Back to Back Cabin Question

[IBM Sweathog]

I am trying to book a last minute pair of cruises for this summer and I am trying to book the SAME cabin on back to back cruises.  If I cannot book the same cabin, will I have to leave the ship after the end of the first cruise and go through the booking process all over again for the second cruise?  Has anyone done this before and what did you do with your luggage?  Were you able to avoid going through the booking process again?

[ottahand7]

We just did a multiple back to back on the Eurodam.  The first leg we were on deck 7 but we couldn't book the same cabin through the whole cruise.  We just packed up our stuff and the stewards moved it to the new cabin on deck 4.  On back to backs you will have to go through the customs procedures for whatever port your are departing or returning to. 

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, IBM Sweathog said:

If I cannot book the same cabin, will I have to leave the ship after the end of the first cruise and go through the booking process all over again for the second cruise?  Has anyone done this before and what did you do with your luggage?  Were you able to avoid going through the booking process again?

I believe it depends on the port, whether the ship must be zeroed out, but changing cabins does not affect you having to leave the ship. You will get a transit card that lets you skip most of the boarding process.

 

I have not done it, but have read many accounts of switching cabins on CC. You pack up everything from drawers, desktop, and bathroom, but NOT hanging clothes -- which are moved for you closet-to-closet.

[Roz]

I had to change cabins in Vancouver, and the whole process was awful from start to finish.  Never again. 

[CruiserBruce]

And to be clear, the most you will have to do is an Immigrations process...showing your passport to an Immigrations official. Your stuff doesn't leave the ship, which possibly could cause a Customs procedure, but as Customs is not done in the case of a B2B, won't happen.

[Haljo1935]

6 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

And to be clear, the most you will have to do is an Immigrations process...showing your passport to an Immigrations official. Your stuff doesn't leave the ship, which possibly could cause a Customs procedure, but as Customs is not done in the case of a B2B, won't happen.

I've done many B2B and as @CruiserBruce said, my luggage never left the ship - it simply went to the other cabin.

Whether the ship is zeroed out or not, I have found going to Guest Services early (before breakfast) on Turnaround Day to pick up the new key card, resulted in the most seamless process. You'll scan off w/old card, scan back on w/new card. Do be sure you follow the instructions you receive in your cabin & be where you're told to be to wait for fellow In Transit pax - please don't be "that one" they have to hunt down. 🤔

Enjoy your cruise @IBM Sweathog - nothing beats seeing all that luggage 🧳 🧳 in the hall and knowing yours is not out there!🤭

Edited April 15 by Haljo1935
Typo

[bcummin]

Although it is certainly possible to change cabins in the middle of a B2B, it could pay off to keep asking for the same cabin over and over until you get what you really want.

Good luck !

Barbara

[Real NHDOC]

As most others have said, it's not a big deal and they do it all the time.  You pack up your loose items in your suitcases and leave your hanging stuff in the closets and the stewards take care of the move.  Never have we had to remove our personal belongings from the ship because of this.

 

While it isn't a convenient as having the same cabin it isn't something to dread either.

 

One hint would be to have your agent contact ship inventory to see exactly what cabins could be made available for the B2B.  Lots of times they won't show on the public sites but have cabins that can be "freed up" and given to you - it just makes a little more work for them but can help save you from having to move so worth a try.   

 

Also, make sure they link the two bookings in their system.  They should do it automatically but sometimes don't. 

 

One last thing - I don't recommend ever booking any B2Bs without checking first with the cruiseline that it can be done.  Some cruises violate the PVSA if booked consecutively and sometimes this isn't discovered when the bookings are made.  Ask me how I learned this. 

Edited April 15 by Real NHDOC

[richwmn]

1 hour ago, Real NHDOC said:

Some cruises violate the PVSA if booked consecutively and sometimes this isn't discovered when the bookings are made.  Ask me how I learned this. 

HAL is doing a better job of letting people know about this now. When I booked FLL=>Montreal in October(ish) I immediately received an email that booking the following cruise to Boston was not allowed due to PVSA.

[rafinmd]

10 hours ago, richwmn said:

HAL is doing a better job of letting people know about this now. When I booked FLL=>Montreal in October(ish) I immediately received an email that booking the following cruise to Boston was not allowed due to PVSA.

That is strange.  PVSA is about where you first board the ship and where you disembark.  In your case you boarded in San Diego and would disembark in Boston, but the PVSA would be satisfied by a multitude of distant foreign ports.

 

I think HAL tries to look at any combination of cruises and deny on the thought that someone may skip one of the legs and end up in violation of the law. 

 

Roy

[richwmn]

49 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

That is strange.  PVSA is about where you first board the ship and where you disembark.  In your case you boarded in San Diego and would disembark in Boston, but the PVSA would be satisfied by a multitude of distant foreign ports.

 

I think HAL tries to look at any combination of cruises and deny on the thought that someone may skip one of the legs and end up in violation of the law. 

 

Roy

I believe the email was automatically sent to anyone booking the FLL=>Montreal Cruise. In my case, the PVSA was blown totally out of the water due to visiting the South Pacific and I could book on to Boston, but that would take a manager's review, particularly since my FLL=>Montreal was not initially linked to the previous cruises.

 

[POA1]

17 minutes ago, richwmn said:

I believe the email was automatically sent to anyone booking the FLL=>Montreal Cruise. In my case, the PVSA was blown totally out of the water due to visiting the South Pacific and I could book on to Boston, but that would take a manager's review, particularly since my FLL=>Montreal was not initially linked to the previous cruises.

 

 

Yes. I believe that the system looks at adjacent segments when spitting out the warning. It's kind of like the visa notice you get on every cruise. There could be someone booking in the US who is here on a work visa and needs clearance for a Caribbean port; so visa alerts for everyone!

 

I don't think AI has progressed to the point where it can deal with your itinerary, Rich. Every time they try to train it using your bookings as seed data, the computers start sparking, smoke pours out, and the machine bursts into flames. 😉

[Real NHDOC]

22 hours ago, richwmn said:

HAL is doing a better job of letting people know about this now. When I booked FLL=>Montreal in October(ish) I immediately received an email that booking the following cruise to Boston was not allowed due to PVSA.

I know some Canadian ports do not count as "foreign ports" for the purposes of PVSA from my own experience - that's why I said always check with the cruise line first.  I had booked an Alaska cruise followed by a repositioning cruise where I was to get off in Honolulu but the itinerary was Seattle to Vancouver, with a stop in Victoria the night before and then Vancouver to Honolulu.  In the eyes of the PVSA neither Vancouver nor Victoria is apparently considered a foreign port so the cruise was considered to be Seattle to Honolulu, which was deemed in violation.  I was told we could get off in Victoria and take a ferry to Vancouver and rejoin (apparently an overnight stay in Canada would satisfy PVSA) or would have to cancel one of the legs. I cancelled the entire trip instead but learned a lesson about PVSA!

Edited April 16 by Real NHDOC

[richwmn]

24 minutes ago, Real NHDOC said:

I know some Canadian ports do not count as "foreign ports" for the purposes of PVSA from my own experience - that's why I said always check with the cruise line first.  . . . .

I cancelled the entire trip instead but learned a lesson about PVSA!

From the standpoint of the PVSA there are "near" and "distant" foreign ports. In order for a ship to do a round trip (Seattle to Seattle) it needs to do a "near" foreign port. In order for a passenger to go from one US port to another US port, they need to do a "distant" foreign port. In order for a port to be a "distant" foreign port it has to be outside North and Central America. The ABC islands are considered part of South America thereby being considered "distant".