Question for those who have done B2B

[maggie blossom]

Please tell me if you liked it and if so why.
I was wondering if I should consider it. I can see some reasons why it would be appealling, when you would be depressed about getting off you get to turn around and get right back on. Also two trips to CC.
But isn't the second one a repeat of the first? Muster drill again, same menues, same shows? Other than extra time at CC why would this be better than just one longer cruise?
Not trying to flame. Just want to see what I may not be considering
thanks!!

 

[jdb in AZ]

Please tell me if you liked it and if so why.
I was wondering if I should consider it. I can see some reasons why it would be appealling, when you would be depressed about getting off you get to turn around and get right back on. Also two trips to CC.
But isn't the second one a repeat of the first? Muster drill again, same menues, same shows? Other than extra time at CC why would this be better than just one longer cruise?
Not trying to flame. Just want to see what I may not be considering
thanks!!

Some people who wanted to reach platinum status sooner have sailed back-to-back cruises, but now that the Castaway Club perks aren't what they used to be, I don't see the point of repeating what you've already done. I would rather do a four day on the Dream, go to WDW then catch the Fantasy for 7 daze, or whatever rotation you need to fill in the daze between the two ships leaving/returning from Port Canaveral.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Please tell me if you liked it and if so why.
I was wondering if I should consider it. I can see some reasons why it would be appealling, when you would be depressed about getting off you get to turn around and get right back on. Also two trips to CC.
But isn't the second one a repeat of the first? Muster drill again, same menues, same shows? Other than extra time at CC why would this be better than just one longer cruise?
Not trying to flame. Just want to see what I may not be considering
thanks!!

Yes, if you do a 3 or 4 night B2B, you will be repeating menus, shows, etc, except you get an additional menu on the 4 night (pirate menu).

We did a Med/WBTA B2B, so, while there were 10 nights that were repeated on the second leg, there were also 4 new menus/shows on the second part. And with that long a cruise it didn't seem quite as much of a repeat. The Med portion was so port intensive, we didn't actually go to many shows, and so, saw them on the TA portion. Any shows that were specific (special shows) to the Med cruise, that would be entertainers brought onboard from the ports, etc, we did try to see, since they wouldn't be repeated, but the regular Disney shows we waited.

 

[mickeyfan1]

I am doing a B2B in January, 4 nights, then the DVC Member 3 night. Because neither I nor my roomie have been on the Dream, we wanted to be able to do a lot more on the ship than 3 nights would let us. Yes, it gets me a lot closer to Platinum, too. I have been on the Wonder 5 times, if there are no new shows, I skip them. There are a lot of other things to do on board during that time. It is your own choice, for sure Personally, I would rather do WDW before and take the cruise for the relaxation after, if the only choice was a land and sea.

 

[jrbdad]

Guess it would depend on the itineraries, but I can't think of any reason NOT to do a B2B. We've never done it - but would love to one day. Honestly, we had thought of B2B 5 nights on the Dream for 4 stops at Castaway Cay, but couldn't swing the cost with 5 of us .

 

[kcashner]

We've done a couple of B2Bs. The first was because we wanted a 7 night cruise but couldn't get to Orlando for a Saturday departure. Thus, we did a Sunday 4/3. You hit the issues--same shows, same menus, same ports. On the positive, 2 stops at CC, more Palo (if desired). This was our first experience with a 3 night cruise--never again!

The other positive/negative is the transition day. Your exact instructions will depend on the port and on how many families are doing B2B. In our case, it was us and one other person--we made friends in the terminal and spent a lot of the 3 nights together, rearranging our dining assignments so we were seated together. In fact, we are still FB friends and do keep track of each other.

When there are only a few people, the Cove Cafe is open for snacks; where there are more, the Cove Cafe is open for adults, there are family snacks in the Promenade Lounge. The pools are open as soon as they are cleaned. It is a good time to do laundry. It is neat to have the whole ship to yourself. If you are staying in the same cabin, you have cabin access the whole time; we were asked to not run in and out after boarding started (to avoid "Why are THEY allowed in their rooms and we aren't" from new guests).

Our other B2Bs have been different cruises--for instance, Trans-Atlantic + first Med. These are a totally different animal and well worth doing.

 

[miyta]

We've done a couple of B2Bs. The first was because we wanted a 7 night cruise but couldn't get to Orlando for a Saturday departure. Thus, we did a Sunday 4/3. You hit the issues--same shows, same menus, same ports. On the positive, 2 stops at CC, more Palo (if desired). This was our first experience with a 3 night cruise--never again!

The other positive/negative is the transition day. Your exact instructions will depend on the port and on how many families are doing B2B. In our case, it was us and one other person--we made friends in the terminal and spent a lot of the 3 nights together, rearranging our dining assignments so we were seated together. In fact, we are still FB friends and do keep track of each other.

When there are only a few people, the Cove Cafe is open for snacks; where there are more, the Cove Cafe is open for adults, there are family snacks in the Promenade Lounge. The pools are open as soon as they are cleaned. It is a good time to do laundry. It is neat to have the whole ship to yourself. If you are staying in the same cabin, you have cabin access the whole time; we were asked to not run in and out after boarding started (to avoid "Why are THEY allowed in their rooms and we aren't" from new guests).

