Back To Back Questions

[Happy2Crews]

For those who have enjoyed back to back cruises.....when you returned to Ft. Lauderdale in the middle of the cruise, are you required to get off the ship or can you stay on and enjoy the pool, drink, eat, etc similar to other port days?  If you HAVE to get off the ship, how long were you off and what did you do?  Thanks. 

[candy4040]

Total time off the ship can vary.  I've had to wait as long as three hours.  Generally, about 1 hour.  and yes, you must get off the ship.  You can stay in the terminal.  They usually have excursions available if you don't want to wait.  They will also give you a transfer ticket should you chose to leave the ship and go out and about in Fort Lauderdale.  Quite a few restaurants and a Walgreens close to the terminal. 

Edited December 14, 2023 by candy4040

[Torfamm]

We’ve been asked to gather with other B2B pass in a lounge onboard then all walked off together after all other passengers have disembarked. We then waited in the terminal for 30 to 45 minutes and reboarded.

 

We’ve also spent time in town on those days visiting with friends. If you like, it’s easy to disembark early, grab an Uber to pick up a rental car at the airport and explore for the day

[Go-Bucks!]

I've had different experiences each time but always have to get off the ship. Once it was a quick wait in the terminal and back on the ship, but usually I either walk or taxi into town (depending on the port) and return in a few hours. I research what to do in the port ahead of the cruise in order to maximize my time. But sometimes I just get back onboard and relax.

[suzyed]

In Fort Lauderdale we had to get off...actually to the terminal. 
In Southampton we just stayed on the ship.  

[nasa1974]

I have had different experiences in B2B cruises. Escorted off the ship to the cruise terminal waiting time varied but mostly less than an hour and back to the ship.  The worst was about 2 hours because they couldn't find a passenger.  Met in the main dining room once. On my October west coast B2B we didn't do anything. We had the option of getting off the ship in San Francisco or just stay on board. We cleared American customs in Vancouver. It's always an adventure. 

[jagoffee]

How does it work if you book the B2B as one cruise.  For instance, you book a single 14 day cruise that can also be booked as two seven day cruises?  Do you need to get off the ship?

[reedprincess]

22 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

How does it work if you book the B2B as one cruise.  For instance, you book a single 14 day cruise that can also be booked as two seven day cruises?  Do you need to get off the ship?

Doesn't matter how it's booked for US ports 

It's US requirements that a ship be zero count cleared after every single sailing - and thus, everyone has to clear immigration and the ship zeroed before re-embarkation, and embarkation can begin for new passengers .

How you booked the cruise, whether a single voyage or 2 back to back or whatever, makes no difference at all to US Immigration policies.. 

Ports in other parts of the world have different rules and regulations. 

[Torfamm]

7 hours ago, jagoffee said:

How does it work if you book the B2B as one cruise.  For instance, you book a single 14 day cruise that can also be booked as two seven day cruises?  Do you need to get off the ship?

In Port Everglades, the port the poster asked about, yes. Each new segment requires that all passengers disembark. 
 

Rules vary in different locations though.

[skynight]

7 hours ago, jagoffee said:

How does it work if you book the B2B as one cruise.  For instance, you book a single 14 day cruise that can also be booked as two seven day cruises?  Do you need to get off the ship?

Yes. No matter how the cruise is booked if your turn around is at a U.S. port like Ft. Lauderdale all passengers are required by U.S. law to go through immigration.** The process is the same at all U.S. ports, but the logistics is a little different. First you will receive detailed instructions in your cabin. I can't emphasize this enough, read and follow these instructions exactly. If even one person is missing no one will be processed through immigration, and no new passengers will be able to board the ship.

The basic process is as follows:

-You can elect to disembark the ship anytime up until final disembarkation call somewhere around 9:30am. Bring your passport, medallion and intransit card supplied in your cabin with you. You will go through immigration in the normal way. You are then free to wander around the town, sightsee, shop, or whatever you wish to do. You may return to the ship anytime after general boarding has begun. You will be required to go through security. The intransit card will get you to the front of the boarding line if there is one.

