Considering our first B2B - need advice

[MonoMan]

Considering our first B2B and interested in any recent tips or advice. Has anyone booked a B2B with Costco? We heard that if you book the same stateroom you won't have to pack and unpack. Thanks in advance.

 

[SillyInventor]

That is correct. When you have the same stateroom for both legs you can leave all your belongings in the room. Take all special needs (like medicine) with you in a day bag as you must leave the ship (custom regulations) en recheck-in for the second leg. Then there will be some waiting between half an hour or more than two before you will be allowed back on. That will be before the new cruisers board. You will then have access to your stateroom again, but from the time boarding starts till 1.30pm when the rooms open for new cruisers you will be asked to either stay in your room or stay in the public areas. This to prevent you from crossing the barrier lines and confusing other guests, while the hosts are still very busy turning over the rooms for the new guests.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

Considering our first B2B and interested in any recent tips or advice. Has anyone booked a B2B with Costco? We heard that if you book the same stateroom you won't have to pack and unpack. Thanks in advance.

We didn't book through Costco but we did a B2B in January 2015. We had the same state room and we didn't need to pack up our room. We were staying in concierge. We disembarked at 9:15am and were back on the ship by 10:15am. We were literally last off the ship and first on. It was terrific!

 

[tinkerone]

i'm not sure i would go so far as to say pack a day bag or bring your meds, that probably is not necessary. as disney princess said you are off the ship and then back on rather quickly. we typically are off the ship around 9, we do not rush, and then are back on by 11:15. others report being back on earlier, we just have never had that luck. take a book or something with you just in case you do need to kill a little more time. you exit the ship, go through customs (just tell them you are on a b2b, they barely bat an eye) and then you will be directed back up the escalator to start again.

once back on the ship you can indeed go back to your cabin and change or collect anything you may want for the time until everyone is let into their cabins at 1:30. you can stay in your cabin if you wish but sillyinvertor is correct in saying that they do not want you running back and forth for the very reason suggested.

you need to take your documents for your second sailing when you exit the ship because you do have to re-register for the second sailing. its the same as your first half, you need your id's and cruise documents. you will be seated in the concierge area where they will call for b2b cruisers when the ship is ready.

we love b2b's and are doing one again soon. i'm hoping that this will be the cruise where they let us on at 10:15. fingers crossed!

 

[ForMyBoys]

This seems so fun. I would love to surprise the kids with some thing like this. Sorry the cruise is over guys.... wait its not over after all! Maybe someday...

 

[Justacruiser]

If you are doing a B2B, getting the same room is the best! Like everyone else has said, you don't need to pack. During your first cruise your head server will ask if you want the same dining team. We have said yes before and then on other occasions we request a change. The head server will work with you.

Before the end of the cruise you should find a letter in your stateroom telling you what to do the morning you arrive into port. Usually it is leeting you know where to meet and what time. IF you do not get a letter, contact customer service and they will let you know where to meet. Meet at the appropriate time, around 9am and staff will escort all of you off at the same time. You don't have to do it this way, but we find it easier! The will escort you down off the ship into their holding area. They get you over to check in and recieve your new KTTW cards and then they will allow you to board after they have reset the computers on the ship, around 10:30 or so.

I take my crossword puzzle book and do it will we are waiting. Sometimes there are a few (about 20) and sometimes less. They will let you know when to board and you can go back on the ship. Not a lot to do so we usually head back to the room. They don't want you going to the room between 1230-1330 because there are already folks handing out in the walls waiting to get in their room. Most won't understand why you cross the barrier to the rooms and can even get upset that you are passing and they are not (yes really)!

I really like doing the B2B, but pretty much require to be in the same room to do it. If you book the IGT/OGT/VGT on one of the legs and hope to get the same room, don't count on it! But, you would pack your bads and leave them in the departing room and the room hosts will transfer. They will get the hang up stuff to the other room without you doing anything.