Our other B2Bs have been different cruises--for instance, Trans-Atlantic + first Med. These are a totally different animal and well worth doing.

Thanks for the great info, we are doing B2B next month out of Galveston 7 nights. Had planned to do laundry possibly but wasn't sure if it would be better to do some things on board since we would be first on board. I was also wondering about upgrades for the second cruise, does anyone know how you can if d out the availability for the second 7 days?

 

[kcashner]

Thanks for the great info, we are doing B2B next month out of Galveston 7 nights. Had planned to do laundry possibly but wasn't sure if it would be better to do some things on board since we would be first on board. I was also wondering about upgrades for the second cruise, does anyone know how you can if d out the availability for the second 7 days?

There are ways you can make educated guesses about availability the week before you cruise. The nice thing is that you are the FIRST family in the terminal, so if there are upgrades available on the second leg, you have the best shot at finding something you like!

A hint...if you are on the first leg and they call you on the last night and tell you that there is a concierge suite available at whatever cost, do not buy it then. Wait till the next day at the terminal, when it will be cheaper! Remember, unless there are a ton of B2Bs (normally not), you're going to be the first family there.

 

[miyta]

There are ways you can make educated guesses about availability the week before you cruise. The nice thing is that you are the FIRST family in the terminal, so if there are upgrades available on the second leg, you have the best shot at finding something you like!

A hint...if you are on the first leg and they call you on the last night and tell you that there is a concierge suite available at whatever cost, do not buy it then. Wait till the next day at the terminal, when it will be cheaper! Remember, unless there are a ton of B2Bs (normally not), you're going to be the first family there.

What time do they have us get off the ship? Do we have to wait in the terminal for long?
Thanks for the help

 

[owensamo]

We've done a 5n B2B and have 7n Fantasy B2B cruises booked for next year.

Both times the itinerary has been different (if only slightly on the 5Ns), but the shows/menus were the same. However - that's not a bad thing! That gives you 2 chances to get to each meal and see each show - leaving *tons* of time to Palo/Remy and get to other events in the evenings!

On our last B2B we saw all the shows and ate all the dinners on the first cruise, and on the second cruise had the chance to try different menu options - and did not make *one* show the second time! The evenings were nice and relaxing!

I'm hoping to spread things out a little better on next year's B2B, but we've never done a Western so might do more of the ship stuff on the Eastern and focus more on the ports on the Western. Either way, we'll have plenty of opportunities to make sure we see everything (I hope!)

 

[CamColt]

We have done 4 night/3 night B2Bs twice.

In doing so I have booked Palo for the 3 night, knowing it doesnt matter which night I do it, I wont miss a menu in the MDR. I also see the shows on the 4 nighter so that I can stay at the pool later or do other things during that time on the 3 nighter.

I'm not one who really cares about the ports so the more time on the ship the better. Having that in between day knowing that getting a chair in the sun is no problem, is wonderful.

 

[AlexandNessa]

We've done it twice. One on the Dream 4/3. We did this simply to enjoy the new ship for an extra few days, since we knew 4 days would not be enough. Then we just got off the Magic B2B, one 8-night to the Bahamas, followed by the 5-night Canada. We did this primarily because it was different itineraries and we could take a car service to the port. LOVE not flying!

Transition day is a bit of a wasted morning. If you can get past that, enjoy. Sure the menus and shows repeat, but it's not like you are on the ship for a month and run out of things to try.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We've done it twice. One on the Dream 4/3. We did this simply to enjoy the new ship for an extra few days, since we knew 4 days would not be enough. Then we just got off the Magic B2B, one 8-night to the Bahamas, followed by the 5-night Canada. We did this primarily because it was different itineraries and we could take a car service to the port. LOVE not flying!

Transition day is a bit of a wasted morning. If you can get past that, enjoy. Sure the menus and shows repeat, but it's not like you are on the ship for a month and run out of things to try.

Even then, you'll find plenty to do. We did a 10 night B2B with a 14 night. Even with the fact that we had previously done a 15 night on the same ship, we've not done everything there is to do.

 

[AlexandNessa]

Even then, you'll find plenty to do. We did a 10 night B2B with a 14 night. Even with the fact that we had previously done a 15 night on the same ship, we've not done everything there is to do.

My liver could not handle 24 nights on a cruise ...

Seriously, I would love to do that when I get more vacation time.

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

We did a 4/3 B2B on the Dream last summer before the Fantasy was in service. It was the only way we could get 7 nights on board sailing out of Port Canaveral. Although the shows and meus repeated, we didn't feel the need to "rush" to do everything on the first leg of the cruise since we knew we had the 2nd leg coming up. We really enjoyed the cruise; however, due to Hurricane Irene we only got one day at Castaway and 3 days in Nassau out of our 7 days. Now with the Fantasy doing the 7 night Caribbean cruises out of Port Canaveral, we decided to book one of those instead for next summer.