B2B Pros and Cons

I didn't take it as a dig. :) I was just reiterating our experiences so the OP doesn't get the impression all B2B cruises are the same. It's obvious those of us that do B2B cruises have had different experiences. Now a repeat of a Beatles Tribute band would be ok with me. :cool: Just saw the December '63 tribute group on our September 2018 Infinity cruise. Excellent show.

We got home from the cruise that December 63 was on and found out they were performing locally the following month. They had their own backup band and the show was fabulous. They did about two hours and their audience interaction was first rate.

There aren’t many acts I would pay extra to see, but this was one of them.

Next booked b2b is Buenos Aires to San Antonio. San Antonio to San Diego. 2 different cruise lines again. 29 days

We got home from the cruise that December 63 was on and found out they were performing locally the following month. They had their own backup band and the show was fabulous. They did about two hours and their audience interaction was first rate.

There aren’t many acts I would pay extra to see, but this was one of them.

Agree. Great songs bring back great memories. Sometimes the cruise lines get it right with their guest entertainers. :cool:

We've done b2b in San Juan and enjoyed a day visiting the forts. We also did one in Vancouver. My mom was on another line. Her ship was chartered for one week so she got off her ship, joined us for our 2nd week. When we returned to Vancouver she got back on the ship she had been on the week before and we went home!

The problem with doing two cruises on different ships is you may miss the second.

 

We had 2 cruises with a day in between. Sandy decided to make a visit and our ship couldn’t get into the port. We sailed around the ocean during the buffer day and luckily got into port the day our 2nd cruise was leaving. We had to drive from Port Canaral to Ft Lauderdale. We got there and were delayed getting on that ship until 9 pm because of a noro virus during the previous cruise.

 

Then again we were on a B2B and the ship had a medical emergency. Got in very late. Many irate passengers waiting to get on and just as many trying to make travel arrangements home. It didn’t matter to us because we were staying on board.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Happy crusing 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Agree that this is a risk but in my thinking a rare event would need to happen and so a very low overall risk.

Agree that this is a risk but in my thinking a rare event would need to happen and so a very low overall risk.

We have sail a little over 40 cruises, mostly in the Carribbean from Fl or other cruises out of NY.

I would say that about 15 have been affected by weather, mechanical or Medical emergencies.

We have been on cruises that were cut short by a few days to get back to port before a storm hit.

We have been on one that departed 5 hours early to avoid bad weather.

Some have been extended one or two days because we couldn’t get into the port.

Others getting in late because of medical or mechanical problems.

The worse was when we were basically stranded in Ft Lauderdale when Wilma came thru. It was a real experience and something that we will always remember. Our cruise was cut by 2 days because the ports got damaged and no ships could get in. The owner of the hotel we were at really helped everyone by getting them accommodations and transportation to the ports they needed to get to. Our ship was supposed to leave out of Ft Lauderdale. The port was destroyed and the ship was now docking in Miami. Problem was getting there as all transportation was basically shutdown because of the storm that wiped out all utilities. Vehicles were running out of fuel and they couldn’t get any because of the power outage. Those stations that had generators ran out of fuel.

We have done two conservative cruises on X out of the same port different ship. X is of no help. You would think that they would have some arrangements for your luggage to the other ship. You are on your own and it is really difficult getting off of one ship and getting over to the other. When you do get there the porters aren’t taking any luggage as they are busy and involved with the passengers getting off the other ship. You can’t get into the terminal so you Just have to hang around where ever you can entail everyone clears out.

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

What room type of room were you in where the Steward loaded your hangers on to a trolley we are doing our first B2B next year and are going from an SS one to an aqua class it would be really nice we didn’t have to pack pack our luggage completely up and leave left all of our hanging items to be moved??

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We have changed cabins several times, I can't remember cabin categories, but we have never cruised Aqua or Suite, so it must have been verandah or inside. We have never had to pack hanging items, but only once did the steward switch the drawers. I think it depends more on the cabin steward than on cabin category. We have never tipped up front either, but leave auto grats in place and give the steward an extra tip after they had moved us.

Agree that this is a risk but in my thinking a rare event would need to happen and so a very low overall risk.

Agree- also sailing from two distant ports on the same day is risky. Not exactly across a parking lot-

We have changed cabins several times, I can't remember cabin categories, but we have never cruised Aqua or Suite, so it must have been verandah or inside. We have never had to pack hanging items, but only once did the steward switch the drawers. I think it depends more on the cabin steward than on cabin category. We have never tipped up front either, but leave auto grats in place and give the steward an extra tip after they had moved us.

Thank you for the info that’s great news the thought of having to pack and unpack everything all over again would be fine but nice to know that we don’t have to!!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thank you for the info that’s great news the thought of having to pack and unpack everything all over again would be fine but nice to know that we don’t have to!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We like B2B cruises whether we drive or fly. There’s a different itinerary each week. I wouldn’t do them out of a colder port like Bayonne, because you spend a minimum of two days both ways from September to May, just to get away from cool weather.

People were talking about getting the same cabin for both, but we found a true bargain on a balcony for a week on Liberty in July 2018 that sailed last month. Then two Weeks later, the same Special was back, with the same generous perks from our TA, so we booked the second leg a month before we sailed.

