Back 2 Back Newbie--A couple of questions

[collectoraholic]

Hi!

DH & I are doing a back 2 back on the Magic next month. We've never done a back 2 back before and have a couple of questions.

1. If we are hoping to do a port upgrade on the 2nd sailing, how does that work? Would we possibly be able to ask @ Guest Services on the last night of our first sailing? If not, when we get off the next morning, are there people in the terminal that we could ask about the upgrade before the new passengers are let into the port? Just wondering if it'd even be worth trying.

2. If we are not booked into the same stateroom for both sailings, once we are allowed back on the ship, are we allowed to go to our new stateroom right away? If not, where do we go & would we still maybe be allowed into our new stateroom earlier than the new passengers?
& What about packing to have the luggage moved to our new room? I know at one point, people packed it and then the room steward/ess would then move it for you. Is this still the case or have things changed due to Covid protocols?

3. If we are booked into the same stateroom, once we're allowed back on the ship, are we allowed to go right back to our stateroom since it is the same stateroom as our last sailing? & If not, would we be allowed back to our room earlier than the new passengers for this sailing?

TIA for answering these questions. I truly appreciate it!

 

[imahistorygeek]

We went immediately back to our stateroom to drop our stuff off and then left so we wouldn't be in the way. No issue, but I believe we were asked if we were B2B while walking to our room.

 

[Marc D]

1. You won't be able to manage it onboard. You need to ask once you check-in for your second cruise. They'll direct you to the manager counter and they'll offer you what they have available. B2B protocols seem to vary from terminal to terminal. Sometimes, you can get off at your leisure and wait in the terminal for the permission to board the ship. Sometimes, they make you wait in a lounge and bring all the B2B guests together to check-in again. Depending on how they proceed for your cruise and when you can get off the ship, you might arrive much sooner than the first outside guests, just before them or at the same time.

2. Officially, the new rooms for B2B guests are not accessible before other rooms. If it's a new room, they need to clean it thoroughly before you can access it. If it's the same room for both legs, they'll sometimes do the equivalent of a day-to-day cleaning or a deep cleaning. We've seen both. They also have to do other things in the room, like leave documents. That being said, stateroom hosts know which rooms will be occupied by B2B guests. Talk to your host on the last day of the cruise and he or she will tell you when you should expect to get your room back.

I’m not sure what the current rules are, now that testing is not mandatory for all guests. In the last few months, everyone had to pack as if they were leaving the ship, even if they didn’t change staterooms, to account for the risk of them testing positive between cruises. In the old times, if you changed rooms, you packed your small items and the stateroom host moved hanged clothes.