Solstice B2B Question: What happens?

[City_Woman]

Can you tell me what happens when you get back to Fort Lauderdale in between your back to backs?

 

What does the day look like?

 

I'm trying to get a sense of what to expect.

 

Thanks,

Judy

[keela1eva2]

I am doing a BTB on the Solstice in just under 3 weeks time. I expect that whilst others will disembark we will be able to have a slower start to our day.

X stopped room service breakfast when I was on in October but we will be able to go upstairs and enjoy taking our time. We will be in on a Sunday and I will go ashore and go to Church as it is a Sunday. I have already checked out when and when to go.

We will I expect return to the Ship at leisure in the afternoon.

I am only basing this on a return journey I took on the QM2 when I sailed to and from NY. ON that occasion I did a day tour of the City. There are no planned tours in Fort Laud. so that is out. I might do a little shopping and have lunch. Just a general lazy day.

The one thing I think we will need to attend the life boat drill on both occasions but I don't mind., These days we go to a venue on the ship and watch a DVD of how it all happens.

It will be nice not having to wait on the bags arriving and unpacking again. Make sure you get the same room for both parts or you will have to move and that would be a pain.

For us booking late due to a cancelled cruise due to the Volcanic Ash meant we could not get out of the UK took a bit of doing finding 3 rooms which would let us remain where we were. There was little choice but we did manage 3 1A rooms.

 

I just hope the weather is kind to us as I am reading that it has been raining a lot! It is raining here today also So WHAT is NEW.

 

Sue

[Muushka]

Can you tell me what happens when you get back to Fort Lauderdale in between your back to backs?

 

What does the day look like?

 

I'm trying to get a sense of what to expect.

 

Thanks,

Judy

 

We did B2B in Miami.

 

Got up, packed (we switched rooms) and had everything ready for them to bring to the new cabin by 9 or so.

 

Those staying on the ship were asked to meet in a lounge until the ship was cleared of all passengers.

 

At about 11 we were escorted off of the ship and then turned around and got back on with our new sea passes that we were given the night before.

 

We checked and our room was not ready so we hung around for a little while.

 

One thing I might have done differently had I thought about it was buy a bottle of liquor for the second leg!

[keela1eva2]

I am hoping to be off a lot earlier than 11am as I have arranged to attend Church at that time and it is around 1 mile from the Port. I will be going to the 8.30am service on boarding day.

I had asked the question on Trip Advisor and they gave me the email address for the nearest RC Church. When X had a Priest on board it was not a problem but since they discontinued this service in January of this year all that has changed.

I remember that on QM2 we did meet in a lounge but we were off well before 9am to start our NY Tour.

 

Sue

[STXCruisers]

Did a B2B on Solstice in February, out of Fort Lauderdale. We were told to meet at 10 a.m. in the Bistro on Five. After all the disembarking passengers were cleared, we were escorted off the ship to go through customs and then back onboard. If you are keeping the same cabin, you are free to go to your cabin if you wish. Some of the B2B passengers had their new sea pass cards already, but I did not receive mine. I stopped by Guest Relations when we returned from customs. There was no problem getting the new card. No lines because the pax were off the ship and the new ones were not boarded yet.

If you are changing cabins, go the night before to meet your new steward. He/she will want to prepare your cabin first so that you have access to it. I moved from a sky suite to a concierge class and my butler from the first cabin and the steward from the new one moved my things for me. I packed all but the hanging clothes and they brought them over on a cart like they use in hotels.

However, even though my new steward wanted to prepare my room for me, the prior guests were not out of the cabin at 9:30 when I stopped by. The parents were still trying to get their kids out of bed!! So my new cabin was not ready early. Not a big problem. I had a good book, my ipod and the run of the ship until the new pax started boarding.

[Muushka]

That is what happened to us. It was a wedding party (and I mean PARTY, lots of people) that were in our RS. They didn't get off the ship till around 10:30. It all worked out fine though. A RS heals anything!

[keela1eva2]

Thanks I will go the previous evening and get the new card for the same room. I would think that they will understand that I need to be at Church for just before 11am so don't expect to experience any problem. June who is also travelling with us will be able to take her time and come back on board to a quiet Ship.

 

Sue

[hajekfam]

When we do a back to back, we go to guest relations (usually look for when they are not busy) toward the end of the first cruise to remind them we are doing a back to back. Others we knew that were doing the back to back didn't do that - we had cards, they didn't.

If you leave your duty free purchases aboard the ship, do not declare anything at customs - you can only use a duty free allowance or a part of it once every 30 days. Declare it after the second cruise.

[martodd]

Just did B2B on Century last month.

Had to meet in the lounge at 9:30. Once all others were off we were escorted to customs. Went through customs and our escort handed us our new folders with the new seapass cards in them. From there he walked us up to the machine to take our pictures and we were back on the ship. The night before this when everyone else received their papers for disembarking we got "transit passes" with our names and that we were staying on board. We didn't need them for anything but the paper did state we needed to tell the ship if we planned on leaving or staying on board.

My husband and 1 daughter did get off the ship to pick up her friend at the airport. They were told they could disembark at any time and were given their sea pass cards as they got off. They were not allowed back on board until general boarding started at 11. Not a big deal as they got back at 10:30. They went through security and then right up to the podiums as they already had their cards.

We did have to go back to guest relations to have our credit card work for the second sailing, too.

Enjoy! It was so nice to see all the luggage in the halways while ours wasn't, and all the sad faces in the morning when we were knowing we still had a whole cruise ahead of us.