Updated B2B tips/ideas

[Calantha]

Sooo...yeah, our B2B isn't until next summer, but I wanted to try to pull together an updated list of ideas or other strategies for doing a B2B (I found one from 2013 and I've seen lots of questions on the procedures, but not on 'things to do'). We will be on the Magic (which leads me to a question below). Also, like packing, I like to do things early.

1. Do laundry late the last night or early in the morning of debarkation day
2. Go to Cove Cafe for coffee and pastries when you get back on (is that still a thing? and can I take DS during that time since there isn't another Cafe option on that ship?)
3. Wear your bathing suit to be able to go right to the pools
4. Show up at Cabanas or the MDR to grab lunch before anyone else gets there
5. Explore the ship and take pictures with no one else around

What else?

 

[Clarkson U]

Sooo...yeah, our B2B isn't until next summer, but I wanted to try to pull together an updated list of ideas or other strategies for doing a B2B (I found one from 2013 and I've seen lots of questions on the procedures, but not on 'things to do'). We will be on the Magic (which leads me to a question below). Also, like packing, I like to do things early.

1. Do laundry late the last night or early in the morning of debarkation day
2. Go to Cove Cafe for coffee and pastries when you get back on (is that still a thing? and can I take DS during that time since there isn't another Cafe option on that ship?)
3. Wear your bathing suit to be able to go right to the pools
4. Show up at Cabanas or the MDR to grab lunch before anyone else gets there
5. Explore the ship and take pictures with no one else around

What else?

For your laundry question would be can you do laundry before you get off the ship in the morning? Don’t they need to close out your charging account from cruise one before starting cruise two? Idk for sure so just mentioning it for consideration.

Def love the pictures and bathing suit idea. I think they would let you bring DS into cove that early without any issues - it is Disney after all!

Sounds like fun! Enjoy!

 

[Marc D]

3. Don‘t expect to use the pool before the first new guests get onboard. We’ve seen the pools being cleaned or simply closed during turnaround. Also, I’m not sure they would allow you to swim without a lifeguard present, but someone else might have been able to. We usually hang out on the Concierge deck or a public space.
4. Cabanas/Marceline and the MDR start serving just a bit (15-30 minutes) after the first guests get onboard so you would need to get in line and wait to be first, but you certainly won’t be alone.

 

[rainbowredpanda]

Sooo...yeah, our B2B isn't until next summer, but I wanted to try to pull together an updated list of ideas or other strategies for doing a B2B (I found one from 2013 and I've seen lots of questions on the procedures, but not on 'things to do'). We will be on the Magic (which leads me to a question below). Also, like packing, I like to do things early.

1. Do laundry late the last night or early in the morning of debarkation day
2. Go to Cove Cafe for coffee and pastries when you get back on (is that still a thing? and can I take DS during that time since there isn't another Cafe option on that ship?)
3. Wear your bathing suit to be able to go right to the pools
4. Show up at Cabanas or the MDR to grab lunch before anyone else gets there
5. Explore the ship and take pictures with no one else around

What else?

1. I've never done laundry on the cruise but the last night I would imagine could get busy with people doing last minute laundry unless you did so after bags were picked up?
2. Yes, B2B passengers can go to Cove Cafe, even with kids before the new guests arrive. We always go straight here to get coffee and snacks. It's often nice because there will usually be officers in the cafe and you sometimes get to chat to them if they're not busy or racing off.
3. Pools don't open until the first guests are boarding so sometimes that's an hour or more after you've been allowed on. During B2Bs, we've been back on board 2 hours or more until the new guests board.
4. You can certainly be first in line, but they won't open until the new guests have started to board and sometimes a little later.
5. This! You can get so many photos around the ship while it's empty. Keep in mind that is does become a working site and some areas will be closed off and the crew are cleaning and doing maintenance so you won't be able to go everywhere.

Good luck!

 

[Iceman13]

We have our first B2B coming in September on the Wish and have been searching various threads trying to collect information on how this will work. There are times when I see conflicting information, which is most likely related to the shifting of policies by DCL. Here are a couple of things that I need help clarifying:
1) If you have the same room for both cruises. Do you have to completely pack up your stuff between cruises?
2) it is my understanding that we will still need to dis-embark the ship and go through the custom and security processes, so we will need to keep our documents with us. Are B2B cruisers managed as a group and are the first ones to be allowed back on? Is it a long delay between leaving and returning to the ship?

