How does B2B really work?

Sleepyluke

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
I know the general idea and we love 7 day but feel like 3/4 are just too short. I know things may look different after we get restarted, but IF you have the same stateroom:

1. Do you have to pack and unpack
2. Do you feel like you lose a day?
3. If you have done 3/4 and 7, do you prefer one over the other?
4. If you don't have the same stateroom, do you have to get your luggage and recheck it in as well?
5. Do I get 2 rounds of customs incoming allowances, or is it just one?

We are just considering for a several year in the future Wish cruise. Thanks for playing everyone
 
1, No
2, I don't, however some people do
3, Both have pros and cons.
4, If you change staterooms you will need to pack up but your stateroom host will move your bags for you.
5, We don't usually buy much so I haven't paid attention to this one. Someone else will have a better answer Im sure.

Overall, I am a big fan of B2Bs! :)
 
1. No, if you have the same stateroom.
2. Heck no. I feel like we gained a 1/2 day being on the ship before everyone else. Dining facilities, pools, AquaDuck, laundry are all empty.
3. Done 3/4 and 7+ cruise nights. The 7+ cruises go somewhere (Western, Eastern, Southern Caribbean). The 3/4 just bob-along in the Bahamas area. Still enjoyed both.
4. Just pack your luggage and coordinate with stateroom steward #1 to get your bags to stateroom steward #2.
5. Don't know that one. We've never bought much in port for 3/4 nights.
 
2. On the contrary, we feel like we experience something that most guests do not, seeing the ship emptying while we remain on. It feels like a privilege. We also love seeing ‘behind the scenes’, and that day is the best one to do that since you see some CM’s in their down time. It’s also fun when CM’s recognize you and make a joke or make you feel like they know you during the second cruise.
3. You usually get two CC days on a B2B in the Caribbean and we will take that over different ports anytime. Some people do not enjoy CC as much as we do.
5. My understanding is that it depends if you go through customs or just immigration. You can go ashore during turnaround and therefore must go through customs. If you bring things with you and leave them on land, I think you get a new allowance. If you stay inside the terminal, you do not get a new one. It’s not clear since the process is different from port to port, even when you decide not to go ashore. In PC, we went through the regular customs and immigration line, then immediately back up the stairs to check-in, but we were next to the door and could have left the terminal. In Miami, we met with a border agent in the middle of the terminal and were ushered back directly. In the second case, our entire trip would be considered as one. In the first case, I’m not really sure what was our customs status.
 


We did a 4/3 B2B and loved it. Definitely felt like we got extra time because we were on the second cruise before everyone else and agree that we got to see some of the "behind the scenes" stuff like performers rehearsing their music numbers. I want to say that we received a note in our stateroom about how to get our luggage ready to be transported to the stateroom for the second cruise. If you are staying in the same room, I believe you can just leave it there, but everything has to be packed so that they can clean the room. It was a fun experience and we did this B2B because we wanted to do Castaway Cay twice and this was the way we could fit it into our schedule. Between kids' summer camps and return to school schedule, we had a really small window in which to take a cruise. It was fun to joke with the crew member during the safety muster when he asked us when was the last time we cruised and I said, "TODAY." One of my favorite parts, though, was getting to the bottom of the escalator at the Port Canaveral terminal after disembarking from our first cruise, and then turning around and getting right back on the escalator to go back up to the terminal again. I could not resist the urge to make the corny "Wanna go again?" crack.
 
2. We love the changeover day. We have twice been invited for free coffees at Cove Cafe and have had some interesting conversations with ship's officers during those times.
3. We did one BTB where the 3 night did not stop at Nassau so we had 2 sea days and 2 CC days in 7 nights, that was pretty great
5. The allowance is not just an amount, it is also a period of time. As your trips would both be within 30 days of each other, you get one allowance.
 
3. If you have done 3/4 and 7, do you prefer one over the other?
On a B2B, you'll get the same menus and shows and ports. A 7-night will give you more variety.

If you are staying in the same room, I believe you can just leave it there, but everything has to be packed so that they can clean the room.
We've done several B2B's in the same cabin and have never been asked to pack our things so they can clean the room. Quite the contrary, our room stewards have always encouraged us to leave everything just the way we like it.
 


I know the general idea and we love 7 day but feel like 3/4 are just too short. I know things may look different after we get restarted, but IF you have the same stateroom:

1. Do you have to pack and unpack
2. Do you feel like you lose a day?
3. If you have done 3/4 and 7, do you prefer one over the other?
4. If you don't have the same stateroom, do you have to get your luggage and recheck it in as well?
5. Do I get 2 rounds of customs incoming allowances, or is it just one?

We are just considering for a several year in the future Wish cruise. Thanks for playing everyone

We have done a B2B and a B2B2B, both on the Dream, both with same stateroom for the entire set. We loved them and will do it again in the future.

