B2B2B

[katmigordon]

Assuming a 4/3/4, what are the benefits of doing a b2b2b?
We've done B2B, but never the B2b2b and when we did do the b2b we were able to go on the Wonder and then on the Dream so we had different ships.

 

[Milky]

1. Extend vacation
2. For your question, to get more sailing in to get to platinum faster.

Yes, repeats, but your not in a rush to do everything. Just do what you missed the second go around.

Lastly, you can wave everyone bye and you get right back on.

 

[dcassetta]

More chances to do the specialty dining you have discussed without having to schedule brunch/dessert/dinner too close to each other.

I believe you are sailing on the Wish. Since everything will be new, you will have a chance to really explore the ship.

 

[insureman]

Years ago when there were very few b2b passengers it was a significant savings doing a b2b versus a seven day cruise. Not so much anymore however. We would also get 2 Castaway Cay days.

 

[Kwami]

The downside is that you'll have the same restaurant menus three times. I guess you can skip those and go to Palo or something, though.

Years ago when there were very few b2b passengers it was a significant savings doing a b2b versus a seven day cruise. Not so much anymore however. We would also get 2 Castaway Cay days.

I switched from a 7-night to a 4+3 B2B cruise in February and it was almost exactly the same price. I think we paid an extra $75 or so per stateroom, but that might have just been because we switched at the very last minute and rates had increased.

 

[katmigordon]

I don't know if that's a downside - that could help cut down on the need to try EVERYTHING that looks good on a menu without having to way over do every meal.

Right now we're trying to decide whether to add the 4 day cruise to our current B2B or if we should add on WDW or Universal for 4 days.

But I keep hearing such awful things about Disney World right now...

The downside is that you'll have the same restaurant menus three times. I guess you can skip those and go to Palo or something, though.

 

[Kwami]

I don't know if that's a downside - that could help cut down on the need to try EVERYTHING that looks good on a menu without having to way over do every meal.

Fair enough. I'm too picky to take advantage of that!

 

[mmmears]

The downside to me is the different vibe on the shorter cruises compared to the longer ones. We've done both and I far prefer the pacing of the longer cruises if I'm going to be on the ship that long. I'll only said a shorter cruise if I'm trying to squeeze it into an already packed itinerary. 3-4 is not the same as a 7 night, and 4-3-4 isn't the same as a 10 night.

 

[Kwami]

The downside to me is the different vibe on the shorter cruises compared to the longer ones. We've done both and I far prefer the pacing of the longer cruises if I'm going to be on the ship that long. I'll only said a shorter cruise if I'm trying to squeeze it into an already packed itinerary. 3-4 is not the same as a 7 night, and 4-3-4 isn't the same as a 10 night.

There's definitely a different vibe on the 3-night cruises. I've done a few 4-night cruises and a 7-night cruise and they seemed pretty similar. But the differences on the 3-night cruise were immediately apparent. The crowd was louder, drunker, and younger. More kids. I guess it's because the 3-night cruises are on weekends.

 

[lanejudy]

I'd be ok with a 4+3 (or 3+4) B2B, but adding one more for B2B2B would be too much repetition for me. As PP said, it isn't the same as one longer cruise -- your changeover day(s) is not really equivalent to a sea day(s).

 

[Sykes]

The downside to me is the different vibe on the shorter cruises compared to the longer ones. We've done both and I far prefer the pacing of the longer cruises if I'm going to be on the ship that long. I'll only said a shorter cruise if I'm trying to squeeze it into an already packed itinerary. 3-4 is not the same as a 7 night, and 4-3-4 isn't the same as a 10 night.

I very very much dislike the vibe on shorter cruises. I am considering doing a B2B on the Wish just because there isn't any other way to get the cruise length I want on the Wish, but I very much to prefer to be on longer cruises (even if the total number of days is similar).

 

[auntlynne]

Benefit: more cruising days for your one RT airline ticket. And, the aforementioned cruise count towards a higher Castaway status.

 

[katmigordon]

I think after reading the WDW boards in this forum, and reading the responses here - I'm going to Universal.

 

[Justacruiser]

We have done b2b2b before and b2b, cost is high just to get to port. So for us, 3 castaway cay, 3 free palo, 3 more of our favorite dining room menus, only 1 more day of vacation. Plenty of days on the balcony. Spend more days with CMs, and Disney cruises 48, 49, and 50.

 

[auntlynne]

Are you concerned about seat sizes at Universal or are you more of a taking-it -all-in theme park patron? Universal rides seem to skew small, per reports.

