Back to Back/Side to Side Advice Needed

[3smithboys]

DH and I are celebrating our 30th anniversary this summer. We are booked on the Mardi Gras on June 25th. Originally, we were thinking about spending 4 days at Disney after the cruise. Today, DH came up with the idea of doing a side to side cruise. 
 

I am not sure if a back to back might not be easier/better.

 

After looking at what was available, he thought the 6 day out of Miami (leaving on Sunday-we get into port canaveral on Saturday) on the Horizon could work. Are we crazy to consider driving to another port to get to a different ship? Will going from the Mardi Gras to the Horizon be a disappointment? Will we get sick of being on the same ship for 2 cruises?!?(The last ship we were on was the Breeze and have not been on vacation in 3 years so we are super excited to be cruising again!)
 

How does the Covid testing work when you get off of one ship and get onto another? Or do a back to back? We are vaxxed and boosted if that helps with your answer. 
 

Is there anything else about a side to side or back to back that I need to think about/consider? Thanks so much!

Edited March 16, 2022 by 3smithboys

[rabidstoat]

I asked a similar question about other cruise lines elsewhere. I heard back from several different people who did side-to-side cruises between Port Canaveral and Miami on the same day. It seems like they were all Floridians driving their own car. You might possibly be able to do a one way rental but that would add time. Anyway the consensus was it was doable but you need a car.

 

For testing, Carnival might help you out (albeit for a charge) if it's from one carnival ship to another. Lots of people suggested doing the emed test that is proctored online, it's a rapid test that you can do with someone watching over your phone and most cruise lines accept them. Double check that carnival does though, I'm going next week but my test is through CVS.

[firefly333]

Until testing is done away with, personally I'd do a b2b on mardi gras and enjoy it. If it's a b2b no packing if you get the same cabin and they will do the covid test for free. So easy.

 

I'm for easy. It's why I havent added a side with rcl because of the testing. I'm not doing some online test and all that. Easy is my way until things go back to normal. 

[skrufy]

1 hour ago, 3smithboys said:

DH and I are celebrating our 30th anniversary this summer. We are booked on the Mardi Gras on June 25th. Originally, we were thinking about spending 4 days at Disney after the cruise. Today, DH came up with the idea of doing a side to side cruise. 
 

I am not sure if a back to back might not be easier/better.

 

After looking at what was available, he thought the 6 day out of Miami (leaving on Sunday-we get into port canaveral on Saturday) on the Horizon could work. Are we crazy to consider driving to another port to get to a different ship? Will going from the Mardi Gras to the Horizon be a disappointment? Will we get sick of being on the same ship for 2 cruises?!?(The last ship we were on was the Breeze and have not been on vacation in 3 years so we are super excited to be cruising again!)
 

How does the Covid testing work when you get off of one ship and get onto another? Or do a back to back? We are vaxxed and boosted if that helps with your answer. 
 

Is there anything else about a side to side or back to back that I need to think about/consider? Thanks so much!

Save yourself the hassle of getting transportation to the next port. Do a B2B, book same room for both cruises. Can't answer the covid side to side question. On B2Bs Carnival will test you towards the end of the first cruise at no charge. 

[cruizergal70]

I say choose which option has the better overall itinerary. 

[lagienomai]

So dh and I did a side to side cruise back in October. It was both in Miami however but we were able to be tested on the first leg of the cruise just like the b2b guests. You just had to let guest services know and they will look up the booking on the other ship. 

[Clarasgrandma]

Staying on Mardi Gras for second cruise will give you an opportunity to do the things you missed out on during the first cruise.  It’s usually hard to fit everything in on just one cruise.

[keels81]

I did this last fall with a Carnival ship out of PC and a Celebrity ship out of FLL. I had my own vehicle, so I just carried my luggage off and hit the road.

 

For testing, I took a set of non-proctored and a set of proctored tests with us. When our testing window opened, we took the non-proctored tests -- those came back negative, so I used the ship WiFi for us to do our eMed proctored tests and it was good to go.

 

It wasn't a real concern for me because if we'd tested positive so we couldn't go on the Celebrity sailing, we'd just return back to my mom's house in Orlando and ride out our quarantine there (this was when we were displaced from Hurricane Ida). 

[sanger727]

You have an overnight so driving from port canaveral to Miami would be doable. Do you have your own car? Otherwise you’ll have to do a one way rental and there can be large extra charges for that.

[mondello]

@3smithboys Mardi Gras is one ship that would be great for a B2B, just because of the sheer number of dining choices onboard. Having the same cabin for both legs makes it a lot easier. 

 

Horizon would be a good choice for a SbyS, still plenty of dining choices and JiJis is a cut above ChiBang. Mardi Gras gets the nod with the multiple  upcharge venues included, no upcharge.

 

Covid testing is no problem as Carnival will do complimentary testing the last seaday of the first leg. They will test for either a B2B or SbyS as long as both are Carnival ships. They don't offer testing if cruising with a competitor.

