Double dip - best way to book same room?

[DisneYE]

Hi there fellow DISers,
Looking at booking a double dip 3 night + 4 night Dream in March 2020.

I have a couple of questions:

1) What's the best way to book the same room?
- Book 1st part online for x room and then hope the 2nd leg has the same room available and book it?
- Or book the 1st leg online and call DCL to ask/book for the same SR?

2) On the mechanics of a double dip when you get off the first leg and you're on the same SR..
- Do you have to get your bags off the ship and give them to the porters at the entrance?
- Or can you keep them on the ship, assuming its the same SR?

TIA.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Hi there fellow DISers,
Looking at booking a double dip 3 night + 4 night Dream in March 2020.

I have a couple of questions:

1) What's the best way to book the same room?
- Book 1st part online for x room and then hope the 2nd leg has the same room available and book it?
- Or book the 1st leg online and call DCL to ask/book for the same SR?

2) On the mechanics of a double dip when you get off the first leg and you're on the same SR..
- Do you have to get your bags off the ship and give them to the porters at the entrance?
- Or can you keep them on the ship, assuming its the same SR?

TIA.

A double dip usually refers to a cruise with 2 stops at Castaway Cay. What you are referring to is a back to back (BTB).

It would be easiest to call DCL, or use a travel agent, to be able to book the same room. DCL doesn't show all the available staterooms online so it would be difficult to find an available one online by yourself.

If you are in the same room on both cruises, you don't need to pack up. You can leave everything as is in your stateroom, disembark, go through customs, and then reenter the terminal to wait to board the next cruise.

 

[FigmentSpark]

In my opinion, the easiest way to book them both would be to phone... either a TA or DCL. They will be able to compare which rooms are available on both sailings. It will help if you have preferred rooms or areas.

 

[MomOTwins]

Why would you have to book the first room online to see if the same rooms is available on the second cruise? You can look both up online.

 

[DisneYE]

A double dip usually refers to a cruise with 2 stops at Castaway Cay. What you are referring to is a back to back (BTB).

It would be easiest to call DCL, or use a travel agent, to be able to book the same room. DCL doesn't show all the available staterooms online so it would be difficult to find an available one online by yourself.

If you are in the same room on both cruises, you don't need to pack up. You can leave everything as is in your stateroom, disembark, go through customs, and then reenter the terminal to wait to board the next cruise.

Both of those 2 cruises stop at CC. I thought that was the terminology but I guess BTB is the correct one.
Thanks for the reply. Glad to know we can leave the bags in the same SR if we can get the same SR

 

[DisneYE]

In my opinion, the easiest way to book them both would be to phone... either a TA or DCL. They will be able to compare which rooms are available on both sailings. It will help if you have preferred rooms or areas.

Indeed we have a specific range of desired rooms (deck 5 fwd, extended verandah). I never use TA, so I will likely call DCL
Thanks!

 

[Ralph&Pam]

When booking B2B cruises, we always call DCL after checking the web site to see what staterooms might be available. We have some preferred rooms, and have been able to book what we wanted for three B2Bs. The third one is coming in January on the Magic out of Miami.

 

[Quellman]

There are tons of back to back threads out there, and we have expereince 2 separate B2Bs. One where we changed rooms, and one where we didn't. No matter which you end up with, you don't need to take your luggage off the ship.

I'll assume Port Canaveral. Usually you'll get a letter the night prior to the last day giving you instructions on your back to back. Sometimes they request everyone meet in one location. I've never had that happen. I which case you will get off the ship as you see fit. After you walk through the customs area and talk to the customs agent, you will either exit the terminal or go up the escalators back into the check-in lobby. DO NOT WALK OUT ANY DOOR. IF YOU DO THEY WILL NOT LET YOU IN AGAIN UNTIL THE TERMINAL OPENS FOR NEW GUESTS. Inform them that you are doing a back to back and they will direct you upstairs to check in. Check in. Depending on the the timing, you might inquire if they are allowing returning guests to lounge in the concierge area. You will be the first on the boat, followed by concierge and guest of the day. Often you will be on before anyone else.

Take off with you any ID and cruise check in documents, snacks, and activities, medication etc.

When we had the same stateroom, we were free to visit it again once we boarded, our room was deep cleaned the day prior.
When we had different rooms our prior room steward introduced us to our new one during the first cruise. The new steward said that our new room would be available as soon as we came back on board and that he would move our luggage for us (this is standard for B2B in different rooms). We ducked under the barrier and went to our room and unpacked and unloaded.

No matter the option, do not go back and forth to your room once the ship opens to new guests. Too often it causes issues where guests will see you doing it, not realize you were a returning guest, and then crash the barrier when the rooms are not open for new guests. We will reboard, go to our room, unpack whatever, then we will leave, and return again once open boarding is announced.

