b2b

[esimon]

how does this work?

 

[bouhunter]

Book consecutive weeks on the same ship.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Are you sailing from Ft Lauderdale?

 

If so -- we have done done quite a few of these cruises.  We usually try to book them as a Collector's cruise to save a few dollars.

 

No matter whether you have book them as 2 cruises (2 confirmations) or as a Collator's cruise, the procedures on turn-around day are the same.

 

We always book early enough to have the same cabin for both cruises.

 

On the last full day of the cruise, you will get a letter giving you directions as to what will happen on turn-around day.  You will be given a time and place when you have to go through immigration  -- take your passport with you.  Sometimes you have to get off the ship -- sometimes you don't -- it all depends on how many people are staying on for the second cruise.  You will be given an Intransit Card that will get you back on the ship before new guests get on.  You will not have to check-in again.  You have the choice of leaving the cruise terminal and going where ever you want to go or just sitting in the lounge to wait for the ship to go down to zero count and then getting back on.  Zero count means that everyone has gotten off the ship.  Some times we have waited only a few minutes to get back on -- a few times we had to wait a couple of hours.

 

You leave everything in your cabin if you have the same cabin for both cruises. If you do have a different cabin, the cabin stewards will help you move.  Clothes will be put on a hanging rack -- loose items pack in a suitcase.  If you have the same type of cabin for both cruises, the drawers can be changed quickly -- no need to empty them.

 

 

[sail7seas]

Your question is too vague.    Though I have done a great  many b-to-b's, I  cannot help you as you are not clear about what facet of b-to-b you are seeking information.  Sorry if it is only me who is unsure what info you are seeking.

 

 

[esimon]

thanks anyway 7seas --  Krazy answered nicely -  We have the same room - wasn't sure about getting off and on again.   Excited for Feb.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad you have the same cabin.

 

Also glad I was able to help you.

 

Have a great cruise.

[rkacruiser]

KK's explanation is excellent.  I have had the experience that the b2b guests assemble in a lounge, allowed to remain on the ship, and proceed through the inspection process on the ship if the Officials embark to allow this.  Having to disembark and go through the ordeal in the terminal is more common.

 

When cruising resumes, I wouldn't be surprised that this procedure will change.

[msmayor]

I guess what we went on in October wasn't truly a B2B then?  

 

We sailed from Vancouver to SD (four nights), then R/T to the Mexican Riviera (seven nights) on Eurodam.  We purchased it as one cruise but it was sold as two separate trips.

 

When we arrived in San Diego, we were free to leave the ship and return as we wished, or could have stayed on board without any need to completely empty the ship.  What I found more odd is that it was announced to us that those who were staying on board after the four-night did NOT need to attend muster in San Diego.  It felt almost criminal to be sitting at the pool while it was going on.

[CruiserBruce]

Due to the vagueness of the original question...hard to give complete answers. Is the "turnaround" port in the US (KK's commenst are right on), or outside the US...policies and procedures will be different. KK assumed Ft Lauderdale (not a bad assumption), but as the original question didn't mention date or port...hard to give info. A B2B having a turnaround day at a foreign port treats the turnaround day as a standard day in port....no restrictions at all. Come and go as you please.

 

@msmayor, in your case, unless you stopped at Victoria, the ship cleared any US Immigration and Customs requirements before it sailed from Vancouver. Or if it stopped at any US port, it cleared there.

[SusieKIslandGirl]

On our B2B we got off the ship to find more wine and Fritos. And it's so much fun to pass all the people waiting in line to board when we return 🙂.

[Krazy Kruizers]

8 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

KK's explanation is excellent.  I have had the experience that the b2b guests assemble in a lounge, allowed to remain on the ship, and proceed through the inspection process on the ship if the Officials embark to allow this.  Having to disembark and go through the ordeal in the terminal is more common.

 

When cruising resumes, I wouldn't be surprised that this procedure will change.

 

I agree -- when cruising resumes, procedures will be different for a while.

