Why Back to Back (B2B)?

[YoDadio]

Perhaps its my limited budget and/or experience talking here...

 

I've read several posts about people cruising the same ship & itinerary on two consecutive on back to back (B2B) cruises. Personally, I think I would rather take a step back and "dial in" on the best of the best for my next cruise/vacation. Otherwise I suspect it might simply be a "do over" with a few different excursions.

 

Other than "because you can", what are the perks of Back to Back (B2B) cruising? Not that anything is wrong with that... Obviously there is no "right" answer, but I would appreciate some input as to what is gained by doing a B2B versus taking a similar (perhaps different cruise line or duration or even land based) trip again in the future when you are no longer euphoric ;)

 

Having said all of that, if there is some super saver discount for such short notice/onboard bookings, then I am all in, though I'll have to rethink my vacation requests

[Toto2Kansas]

There are no real benefits that we have ever seen sailing on a B2B, except you get to walk around that final night and see all the luggage and realize you don't have to disembark the next morning. :)

BUT, we try to stay onboard for a B2B when the ship does a different itineary on the second leg of the cruise. It would not interest me to do a B2B with the same ports each time. For instance, we have flown to Hawaii several times, boarded the ship and sailed to Tahiti. Then we stay onboard and sail around Tahiti for another 10 days (visiting several different islands then on the first cruise). Since the airfare alone is a killer (price wise), it makes it worth our while to do a longer cruise and only pay for flights to Hawaii and home from Tahiti, instead of paying for another flight both ways sometime later on. ;) So, for us, all depends on if there is a different itineary for the second leg whether we would consider a B2B cruise.

[6pack]

We just booked our first BTB in the Caribbean. Like yourself, we would never book the same itinerary. During the first week, we will enjoy a relaxing 7 day cruise deep into the Southern Caribbean. After returning to Ft Lauderdale it will be off to the Western Caribbean hitting some ports like Belize, Roatan and Grand Cayman. We're really looking forward to this as this will mark our first of many longer cruises! Both kids into university now so the real travel begins :D

 

Dave

[bqkali]

I can definitely see the draw when the two cruises back-to-back offer different ports of call. A lot of cruises feature this, for example sailing to Eastern Caribbean during one week then Western Caribbean second week. You fly once, you unpack once, and you still get to see 6-8 different ports rather than 3-4. You also can sloooow down your vacation since the entertainment will repeat the second week (for the most part) so you don't have to cram it all into just 7 days. And you don't have to stuff yourself silly in the MDR - you can try those other desserts during week 2 :D

 

I personally would never consider a B2B in the Caribbean - one week of "fun in the sun" is enjoyable, but two would get monotonous for me, even with varied ports. I'd rather split that B2B up into two separate trips, so I can get that dose of sunshine and relaxation two separate times. However, for somewhere like Europe it would be a great thing to look into. Airfare is expensive, so if you have the time, taking advantage of two weeks in Europe rather than one would be a great use of that expensive airfare you're paying for anyway! There are so many Mediterranean ports that there are opportunities for a B2B without repeating a single port. And even if you hit one port twice, these are cities with lots to do and lots of excursions to choose from, so you could have an entirely different experience even in the same port.

 

My personal opinion is that this is a similar ideology to people who extend their cruises with pre-cruise and/or post-cruise stays. While you're flying there anyway, you may as well take advantage of it, do some extra sightseeing, and explore the region a little further. Thousands of people do cruise tours to Alaska every year - kind of like a B2B in Alaska, just with one week on land ;)

 

Unfortunately, it's really difficult for me to get that much time off from work all in one block, so it's still just a dream for me :rolleyes:

[Shogun]

Hi There

 

All our recent cruises have been b2b our up and coming cruise is a b2b and when we book next iy to will be b2b or even b2b2b

 

Main Reason is very simple cost, flights are silly, so if spending all that money I want to spent at least 3 weeks on a cruise ship.

 

Next have never do less that 12 days and that was to short, but it was cheap and was not my main cruise taht year.

 

I want to chill out relax get well away from work to do that I need 3 or 4 weeks..

 

Go away for a week and your desk just builds up with paper work

 

Go away for two weeks the same just more paper work

 

Go away for three weeks and they will do some of your work but leave

the hard stuff until you return

 

Go away for four weeks and they have to get off their butts and think and

solve all issues that come up. You come home to an almost clear desk.

