Question for those who have booked Back to Back (and more!) cruises

[CutestLittleEvil]

I was hoping to get an idea about back to back cruising with this line. I'm hoping people could share their experiences about what they liked, what they didn't like, how long they were gone on their sailing, if the length of the trip was too long (or not long enough!) etc...

 

How did you come to decided a back to back cruise was what you wanted to do and how did you book such a thing (independently or with a TA)? Did you stay on the same ship or switch ships? Was the process easy or confusing?

 

And would you do it again?

[Essiesmom]

I have done three B2B cruises on HAL, all booked as Collector's Cruises. The first was a repo on Oosterdam, San Diego to Rome, 32 days. Plus the night before in /san Diego, and three nights after in Rome. I booked it because the price was right, and it was an opportunity to cruise with a friend on an itinerary I liked. The second was two 7 day cruises on Westerdam, again with a (different) friend. Both legs were r/t from FLL. Eastern and Southern Caribbean. I booked because the price was good, and I could see the friend. the third was two 12 days cruises in the Med. on Nieuw Amsterdam. I booked the first leg, and then decided to do both. this time it was to show my sister Venice. And a few other ports... I book through a TA, although I already know what I want. Lately, I have been making more and more of my own arrangements. EM

[CruiserBruce]

I was hoping to get an idea about back to back cruising with this line. I'm hoping people could share their experiences about what they liked, what they didn't like, how long they were gone on their sailing, if the length of the trip was too long (or not long enough!) etc...

 

How did you come to decided a back to back cruise was what you wanted to do and how did you book such a thing (independently or with a TA)? Did you stay on the same ship or switch ships? Was the process easy or confusing?

 

And would you do it again?

 

There are many threads here about people going on B2Bs, or "Collector's Cruises" which is essentially the same thing on HAL. HAL has mastered this, frequently scheduling their ships so that the ships aren't on the same route every cruise. It seems to have worked very well for HAL. On our Eurodam 22 day Collectors last summer, 700 people stayed on for the second portion of the cruise.

 

Our 4 Collector's have been on the same ships for each cruise. The process is very easy, particularly if the turnaround port is outside the US. It isn't hard inside the US, you just have a couple of extra steps.

 

You book B2Bs the same way you book any other cruise. Using a TA, or not. It doesn't matter.

 

We will definitely do it again...we have done it 4 times now.

[sail7seas]

Through the years, DH and I have done probably 15+ b-to-b cruises and loved them all. We always cruised on the same ship in the same cabin. We loved being able to be on the ship longer, fly once and get more vacation time away.

[Crew News]

I was hoping to get an idea about back to back cruising with this line. I'm hoping people could share their experiences about what they liked, what they didn't like, how long they were gone on their sailing, if the length of the trip was too long (or not long enough!) etc...

 

How did you come to decided a back to back cruise was what you wanted to do and how did you book such a thing (independently or with a TA)? Did you stay on the same ship or switch ships? Was the process easy or confusing?

 

And would you do it again?

We have done a number of B2B. One of those required walking from Pier 26 across the street to Pier 21 in Fort Lauderdale.

 

Since airfare is so expensive, staying an extra week is a cost savings. B2B in Alaska, even to the same ports, raises the possibility of good weather in at least one visit. There is so much to see in Alaska, it would take a number of cruises to even scratch the surface.

 

Re-boarding the ship after the first leg (you are off the ship about 45 minutes in a special holding area) gives you at least one hour of photographic opportunity without other passengers being in the photographs.

 

The crew seems to be a bit friendlier when they know you will be coming back the second week. The first week is a good time to arrange for the exact table you would like in the MDR as well as making Pinnacle Grill reservations before the new passengers arrive.

 

Alcohol purchases will be delivered to your stateroom the night before the first week ends leaving you an entire week to consume it without paying the higher ship's prices.

[CutestLittleEvil]

 

Alcohol purchases will be delivered to your stateroom the night before the first week ends leaving you an entire week to consume it without paying the higher ship's prices.