As others have stated you wil need the paperwork for the 2nd cruise with you. And on occasion I have left the terminal and placed dirtly clothes in the car. That is allowed, talkt o customs as you leave the terminal so they know what you are doing. You have have to go through the scanners when you come back in. Upon coming back in you can return to the previous cruiser waiting area. They will give you a slip of paper stating that you are a B2Ber and you need to keep that and give it bacdk to them when you board.

Any other questions, ask away.

 

[Justacruiser]

This seems so fun. I would love to surprise the kids with some thing like this. Sorry the cruise is over guys.... wait its not over after all! Maybe someday...

That would be cool, you would need to talk to your dinner team and room steward and ask them not to say anything because they will know you are B2Bers.

If you have to swtich rooms you could even carry it all long as you packing the bags and leaving them in the room (for them to move). Otherwise you just let them know the night before you will pack in the morning because it won't take that long. Then drag around a little and decide to go eat breakfast before you pack. Then you can just show up at the designated place to walk off together with the rest of the B2Bers.

Awesome stuff!

 

[tinkerone]

Before the end of the cruise you should find a letter in your stateroom telling you what to do the morning you arrive into port. Usually it is leeting you know where to meet and what time. IF you do not get a letter, contact customer service and they will let you know where to meet. Meet at the appropriate time, around 9am and staff will escort all of you off at the same time. You don't have to do it this way, but we find it easier! The will escort you down off the ship into their holding area. They get you over to check in and recieve your new KTTW cards and then they will allow you to board after they have reset the computers on the ship, around 10:30 or so.

I take my crossword puzzle book and do it will we are waiting. Sometimes there are a few (about 20) and sometimes less. They will let you know when to board and you can go back on the ship. Not a lot to do so we usually head back to the room. They don't want you going to the room between 1230-1330 because there are already folks handing out in the walls waiting to get in their room. Most won't understand why you cross the barrier to the rooms and can even get upset that you are passing and they are not (yes really)!

I really like doing the B2B, but pretty much require to be in the same room to do it. If you book the IGT/OGT/VGT on one of the legs and hope to get the same room, don't count on it! But, you would pack your bads and leave them in the departing room and the room hosts will transfer. They will get the hang up stuff to the other room without you doing anything.

As others have stated you wil need the paperwork for the 2nd cruise with you. And on occasion I have left the terminal and placed dirtly clothes in the car. That is allowed, talkt o customs as you leave the terminal so they know what you are doing. You have have to go through the scanners when you come back in. Upon coming back in you can return to the previous cruiser waiting area. They will give you a slip of paper stating that you are a B2Ber and you need to keep that and give it bacdk to them when you board.

Any other questions, ask away.

we have never experienced a meet up. our letters have told us what to do on our own so you can't count on meeting up and being escorted off the ship. not sure if its different ship to ship. we have only done b2b on the fantasy.

 

[Justacruiser]

Each ship is different for some reason. We have done it on multiple ships and it probably depends on how many people. Once it was just 2 CM's on leave who were just cruising and I and the DW. That was really nice.

 

[ForMyBoys]

That would be cool, you would need to talk to your dinner team and room steward and ask them not to say anything because they will know you are B2Bers.

If you have to swtich rooms you could even carry it all long as you packing the bags and leaving them in the room (for them to move). Otherwise you just let them know the night before you will pack in the morning because it won't take that long. Then drag around a little and decide to go eat breakfast before you pack. Then you can just show up at the designated place to walk off together with the rest of the B2Bers.

Awesome stuff!

It would be awesome stuff. I'd love to catch those reactions on camera. The last two cruises my 11 year old was almost in tears on the last cruise day. Now you have me actually contemplating this....

 

[Justacruiser]

It would be awesome stuff. I'd love to catch those reactions on camera. The last two cruises my 11 year old was almost in tears on the last cruise day. Now you have me actually contemplating this....

better than sliced bread! Then they could show up for dinner with the same servers, priceless!

 

[MonoMan]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all the information. When we check-in for the first cruise do we need to tell them that we are doing a B2B? Or is this something they recognize on their own? The idea of surprising the family with the second cruise is definitely fantastic. In my case I'm not sure they wouldn't question why I didn't pack up all of our stuff...

