Back 2 back

[mommy2allyandaveri]

If I book a back to back and we are in the same room, we still have to get off the ship right?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

If I book a back to back and we are in the same room, we still have to get off the ship right?

Generally, yes. If the turn around port is a US port, they have to "zero out" the ship before allowing passengers for the second cruise to board.

If the turn around port is other than a US port, the answer is "maybe".

 

[FightingIrishman]

You can literally be the last off the ship and then the first back on. You have to go through customs with identification, go through the embarkation paperwork again, get new KTTW cards, wait for customs to clear the ship (about 1 hour), then a CM will let those B2B cruisers back on the ship. Everything is usually shut down when you get back on but the coffee shop gives you a free drink while you relax and wait for lunch to open up. It's a great time to take photos of the ship without people around.

 

[lorimay]

If I book a back to back and we are in the same room, we still have to get off the ship right?

You can try and get the same room, makes things so easy.
If not, you pack up the first room and your room steward will move your bags to the new room and leave them for you.

When we did ours (in San Juan) they took all the B2B people about 50 of us and asked us to wait in Fathoms until all the other guests debarked. It took forever, I was surprised people were still wondering around at 9:30.
10am they gathered our KTTW cards and swiped us off. We went into the terminal to re-check in and get back on the ship.
Of course as is our luck, the computers went down for an hour, we had to sit in the terminal and wait to get back on the ship.
We had barely any time once we were back on before new guests were boarding.
They asked us to either stay in our rooms or out on deck, they didn't want new guests seeing us go in and out of our rooms before 1:30.

I had heard that they put pastries out for B2B guests and Cove Cafe gave complimentary coffee's to those that stay onboard.
We did not see that for our cruise, could be they stopped it or due to the glitch there was just no time.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Just did a B2B in January (Bahamas) and it was eezy-peezy. Take all your documents for processing. Last one off the ship (Port Canaveral), down the escalator, turned right around through security, up the escalator, in process with new KTTW card, waited in the lounge for about an hour, and walked back on the ship. Cove Cafe is open. Did some laundry while the ship was empty. We're doing it again in September. Once the ship starts loading and people are waiting for their rooms, you can't go back and forth from your room to the public areas and back to your room.

 

[ajo]

Just did a B2B in January (Bahamas) and it was eezy-peezy. Take all your documents for processing. Last one off the ship (Port Canaveral), down the escalator, turned right around through security, up the escalator, in process with new KTTW card, waited in the lounge for about an hour, and walked back on the ship. Cove Cafe is open. Did some laundry while the ship was empty. We're doing it again in September. Once the ship starts loading and people are waiting for their rooms, you can't go back and forth from your room to the public areas and back to your room.

This was our experience last year. The drinks in Cove Cafe were free and we enjoyed sitting on deck by ourselves for a while.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

Thanks! We've never done one but I think we probably will next summer. And it looks like the same room was just snatched up so that probably won't work, but maybe a little change will be good

What a cool and fun experience this will be.

 

[Quellman]

Thanks! We've never done one but I think we probably will next summer. And it looks like the same room was just snatched up so that probably won't work, but maybe a little change will be good

What a cool and fun experience this will be.

We've done B2B both ways, same room and not. If you can get a close stateroom, that helps. We were able to meet our next room host before we left the first cruise, and he promised he would have our room ready by the time we reboarded so we could unpack again. He was true to his word.

 

[ludari]

I've done a few B2B cruises and once I had the same stateroom and once I did not. I tried to get the same stateroom but it was booked so I had to pack up my stateroom and the crew moved my luggage to my new room which was a little inconvenient.

 

[Pluto1008]

We booked B2B cruises next summer. It would also be our first time trying this and I was wondering if you have to alert anyone to the fact that you are booked B2B, or if they recognize this automatically and contact you about getting on and off between cruises?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We booked B2B cruises next summer. It would also be our first time trying this and I was wondering if you have to alert anyone to the fact that you are booked B2B, or if they recognize this automatically and contact you about getting on and off between cruises?

Toward the end of the first cruise you're typically approached by your head server to see if you wish to remain with the same servers and/or the same dining rotation for the next cruise.

A couple of days before the end of the first cruise, you'll receive a letter in your room outlining the debarkation/embarkation day procedures.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

We booked B2B cruises next summer. It would also be our first time trying this and I was wondering if you have to alert anyone to the fact that you are booked B2B, or if they recognize this automatically and contact you about getting on and off between cruises?

The stateroom host knew we were B2B when we first met him as did the head server on the first night in the MDR. And as @PrincessShmoo stated, you get a letter the day before docking on the disembark/embark system. The Mouse knows.

 

[Starwind]

We booked B2B cruises next summer. It would also be our first time trying this and I was wondering if you have to alert anyone to the fact that you are booked B2B, or if they recognize this automatically and contact you about getting on and off between cruises?

We have sailed B2B twice now, a B2B on the Dream and a B2B2B on the Dream. For both times, we booked directly through DCL and the CM linked the cruises in their system as consecutive cruises.

On board, our stateroom host and our serving staff all knew we were B2B.

We always had the same stateroom so did not have to pack up our stuff. The # of people doing B2B when we did it was small enough that our instructions were to be off the boat by a certain time, but we were on our own for getting off, it was not done as a group.

SW

 

[SamFaniam]

We have done two BTBs. One was out of Port Canaveral, where we were able to disembark whenever we wanted. We received instructions a night or two before with a re-boarding card. As others have described, we walked out of customs, turned around and went up the escalator again. The second was out of Miami, and the process there was different. We were all asked together in the D lounge and were escorted off the ship together. We were then escorted through the Miami terminal to where we would re-check in. I think maybe it was different, because the Miami terminal is huge and not just Disney specific.

If possible, I do recommend booking the same stateroom on both legs, to avoid having to pack up.

 

[Joe Brig]

Still sounds like a hassle. I'd probably plan an excursion and come back when the rooms are ready and no crowds at the port.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

This experience is going to spoil us, it's all I will want to do in the future.

 

[mmouse37]

With the virus ordeal I wonder if they will allow B2B's going forward. Wasn't one of the guests onboard the Diamond Princess who tested positive on a B2B and they think that's how it spread so fast on the second leg? I could see them wanting everyone off and do a heavy cleaning and testing each guest each cruise.

MJ

 

[Snowwhyt]

With the virus ordeal I wonder if they will allow B2B's going forward. Wasn't one of the guests onboard the Diamond Princess who tested positive on a B2B and they think that's how it spread so fast on the second leg? I could see them wanting everyone off and do a heavy cleaning and testing each guest each cruise.

MJ

I would think they would be expected to pass the pre-boarding tests again. As they had been out of the country and could get it just like anyone else.

 

[n2mm]

With the virus ordeal I wonder if they will allow B2B's going forward. Wasn't one of the guests onboard the Diamond Princess who tested positive on a B2B and they think that's how it spread so fast on the second leg? I could see them wanting everyone off and do a heavy cleaning and testing each guest each cruise.

MJ

I was thinking the same thing. We have a b2b for September and right now I’m going to drop the second cruise. I personally don’t think the first cruise will go forward either. We’ve already decided to cancel by the PIF date. Personally I don’t see cruises coming back until next year or a vaccine is approved. So my January cruise will probably be canceled too.