B2B FLL Question

[2Xayear]

Doing a B2B next month out of Fort Lauderdale. When we return to Fort Lauderdale after the first trip, do we still have to disembark and then embark with our second week passengers? Debating whether to do a tour of some sort, (HAL or private) or simply stay aboard but a friend has told me that on their B2B last year, they had to get off and then get back aboard. Took time they warned.

[PEB]

I have done this on several cruise lines and I am doing this on HAL this summer. I asked how they handle this on HAL and was told yes you must get off the ship to get your new boarding card. This has been the case on all B2B I have done on all other cruise lines except once. It really doesn't take that long but doing a tour or walking around the port is one way of spending some time. I believe the longest it ever took us to get off and back on the ship was about a half hour. We were just the last ones off the ship and the first ones back on.

[2Xayear]

Thanks PEB. One more thought. Are we issued coloured tags and we can't disembark until our colour is called?

[momatibm]

Doing a B2B next month out of Fort Lauderdale. When we return to Fort Lauderdale after the first trip, do we still have to disembark and then embark with our second week passengers? Debating whether to do a tour of some sort, (HAL or private) or simply stay aboard but a friend has told me that on their B2B last year, they had to get off and then get back aboard. Took time they warned.

 

If you are booked with one booking number, you will not need to get a new card.

 

That being said, the night before Ft. Lauderdale you will receive a letter describing the procedure and will have your 'intransit card'. You will have to leave the ship to proceed through the government check (ICE) and once the ship reaches 'zero' -- all departing passengers and staff are off you will be allowed to return to the ship. You won't have to wait for the 'new passengers' to be processed.

 

Can take anywhere from 1/2 hour to whatever. Also depends on if the ship needs an inspection or a deep clean. This will be explained prior to the day, so alternate arrangements can be made.

[BruceMuzz]

When you are on a B2B that stops in a US port, you are required by US Immigration officials to go through immigration inspection, as you have re-entered the USA after visiting a foreign port or ports.

 

You are generally free to go through that inspection anytime after the ship is cleared to start disembarcation.

 

The challenge for B2B passengers is another US Immigration regulation:

No passengers are allowed to board or re-board the vessel until ALL passengers have disembarked.

 

This is where the trouble starts. We always have a few passengers who are not even aware that the cruise is ended and they must leave. So we drag them out of bed and dress them so they can disembark without delaying the program any further.

Then we have a few other passengers who claim that as Americans they are not required to go through Immigration. So we argue with them for a while until they realize they will be arrested if they do not comply.

Finally we have several passengers who do not speak English and have no clue what they should be doing. We chase them for a time, and finally force them off the ship.

 

Then we have to prove to US Immigration that all passengers are off the vessel. At this point the US Immigration Officers are busy eating donuts and drinking coffee. They take their sweet time checking our reports, before granting us permission to embark new and returning guests.

 

To ease the hassles for our B2B guests, we give them several options:

 

1. Disembark anytime you like during the process and plan to stay ashore for a few hours until we finalize our numbers and let you re-board.

 

2. Go on a tour that keeps you off the ship for half the day, so you miss all the hassles.

 

3. Meet in a lounge with your fellow B2B guests at a time when we think we have a good chance to nearly have the ship cleared for re-boarding. We then escort you ashore as a group to be the final passengers cleared off the ship. If the officials are not too busy with their donuts and coffee, the wait to get back onboard may be only a few minutes.

But more often than not, we have one idiot who has done something stupid, delaying the entire process for everyone.

 

The best advice is to go ashore mid-morning, plan a bit of shopping and/or lunch ashore, and return to the ship after the crowds and dust have settled.

[2Xayear]

Great information and many thanks.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done quite a few back-to-back cruises.

Did you book the back-to-back cruises as a Collector's Cruise? That means you have one booking number for both segments instead of 2.

I assume that you have the same cabin for both segments??

The last full day of the first segment you will get a letter explaining the procedure for Intransit guests -- that is what you will be.

If you choose not to on a tour, the letter will explain what time and where to meet on the ship -- usually around 9:30. Someone from the front office will escort you off the ship. We always stay with the group. You need to take your Passport with you to go through immigration in the terminal as well as your Intransit card to get back on the ship. Once you have gone through immigration you can go back upstairs to the waiting room. Once the ship has gone down to "Zero" count -- meaning that everyone is off the ship -- then you will be allowed back on the ship. We have waited anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.

When you check in for the first segment, your ID card will already be set up for both segments. You will not get a new ID card.

You will also be required to attend the second lifeboat drill.

[2Xayear]

One booking number and the same cabin for both legs. Thanks for the update Krazy Kruisers.

[Shmoo here]

When you are on a B2B that stops in a US port, you are required by US Immigration officials to go through immigration inspection, as you have re-entered the USA after visiting a foreign port or ports.

 

You are generally free to go through that inspection anytime after the ship is cleared to start disembarcation.

 

The challenge for B2B passengers is another US Immigration regulation:

No passengers are allowed to board or re-board the vessel until ALL passengers have disembarked.

 

This is where the trouble starts. We always have a few passengers who are not even aware that the cruise is ended and they must leave. So we drag them out of bed and dress them so they can disembark without delaying the program any further.

Then we have a few other passengers who claim that as Americans they are not required to go through Immigration. So we argue with them for a while until they realize they will be arrested if they do not comply.

Finally we have several passengers who do not speak English and have no clue what they should be doing. We chase them for a time, and finally force them off the ship.

 

Then we have to prove to US Immigration that all passengers are off the vessel. At this point the US Immigration Officers are busy eating donuts and drinking coffee. They take their sweet time checking our reports, before granting us permission to embark new and returning guests.

