Back to back question and leaning tower of Pisa

[Adora227]

I’ve looked for an answer and couldn’t find one. First we are going on a back to back and considering changing rooms due to the high cost of a verandah room on the second port intensive cruise. The Disney representative said we’d be more likely to have to take our luggage through customs then if we kept the same room. Anyone have any experience with this? We are doing the change in Barcelona.

Also anyone climb the leaning tower of Pisa? Hubby and I are let’s say Pooh size and he’s worried the way up will be to narrow as he has wide shoulders even when not Pooh size. Thanks everyone.

 

[Quellman]

Just a question on your back to back, are you departing from the same port on both cruises, or is it 2 one way cruises?

I don't have an answer though it might matter.

My THOUGHT is: If it is 2 one way cruises, you may have to take your items and declare them. Example: if you are embarking in Italy, and ending in Barcelona, and then the back to back cruise goes from barcelona to italy, it is totally plausible. Though though the EU may not care.

I hope you get the answer you need. I know that for B2B from the same embarkation port in the US you do not have to take your luggage off but you still go through customs.

 

[Dug720]

Just a question on your back to back, are you departing from the same port on both cruises, or is it 2 one way cruises?

I don't have an answer though it might matter.

My THOUGHT is: If it is 2 one way cruises, you may have to take your items and declare them. Example: if you are embarking in Italy, and ending in Barcelona, and then the back to back cruise goes from barcelona to italy, it is totally plausible. Though though the EU may not care.

I hope you get the answer you need. I know that for B2B from the same embarkation port in the US you do not have to take your luggage off but you still go through customs.

That is my thought exactly. You might even have to even if you don't change cabins if the embarkation and debarkation ports are different.

 

[hrhdhd]

The Disney representative said we’d be more likely to have to take our luggage through customs then if we kept the same room.

Generally, when visiting Europe, you go through immigration at your entry point (whether an airport or cruise port) and then through customs, which usually involves walking through the green door because you have nothing to declare. You don't go through customs exiting the EU (and certainly not if you're continuing to stay in the EU by cruise, regardless of whether you have to change cabins), only immigration. (There are exceptions, of course.)

You go through customs when you arrive back in the U.S. and need to declare what you have brought back.

This Disney rep sounds incredibly confused.

 

[fredandkell]

I did the Med this summer in 2 inside cabins and we did not miss a window or a balcony one bit. It is so port intensive, and you're gone all day, that this is a great cruise to save the $$$. (Now for a Caribbean I like a balcony. But Europe? Nah.) We did not climb the Pisa tower, but we did climb the Baptistry across from it which is a great compromise, and much cheaper! (See my trip report in signature for details.)

 

[indyannamom]

I can’t help on the room and port question, but I can help on the Pisa one

I’m “Pooh sized” myself...but that can mean many different things.
3 things to consider....
1, can you and DH fit? depending on how Pooh sized you are, yes, probably, but will he’ll probably have to turn to the side a bit so his shoulders hit the narrowest points at an angle and not straight across. If you still think you want to, message me with more size info and I can help better.
2, can you do the stairs and actually enjoy the view once you’re there? I can walk (not climb) 20k steps a day at a brisk pace and not be windead or tired. I get winded by the third flight...and at Pisa, and several of the other climbable wonders in Italy and Europe...the cases are too narrow for you to step aside and let others pass you...so there’s a constant pressure to keep going...it’s very physically taxing...and Pisa is over 25 flights up!!!!

3, and honestly almost more important than the other 2 questions...are you time restricted while you’re there? There is so much to see there, much more than the tower!
There is the tower, which a climb of would be 5th on my recommendations at Pisa
There is a museum, but it would be 4th on my recommendations
There is a cemetery...which might sound odd, but is really beautiful, 3rd on the list
The cathedral is stunning...one of my personal top 3 Duomos in Italy...2nd on my list to do at Pisa

And then there is the bapestry at Pisa. Seriously one of the my all time favorite anythings in Italy! Every 30 minutes they close the doors and demonstrate the amazing sound resonance. Sometimes they do it with bells...but sometimes depending on what guards are working, you get to hear the demonstration in voice. Absolutely amazing. The building itself and all the carving...and windows...and this one you can climb to the upper level too (only 3 flights) and see some of the views. If you go and the demonstration is with a bell...if you think of it, message me and I can send you a video I took of the voiced version...but only after. If you can, you should hear it live first!