-You can choose to 'stay' on the ship. In this case you will be required to show up at the location and time indicated in the instructions. It's usually the theater. It's best to be early. You will be required to have your passport and medallion with you. At some point a staff member will escort the entire group off the ship and into the terminal where you will pass through immigration. Once through immigration you then re-board the ship. No one is excepted from this process. In cases like two 7 day voyages b2b from Ft. Lauderdale maybe 500 to 600 passengers going through this process. 

If you are in the same cabin you just leave all your stuff there and the cabin steward will service the cabin in the regular manner. If you are changing cabins your cabin steward will arrange for your stuff to be moved.

**The single exception is Whitter, Alaska when sailing a RT b2b from Vancouver. In this case you go through U.S. immigration when you initially board in Vancouver. 

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by skynight

[kitty2264]

Once on a B2B2B cruise from Port Everglades we were only required to go to the Princess Theatre.  Immigration came on board and once everyone was present, we were sent out the doors where we were scanned twice;  once for disembarkation and once for embarkation.  We didn't have to leave the ship at all.  That was a good experience but it only happened that one time.

 

Every other trip we have gone into the terminal for a brief period before being allowed to reboard.

[memoak]

The requirement to go through customs procedures either on the ship or disembarking and getting back own really only applies to US ports. We have done many B2B cruises out of Vancouver and have not needed to do anything.  Funny thing was we recently did a 4 day Alaska Vancouver to Seattle and then a 16 RT Hawaii cruise from there. We did not have to do anything in Seattle at all

[skynight]

10 minutes ago, memoak said:

The requirement to go through customs procedures either on the ship or disembarking and getting back own really only applies to US ports. We have done many B2B cruises out of Vancouver and have not needed to do anything.  Funny thing was we recently did a 4 day Alaska Vancouver to Seattle and then a 16 RT Hawaii cruise from there. We did not have to do anything in Seattle at all

When you board in Vancouver you passed through U.S. immigration.  After passing through immigration you did not visit any foreign ports sailing to Whitter and back. That is why you did not have immigration in Whitter. When you sailed from Vancouver to Seattle the same thing. You passed U.S. immigration in Vancouver when boarding.

I believe you were required to go through immigration in Seattle on your return from the Hawaii itinerary as the ship would have stopped in Ensenada. With that said I read there was at least one exception last season when a storm was so intense that the ship returned directly from Hawaii without stopping in Mexico. Was that your voyage?

[memoak]

5 minutes ago, skynight said:

When you board in Vancouver you passed through U.S. immigration.  After passing through immigration you did not visit any foreign ports sailing to Whitter and back. That is why you did not have immigration in Whitter. When you sailed from Vancouver to Seattle the same thing. You passed U.S. immigration in Vancouver when boarding.

I believe you were required to go through immigration in Seattle on your return from the Hawaii itinerary as the ship would have stopped in Ensenada. With that said I read there was at least one exception last season when a storm was so intense that the ship returned directly from Hawaii without stopping in Mexico. Was that your voyage?

On a Seattle RT you stop in Victoria. The checkin process was so fast in Vancouver I really don’t recall the immigration. I was just surprised we didn’t have to at least “zero” out the ship in Seattle after the 4 day which just went to Ketchikan 

[jagoffee]

13 hours ago, reedprincess said:

Doesn't matter how it's booked for US ports 

It's US requirements that a ship be zero count cleared after every single sailing - and thus, everyone has to clear immigration and the ship zeroed before re-embarkation, and embarkation can begin for new passengers .

How you booked the cruise, whether a single voyage or 2 back to back or whatever, makes no difference at all to US Immigration policies.. 

Ports in other parts of the world have different rules and regulations. 

 

6 hours ago, Torfamm said:

In Port Everglades, the port the poster asked about, yes. Each new segment requires that all passengers disembark. 
 

Rules vary in different locations though.