 

yours Shogun

[Janet Foster]

Hi There

 

All our recent cruises have been b2b our up and coming cruise is a b2b and when we book next iy to will be b2b or even b2b2b

 

Main Reason is very simple cost, flights are silly, so if spending all that money I want to spent at least 3 weeks on a cruise ship.

 

Next have never do less that 12 days and that was to short, but it was cheap and was not my main cruise taht year.

 

I want to chill out relax get well away from work to do that I need 3 or 4 weeks..

 

Go away for a week and your desk just builds up with paper work

 

Go away for two weeks the same just more paper work

 

Go away for three weeks and they will do some of your work but leave

the hard stuff until you return

 

Go away for four weeks and they have to get off their butts and think and

solve all issues that come up. You come home to an almost clear desk.

 

yours Shogun

I love this... Nicely put... Enjoy your CRUISES :-)

[PescadoAmarillo]

Like most things in life, it's a case of different strokes. We generally only do B2B cruises. We've also done month long cruises, and it's definitely a different experience to to do B2B cruises totaling 30 nights than one 30 night cruise.

 

We started doing B2B cruises when we worked full time. With 3 or 4 weeks of vacation time, it made sense to cruise for more than 7 nights. For us, airfare and transfers for a 7 night cruise would be half of the cruise fare, with a pre-night hotel stay on top of that. Not worth it to us, and, although we have to take at least one flight to/from every cruise (usually two), we don't enjoy that part of the experience.

 

Since DH has retired, our goal is to cruise most of the winter. Having cruised all over the world, we know that exotic, longer itineraries are a lot more work and a lot more expensive than the Caribbean. We simply could not keep up that pace (planning, touring) for 3 months, and couldn't afford to do exotic itineraries with their higher airfare for 3 months. We love beaches and diving. The Caribbean makes sense for us. The ship becomes our condo, and we wake up in a different place every day. Not at all boring compared to having a condo in Florida (not on a beach) for the winter. We like 10 to 14 night cruises with alternating itineraries. The pace is slower and our fellow passengers are way less intense than on 7 night cruises.

 

What we don't quite understand are all those folks from the north who winter in Florida and then go on cruises while they're there. But, different strokes. It's nice to have options- most of the world's people can't imagine such choices.

[6pack]

The big draw is certainly airfare and travel time. Certainly different if you're a Florida resident. We travel all day to get to Ft Lauderdale and typically take an extra 1 or 2 days to be safe because of weather. Personally, we love the Caribbean and Fort Lauderdale for that matter and can't get enough :)

[Liz54]

The big draw is certainly airfare and travel time. Certainly different if you're a Florida resident. We travel all day to get to Ft Lauderdale and typically take an extra 1 or 2 days to be safe because of weather. Personally, we love the Caribbean and Fort Lauderdale for that matter and can't get enough :)

 

For us, like others - its killer airfare, but we also chose 2 different itineraries.

 

Hey Dave-If I read your date correctly, we are sailing the second half of your B2B Plus the following!!!

[Pia1913]

My husband says it doesn't pay to pack for only 7 or 10 days. Ergo......B2B's. ;)

[Sea42]

For us the airfare is a factor but 2 weeks in the Caribbean during a Wisconsin winter is the biggest reason. After a couple months of cold and snow the chance to be outside without bundling up and being able to enjoy the warm air and sunshine is wonderful. Even doing the same itinerary (which we're not) would still be more fun for us than being at home:)

[WeBeGone]

Our two B2B's have been because of airfare.

Flying to Tahiti just didn't make sense for just 10 days so we had 20 days and felt like we were getting more bang for our buck.

The second was a Med cruise B2B with a transatlantic so we only had to fly one way.

[Pia1913]

Our two B2B's have been because of airfare.

Flying to Tahiti just didn't make sense for just 10 days so we had 20 days and felt like we were getting more bang for our buck.

The second was a Med cruise B2B with a transatlantic so we only had to fly one way.

 

But you could have bought a RT and then used the other half for return a few months later.

[FLACRUISER99]

Sometimes when you get a overnight in a port city like Manaus, BR or Venice, you get 3 full days, lots of time to explore these fabulous ports.