I hope that helps!

Enjoy the cruises!

 

[clten]

As far as your luggage on a back-to-back, I think the DCL rep was mistaken. Why would your cabin on the ship affect what you need to go through customs? If you would need to fully go through customs, everyone would need to do it. We have done b2b in Europe (not Barcelona) but have not had to take luggage with us (we've kept the same cabin but the letter you get tells you what to do in both situations - keeping same cabin or changing cabins; it also usually covers those that want to reboard asap and those that will leave the port to explore the city).

I think the rep was thinking you would be packed up and wouldn't have your new cabin yet so would have no choice but to carry it off. But that is wrong, you will pack up but leave it in your cabin, the cabin hosts take care of moving it to your new cabin for you.

 

[anricat]

So...I'm going to be honest, I didn't think the climb of the tower was worth the money. It is rather tight and if people are going in the other direction, you do have to navigate that a bit. It's also very warm and stuffy inside the tower. I'm a rather fit person and found it fairly unenjoyable to climb. I would have been more than happy to do the other activities the PP mentioned above. It's also awkward because of the slant. It's steeper in some sections and almost flat in others.

 

[kiford]

I enjoyed the tower climb. It gets very hard when you're climbing the sections that are leaning. Suddenly it feels like you're walking uphill in sand and then it gets easier, then harder again. I found that really interesting - I'd long wondered how the slant would affect one's climb so I thought it was worth the time, money and effort. Yes, it does get very tight near the top. There is an interim level where you go outside before going up to the top of the bell tower where the bells are. There is someone at that interim level who manages how many people are going up and down because you cannot pass each other on that last level set of stairs. I found the views at the top to be worth the climb.

Having said that, I really liked the cathedral and baptistry and probably took more pictures of those than the tower.

Like others, I see absolutely no reason why having to change cabins would require you to take your luggage through customs. It's either everyone does it or no one does it. Cabin should have no impact at all. It seems to me: (a) there's no reason to go through customs (I don't recall going through it even though we left the ship to head home) if the ship has not left the EU; and (b) since you're going back onto the ship there is no reason to have your luggage with you even if you were going through customs. You DO have to go through customs in Port Canaveral even if you're doing a B2B but you don't need your luggage as you just state that you have nothing to declare because you'll do a full declaration when you arrive for the final time. I can't see that this would be different here.

 

[tlprice]

My daughter and I really enjoyed climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We bought our tickets online ahead of time and it was so much cheaper than doing the Disney excursion. That being said, the climb was not super easy. Going down was also fairly slippery. I was glad I had good tennis shoes on. The picture above is of my tiny 11 year old on the stairs. This is the width of most of the stairway. At the very top to go outside, it is much narrower though.

 

[indyannamom]

@Adora227 just curious if you decided what to do about your visit to Pisa

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I’ve looked for an answer and couldn’t find one. First we are going on a back to back and considering changing rooms due to the high cost of a verandah room on the second port intensive cruise. The Disney representative said we’d be more likely to have to take our luggage through customs then if we kept the same room. Anyone have any experience with this? We are doing the change in Barcelona.

Also anyone climb the leaning tower of Pisa? Hubby and I are let’s say Pooh size and he’s worried the way up will be to narrow as he has wide shoulders even when not Pooh size. Thanks everyone.

No, you do not have to take your luggage off the ship when doing a B2B. Even if you change rooms.

Typically, you will pack up your stuff, and your room host will see that it gets to your next room onboard. You will need to keep your ID and next reservation info with you.

You may or may not be required to get off the ship. Usually, when the turn around day is a non-US port, you can re-check in for the next cruise onboard. But not always. When we did our Med/WBTA B2B (turn around day in Barcelona) there were over 300 of us. We had to get off the ship and re-check in in the terminal and then were allowed to immediately reboard the ship. I think 300 people was just too many for them to handle via Guest Services to check in everyone, and it was easier accomplished in the terminal with multiple clerks and check in desks.