I will probably have a couple of more questions, but these are the biggest ones, right now. Thanks for all the help!

 

[TRTRguy]

We have our first B2B coming in September on the Wish and have been searching various threads trying to collect information on how this will work. There are times when I see conflicting information, which is most likely related to the shifting of policies by DCL. Here are a couple of things that I need help clarifying:
1) If you have the same room for both cruises. Do you have to completely pack up your stuff between cruises?
2) it is my understanding that we will still need to dis-embark the ship and go through the custom and security processes, so we will need to keep our documents with us. Are B2B cruisers managed as a group and are the first ones to be allowed back on? Is it a long delay between leaving and returning to the ship?

I will probably have a couple of more questions, but these are the biggest ones, right now. Thanks for all the help!

1) no
2)yes you will be given instructions where to meet on the ship, given a card to designated you as b2b. Walked off as a group through customs, and back to the terminal and boarded when the ship is ready.

 

[Marc D]

1) If you have the same room for both cruises. Do you have to completely pack up your stuff between cruises?
2) it is my understanding that we will still need to dis-embark the ship and go through the custom and security processes, so we will need to keep our documents with us. Are B2B cruisers managed as a group and are the first ones to be allowed back on? Is it a long delay between leaving and returning to the ship?

1) No. Even if you change staterooms, you do not need to pack everything but only the small items. All the hanged clothes will be moved by the room attendant directly.
2) You definitely need to get off the ship and meet a customs officer, but the process is sometimes different. We've had the "meet in a lounge and get off as a group" process, but also another B2B where we could get off at our leisure, then simply turn around and get back up the stairs to check-in. I think they are not using it anymore, but it could happen. Once you check-in, you can hang out in the Concierge waiting area and they'll come get you to get back on as soon as possible. Usually, you can get back on between 10 and 11, while new guests begin boarding at 11:30. You get about an hour of alone time on the ship.

 

[Kwami]

1) If you have the same room for both cruises. Do you have to completely pack up your stuff between cruises?
2) it is my understanding that we will still need to dis-embark the ship and go through the custom and security processes, so we will need to keep our documents with us. Are B2B cruisers managed as a group and are the first ones to be allowed back on? Is it a long delay between leaving and returning to the ship?

1) You don't have to pack at all. Just make sure that you have your passports or other identification documents and your cruise documents with you when you debark after the first cruise. Also, you might not have access to your room again for a while, so take anything else that you'll need for a couple of hours on the turnaround day (e.g. medicine, sunscreen, swimming clothes if you want to swim).

2) Your head server will likely approach you at dinner one night to talk about dining arrangements for the second cruise. You'll also get a notice and a call from Guest Services explaining the procedure. You'll meet with the other B2B cruisers somewhere and then you'll be escorted off the ship as as group after everyone else debarks. After security and customs, you'll be grouped up again and then check in for the next cruise. There's usually a bit of a waiting period after check-in and before you can reboard, but it's not usually very long.

 

[Iceman13]

1) no
2)yes you will be given instructions where to meet on the ship, given a card to designated you as b2b. Walked off as a group through customs, and back to the terminal and boarded when the ship is ready.

Thank you for the information. This is helpful

 

[Iceman13]

1) You don't have to pack at all. Just make sure that you have your passports or other identification documents and your cruise documents with you when you debark after the first cruise. Also, you might not have access to your room again for a while, so take anything else that you'll need for a couple of hours on the turnaround day (e.g. medicine, sunscreen, swimming clothes if you want to swim).

2) Your head server will likely approach you at dinner one night to talk about dining arrangements for the second cruise. You'll also get a notice and a call from Guest Services explaining the procedure. You'll meet with the other B2B cruisers somewhere and then you'll be escorted off the ship as as group after everyone else debarks. After security and customs, you'll be grouped up again and then check in for the next cruise. There's usually a bit of a waiting period after check-in and before you can reboard, but it's not usually very long.

Thanks! This is all good to know. I am not the type of person that needs an exact listing of the process, but I always like to have a general idea of how things work. I can adapt to the rest. It is good to know that DCL will "flag" us as back to back cruisers and will help us through the process.