[busymomofboys]

While I have never done a B2b yet. I have read that sometimes it is cheaper to cruise back than fly back. So why not save money and relax? Especially if time is not a factor (like being retired).:D

[Dayenu]

I've never met people doing B2B with the same itinerary - the same ship, same cabin, 2 different itineraries.

 

Once in Europe, 3 couples were saving on the airfare, and being retired they had enough time. Our cruise was to Norway, before that they went to Baltics.

 

Many ships do different itineraries and it's easy to do 2 different cruises B2B if your vacation time is flexible.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We like B2Bs with different itineraries each week. HAL calls these Collector's cruises and I think Princess is eliminating 14 day Caribbeans and making two seven day voyages with different itineraries. If we are traveling to the East Coast, we feel a seven day cruise is too short considering the time and cost of flying so like B2Bs. Of course, we are retired and can stay longer. I realize those still working may not have this option.

 

Barbara

[balanceok]

We´ve done a couple of back to back´s and are scheduled for another one in February 2012. Many have mentioned the reasons, but here are mine:

 

1) If one week is good, two weeks are better even if both weeks are in the Caribbean. We have the time, so we are grateful we can enjoy it.

2) Saves on airfare costs and the hastle of flying

3) Everyone knows the worst part of a cruise is the day you have to leave. It is such a wonderful feeling when that day comes and you know you don´t have to. I´m telling you, that alone makes it worth it!

 

:D

[balanceok]

We´ve done a couple of back to back´s and are scheduled for another one in February 2012. Many have mentioned the reasons, but here are mine:

 

1) If one week is good, two weeks are better even if both weeks are in the Caribbean. We have the time, so we are grateful we can enjoy it.

2) Saves on airfare costs and the hastle of flying; that is, two cruises with the price and hastle of one air travel.

3) Everyone knows the worst part of a cruise is the day you have to leave. It is such a wonderful feeling when that day comes and you know you don´t have to. I´m telling you, that alone makes it worth it!

 

:D

[UpcountryTravelers]

We've booked our first b2b. 7 days Mexican Riviera, then 14 days Hawaii & back. One airfare and remembering that our 14 day Caribbean this January just wasn't long enough.

[Scubachick84]

I always choose port-intensive cruises (I hate sea days). Two years ago I booked a B2B on the CB out of San Juan. The price was right and certainly the airfare was a factor. Two different itineraries, both very port-intensive. Here's what I learned:

 

• Even though the islands were different (except for St. Thomas), almost everything on board was the same. The MDR menus were the same, the entertainment was mostly the same (particularly the big stage shows). This definitely got repetitive. I can't see booking the same itinerary twice.
  
• Because the MDR menu was the same we spent a lot of the second week eating at the buffet or the poolside grill. I just can't stomach all that rich food for two weeks in a row I guess!
  
• Because of the way I like to spend my vacations, doing something fairly active at each port I was exhausted by the end of 14 days. We decided 10 days might be a more optimal duration for us, at least until we figure out how to enjoy taking things slow.
  

[Tophat4321]

I didn't see this mentioned but when you do B2B that counts as two cruises in climbing the ladder to become ELITE status.

[JerseyGuys]

We´ve done a couple of back to back´s and are scheduled for another one in February 2012. Many have mentioned the reasons, but here are mine:

 

1) If one week is good, two weeks are better even if both weeks are in the Caribbean. We have the time, so we are grateful we can enjoy it.

2) Saves on airfare costs and the hastle of flying

3) Everyone knows the worst part of a cruise is the day you have to leave. It is such a wonderful feeling when that day comes and you know you don´t have to. I´m telling you, that alone makes it worth it!

 

:D

 

I agree !!!!! For me the last day of a cruise is such a downer, packing putting your luggage out, getting up and waiting in the lounges to disembark...but on the back to back, there is no packing the last night, no rushing in the morning and your already unpacked and settled in for the second cruise. The feeling when everyone is getting off and your stayin on is priceless. IMHO two weeks in the Caribbean..nothing wrong with that at all...

[FLACRUISER99]

I didn't see this mentioned but when you do B2B that counts as two cruises in climbing the ladder to become ELITE status.

Not if it's booked as one cruise.

[Tophat4321]

Not if it's booked as one cruise.

 

If booked as one cruise then it would not be a B2B.