 

 

Oh my goodness. I never even considered this before. This is ingenious.:cool:

[Crew News]

Oh my goodness. I never even considered this before. This is ingenious.:cool:

SSSHHHHHH I take NO credit for discovering the alcohol delivery after the first week of a B2B. This was reported on CC a few months ago by another CC member.

 

Not sure how long it will take HAL to become aware of this tactic.

 

It pays to read Most of the threads on the HAL forum.

Edited May 12, 2014 by Crew News

[Bill B]

The best feeling in the world is -

looking at all the luggage out in the hallways on the last night of the first segment of a 'back-to-back'... and knowing yours is in your stateroom.

[CruiserBruce]

Re-boarding the ship after the first leg (you are off the ship about 45 minutes in a special holding area)

 

This is only true if your B2B runs out of a US port. Not true anywhere else.

[CruiserBruce]

The best feeling in the world is -

looking at all the luggage out in the hallways on the last night of the first segment of a 'back-to-back'... and knowing yours is in your stateroom.

 

Absolutely true!!! :D:D:D

[Krazy Kruizers]

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

In fact our first cruises were back-to-back out of San Juan.

Now HAL calls many of the back-to-back cruises Collectors Cruises.

With the hassle of flying and no direct flights, we would never consider any cruise less than 14 days. The longer, the better.

[Mary Ellen]

This is only true if your B2B runs out of a US port. Not true anywhere else.

Also true if turnaround day is in Japan.

Edited May 12, 2014 by Mary Ellen

[kazu]

SSSHHHHHH I take NO credit for discovering the alcohol delivery after the first week of a B2B. This was reported on CC a few months ago by another CC member.

 

Not sure how long it will take HAL to become aware of this tactic.

 

It pays to read Most of the threads on the HAL forum.

 

A cc member recently reported that they did not receive their bottles until the end of their collectors' cruise. So, it's a good strategy as long as you don't count on it 100%

 

The best feeling in the world is -

looking at all the luggage out in the hallways on the last night of the first segment of a 'back-to-back'... and knowing yours is in your stateroom.

 

I'll second that one. It is a nice feeling indeed :D

[POA1]

We've done back to back before and have another one scheduled for late fall. We've never jumped ship and have stayed on the same vessel.

 

There's a definite service advantage. We always let our servers know that we're staying on or "taking another lap" in the case of Caribbean B2Bs out of Fort Lauderdale.

 

The turnover day is really peaceful and relaxing compared to a regular boarding day. This serene feeling is multiplied as you see the poor, haggard people boarding the ship. Especially the ones who have been up since 4:00 AM flying in to catch the ship. Even more so if they're carrying puffy winter coats. (Note: Yes, I know this is mean. ;) No, it doesn't apply to cold weather itineraries.)

 

As many have said, knowing that your suitcases are still under the bed while everyone else's are out in the hall is a great feeling. Most people don't like to pack. Not having to pack for a whole additional cruise is a nice, free perk.

 

I think you might lose a little of the magic if you switched ships. But, I can see where you might want to experience more than one ship - or even more than one cruise line in a single trip away from home.

 

Bottom line: Highly recommended. Go for it.

[Alberta Quilter]

This serene feeling is multiplied as you see the poor, haggard people boarding the ship. Especially the ones who have been up since 4:00 AM flying in to catch the ship. Even more so if they're carrying puffy winter coats. (Note: Yes, I know this is mean. ;) No, it doesn't apply to cold weather itineraries.)

 

 

We, who are from the cold, northern parts, are happy to entertain you Floridians, whether it be with our winter coats or our enjoyment of swimming pools/oceans in :eek: February! :D:D

[POA1]

We, who are from the cold, northern parts, are happy to entertain you Floridians, whether it be with our winter coats or our enjoyment of swimming pools/oceans in :eek: February! :D:D

 

We lived in Maine, year round, for quite a long time. Now it's winter in Florida and summer in Maine.