 

To ease the hassles for our B2B guests, we give them several options:

 

1. Disembark anytime you like during the process and plan to stay ashore for a few hours until we finalize our numbers and let you re-board.

 

2. Go on a tour that keeps you off the ship for half the day, so you miss all the hassles.

 

3. Meet in a lounge with your fellow B2B guests at a time when we think we have a good chance to nearly have the ship cleared for re-boarding. We then escort you ashore as a group to be the final passengers cleared off the ship. If the officials are not too busy with their donuts and coffee, the wait to get back onboard may be only a few minutes.

But more often than not, we have one idiot who has done something stupid, delaying the entire process for everyone.

 

The best advice is to go ashore mid-morning, plan a bit of shopping and/or lunch ashore, and return to the ship after the crowds and dust have settled.

 

I love this!

[Crew News]

We met in the Vista Showroom at 9:30 and were escorted off the ship. Some B2B passengers left the terminal but many just grabbed a seat near the embarkation door.

 

It has been my experience that you are only off the ship from 30 minutes to an hour. The hour usually involves folks still asleep or waiting for porters to transport their carry-on luggage off of the ship.

 

In most every case, you and your fellow B2B passengers will have the ship to yourselves. It is a perfect time to get lots of pictures without having to wait for a fellow passenger to get out of your camera view. Wandering the ship with only 100 or so B2B passengers instead of 2000 is a strange feeling.

 

It is also a very nice gesture to have your room stewards delay cleaning your room until the rest of their other rooms are finished for their new guests.

 

As you meet the ship's crew your first week, make sure you tell them that you will be returning for a second week. Their attitude seems be just a little bit more friendly towards you for the rest of your cruise.

 

The more you cruise with HAL, the greater opportunity that a crew member from a previous cruise will recognize you. Crew member memories are truly remarkable.

 

Go out of your way to chat with the MDR Dining Room Manager and their Assistant. If you want a special table in the future, you might be pleasantly rewarded. That is especially true for the Pinnacle Grill Manager your first week if you want that window table the next week.

[CaliforniaAC]

We have done a few b2b's also.

 

It is also good to note, that if you do sleep in a little, if you have a balcony, they start cleaning the balconies and sliding doors immediately.

 

Having learned this from experience,:o you should take keeping the drapes pulled, no matter how beautiful the sunrise is as you come in to Port Everglades.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On Intransit morning -- breakfast is early. The times will be listed in the Cruise Log that you get the lastn night of the first segment.

Usually the Lido opens for full breakfast at 6 or 6:30 and will end around 8 - 8:30 AM.

The dining room opens from 6:30 - 8.

The crew needs to get those areas cleaned and ready for the nexy passengers.

[sail7seas]

We've done a great many b-to-b' s and only a few times have we gone away from Port Everglades to do something. If the weatther is fine, we much prefer going to clear Immigration on our own and staying outside. I don't want to be herded around and told to sit in the terminal on a nice day. We stay outside, when we see they are ready to begin embarkation, we use our in transit card to clear dirctly through security and miss the check in lines and we go back aboard. Bring your in transit card ashore as that is what you need in order to avoid the check in lines.

 

The longest we have eve waited ashore was under an hour if my memory serves.

[Minoushka]

Last time there was no special line for transit pax. We opted to take the tour to Sawgrass Mills with HAL .it took 40 minutes to get thru customs and immigration .we boarded the bus and had 3 hours of shopping .got picked up by bus and returned to ship in time for late. Lunch . Returning was very easy

I recommend you do something as waiting around is no fun

For us it was cool to sit out in January and there was little to do around ship . I felt they needed the space to do a good cleaning job ...which they did

Enjoy your trip

 

 

michele

[sail7seas]

If you have the same cabin, you leave all your personal property in place in your cabin.

The last night of your first segment, you will receive a letter telling you the requirement for Immigration clearance, when and how to go and dining hours for 'turnaround day'.

 

You will have to exit the ship, go into the terminal with your passport and clear Immigration. You will not be permitted back aboard until the ship has 'zeroed down' meaning all who are meant to be leaving have done so.

 

You can choose to either go as a group following the instructions as to where to meet or you can go on your own. We always go on our own. There has been some negative conversation that you must go with the whole crowd but that is not true. In a very large number of b-to-b, we have always gone on our own and security at the gangway, CBP Officials in the Terminal, Shore Operations people in the terminal and Security when we reboard all have told us it is fine and never have we had a problem.

 

We always wait until they call the last of the disembarkation colors/numbers and go then as that usually should mean a short wait ashore. Our average wait has been in the range of 30-45 minutes but it can vary. If there is a selfish idiot who takes their sweet time about leaving despite repeated calls to disembark, no one can board until they leave.

 

You can reboard by just clearing through security but no need to go to the check in lines or get a 'number'.

 

You should bring the 'in transit card' that will be enclosed with the letter you receive and your ship's ID, as always.

 

B-to-b's are fabulous. We've done a great many and always enjoyed each and every one.

[RandyinDEN]

We sat on our balcony eating breakfast and waving at all the sad faces as they left the ship. Then we left around 10 am when the last call was made, turned around after going through imigration and were back on the ship sitting by the pool with a mojito in hand within about 30-40 mins.

[sail7seas]

We sat on our balcony eating breakfast and waving at all the sad faces as they left the ship. Then we left around 10 am when the last call was made, turned around after going through imigration and were back on the ship sitting by the pool with a mojito in hand within about 30-40 mins.

 

 

^^ Exactly.

 

There have been a few times when we've chosen to catch a taxi. Go 'someplace' ;) that has a lovely pool, great staff and wonderful patio to order lunch. We enjoy a few hours there and then return to the ship but we don't do that most of the time. We usually do just as RandyinDen described.