 

5 hours ago, skynight said:

Yes. No matter how the cruise is booked if your turn around is at a U.S. port like Ft. Lauderdale all passengers are required by U.S. law to go through immigration.** The process is the same at all U.S. ports, but the logistics is a little different. First you will receive detailed instructions in your cabin. I can't emphasize this enough, read and follow these instructions exactly. If even one person is missing no one will be processed through immigration, and no new passengers will be able to board the ship.

The basic process is as follows:

-You can elect to disembark the ship anytime up until final disembarkation call somewhere around 9:30am. Bring your passport, medallion and intransit card supplied in your cabin with you. You will go through immigration in the normal way. You are then free to wander around the town, sightsee, shop, or whatever you wish to do. You may return to the ship anytime after general boarding has begun. You will be required to go through security. The intransit card will get you to the front of the boarding line if there is one.

-You can choose to 'stay' on the ship. In this case you will be required to show up at the location and time indicated in the instructions. It's usually the theater. It's best to be early. You will be required to have your passport and medallion with you. At some point a staff member will escort the entire group off the ship and into the terminal where you will pass through immigration. Once through immigration you then re-board the ship. No one is excepted from this process. In cases like two 7 day voyages b2b from Ft. Lauderdale maybe 500 to 600 passengers going through this process. 

If you are in the same cabin you just leave all your stuff there and the cabin steward will service the cabin in the regular manner. If you are changing cabins your cabin steward will arrange for your stuff to be moved.

**The single exception is Whitter, Alaska when sailing a RT b2b from Vancouver. In this case you go through U.S. immigration when you initially board in Vancouver. 

 

I appreciate your responses.  Thank you.  

[upsmanclt]

4 hours ago, kitty2264 said:

Once on a B2B2B cruise from Port Everglades we were only required to go to the Princess Theatre.  Immigration came on board and once everyone was present, we were sent out the doors where we were scanned twice;  once for disembarkation and once for embarkation.  We didn't have to leave the ship at all.  That was a good experience but it only happened that one time.

 

Every other trip we have gone into the terminal for a brief period before being allowed to reboard.

I had the same experience once. It was about eight years ago. 

[kitty2264]

18 hours ago, upsmanclt said:

I had the same experience once. It was about eight years ago. 

Same here! 2016, We might have been on the same Regal Princess cruise. 

[phabric]

I have a B2B in San Francisco.  What is the procedure there?

[startedwithamouse]

36 minutes ago, phabric said:

I have a B2B in San Francisco.  What is the procedure there?

Same as above. Meet in the theater, then you're escorted through the terminal (with perhaps a short wait) then back on the ship. The process from arriving to the theater until back on the ship,  in our experience, always less than an hour.

[phabric]

Just now, startedwithamouse said:

Same as above. Meet in the theater, then you're escorted through the terminal (with perhaps a short wait) then back on the ship. The process from arriving to the theater until back on the ship,  in our experience, always less than an hour.

Thanks

[mattR]

On 12/14/2023 at 5:58 AM, skynight said:

**The single exception is Whitter, Alaska when sailing a RT b2b from Vancouver. In this case you go through U.S. immigration when you initially board in Vancouver. 

Does this mean you don't have to get off the ship in Whitter then?  If you do get off is there a way to bypass the check-in line and security and just head straight to the gangway? Doing a 14 day Vancouver to Vancouver, cruise is also bookable as only a 7 day.

[memoak]

30 minutes ago, mattR said:

Does this mean you don't have to get off the ship in Whitter then?  If you do get off is there a way to bypass the check-in line and security and just head straight to the gangway? Doing a 14 day Vancouver to Vancouver, cruise is also bookable as only a 7 day.

Yes in Whittier we always get off to go to the one store in town and coming back just show the transit card and avoid lines

[skynight]

10 hours ago, mattR said:

Does this mean you don't have to get off the ship in Whitter then?  If you do get off is there a way to bypass the check-in line and security and just head straight to the gangway? Doing a 14 day Vancouver to Vancouver, cruise is also bookable as only a 7 day.

It is just like any other port day. Get off, stay on, it's your choice. If you get off you most likely will have to pass through some sort of security when re boarding just like you do at other ports.