Back to Back with different cabin. Luggage?

[SAPMAN]

We are on Back to Back cruises on Nieuw Statendam (HAL) from Fort Lauderdale.  We could not get the same cabin for the 2nd cruise.  Do we have to take our baggage off or do they have a place to store it?   Or do they just take it to the new cabin?    We are hoping to get same cabin with an upgrade, but probably will not happen. 

 

Also, will we need to disembark the ship at Ft. L. and then get back on?  What is that process?

 

Thanks.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Yes -- you will have to get off the ship in Ft Lauderdale after the first cruise to go through immigration.  You will get a letter the last full day of the first cruise explaining where and when you will meet to do this.  Take your passports with you.

 

As to changing cabins -- your cabin steward should have clothes rack so that you can load your clothes on it to move to the next cabin.  Put everything else in your suitcases and move them to the new cabin as soon as it is ready.  On that moving morning, you may want to go and introduce yourselves to your new cabin stewards and tell them you will be in that cabin for the next cruise.  Hopefully he will get that cabin ready for you as soon as possible.

[RedneckBob]

51 minutes ago, SAPMAN said:

We are on Back to Back cruises on Nieuw Statendam (HAL) from Fort Lauderdale.  We could not get the same cabin for the 2nd cruise.  Do we have to take our baggage off or do they have a place to store it?   Or do they just take it to the new cabin?    We are hoping to get same cabin with an upgrade, but probably will not happen. 

 

Also, will we need to disembark the ship at Ft. L. and then get back on?  What is that process?

 

Thanks.

 

HAL staff will help move your luggage to new cabin before you disembark the ship. You will need to disembark the ship at a prearranged time by HAL, stay in the terminal until ship is cleared, then board the ship; you will be first to reboard.

[OlsSalt]

I believe you might have the option to stay onboard in a secured location (showroom?) or leave the ship but not come back until it reopens again.

 

Bring a book or something to do - it is always a long wait no matter what option you choose, if both are available.   The best we found was a coke machine near the cruise terminal if you want something to eat. Or take a cab and do something else during that transition time. 

 

There is not much around the port, but there are always a few interesting things to see if you walk around - the seaman's shop and call center where the crew go, or some of the port activity at other berths like the mega yacht transport vessels loading on some very interesting little bathtub toys for those who don't have to ask the price. . 

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, SAPMAN said:

We are on Back to Back cruises on Nieuw Statendam (HAL) from Fort Lauderdale.  We could not get the same cabin for the 2nd cruise.  Do we have to take our baggage off or do they have a place to store it?   Or do they just take it to the new cabin?    We are hoping to get same cabin with an upgrade, but probably will not happen. 

 

Also, will we need to disembark the ship at Ft. L. and then get back on?  What is that process?

 

Thanks.

 

As stated by others, have your belongings ready to move by 8:00 AM and your Room Steward will come to fetch you when the previous occupants have departed your future stateroom.  The stateroom will not be ready for you to occupy but you can leave your belongings there.  Your new keys will be available at the Front Desk.

 

Since your B2B takes place in Fort Lauderdale, there is normally hundreds of other passengers doing the same B2B.  With large numbers, it is my experience that, based on the letter you received during the cruise, you will gather in the showroom around by 9:30 AM after passing through the Security Point set up at the entrance to the showroom. 

 

The ship is supposed to be cleared by 10:00 AM so you will be in the showroom until every B2B passenger has passed thouirgh the showroom Security Checkpoint and all other passengers have left the ship, as verified by port authorities.  My experience is that happens around 10:30 AM.

 

Take advantage of your hour before new passengers board at 11:30 AM to take photos of the ship with fewer passengers blocking your shots.

 

Based on the instruction letter you receive, you may not have to attend the Muster Drill for a second time.

Edited November 14, 2018 by Crew News

[WisRiver]

Several years ago we had a back to back in FLL.  There were written instructions from HAL.  We were told not to pack our closets, but to pack our suitcases.  The cabin stewards moved our stuff, but told us our cabin would not be ready for us to use until after 1 PM.  We disembarked 10:00 AM and cleared immigration with our passports in hand.  We took the crew shuttle (ask where they board) to the shopping area on 17th Street.  Since we had been eating HAL food for the past two weeks and would continue to do for another week, we decided to eat lunch on shore.  We shopped, ate lunch, used the free internet in the Starbucks and returned on the crew shuttle.   While this several years ago, the cost of the crew shuttle was less then $5 per person each way.   There was no problem with passengers using the crew shuttle since it is privately operated.  We returned to the ship at about 2 PM with no wait, since almost everyone else had boarded. 

[Krazy Kruizers]

We had a situation in Montreal (no customs required) as we were moving from a Neptune Suite to the Pinnacle Suite.  The people in the Pinnacle suite were in rush to leave the ship.  We didn't finish getting moved until after 1 PM!!  By then the cabin crews were so busy the supervisor had to help us move.

 

So be prepared for any unknown things that can happen.

 

Hope you do end up in the same cabin by the time your sailing arrives.

[mcrcruiser]

Best of luck  It will work out just fine

[kazu]

We just did this last cruise and it was as smooth as silk.

 

All you pack is the stuff in the drawers, shelves, etc.  (Don't forget your safety deposit box contents 😉 )

 

The staff unload everything that is hanging, put it on the rack, move everything to your new room, hang up your clothes and leave your luggage for you.

 

Once my new room was vacated, the steward gave me access to it to store my safety deposit box contents and we headed out.

 

Assuming it is the same on your ship.  We were given a new key and told to use our old key to disembark and our new key when we came back on the ship.

[SAPMAN]

Thanks EVERYONE for the detailed info.   I will follow suggestions.   I have been our of FLL a few times, but did not know about the crew shuttle.  Sounds like a good option.     Appreciate the info.   

[grsnovi]

Wish I could afford B2B cruises... 

[iflyrc5]

1 hour ago, SAPMAN said:

Thanks EVERYONE for the detailed info.   I will follow suggestions.   I have been our of FLL a few times, but did not know about the crew shuttle.  Sounds like a good option.     Appreciate the info.   

Yes - very easy process.  This past January we just had to move next door.  Only took about 15 minutes to get everything put back and the cabin stewards moved our stuff during the time we visited the immigration folks.  Just had to pickup our new room keys at the front desk.

[doublebzz]

I recently booked a 31 day Asia cruise and had the choice of doing a back to back (15 day and 16 day cruises sold separately) or the 31 day Collectors.  Booking the cruises back to back was actually less costly but the hassle of high probability of changing cabins and essentially sacrificing a port day in Hong Kong was not worth the savings.

[Btimmer]

9 hours ago, doublebzz said:

I recently booked a 31 day Asia cruise and had the choice of doing a back to back (15 day and 16 day cruises sold separately) or the 31 day Collectors.  Booking the cruises back to back was actually less costly but the hassle of high probability of changing cabins and essentially sacrificing a port day in Hong Kong was not worth the savings.

Keep in mind that if you have Carnival stock (100 shares) and if you book two segments 14 days long or longer separately, it's worth $250 each in shipboard credit.  We had to swap cabins last year on our ASIA cruise and it was no big deal.  We accompanied our belongings to the new room and headed off the ship for a day of touring.

[sail7seas]

Pack all the items you have placed in your bathroom.   Ask if   the  drawers are interchangeble from one cabin to another.  They are on most HAL ships but I don't know about this new ship.  Stewards from your  old  And new ca bin will place the drawers on a rolling rackmove hem  and place your filled drawers into place in your new cabin.  no need to  empty them.