). In those ports, if one is doing a b2b, they typically do not have to take their luggage off the ship, but they will have leave the ship. O normally gives instructions for those passengers to take their passports and other needed documentation for reboarding. The length of time for that absence, from the ship, depends upon the port. Quite often, do not expect to be let back on until regular general boarding occurs ~ 11:00 or so. Otherwise, enjoy your day in the City exploring the wonderful scenes and facilities. :D I have been on a Grand Voyage and multiple back to backs on Oceania and have never experienced the part I bolded. Lucky I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ronrick1943 Posted June 20, 2016 #14 Share Posted June 20, 2016 We stayed on the ship in London (B2B). "O" had a special lunch in one of the dining rooms for people that stayed on the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanandJim Posted June 20, 2016 #15 Share Posted June 20, 2016 We stayed on the ship in London (B2B). "O" had a special lunch in one of the dining rooms for people that stayed on the ship. We've done 2 or 3 Greek Island Cruises where the GM took all of the B2B passengers to a fabulous luncheon in Piraeus, most recently we went to the Mare Marina in Paleo Faliro, and we are all still talking about how superb it was, three years later. Oceania does things first class all the way- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceansandseas Posted June 20, 2016 #16 Share Posted June 20, 2016 - You guys are really special. Our last 3 Oceania cruises were B2B. Nothing special at all. Who was the general manager? How many passengers were there? - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanandJim Posted June 20, 2016 #17 Share Posted June 20, 2016 - You guys are really special. Our last 3 Oceania cruises were B2B. Nothing special at all. Who was the general manager? How many passengers were there? - I'm not casting aspersions here, but for the uninitiated I imagine that they treat the shorter cruise B2B's differently than longer cruise B2B's. I was reared (travel wise, anyway) by my grandparents to think that it was slightly gauche to speak to the GM on a ship unless there was a foot of water standing in my bathroom floor, so if I don't see the GM on a cruise, I usually count it as a success. That said, Our GM's were Thierry and Damien and there were approximately 25 couples involved with each event. In neither case was the GM the official host. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted June 20, 2016 #18 Share Posted June 20, 2016 I'm not casting aspersions here, but for the uninitiated I imagine that they treat the shorter cruise B2B's differently than longer cruise B2B's. What do you consider longer cruise B2B's??? We have done several & never had a lunch with the GM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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