Jump to content

14 Day cruise....really "back to back" info please...


chloemonkey
 Share

Recommended Posts

We are doing a cruise booked as 14 day to the Caribbean....but it is actually two 7 day cruises....so I think the term "back to back" really applies.

 

Any of you that have done this sort of booking please chime in....will we habe to get off of the ship at the end of the first 7 days? How to handle tipping (already prepaid regular service charges) for Haven staff......

 

The "half way" point will be Miami....and I have tentatively booked a tour for part of the day....but we have already done NUMEROUS tours of Miami and would prob rather just stay on the ship if this is possible...but I need the experts out there to chime in on issues such as this......Customs, Immigration.......etc. We DO have the same stateroom....so no need to pack at least!

 

All thoughts hints will be appreciated!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes you do have to leave the ship, you will be given instructions. Usually you will wait in a lounge and all who are doing B2B will be escorted off, you hang around a specific area in the terminal and get back on board when they tell you. You can then just go have lunch in the DR avoid the crowds and have a nice relaxing day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You'll leave the ship until the count zero's out . Be aware that if you take a tour , you normally aren't allowed to board until general boarding starts.

If stay on board , when you disembark and clear customs. You'll be held in an area . As soon as the count is zero'd , you'll be allowed on board.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are doing a cruise booked as 14 day to the Caribbean....but it is actually two 7 day cruises....so I think the term "back to back" really applies.

 

Any of you that have done this sort of booking please chime in....will we habe to get off of the ship at the end of the first 7 days? How to handle tipping (already prepaid regular service charges) for Haven staff......

 

The "half way" point will be Miami....and I have tentatively booked a tour for part of the day....but we have already done NUMEROUS tours of Miami and would prob rather just stay on the ship if this is possible...but I need the experts out there to chime in on issues such as this......Customs, Immigration.......etc. We DO have the same stateroom....so no need to pack at least!

 

All thoughts hints will be appreciated!

 

 

I would imagine that the fact that you are a Haven guest will smoothe the process for you considerably. Talk to the concierge early in the cruise about what you can expect and how he can assist you. I have read here about them escorting their b2b passengers off. Let him know about your tour to see if there will be any problem.

 

As far as tipping, I'd handle that just like you were getting off the ship in Miami and then again prior to final debark. That way you are tipping for the service you got on each segment. And you never know when staff might change between cruises, and you might not see that person again after you reboard.

Edited by punkincc
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We just did a similar back-to-back that we booked as one 13-day cruise. I can't comment on getting on/off the ship b/c we actually cleared immigration in Portland, Maine the day before, so we didn't have to get off the ship at all. As for the tipping in the Haven, we received info in our room the night before our "turnaround day" that confirmed we would have the same concierge, butler and room steward on the second half of the trip, so we took care of all tips at the end of the cruise.

 

One thing that I saw at least one family forget to do that luckily I thought of at the last minute -- if you are interested in your photos from the first half of your cruise, stop down in the photo gallery and let them know you are on a B2B. I did this and they tagged our photo binder so the photos wouldn't be tossed. On the last night of the B2B I saw a couple distraught because they were on the same B2B and their photos from the first segment were gone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks all! I am just going to be happy that although we may have to leave the ship....that we are some of the fortunate "few" that are also going to get right back onboard!

 

It will all work out......it always does! Again, thanks to those of you that took the time to respond to my post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My parents did a B2B, booked as one cruise, this past Feb. They were told that if they got off the ship on their own in Canaveral they could not get back on until boarding started again. However, as a PP stated, if they met in the meeting place at a certain time and were then escorted off the ship they could then come and go as they pleased throughout the day.

 

Not sure what happens if you booked it as 2 separate cruises though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

....

 

One thing that I saw at least one family forget to do that luckily I thought of at the last minute -- if you are interested in your photos from the first half of your cruise, stop down in the photo gallery and let them know you are on a B2B. I did this and they tagged our photo binder so the photos wouldn't be tossed. On the last night of the B2B I saw a couple distraught because they were on the same B2B and their photos from the first segment were gone.

 

They will also let you store your pics on a regular cruise as well. That way you don't have to search for all your pics at the end of the cruise. Just go down when you are ready to buy them and pick out the keepers.

Edited by jimsig
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...

If you are already a Cruise Critic member, please log in with your existing account information or your email address and password.