They were both guaranteed balcony rooms, and the first was assigned right before we booked the second one. Great location on the first, up a floor and down the hall from week 1. I kept watching the sea scanner site, and the room next door to week 1 opened, we called and got it. Same cabin attendant, rushed to clean our week 2 room first and then it was easy to move.

We use packing cubes, so closing things up to go next door wasn’t an issue, and they take your hanging clothes on the hangers. We were all settled in before the immigration march off and back on the ship took place. They had a nice lunch for the 50 of us returning, which is great as there’s a lot of scurrying of folks boarding. We were also allowed to be back in our cabin before 1 pm.

The only downside to me is that they often have an entertainer or group that boards on a Friday, does shows and stays on during turnaround, and dies another show early in the next cruise. That’s fine if it’s a great entertainer, but not if it is a marginal entertainer (juggling comedian comes to mind).

We don’t mind not being in the same cabin if it’s a bargain like the two weeks in a balcony were , but for longer booked ahead cruises you always try to get it. We have 23 nights in a row next spring on Serenade, the TA followed by Baltics in the same lonely hump balcony.

Hi -- We don't enjoy seven night cruises and often look for longer cruises. However, it seems a lot of the cruises to the Caribbean are for seven nights. There are longer cruises, but we really wanted at least 14 days. We are thinking of doing a B2B, however, we have never done that before and I was wondering about the pros and cons of the voyage.

Moma Rene,

I don't see any cons of doing a B2B. My DH thinks the repetition of ports is a con if the itinerary is identical, but not to me. Go for it and have a wonderful B2B.

Ok, I have one downer on a B2b. We have a sky suite booked on the first leg, and a C2 cabin on the second leg. We would have switched but the suite was too expensive for our second leg.

Rollie

I quickly read the replies and only have one thing to add.

I am pretty sure that no one has mentioned the $100 bonus for each consecutive leg of a B2B. We are going on 3 consecutive cruises starting in November on the Eclipse. We received $300 total.

Just contact your TA or directly with Celebrity. They do not automatically apply the bonus. Each B2B we have taken we had to remind them.

The bonus is applied to your final payment amount and does not come in as OBC.

Something a little different. We are doing B2B Carribean cruises in December on 2 different ships! Two different cruise lines.:cool: Although some of the ports will be repeats, we will just use those days to relax. The downside will be having to get off one ship and over to the next. As per my signature, we are taking a HAL ship, and then switching over to the Edge.

 

We have done a B2B on a Celebrity ship in the Med. Almost a month onboard the Reflection...very nice. We did have to change staterooms, but it was not a big deal.

We are doing that exact combination (both Western Caribbean) in January! Because HAL usually docks right near where the new X Edge terminal is, we figure we have a LOT of time to get from one to the other. And the repeat ports are a plus for us, since we can take different shore excursions or stay onboard and enjoy the relative tranquility while others are ashore. FYI - found that the identical excursion in Grand Cayman has a later start time from HAL, thereby gaining easier access for us because of tendering, and a lower price, too. That is a win-win for sure!

We did that same kind of combination in November-December of 2015 - 8 days on HAL Eurodam and 5 days on X Constellation. At that time, Connie was docked at Terminal 4, I believe, and there was a lot of construction going on in the port, making walking it impossible. So we got in a taxi and crossed the port that way. It was the best $20 we have ever spent - taxi fare and tip, included! The driver loved it, too, because he could pick up another fare quickly, since he never left the port.

I have seen others who worry about being late coming back in from the first cruise, and I believe that in December/January there is very little chance for weather to cause problems. Regardless, trip insurance is our "must-have" for any cruise, so that would take care of any problem, I think.

Have a great time in December, and please post back how it went for you. I will eagerly await your report!

Bon Voyage!

We love b2b especially when we do 10 day med and back it with a trans. We are doing this in a month on the Solstice flying to Sydney and doing Great Barrier R for 10 days and staying in same room and doing 12 night NZ. Don’t care about duplicate food or shows. There’s a lot to see on excursions and great meeting world wide travelers.

We will be doing B2B South Pacific, Great Barrier, NZ in January 2020 so very much looking forward to hearing about your experience(s) aboard Solstice.

 

 

Often some special event for B2B cruisers between legs.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

Just some "low hanging fruit", but think I'll move on......:rolleyes:

No negatives when doing a B2B cruise.

Just some "low hanging fruit", but think I'll move on......:rolleyes:

I saw what you did there.;p

We just did a 2 cruiseline b2b. Piece of cake and went from Miami to Fort Lauderdale to do it.

I don't know if they are still doing that, but in the past if you had an overnight stay somewhere between the two cruises, they would comp the overnight hotel room and the transfers in both directions.

deleting dup

The only con I've noted about doing a B2B is that on the second leg our clothes shrink.;)

The only con I've noted about doing a B2B is that on the second leg our clothes shrink.;)

Hahaha! I totally understand...

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The only con I've noted about doing a B2B is that on the second leg our clothes shrink.;)

Now that's funny, but true. :D

The only con I've noted about doing a B2B is that on the second leg our clothes shrink.;)

LOL so true! Also 2 weeks of the drink package can ruin your liver!!!