Questions about booking B2B and/or Transatlantic

[swwake]

We are in Post Cruise Distress Disorder mode and already thinking about planning a cruise for next year.

 

We have looked at a Liberty of the Seas Transatlantic in Oct 2013 or at an Oasis class B2B.

 

Looking for opinions and advice related to the following questions:

Transatlantic:

- what is the typical demographic of the passengers? Are there mostly couples? We enjoy the night club and the flowrider, and we're wondering if there will be activity in these areas.

- is it better to book north vs south-facing stateroom, or does it matter?

- anything else important for a TA?

 

Back-to-Back:

- what is the best way to go about getting the same stateroom for both legs? We normally book through Royal Caribbean, but would it be better to have a TA who could watch the cabin availability for us?

- anything else we need to know about booking a B2B?

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

[mjldvlks]

. . .

Looking for opinions and advice related to the following questions:

Transatlantic:

- what is the typical demographic of the passengers? Are there mostly couples? We enjoy the night club and the flowrider, and we're wondering if there will be activity in these areas.

- is it better to book north vs south-facing stateroom, or does it matter?

- anything else important for a TA?

. . .

As to your TA questions [based on our TA on Independence in Apr 2009]:

 

The demographic may be slightly older with fewer kids because they are typically at times when school is in session, but we had a good mix of ages and there seemed to be plenty of folks to keep the lounges and dance venues busy. It is a little cool, but the flowrider seemed to get a decent workout. I seem to recall it was always in operation when I went around that way.

 

The location of your cabin is a matter of personal preference. If you want sun, look for starboard on east bound TAs and Port on west bound. Won't apply 100%, but most TAs spend a majority of the time headed in those general directions so it is a good rule of thumb. As to ports and views, it doesn't much matter which side in my opinion.

 

Glad to address other specific questions. We had a great time. We had a fairly large group so there was always something to do. Remember you have several sea days so be prepared for that. I enjoy sea days so that was a plus for me.

[mjldvlks]

Here is a picture of the shadow [mid day as I recall] from our port side balcony [deck 9 just aft of hump] on our east bound TA. You can see the shadow cast by the ship so it should give you a general idea of where to be if you want [or don't want] a lot of sun.

 

[swwake]

Thanks so much for your quick response and the photo. I'm not sure why I read someone concerned about north- vs south-facing cabins. I wondered if it had to do with sunrise/sunset.

[ticktoneer]

Thanks so much for your quick response and the photo. I'm not sure why I read someone concerned about north- vs south-facing cabins. I wondered if it had to do with sunrise/sunset.

We have just booked a B2B2B on Independence of the Seas with 2 different TA's (Transatlantic, Bahamas & Caribbean) and got the same room for all 3 legs - 24 days. We just chatted to them both and co-ordinated it with them.

 

We are a couple aged 41 & 51 - we've done several transatlantics. They are usually much better value than putting 2 x 7 days together B2B. We've always had loads to do and the ages have been well mixed.

[swwake]

We have just booked a B2B2B on Independence of the Seas with 2 different TA's (Transatlantic, Bahamas & Caribbean) and got the same room for all 3 legs - 24 days. We just chatted to them both and co-ordinated it with them.

 

We are a couple aged 41 & 51 - we've done several transatlantics. They are usually much better value than putting 2 x 7 days together B2B. We've always had loads to do and the ages have been well mixed.

Oh this is great news. We are in your age range - 41 and 45. We noticed the value being great on that LOS next year.

 

Thanks for the info!

[critterchick]

RCI reps will have access to the same inventory that a travel agent will, except for any cabins that have been blocked as group space by a particular agency. So it's pretty easy to get the same cabin by booking with them directly, assuming that it hasn't already been reserved by somebody else.

 

As for which side of the ship, I think that it's sunnier on the starboard side going over to Europe and portside coming back, something about the angle of the sun that time of year.

 

On our Brilliance TA, the crowd was definitely skewed to the over-60 population, but we could party, so the dance venues were all very busy. No Flowrider on that ship, so I can't tell you how that would work out. :)

 

TA pricing, other than the highly-prized Northern Atlantic route, is usually quite reasonable, but don't forget to factor in that one way flight to or from Europe.:eek:

[ticktoneer]

Any other questions or chat please feel free to e mail me on ticktoneer at gmail dot com

 

We got a monster bargain. We only paid $800 for our transatlantic per person inc' tips and direct flight back from Miami to the uk

[lori450]

We did the Independence TA Nov 2009. It was lovely. Since we departed from Southampton, the menus and cabins were still geared toward European passengers. There was a good mix of folks from the US and UK mostly. The flowrider was open and I packed wetsuits for us. We had a blast and the wetsuits were just what was needed. We surfed twice a day every day. It was a more relaxed and slower atmosphere as there was a week of consecutive sea days. I enjoyed the daily trivia game that was cumulative throughout the week. I did book Northern for the sunlight, but I don't recall it mattering too much. As far as couples, there were singles and couples but there were very few children. My son who was 12 only saw about 10 other kids (he was being homeschooled at the time) as most kids are in school. There were more Europeans as I recall because they get more vacation time than Americans.

I've never done a B2B so I can't speak to that. Hope this helps.

[KeywestK]

We did the TA on Liberty, westbound, last fall and loved it. There were all age groups. There were mostly couples, but lots of solo travelers, and groups of friends traveling together. Very few children.

 

Typically, TA's are a better value than B2B sailings--especially if you book early! We had a PR cabin and paid less than what a one week Caribbean sailing would have cost. The prices did go up much higher as time went on, but I have found we always get the best pricing the earlier we book.

 

We booked one-way air using cheapo air dot com. We paid a little over $800 TOTAL for the two of us--one way to Europe. If you have any more questions about TA sailings, don't hesitate to post.

[joyride21]

RCI reps will have access to the same inventory that a travel agent will, except for any cabins that have been blocked as group space by a particular agency. So it's pretty easy to get the same cabin by booking with them directly, assuming that it hasn't already been reserved by somebody else.

 

This. I booked my first ever B2B a few months ago over the phone with Royal directly. No need for a travel agent. Just told the rep I wanted the same cabin for both cruises and he took care of it. If you want a specific cabin you can also do two dummy bookings on their website and see if it is available on both legs. Or just have the rep check for you...