1. No. And in our experience the stateroom host will not do a "deep clean" of your room on changeover day, they will just do a normal cruise day clean; they will talk with you about doing a "deep clean" on a different day.

2. A bit, but not a big deal. You get up early because breakfast is early, but unlike everyone else you can be kind of leisurely and you aren't having to haul luggage off. We have breakfast then take our time getting off the ship, getting off near the latest we are allowed to. One of the times I think there were about 15 people behind us in the customs line and many of them were contractors not passengers ! Getting back on the ship, we get to be among the first in line at guest services to get on the wait list for a Cabana [came through for us once!!], and then we get to spend time on a mostly empty ship - a great time for taking pictures and hanging out on Cove Cave [which has some free beverages!!].

3. It depends. We like the Eastern itinerary and have done a Western, but we have also really liked our B2B and B2B2B. And we liked multiple visits to CC :-) An advantage of B2B is you can pick and choose which nights you see the shows, explore the menus more, do more activities [especially if two overlap each other].

4. Nope. Leave it in your stateroom. Don't even have to pack it up.

5. I believe you only get one, at your final disembarkation.

Our stateroom host and servers were so excited we were doing B2B [and even more when we did the B2B2B]. And the other servers and the stateroom hosts in our area all knew we were too [I don't know who told them, it wasn't us] and would come and talk to us about it and how we were enjoying it/looking forward to it. Each time we kept our serving team for the subsequent leg, and things seemed more relaxed on the subsequent leg... certainly easier as they knew what we liked etc :-) We had some great conversations with them.
 
I know the general idea and we love 7 day but feel like 3/4 are just too short. I know things may look different after we get restarted, but IF you have the same stateroom:
Only answered things not previously mentioned or personal experience.
1. Do you have to pack and unpack
No. And I do not think that this would change in the future.
2. Do you feel like you lose a day?
N0, but we made use of an empty ship and Cove Cafe beverages/eats which were free as it was the only food service open until guests were officially welcomed.
If you wanted to maximize your day, you could express walk off first thing in the morning and head to kennedy space center for a few hours. Then you just have to make it back to the ship and do check in like normal. You DO NOT have to remove your belongings if you were to do this or visit one of the local beaches or anything else.

3. If you have done 3/4 and 7, do you prefer one over the other?
My wife and I are split on this. The 3/4 feels a bit like repeat. Shows and menus are the same. Trivia questions and events are the same and Nassau 2x can be seen as a downer (but with all the new enhancements Nassaumight be worth it moving forward). . Plus, The overall ambiance/mood of the ship is different. The 3 night everyone ELSE is running around trying to cram as much into your vacation as possible. The 4 night is a bit more relaxed. The 7 night has unique shows and dining every night. Plus everyone is a bit more chill. Your serving team and room host get to know you and your preferences. The itinerary is more varied with more unique ports with excursions for everyone that are unique and fun.
However, your parking cost is cheaper on a 3/4. Having things on repeat may allow you to do things you missed or skipped the first cruise. You also get 2 chances at Castaway Cay. We found that servers and staff treated you very differently (in a good way) for a B2B vs the other guests. Oh and you level up your castaway club level faster this way too. 7 Night cruises have higher parking cost and your CC level only increases by 1 cruise. You could also miss Castaway Cay and have no chance to revisit.
 
On a B2B, you'll get the same menus and shows and ports. A 7-night will give you more variety.


We've done several B2B's in the same cabin and have never been asked to pack our things so they can clean the room. Quite the contrary, our room stewards have always encouraged us to leave everything just the way we like it.
No kidding?! Even better! I thought someone told me they just had to pack their stuff but I guess I was wrong.
 
Only answered things not previously mentioned or personal experience.
1. Do you have to pack and unpack
No. And I do not think that this would change in the future.
2. Do you feel like you lose a day?
N0, but we made use of an empty ship and Cove Cafe beverages/eats which were free as it was the only food service open until guests were officially welcomed.
If you wanted to maximize your day, you could express walk off first thing in the morning and head to kennedy space center for a few hours. Then you just have to make it back to the ship and do check in like normal. You DO NOT have to remove your belongings if you were to do this or visit one of the local beaches or anything else.