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all the information. When we check-in for the first cruise do we need to tell them that we are doing a B2B? Or is this something they recognize on their own? The idea of surprising the family with the second cruise is definitely fantastic. In my case I'm not sure they wouldn't question why I didn't pack up all of our stuff...

You don't need to tell them you're doing a B2B. They really have no need to know that. But you will get a letter in your room at the end of the first cruise telling you what to do for your debarkation/embarkation day.

 

[Hamitchell]

We booked costco online for our b2b. I just made sure the same cabin was available, and booked the more popular cruise first with that cabin. Probably safer to call, but I like doing it myself. Cruising 14 days on Fantasy--after cruising her last year, we felt there was so much we wanted to do, but didn't.

Will be xmas surprise. I think the surprise is the funnest part. And 3 days at the World. There will be screaming and hyperactivity. . .

 

[CM Dad]

That would be cool, you would need to talk to your dinner team and room steward and ask them not to say anything because they will know you are B2Bers.

Sometimes it is hard to have Disney CMs not spoil surprises. I had booked the Walt Disney suite for my wife and I for her 60th birthday this January. She knew we we going on a cruise but figured we were in a regular veranda stateroom. When we were on an Alaskan cruise last summer, we stopped by to check on reshopping a room for the runDisney Castaway Cay Challenge. The CM started to make a comment about the upcoming Walt suite. Fortunately, I was able to signal him to stop before he said too much. For her birthday cruise, I also surprised her by bringing our 4 adult children and their families. Three of them had their own staterooms but our son was added to ours. The plan was to surprise her in the port at Miami on departure day. Two daughter, their husbands and 6 grandkids flew to FLL 2 days before the cruise. My wife and I drove down to Miami with a brief stop at WDW. Other daughter, her boyfriend and our son flew down the day before. I waited until I got texts that everyone else was at the port and checked in before my wife and I headed over. First potential spoiler was entering the port building where they checked cruise documents. They started to ask about the third person listed, but I was able to cover that up. My daughters had made matching shirts for every one to wear that day. Disney themed saying "I'm sailing away for my birthday", or "my wifes birthday", "Mom's birthday", "Grandma's birthday". When we went through the security scanner, on of the CMs commented that he had seen a lot of people with those shirts. Fortunately, my wife just took that to mean that there were a lot of people that had custom Disney shirts. We were escorted up to the concierge checkin, and they opened the door to the lounge to reveal everybody with the grandkids holding a birthday banner they had made.

BTW, the grandkids were kept in the dark about cruising until the met in Miami the day before. Didn't want them to say anything to Grandma accidentally.

 

[mom4fun]

I personally wouldn't like a 2nd leg of a b2b to be a surprise. I don't have quite as much fun on the last day of a cruise knowing I'm getting off the next day. That was a big part of the fun of a b2b cruise knowing you still had a whole other cruise to look forward to and just allowed us all to enjoy it knowing we weren't getting off.

 

[MonoMan]

We will not be making it surprise. The idea is that we do two shorter B2B cruises, so that family members that have never cruised will join us on one of them. Thanks again for all the tips!

 

[MonoMan]

I booked it via Costco and was able to get the same stateroom for both sailings! Does anyone remember if you receive lanyards for both (we are Silver now)? The reason I'm asking is because family that would join us on the second one will be first time cruisers and then I could give them one set of our lanyards to use.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I booked it via Costco and was able to get the same stateroom for both sailings! Does anyone remember if you receive lanyards for both (we are Silver now)? The reason I'm asking is because family that would join us on the second one will be first time cruisers and then I could give them one set of our lanyards to use.

Yes, you get lanyards on each leg (if you want them).

 

[dkfogt]

Also considering our first B2B - I want to tell the kids on the second day of cruise #1 that this is a B2B. What do I have to be aware of as far as CMs mentioning it to us during embark/dining or in the teen club if I only need the surprise to last 24 hours on board?