You are required to pack all of your things when doing a room transfer. Don't leave a lot of small things and loose objects for them to move.

If you have duty free liquor or other held items BE SURE to check with those desks prior to getting off the ship at the end of your first cruise. They may hold them for the second trip, or they may require you complete new forms so it doesn't get disposed of as 'unclaimed'.

 

[DisneYE]

There are tons of back to back threads out there, and we have expereince 2 separate B2Bs. One where we changed rooms, and one where we didn't. No matter which you end up with, you don't need to take your luggage off the ship.

I'll assume Port Canaveral. .

I did look for this exact info thru the search button but since I was looking for 'double dip" nothing relevant came up. What a dummy.
Yes, it'll be thru Port Canaveral.
This is is such a thorough reply. Thanks!
This board is amazing.

 

[ajo]

We recently did a BTB on the Dream. We received a letter the morning of the last day of the first cruise with instructions on what to do (when to get off the ship, where to go next, what to expect for boarding the second cruise). We were also informed that we were welcome to go to the Cove Cafe or Vista Cafe once we boarded for complimentary specialty coffee.

 

[Quellman]

I did look for this exact info thru the search button but since I was looking for 'double dip" nothing relevant came up. What a dummy.
Yes, it'll be thru Port Canaveral.
This is is such a thorough reply. Thanks!
This board is amazing.

Awesome! So many terms out there. One of our Back to back cruises actually featured a double dip! I hop eyou have a great holiday adventure!

 

[GPaLarry]

We did a B2B Med./WBTA a couple of years ago and kept the same room. Home base was Barcelona, so when we came back we had saved some things to see there for a few hours...got off the ship at 8:30 or so, walked the La Rambla for a couple of hours and returned and boarded, after we signed in again, with the next group...easy, peasy. Our luggage was still in our room, just how we arranged/placed it the first day of the first cruise.

 

[Quellman]

We did a B2B Med./WBTA a couple of years ago and kept the same room. Home base was Barcelona, so when we came back we had saved some things to see there for a few hours...got off the ship at 8:30 or so, walked the La Rambla for a couple of hours and returned and boarded, after we signed in again, with the next group...easy, peasy. Our luggage was still in our room, just how we arranged/placed it the first day of the first cruise.

Great point. You care free to leave the terminal and then show up again. You'll be treated as a new guest for all practical purposes at that point, you just won't have any luggage to hand over to the porters. imagine their faces, when you show up for a cruise - no luggage! Taking the time to visit other attractions if you so wish is certainly a possibility - assuming you get back to the ship!

 

[mswhittaker]

i booked both cruises then called disney to adjust our stateroom to one that was available on both cruises. We'd booked one while onboard and added the second one after. (edit, put ships by accident)

 

[DCLDVC1]

Port Canaveral Back to Back sample letter

View media item 86391

 

[Starwind]

As others have noted, a "double dip" is a single cruise that goes to Castaway Cay twice.

A "back to back" or B2B is two consecutive cruises. Note that DCL does not use the term "back to back", rather they call it "consecutive cruises", though IME they understand what you mean if you tell them you are sailing "back to back".

We have sailed one B2B on the Dream, and have a B2B2B [yes, 3 consecutive] planned for later this year, also on the Dream.

The first we called because we were applying a placeholder to one of them and then booked the second over the phone. We booked on opening day for silver Castaway Club.

The upcoming B2B2B we booked both by phone [for the placeholder transfer for 1 cruise] and online [for the other two cruises]. We booked on opening day for Gold CC. By the time I got through on the phone I had booked the two online. It was easy to look up all 3 cruises to make sure our stateroom of choice was available.

To plan for the booking, we determined which stateroom category we wanted, then made a list of 4 stateroom choices in priority order. On booking day we looked up each cruise to make sure our first choice was available, which it was, so booked it for the ones we could do online, while on the phone on hold to book the final one. We kept checking while on hold to make sure it was still available. This last time when we got through to a CM we explained we wanted to sail on 3 consecutive cruises, and had already booked two of them online, and that we had a placeholder to transfer for the third one. We gave the info for which cruise and stateroom and the CM booked it, then we gave the reservation numbers for the other two and the CM linked them in their system as consecutive cruises [this is important -- even if you book both cruises online, you need to CALL DCL to have them link them as consecutive cruises, the system is clueless and does not automatically figure it out].

Pretty simple to do. Since you want to sail in March, you can already go online and search both cruises to see if your preferred stateroom is available on both; the chances of it being taken on "the other one" while you are booking the first is slim to none, but always have a backup anyway.

PP have explained the process for turnaround day.

SW

 

[insureman]

I always call DCL when doing a b2b.