3. If you have done 3/4 and 7, do you prefer one over the other?
My wife and I are split on this. The 3/4 feels a bit like repeat. Shows and menus are the same. Trivia questions and events are the same and Nassau 2x can be seen as a downer (but with all the new enhancements Nassaumight be worth it moving forward). . Plus, The overall ambiance/mood of the ship is different. The 3 night everyone ELSE is running around trying to cram as much into your vacation as possible. The 4 night is a bit more relaxed. The 7 night has unique shows and dining every night. Plus everyone is a bit more chill. Your serving team and room host get to know you and your preferences. The itinerary is more varied with more unique ports with excursions for everyone that are unique and fun.
However, your parking cost is cheaper on a 3/4. Having things on repeat may allow you to do things you missed or skipped the first cruise. You also get 2 chances at Castaway Cay. We found that servers and staff treated you very differently (in a good way) for a B2B vs the other guests. Oh and you level up your castaway club level faster this way too. 7 Night cruises have higher parking cost and your CC level only increases by 1 cruise. You could also miss Castaway Cay and have no chance to revisit.
Some good points to consider when comparing the two. Seems like there are plusses and minuses to each one.
 
No kidding?! Even better! I thought someone told me they just had to pack their stuff but I guess I was wrong.
You do have to pack up if you are changing cabins, the stateroom host will then move your bags for you.
If you have the same stateroom for both cruises then no packing needed. I even left my door magnets on the door. 😄
 
You do have to pack up if you are changing cabins, the stateroom host will then move your bags for you.
If you have the same stateroom for both cruises then no packing needed. I even left my door magnets on the door. 😄
If you move rooms, you need to pack up loose items, but things on hangers can remain in the closet and the stateroom host will move them.
 
When we did a Med./WBTA B2B a few years ago, Barcelona was home base. We got there a few days before the first cruise in order to see the city. However, we saved seeing the sites near the dock for our switchover day when we returned. Many people like the empty ship...we like to see the port/countries as much as possible. DCL often has excursions for that between day, or used to. Cruise on...
 
We did B2B 7-day southern Caribbean and 4-day move back to PC a few years ago. We used the changing day as a day to sightsee in Puerto Rico. We have a (non-Dis) B2B out of Amsterdam next year and plan to use the day to go to the Floridae (horticultural worlds fair in Amsterdam next year).

Didn't have to pack, just leave the ship in the morning with reboarding docs and come back in the afternoon.

I think 7-day would be a more relaxing cruise and better feel for cruising in general.
 
What is the disembarkation process between cruises on a B2B? You have to get off, but do you have to clear customs or can you just exit to the terminal waiting area? And do you immediately reboard or do you have to wait until a certain time / the ship clears customs?
 
What is the disembarkation process between cruises on a B2B? You have to get off, but do you have to clear customs or can you just exit to the terminal waiting area? And do you immediately reboard or do you have to wait until a certain time / the ship clears customs?

You disembark and clear customs.

Then

You can then either clear security and stay in the terminal and go to the checkin area and wait until they are ready to check the B2Bers in [there can be a bit of a wait as the computers may not be ready right away for the next cruise; we just pass the time by exploring the inside of the terminal which is pretty much empty !! or reading - bring something to read!] and then checkin and then you can wait in the conceirge waiting area with the other B2Bers until they escort you back on board. Normally you will spend 1-2 hours in the terminal but it can be longer - one of ours was because DCL was doing some video filming onboard which caused a delay that they apologized for.

OR

You exit the terminal and go do some activity in the local area and checkin and reboard at normal boarding time with other guests.
 
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What is the disembarkation process between cruises on a B2B? You have to get off, but do you have to clear customs or can you just exit to the terminal waiting area? And do you immediately reboard or do you have to wait until a certain time / the ship clears customs?
Do not EXIT the building. Once you do, you have to wait until they admit all new passengers. At Port Canaveral, once you clear customs, you were allowed to go back up the escalator to the departure hall. Usually there are 1-2 cast members to process B2B folks.
We stay on the ship as long as possible to avoid long lines at customs. Plus the seating is much more comfortable. It also minimizes any time we may spend off the ship.
 
What is the disembarkation process between cruises on a B2B? You have to get off, but do you have to clear customs or can you just exit to the terminal waiting area? And do you immediately reboard or do you have to wait until a certain time / the ship clears customs?
It varies from port to port, even in Florida. In PC, we left the ship at the time we chose, went through the regular Customs/Immigration line, then went back up immediately to check-in. We then waited until around 9:45 to be allowed back on.

In Miami, we were asked to wait in the D Lounge with other guests not going ashore. Around 9:30, we were lead off the ship, met with a customs officer in the middle of nowhere. He checked briefly our passports, then we followed the group back to the check-in counter. We waited about 15 minutes after that to be called back on.

Of course, maybe the rules will be different under the new health protocols, but once you are on the ship, there is only Cove Cafe that is open but you can walk around the ship as you like. Both times, our stateroom host assured us we could go under the rope blocking off the corridors and that our room would be ready the second we came back on.
 
Well this actually give me a little more of a warm fuzzy for maybe doing them one day. Our vacation time is limited like everyone but love the 7 nights. We have not even considered the dream due to the shorter cruises. I get that the passenger population is going to be completely different and little more crazy trying to do it all, but may be worth it for getting to all the ships and shows!
 

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