Many people recommend parks before a cruise, to end trip on relaxation. I agree.

 

[katmigordon]

From the research I'm doing the only place Universal skews small is for the outdoor roller coasters I don't really wanna do anyway. I MIGHT do a couple of HP related coasters if the theming is strong enough (Gringotts) or Mummy, but for the most part roller coasters are not a big thrill for me at my age, I LOVED them when I was younger now they just rattle these old bones around too much to be worth what little adrenaline rush I still get from them. It looks like I should be able to ride simulators, and rides like the Jurassic Park Log Flume, with no issues - which is where I get my thrills. I know not everyone agrees but for me a simulator is far better than any roller coaster I've ever been on. I can let my mind suspend all disbelief while on it and so I can get experiences that they could never give me on a real coaster without the damage to my body.

Are you concerned about seat sizes at Universal or are you more of a taking-it -all-in theme park patron? Universal rides seem to skew small, per reports.

Many people recommend parks before a cruise, to end trip on relaxation. I agree.

 

[Starwind]

We did a B2B2B on the Dream in December 2019. We loved it; had previously done a B2B also on the Dream.

Things we liked:
- crew was quite excited we were doing B2B2B;
- we got to know our serving team well (had them the entire time) and once they got to know us it meant for a more relaxed rest of the cruises + some great conversations;
- 3 stops at Castaway Cay - and for one of them we did the 5K and did not feel bad about going back to the ship to crash for a while afterward
- on the second and third cruises we got in line at guest services first thing and put ourselves on the wait list for a cabana on CC; for the third cruise we were the first in line and the day before CC day we got a call from concierge that they had a cabana on family beach for us, did we want it !! Yeah !! So, cabana on CC
- we plotted out which days we would do which shows and which movies over the course of the entire time we would be on board, so we didn't feel we had to do them all the first cruise. We really liked this, because it let us do other things for many of the evenings. Some shows we watched twice because we really liked them
- we did some activities more than once just because we really liked them; and we tried some activities we normally might not do and even if it ended up being a one and done, we are at least glad we had the chance to try it !
- because of the above, for us the pace was much more leisurely; we weren't i a rush to do things, we knew if we missed something the next cruise would have it, and that allowed us to take breaks when we needed to, explore the ship, try new things, and just enjoy.
- for meals, it was also good because we could try all kinds of things while still keeping the things we really liked so sometimes we would just add an extra entree and split it to try, while other times try a whole new meal; next time round we could have our favourites!

 

[auntlynne]

From the research I'm doing the only place Universal skews small is for the outdoor roller coasters I don't really wanna do anyway. I MIGHT do a couple of HP related coasters if the theming is strong enough (Gringotts) or Mummy, but for the most part roller coasters are not a big thrill for me at my age, I LOVED them when I was younger now they just rattle these old bones around too much to be worth what little adrenaline rush I still get from them. It looks like I should be able to ride simulators, and rides like the Jurassic Park Log Flume, with no issues - which is where I get my thrills. I know not everyone agrees but for me a simulator is far better than any roller coaster I've ever been on. I can let my mind suspend all disbelief while on it and so I can get experiences that they could never give me on a real coaster without the damage to my body.

I see you are doing your research. And knowing what you like and don’t; preferences are definitely subjective and personal.

This sounds like it will be a spectacular trip, whichever combo you choose.

And then there’s still the pre-Christmas cruise? Or did the third part of a B2B2B bump that out of the plans?

 

[SirDuff]

Whatever you finally decide to do, can I make a very, very, very strong suggestion that you use the extra time and some of the saved money to get your passports? I know before you said you hadn’t enough in time to get them for your planned cruise, but it seems like you have longer now and a lot saved (given all your questions about events/things that have an extra cost).

You once said that you were happy to pay for things to make your life easier - a passport when doing a cruise is very high on the list of things that can make your life easier.

 

[shananigans]

From the research I'm doing the only place Universal skews small is for the outdoor roller coasters I don't really wanna do anyway. I MIGHT do a couple of HP related coasters if the theming is strong enough (Gringotts) or Mummy, but for the most part roller coasters are not a big thrill for me at my age, I LOVED them when I was younger now they just rattle these old bones around too much to be worth what little adrenaline rush I still get from them. It looks like I should be able to ride simulators, and rides like the Jurassic Park Log Flume, with no issues - which is where I get my thrills. I know not everyone agrees but for me a simulator is far better than any roller coaster I've ever been on. I can let my mind suspend all disbelief while on it and so I can get experiences that they could never give me on a real coaster without the damage to my body.

Mummy is closed down, renovations.