[sail7seas]

21 hours ago, esimon said:

thanks anyway 7seas --  Krazy answered nicely -  We have the same room - wasn't sure about getting off and on again.   Excited for Feb.

Best of all try to book same  cabin for both segments, so you will not have to move.   At  the end of  the first segment,  You will receive a letter  from front office giving instructions for what to do on 'turn around day'.

 

Seeing   you still have given so little info, it is hard to 'guess'  where you have as turn  around   port.   U.S.  or foreign so I know not what   other   info may interest you.

 

 

If your  turn around  day is out of U.S.  (? )      you likely will not  have to do much.  If in U.S., you likely will have to clear Immigration and stay  off the  ship until it    'zeros down' meaning all who are leaving the ship  permanently that day have done  so.  You   will wait off the   ship but it  rarely takes very   long

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2020 by sail7seas

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

On January 23.  we did a turn around day in Ft. Lauderdale.  Those staying on the Rotterdam back to San Diego, met in the showroom about 9:30-9:45 and were escorted off the ship into the terminal.  There was a few minutes wait in line until Immigration was ready for us. We saw the official, walked around the booth and back to the ship.  Before boarding, we were given the option to go to the lounge for new guests to access the wifi.  We just returned to the ship and enjoyed a nice quiet morning and early afternoon.

 

A couple of years ago, the procedure was the same in Seattle.

 

Last summer, we did 67 days on the Veendam in Europe, which was comprised of six segments with the turn around days in four different ports in three different countries.  Each time, we were given an Intransit card and could walk off the ship when we were ready.  If we choose, we could also remain on board.  

 

Hope this helps some, but as Krazy Kruisers said, it is a different world now, and the formalities could and probably would be different once ships start cruising again.

Edited April 24, 2020 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[esimon]

I like the More Wine idea !!!!   I'll make a note --

[msmayor]

On 4/23/2020 at 9:52 PM, CruiserBruce said:

 

@msmayor, in your case, unless you stopped at Victoria, the ship cleared any US Immigration and Customs requirements before it sailed from Vancouver. Or if it stopped at any US port, it cleared there.

 

We definitely cleared US Customs in Vancouver - went through as we entered the terminal at Canada Place.  First port stop was Santa Barbara, CA and then to San Diego.

 

I guess I didn't think about the real reason to get to that 'zero count' - that's it is for Customs purposes.  We did get off the ship in San Diego but only to walk to a CVS and pick up a few sundries.  We re-entered the terminal and went through the security lines with all the new passengers, but once we were beyond the scanners there was a separate line for us to re-board the ship immediately while the others had to check in and wait to be cleared to board.  For us, it felt just like a normal port day in the middle of a single voyage.

[Roz]

I did a back to back on an Alaskan cruise last year, different cabin on each leg.  Would not do again unless I could sail in same cabin.  It was a less than desirable experience.  HAL staff clueless and Vancouver terminal staff even more clueless.  

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, msmayor said:

 

I guess I didn't think about the real reason to get to that 'zero count' - that's it is for Customs purposes.  

Its really for Immigration purposes...to account for anyone illegally entering the US.

[vms]

Does HAL give any "perks" for those on a B2B? I've only done a B2B on Celebrity and they gave a free bag of laundry to all B2B cruisers.

[CruiserBruce]

21 minutes ago, vms said:

Does HAL give any "perks" for those on a B2B? I've only done a B2B on Celebrity and they gave a free bag of laundry to all B2B cruisers.

The price can be a little less, and occasionally there is a dinner or a cocktail party or two. Depends on the ship, and the length of the B2B...I think this perks only apply to a Collector's Cruise, not a true B2B. But I could be wrong on that.

[Adoptionmsw]

One downside to the changeover day on a back to back is certain regular activities are not available. All of the deck chairs are stored in preparation for the life boat drill. There is no afternoon tea and no happy hour. In Fort Lauderdale it’s not really possible to walk into town. The port is huge, always under construction and there are no sidewalks. It is possible to call an Uber. Sometimes a back to back is necessary to put together a long enough cruise to make the trip to the port worthwhile. We usually do three plus weeks in February and that almost always entails a back to back.