 

[jenushkask8s]

We did a B2B on the Dream from Miami in Jan/Feb this year and here was our experience (we were in the same room for both legs):

The night before, we received a text in the Navigator app telling us when and where to meet the next day. After meeting in the lounge, we waited about 30-45 mins before being lead off in a group to customs. All of the guests from the 1st cruise had cleared the customs area so it was completely empty and we walked right though (after a quick glance at our passports). We then headed straight to the check in desks and checked in for the 2nd cruise. After that, we were lead upstairs to a specified waiting area where we sat for another 30ish minutes before being let back onboard. All-in-all, we were off the ship for about an hour (+/- a few minutes).

 

[Iceman13]

Our TO was able to switch the room on our second cruise to the same room on the first one! (Happy! Happy!) The room was not available when we originally booked the second cruise, but I just happened to check yesterday and saw that it was now open. it just goes to show you the value of continuing to check things like this.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

1) You don't have to pack at all. Just make sure that you have your passports or other identification documents and your cruise documents with you when you debark after the first cruise. Also, you might not have access to your room again for a while, so take anything else that you'll need for a couple of hours on the turnaround day (e.g. medicine, sunscreen, swimming clothes if you want to swim).

2) Your head server will likely approach you at dinner one night to talk about dining arrangements for the second cruise. You'll also get a notice and a call from Guest Services explaining the procedure. You'll meet with the other B2B cruisers somewhere and then you'll be escorted off the ship as as group after everyone else debarks. After security and customs, you'll be grouped up again and then check in for the next cruise. There's usually a bit of a waiting period after check-in and before you can reboard, but it's not usually very long.

Regarding the debarkation/reboarding process for B2B cruisers: sailing on the Wish in late January, we were instructed to leave the ship at 9:30-9:45 am, taking the yellow card provided with the letter explaining the process along with our passports (or photo ID and birth certificate) and the port arrival form for the second cruise. There was no group meeting. Once off the ship and through immigration, we walked outside, reentered the terminal showing our yellow card, were quickly checked in, and directed to wait in a seating area that actually had signage for Waiting Area for Back to Back cruisers. We reboarded the ship about 30 minutes later. I think the group meeting might depend on the number of B2B cruisers booked on a particular cruise.

 

[Kwami]

Regarding the debarkation/reboarding process for B2B cruisers: sailing on the Wish in late January, we were instructed to leave the ship at 9:30-9:45 am, taking the yellow card provided with the letter explaining the process along with our passports (or photo ID and birth certificate) and the port arrival form for the second cruise. There was no group meeting. Once off the ship and through immigration, we walked outside, reentered the terminal showing our yellow card, were quickly checked in, and directed to wait in a seating area that actually had signage for Waiting Area for Back to Back cruisers. We reboarded the ship about 30 minutes later. I think the group meeting might depend on the number of B2B cruisers booked on a particular cruise.

Interesting. I wonder if the Wish is just different or if your cruise didn't have many B2B guests. We got our cards at the B2B meeting before debarking.

 

[Love2Cruise2015]

I was wondering if you are able to book two placeholders (one on one leg of the cruise and the 2nd one on the second leg of the cruise) when you do a back to back cruise?

 

[Ralph&Pam]

I was wondering if you are able to book two placeholders (one on one leg of the cruise and the 2nd one on the second leg of the cruise) when you do a back to back cruise?

Absolutely, yes. They are separate cruises. We have done so on every one of five B2B sailings.

 

[Love2Cruise2015]

Absolutely, yes. They are separate cruises. We have done so on every one of five B2B sailing

Great news-Thank you

 

[Kwami]

Aren't you required to use all of your placeholders at once, though? I had two of them when I booked my latest cruise and they made me use both of them for that cruise, even though I only booked one room. The second placeholder just converted into a $250 credit toward the cruise balance.

 

[Marc D]

Aren't you required to use all of your placeholders at once, though? I had two of them when I booked my latest cruise and they made me use both of them for that cruise, even though I only booked one room. The second placeholder just converted into a $250 credit toward the cruise balance.

You can hold multiple placeholders, and buy two per cruises, but all the placeholders bought on the same cuise must be used together. In PP's case, they would be bought on separate cruises, and can therefore be used to buy two different cruises.

 

[Kwami]

You can hold multiple placeholders, and buy two per cruises, but all the placeholders bought on the same cuise must be used together. In PP's case, they would be bought on separate cruises, and can therefore be used to buy two different cruises.

Thanks!