How to survive a B2B??!!

[cruiselvr04]

B2B are the best! You need however to pace yourself with the food and drink. Menus can get repetitive but that's even true when you cruise a lot. We spread the entertainment out too and do more in the piano bars and spend more time in the Diamond lounge. We often meet people and spend more time talking with others.

 

After we retire I am finding the the two longest cruises ever and planning a great B2B. 20-30 days sounds good! I will plan lots of naps in the solarium.

[ccotting]

We've done with and without the same cabin for multiple legs and I totally recommend ensuring you have the same cabin throughout.

 

After that it's all gravy! We don't do every show so sometimes on next leg we catch what we've missed or repeat what we've enjoyed. You see differences in repeat shows which is fun.

 

I think the trickiest is the menu. They do repeat it. So first leg we may not do much specialty restaurant and save that for later legs when on some nights, the menu doesn't appeal. That does sometimes challenge us.

 

We have had a cruise where we received free movies for the second leg because they repeated the shows exactly and, to be honest, I don't think we used it.

 

I don't think it's something to survive, we love to do this and do it routinely.

 

We did meet 1 couple on a long BtoB who were late nighters and bemoaned the lack of late night entertainment. They had a grand suite and brought ''Breaking Bad" DVD box set to watch. Seemed pretty sad to me but to each his own....

[John&LaLa]

I don't think the menus are a problem. There are multiple choices on each menu, plus sometimes I look forward to eating something again.

[ccotting]

I don't think the menus are a problem. There are multiple choices on each menu, plus sometimes I look forward to eating something again.

 

But we have had days where we struggle with choosing anything. Depends on the menu season and your taste. Especially it depends on the ship. Some ships the meat is very good and others, whether from supply or cooking, the meat is not so tender. So even if I like the menu item, I don't like the version produced. We save our speciality restaurants for later legs 'in case' but there's no requirement to use them!

[John&LaLa]

But we have had days where we struggle with choosing anything. Depends on the menu season and your taste. Especially it depends on the ship. Some ships the meat is very good and others, whether from supply or cooking, the meat is not so tender. So even if I like the menu item, I don't like the version produced. We save our speciality restaurants for later legs 'in case' but there's no requirement to use them!

 

I guess I'm lucky, I'll eat about anything and rarely go hungry.

 

I guess good thing about B2B is you will know what to avoid the next week and plan accordingly. ;)

 

And there's always the WJ.

[nomoreknothead]

I've never thought about getting bored on a cruise. It's just never crossed my mind .... If there is "nothing" going on shipwise that I want to do ... I get my book and read, take a nap, go to the gym, go walk on the deck, or sit and look at the water. Those are the things I don't get to do at home!

 

We have been on 2 Transatlantic cruises so far. One was 14 nights & the other a 16 night .... I didn't want to leave at the end, in fact I actually went into a bit of depression. (no joking!) We have also been blessed to be able to do a few B2B, which are my favorites because I don't feel rushed to do everything the 1st week. Looking forward to doing another B2B on the Allure, Which I might wish was a B2B2B!!

 

Regarding Food: I do get tired of eating the repeated menu in the dining room , So we now enjoy the windjammer! We also have figured out we DON'T HAVE TO EAT EVERY MEAL!!!

[Goes Cruising]

A lot of my thoughts have been captured by other posters, but hopefully I can add some perspective.

 

I love longer cruises, TAs, or B2Bs! I never cruise less than 14 days anymore. For me, I feel it takes me a few of days to get into full vacation mode, and of course the last day you start winding back up to disembark and travel home. On a 7 day cruise, that only leaves a couple of days of full blown vacation mode!

 

What to do with all of those days? I've been on two TAs, and thought the entertainment crew did an outstanding job offering a variety of activities. You can actually forget to relax if you try to participate in everything. The Roll Calls have also been very active, planning even more activities and I have made some wonderful long term friends who I may not have met in a port intensive cruise.

 

Food wise, somebody already said it, but even if the food is a bit repetitive, it can be at home too. I usually skip breakfast, take a deck walk or catch a morning activity, than a light lunch. I love the tutti salad bar on RCCL, and have been known to eat it 5 days in a row. Since it's only offered on sea days, you can eat to your hearts content on a TA! Afternoons, I'm usually at the pool, or curled up reading a book, or both :). If I remember correctly, there are no repeat menus on the TAs, or any long cruise for that matter, so the dinner menus will always have different choices available.

 

B2Bs are a slightly different vibe. 1st of all, if you choose well, you will have few if any repeat ports. A B2B, like a 14 day cruise, can wear you out if you have big plans for every port. It's your choice if that works for you, or if you want to take advantage and hang out on the ship while everyone is out in port. Remember, the spa always runs specials on port days! It's a great chance for a massage!

 

Probably my least favorite part of the B2B experience is the interaction with other guests. It's a bit of an out of body experience to watch the ship turn over, as the old guests ramp up to leave, and the new guests come on board harried from travel. Again, participating in your roll call can help you connect with other B2Bers to make the transition less stark.