[3smithboys]

Thank you everyone for all of your thoughtful responses. We will not have a car with us and will only be renting a car to and from the airport. We are leaning towards staying on the Mardi Gras because it’s definitely easier to just stay put, we can get our same cabin ( we have a hold on it right now), and we don’t have to rent another car to get to Miami.

 

We wish the ports were a bit better; however, the ports on the Horizon aren’t spectacular either and one of the ports would be a repeat from the Mardi Gras. At the end of the day, all of this is just extra vacation time! I’m sure we can find things to do wherever the ship takes us! 

[mondello]

You'll need a B2B on Mardi Gras to have a chance to try all the different food choices. Your Anniversary dinner could be Rudi's SeaGrill or the Steakhouse. The Serenity area on Mardi Gras is huge. Not dealing with getting to Miami will save you time and money. Happy anniversary!

[3smithboys]

DH is still on the fence… he likes the ports on the Horizon a bit better. The sticking point for us is the price. The difference is only around $100 more for the Mardi Gras… it’s a newer ship and a day longer. The ports are Amber Cove, Grand. Turk, and Nassau. The Horizon is going to Ocho Rios, Cozumel, Grand Cayman…

 

We are already going to Cozumel on the Mardi Gras during the 1st cruise, but that’s not necessarily a deal breaker. 

[lagienomai]

That's a hard decision. I agree the ports are better but then you look at the flip side with Mardi Gras being a day longer. Not sure what you do for excursions but if you like to do stuff not through Carnival I would check the boards for Ocho Rios. Hopefully it's changed but when we went the last of Oct we learned you could only go to a set list of places. (Didn't learn this until we got off the ship) We were suppose to go to the resort where we spent our honeymoon 20 years ago but learned we couldn't due to Covid restrictions. 

[knagl]

My better half and I were considering a side-to-side, but ultimately settled on a back-to-back. 

 

There's definitely a hassle factor to consider. In the middle of your vacation you'll have to pack everything up to move to the new ship. When you get to the new ship you'll have to wait in the terminal just like every other group of people waiting to board (versus a B2B where you're escorted off the ship last and immediately back on the ship as the first guests of the second leg). In your proposed situation you'll also have to arrange transposition from one port to the other, and pay for one night in a hotel as well, both of which will easily add up to more than the $100 you're looking at spending to stay on the Mardi Gras.

 

Especially if you can keep the same room on the Mardi Gras, I think the back-to-back is far and away the better option.

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by knagl

[3smithboys]

Thank you to everyone who replied. We decided to stay on the Mardi Gras and do our very 1st B2B! We were able to get our same cabin, so we are good to go. I’m sure we will find things to do in the ports on the 2nd half, even if they were not the most exciting stops. We are very blessed to be cruising again and to be able to do this!

[mondello]

@3smithboys I noticed in the FAQ section on Carnival site, says call 1-800-764-7419 if you booked online so your B2B can be referenced as such. Probably not necessary if you used a PVP. You would need to be listed for Covid testing and often guests get a token gift for the second leg such a fruit basket or drink coupons.

[3smithboys]

2 hours ago, mondello said:

@3smithboys I noticed in the FAQ section on Carnival site, says call 1-800-764-7419 if you booked online so your B2B can be referenced as such. Probably not necessary if you used a PVP. You would need to be listed for Covid testing and often guests get a token gift for the second leg such a fruit basket or drink coupons.

Thanks so much! We did not use a pvp and just booked it on our own. I will do this. This is great information! 

[Jamman54]

3 hours ago, 3smithboys said:

Thanks so much! We did not use a pvp and just booked it on our own. I will do this. This is great information! 

Even though our PVP links our cruises when we do a B2B, we will always stop by Guest Services early on our first cruise to make sure we are on the B2B list. One time we weren't and they took care of it no problem. 😎

[3smithboys]

2 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Even though our PVP links our cruises when we do a B2B, we will always stop by Guest Services early on our first cruise to make sure we are on the B2B list. One time we weren't and they took care of it no problem. 😎

Thanks! That’s good to know. We will definitely stop by and confirm. That’s going to be especially important since we will need to Covid test for the 2nd cruise. 

[peteandpris]

If you decide to do a Back to Back you will always do a Back to Back because all other cruises aren't long enough. The cool thing is you get to brag all week about staying for second week. Have fun. 

[3smithboys]

1 minute ago, peteandpris said:

If you decide to do a Back to Back you will always do a Back to Back because all other cruises aren't long enough. The cool thing is you get to brag all week about staying for second week. Have fun. 

Thanks! I am definitely looking forward to this trip. It’s going to be hard to go back. Kind of like once you go to a balcony cabin…

 

[cellfree]

1 hour ago, 3smithboys said:

Thanks! I am definitely looking forward to this trip. It’s going to be hard to go back. Kind of like once you go to a balcony cabin…

 

Back to Back so much easier these days. Once the “testing” times are over we will have more choices. We did a B2B last month on the Freedom and it was great. About Side to Sides - we have done a couple of those coordinating a Carnival date with an MSC date, got off one ship and walked to the other ship at the same port, was fun, two different experiences, once you away for one week you may as well be away for two!