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[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, Adoptionmsw said:

One downside to the changeover day on a back to back is certain regular activities are not available. All of the deck chairs are stored in preparation for the life boat drill. There is no afternoon tea and no happy hour. In Fort Lauderdale it’s not really possible to walk into town. The port is huge, always under construction and there are no sidewalks. It is possible to call an Uber. Sometimes a back to back is necessary to put together a long enough cruise to make the trip to the port worthwhile. We usually do three plus weeks in February and that almost always entails a back to back.


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Certainly correct; the onboard experience for the b2b guest is different.  Once the Customs/Immigration formalities are completed, for a while, one has a multi-ton private yacht.  Until the new guests begin to embark.  

 

I find it interesting to watch the activities of the crew during this time.  Contractors arrive for various duties and, usually, are willing to explain why what they are doing and why they are there.  The Crow's Nest is a perfect quiet place for me to try to finish the book I was trying to complete during the first cruise.  No issue being seated quickly when the MDR opens for lunch with quick service and a prompt appearance from the Wine Steward.

 

I don't think I would book a b2b if I had to change cabins.  

 

It would be more interesting to disembark and embark on a different vessel on a different itinerary.  I did such this Winter:  Volendam-MSC Meraviglia-Eurodam.  I have had other such combinations and I would do so again. 

 

Doing so can present a variety of challenges in going from one ship to another, but, such challenges can be manageable.   

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

We have done many b2bs, and having the same cabin is definitely preferable.  However, we have had to change cabins several times.  You do have to pack everything in the drawers and on the shelves.  All hanging clothes can stay in the closet.

 

Once the new cabin is ready, crew members under the supervision of an officer or supervisor will move everything to the new cabin.  You can either wait until the move is complete to leave the ship, or you can leave when you are ready and your things will be in the new cabin when you return. 
 

Having the same cabin all the way through is the best option, but the crew makes changing cabins as easy as possible.

[sail7seas]

15 hours ago, Adoptionmsw said:

One downside to the changeover day on a back to back is certain regular activities are not available. All of the deck chairs are stored in preparation for the life boat drill. There is no afternoon tea and no happy hour. In Fort Lauderdale it’s not really possible to walk into town. The port is huge, always under construction and there are no sidewalks. It is possible to call an Uber. Sometimes a back to back is necessary to put together a long enough cruise to make the trip to the port worthwhile. We usually do three plus weeks in February and that almost always entails a back to back.


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On our b-tob's in FLL,    Sometimes  We would grab a  taxi, go to a nearby hotel where we had friends, have a fabulous pool side l unch, swim and enjoy the large pool and return  to    the ship ' on  t ime.'  Great y,  We always were self-entertainers and did not need the ship to provide usual afternoon  activities for that one turnaround day.     Plan for yourself, go to the beach , go to Galleria and shop, go to  nearby  super,  'ride the water taxi  etc, etc, etc....  Go  to a nearby restaurant  for a 'treat' lunch Port Everglades  is NOT in an isolated location.     Lots of places nearby

 

 

 

 

[sail7seas]

We very much enjoyed b-to-b's and only booked them when we could have  the same cabin for all segments.  WE Didn' t want to move.  We booked early enough for there to  usually be good availability.

[sail7seas]

14 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

We have done many b2bs, and having the same cabin is definitely preferable.  However, we have had to change cabins several times.  You do have to pack everything in the drawers and on the shelves.  All hanging clothes can stay in the closet.

 

 

Many of  the drawers are interchangable and can be ex changed  into your new cab in.  Ask your steward before bothering to empty yours.

 

 

 

 

14 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

 

Once the new cabin is ready, crew members under the supervision of an officer or supervisor will move everything to the new cabin.  You can either wait until the move is complete to leave the ship, or you can leave when you are ready and your things will be in the new cabin when you return. 
 

Having the same cabin all the way through is the best option, but the crew makes changing cabins as easy as possible.