 

While it is true food & entertainment repeat for the most part on a B2B, I think it gives you a chance to try things you never get around to doing in a 7 day cruise. I know I'm a creature of habit, and on roast duck night in the MDR, I have roast duck. On a B2B, I may have the duck again, or I may actually look the menu over and try something new. I think there is always some new entertainment on board each week, even if the productions shows are the same. If you don't want to go to the show, it gives you a chance to watch a movie on the pool deck, or sit in the piano bar. You can create a completely different cruise experience by doing everything you didn't do the 1st week!

 

Because of work, I have never had a chance for longer than 14 days, but Fall of 2017 I have managed to squeeze in a 3rd week and will be doing a TA B2B with a 6 day Caribbean loop on the FOS. I am curious just how long I would have to be on a ship before I got tired of it, and I hope I never find out!

Edited June 30, 2016 by Goes Cruising

[Paulette3028]

We also have figured out we DON'T HAVE TO EAT EVERY MEAL!!!

 

Oh no.......never miss a meal....can't imagine it. LOL

[tlatrice]

Oh! I can't wait to have such concerns! One day... one day...:D:p

 

MAN, tell me about it! I can't WAIT to be able to do a transatlantic or transpacific!!!! Although I'll probably have to do it solo. I can't think of anyone who'd want to do it with me! LOL!!! Most of my family thought 7 days was too long!

Edited June 30, 2016 by tlatrice

[tlatrice]

You can create a completely different cruise experience by doing everything you didn't do the 1st week!

 

Because of work, I have never had a chance for longer than 14 days, but Fall of 2017 I have managed to squeeze in a 3rd week and will be doing a TA B2B with a 6 day Caribbean loop on the FOS. I am curious just how long I would have to be on a ship before I got tired of it, and I hope I never find out!

 

Awesome perspective!!!!

 

And that Fall 2017 itinerary sounds amazing!!!!

[debshomespun]

We love B2B's! Or the longer cruises. Our longest was a 30 night round trip out of San Diego. We cruised first to Hawaii, then down to the South Pacific, before returning. We had 16 sea days, and were never bored. I only gained 3 lbs. on the cruise. I ate my meals on the ship very similar to the way I eat at home, plus added many desserts! :D We did lots of walking both on and off the ship.

 

We also have done a 21 night (10 & 11 night B2B on Legend) and also had a fantastic time. We only go to some of the shows, as we have seen so many on our cruises. At several dinners, I would only order salad and soup, or an appetizer would be my main dish. Breakfast is mostly fruits. Lunch is salad and dessert. I don't drink much, so not alot of extra calories there.

 

I also love to read on the deck overlooking the ocean. I never tire of this activity. :D We also love to visit the Caribbean and do Island Hopping on the Cruise Ships.

 

The 7 night cruises are not long enough for us. We usually try to do the longer itineraries and still do B2B either on the same ship, or different ships.

[PCWalton1]

For the longer cruises we have done such as the 15 day Panama Canal there was no repetition in port, entertainment, dinner menus.

 

When we did B2B 7 day west coast last year where everything repeated, we just made plans for doing different activities in the ports. For dinner I just ordered something I didn't order the before for variety. Marie mostly ordered the same thing as she like stability (boring :p).

 

Headliners changed week to week but even if they had not we didn't go often enough to catch anything twice.

[John&LaLa]

For the longer cruises we have done such as the 15 day Panama Canal there was no repetition in port, entertainment, dinner menus.

 

When we did B2B 7 day west coast last year where everything repeated, we just made plans for doing different activities in the ports. For dinner I just ordered something I didn't order the before for variety. Marie mostly ordered the same thing as she like stability (boring :p).

 

Headliners changed week to week but even if they had not we didn't go often enough to catch anything twice.

 

I'd rather watch a good show twice, than two awful ones. ;). Same with food.

 

I'm on 3 consecutive weeks on Oasis next year. I don't anticipate any monotony.

[PCWalton1]

I'd rather watch a good show twice, than two awful ones. ;). Same with food.

 

I'm on 3 consecutive weeks on Oasis next year. I don't anticipate any monotony.

 

Definitely not on there. Too much to do even (or eat :p) even for three weeks.

[John&LaLa]

Definitely not on there. Too much to do even (or eat :p) even for three weeks.

 

Laura is on 6 in a row. :eek:

 

I'm taking a break in the middle to check on the dog.

[Blizzard54]

When we retired earlier this year we were a little unsure how we would handle longer trips but were eager to find out. We booked 11 nights around New Zealand followed by a 24 night transpacific.

 

With moderation at the dining venues food was not an issue. There was some repeated menus but that was no problem. We did not order every course at dinner and occasionally missed either breakfast or lunch. We are when we were hungry instead of when the clock said to eat.

 

We have cruised enough that we had already had issues with seeing the same productions shows many times. Sometimes we see them again and sometimes we pass.

 

Never during the 35 night trip did we feel it was too long.

I ending the voyage 1 pound lighter than when we started.

 

I have now book a number of multi cruise trips over the next 18 months.

They range from 14 night B2B to 53 night B5B.

 

We have been dreaming about this for many years.

We do not expect to get bored.

[davekathy]

We prefer B2Bs. 14 nights is not too long for us. Menus do repeat but there's always plenty of different selections to try. Some entrees are worth having a second time. Production shows will repeat but guest entertainers change. Hell Cruise the same ship consecutive years and the production shows and menus are the same. For us no big deal. We just make sure when we are doing Caribbean B2Bs we have different itineraries and the same stateroom.