 

We used to head back in February for a Super Bowl party. A few years ago, we were running the snow thrower, clearing 45 inches of snow from our patio. I ran over a landscape light, broke a shear bolt, and decided that while it was a good party, and it was nice to see our friends... We would just watch the game in Fort Lauderdale. :)

 

We're also entertained by Floridians who are all bundled up when it's 65 - 75°F in summer up in Maine. (18 - 22°C) We often wonder if they're visiting from the surface of the sun.

[hrhdhd]

We're also entertained by Floridians who are all bundled up when it's 65 - 75°F in summer up in Maine. (18 - 22°C) We often wonder if they're visiting from the surface of the sun.

 

As a Floridian who gets cold at around 75 degrees, I can tell you that living in a warmer climate results in a blood circulation pattern that's different from the one people who live in colder climates have. (In general, of course.) We feel colder faster because our blood is not being redirected to the core to keep the body warm, but to the extremities to keep the body cooler. At least I think that's it.

 

You could look it up. :)

[LuckyLoon]

We did a b2b in March. It was not a listed collector. We went through our TA and had the same cabin and same ship for both. One issue we had was we had OBC for each cruise. We had separate cruises with separate booking numbers and separate OBC. Cruise 1 got it's $300 OBC. I checked on day 2 and it was there. We didn't have to pack just spend an hour or so on embark2 day going off the ship and back on. Everything was finalized at the end of cruise 1. We even were given new cabin cards.

 

When I checked the OBC due for cruise 2 on the second day it wasn't there. Took a few days and desk clerk called to say they had confirmation of the $350 OBC from the main office. Next day she called to say the their ship accting people said it was an ongoing cruise and deducted the $300 from cruise 1 leaving only $50. It took the rest of the week, an email to my TA, more info from the main office and a different higher level person to force the accting people to give us our credit.

 

I was not a happy camper. I wish HAL would list the stock OBC on their booking confirmation. That, hopefully, would have saved all the grief I endured for a week trying to make them understand.

[Rudy888]

We have done back to backs on other cruise lines, MSC, Princess. We have booked (4) 7 day B-to B in the Med next summer, they are 4 different cruises and 4 different booking numbers numbers but same cabin. We are booked on a Caribbean collector cruise in February, it is an 11 day and a 10 day cruise but it is booked as a 21 day cruise, one booking number. Is this one or 2 cruises in Holland's eyes? I believe it is just one cruise.

[POA1]

As a Floridian who gets cold at around 75 degrees, I can tell you that living in a warmer climate results in a blood circulation pattern that's different from the one people who live in colder climates have. (In general, of course.) We feel colder faster because our blood is not being redirected to the core to keep the body warm, but to the extremities to keep the body cooler. At least I think that's it.

 

You could look it up. :)

 

Everyone keeps telling me that, but we just got back from our nightly 2.5 mile walk - and even though it's windy down by the ocean, I'm roasting. Let's hope the whole "thinning blood" thing kicks in before I burst into flames. :D

[POA1]

We have done back to backs on other cruise lines, MSC, Princess. We have booked (4) 7 day B-to B in the Med next summer, they are 4 different cruises and 4 different booking numbers numbers but same cabin. We are booked on a Caribbean collector cruise in February, it is an 11 day and a 10 day cruise but it is booked as a 21 day cruise, one booking number. Is this one or 2 cruises in Holland's eyes? I believe it is just one cruise.

 

I know that American Express considers consecutive cruises with different booking numbers to be one cruise for the purpose of their OBC. It's in the Platinum benefits fine print. It's independent of cruise lines.

[Cinder Again]

I like every part of the b to b experience except one. Since not everyone stays aboard for both cruises, you get friendly with a group of folks, only to learn they are leaving part way through the trip. Then you need to meet new folks, which isn't necessarily bad, but it's the one part I dislike more than just taking a longer, say a 30 day cruise. The ship really becomes like a small town, when you are together for the whole 30 days.

I've also found with the b to b to warmer climes that often the same folks cruise in the same season year to year, so you do make "real" friends and look forward to meeting them again on a 'dam' ship!