Must we "Leave the Ship" at middle of Grand Voyage?

[golfguyhhi]

We are doing the Grand Voyage from Rome to London on Marina next May. Since this is stitched together Rome to Barcelona, Barcelona to London back-to-back, must we debark in Barcelona with luggage, do customs and immigration and then re-board immediately after? We're in the same cabin for the full 22 day cruise.

 

Or, do we have the option to stay aboard, or go ashore and consider Barcelona a port visit and get in some sightseeing?

 

I ask because a couple doing a back-to-back (but not a Grand Voyage) had to do that (get off, do customs and immigration and get back on) in Miami as we were ending our 14-day (Miami to Miami) cruise and they were staying on for the next one (another Miami to Miami).

 

This is not an "I'm concerned" question, merely an "I'm curious" question.

[sitraveler]

Miami is unique, in that it requires all passengers off. You don't have to disembark unless you want to. Enjoy Barcelona.

[pinotlover]

Depends upon the port. Some ports, where embarkment/disembarkment occur require a zero count on the ship at some point (normally around 9:30). In those ports, if one is doing a b2b, they typically do not have to take their luggage off the ship, but they will have leave the ship. O normally gives instructions for those passengers to take their passports and other needed documentation for reboarding. The length of time for that absence, from the ship, depends upon the port. Quite often, do not expect to be let back on until regular general boarding occurs ~ 11:00 or so. Otherwise, enjoy your day in the City exploring the wonderful scenes and facilities. :D

[LHT28]

A GV is the same as a B2B

As stated some ports require the ship to have zero count

USA ports & UK ports seem to do this

 

In Miami we had to leave the ship & just reenter the building after handing in the customs forms ...we waited about 1 hr before reboarding

Other ports may vary

 

You will get full instructions a few days before the end of the 1st leg

 

NO you do not have to pack up your things if in the same cabin

[Floridiana]

All US ports require that all passengers get off. No need to pack if in the same cabin and you can leave your luggage on the ship, same or new cabin.

 

Anyway, yours is Barcelona. I don't know how Spain handles it, but don't worry about the luggage.

[vlthom]

We are doing the Grand Voyage from Rome to London on Marina next May. Since this is stitched together Rome to Barcelona, Barcelona to London back-to-back, must we debark in Barcelona with luggage, do customs and immigration and then re-board immediately after? We're in the same cabin for the full 22 day cruise.

 

We recently did a GV (Miami to Barcelona, followed by Barcelona to Athens). We did not have to do anything special in Barcelona other than have our passports stamped. We had a leisurely breakfast in the GDR and then got off the ship, saw the officials and then went sightseeing. We continued to use the same world card for the second part of the trip. It was all very easy.

Edited June 17, 2016 by vlthom

[cathi]

Interesting thread as we are on the 2016 world cruise and we have just embarked the last bunch of leggers or segmenters. We have never had to take luggage off - that one threw me!! Some countries do make you do a face-to-face inspection which sometimes are on board and sometimes on shore but we've never had to leave the ship for a designated time period.

One of the funniest things that have happened is when we were going to Angkor Wat for a couple of nights. As my better half pulled his rolling carry on down the corridor a woman asked him if he was leaving and what would happen to his cabin. Wanted to know if we would get the same cabin when we came back!!!

[LHT28]

Interesting thread as we are on the 2016 world cruise and we have just embarked the last bunch of leggers or segmenters. We have never had to take luggage off - that one threw me!! Some countries do make you do a face-to-face inspection which sometimes are on board and sometimes on shore but we've never had to leave the ship for a designated time period.

 

Are you saying when you hit the USA port on the west coast you did not have to get off the ship during customs/immigration check??

 

 

[cbb]

not speaking for cathi, but also as a RTW...neither in Hawaii or in LA did we HAVE to get off ship.

 

Our only requirement was that we had to wait until all the "segmenters" left the ship before we could...either for shorex or as independent travelers. c

[cathi]

What cbb says is true - we never HAD to get off the ship. In Hilo, our first port in the USA, we did a face to face. In LA we did have to wait until the disembarking people had all left the ship but then we just walked off. No immigration or customs.

[LHT28]

not speaking for cathi, but also as a RTW...neither in Hawaii or in LA did we HAVE to get off ship.

 

Our only requirement was that we had to wait until all the "segmenters" left the ship before we could...either for shorex or as independent travelers. c

Thanks That is interesting

In LA on a B2B we had to leave the ship..no problem we went site seeing anyway

[golfguyhhi]

Thanks everybody -- very helpful.

[ORV]

Depends upon the port. Some ports, where embarkment/disembarkment occur require a zero count on the ship at some point (normally around 9:30). In those ports, if one is doing a b2b, they typically do not have to take their luggage off the ship, but they will have leave the ship. O normally gives instructions for those passengers to take their passports and other needed documentation for reboarding. The length of time for that absence, from the ship, depends upon the port. Quite often, do not expect to be let back on until regular general boarding occurs ~ 11:00 or so. Otherwise, enjoy your day in the City exploring the wonderful scenes and facilities. :D

 

I have been on a Grand Voyage and multiple back to backs on Oceania and have never experienced the part I bolded. Lucky I guess.

[ronrick1943]

We stayed on the ship in London (B2B). "O" had a special lunch in one of the dining rooms for people that stayed on the ship.

[StanandJim]

We stayed on the ship in London (B2B). "O" had a special lunch in one of the dining rooms for people that stayed on the ship.

 

We've done 2 or 3 Greek Island Cruises where the GM took all of the B2B passengers to a fabulous luncheon in Piraeus, most recently we went to the Mare Marina in Paleo Faliro, and we are all still talking about how superb it was, three years later.

Oceania does things first class all the way-

[oceansandseas]

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You guys are really special. Our last 3 Oceania cruises were B2B. Nothing special at all. Who was the general manager? How many passengers were there?

 

 

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[StanandJim]

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You guys are really special. Our last 3 Oceania cruises were B2B. Nothing special at all. Who was the general manager? How many passengers were there?

 

 

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I'm not casting aspersions here, but for the uninitiated I imagine that they treat the shorter cruise B2B's differently than longer cruise B2B's.

 

I was reared (travel wise, anyway) by my grandparents to think that it was slightly gauche to speak to the GM on a ship unless there was a foot of water standing in my bathroom floor, so if I don't see the GM on a cruise, I usually count it as a success.

 

That said, Our GM's were Thierry and Damien and there were approximately 25 couples involved with each event. In neither case was the GM the official host.

[LHT28]

I'm not casting aspersions here, but for the uninitiated I imagine that they treat the shorter cruise B2B's differently than longer cruise B2B's.

 

What do you consider longer cruise B2B's???

 

We have done several & never had a lunch with the GM