B2B Question

[Dejlig Ko]

This is at Los Angeles on the Bliss. Will the B2B passengers be allowed back on the ship prior to the new passengers that will embark? Do I need to let NCL know in advance (1st cruise was a direct with NCL booking and the 2nd one with a Travel Agent)? Thank you in advance!

[casofilia]

You will get sheets of information towards the end of the first cruise. Take a tour between the cruises and wear your "In Transit" sticker when you get back to the boat to bypass the new passengers.

[phoenix1181]

Since you booked both separately, I would visit Guest Services in the first couple of days to be sure you receive information relative to disembark & re-boarding. I believe in most, if not all, ports you are required to exit the ship & once it's cleared, you can re-board as an "In Transit" cruiser.

 

You may want to re-onboard & enjoy the pool deck while it's nice & quiet.

 

Enjoy your cruises!!

[MeHeartCruising]

I would also ask your Travel Agent for cruise #2 if they would contact NCL and do whatever needs to be done to update NCL records that you are doing a back-to-back. It is that record keeping that automatically puts you in the process of notifying you of what that particular does for back-to-backs. Then, as someone said above, you should still stop at Guest Services once on the ship to double check they have you set up as doing the B2B. They can then more fully describe your options for turnaround day.

[don't-use-real-name]

Another small issue is your luggage and carry-on gear:

 

If doing a B2B you don't need to haul it all off the ship to bring it back on.

If staying in the same cabin it just remains there and the cabin steward

does his job just like any other cruise day.

If changing cabins you pack up all your gear and between your present

cabin steward and the new one the luggage gear is taken to the new

cabin and then you unpack and put things in place.

 

A slightly larger issue is the muster drill - you must attend another

muster drill. Thus you must be back on board by the required time before

sailing to attend the drill.

 

The MAIN issue will be merging or separation of the On Board Accounts

however that is handled ! One big bill or two smaller ones.

 

INTRANSIT guests are generally allowed to board the ship ahead of any

other classes of guests once a Zero Head Count and clearance is obtained.

These same guests can if they wish go on shore excursions visits shopping

or other activities and board later at their convenience.

[mugtech]

If the port is the first US port after going to foreign ports then everyone must get off the ship. In Vancouver and San Juan we were b2b but not required to leave the ship.

[terri910]

If the port is the first US port after going to foreign ports then everyone must get off the ship. In Vancouver and San Juan we were b2b but not required to leave the ship.

We have an upcoming B2B that begins Venice-to-Rome, and then the 2nd leg is Rome-TA-to-Miami. Are you saying we won't necessarily HAVE to disembark in Civitavecchia? (I anticipate we will, just to walk around the town, but we aren't planning on going in to Rome because we will have visited there on our land trip before boarding the first leg in Venice)

[phoenix1181]

We have an upcoming B2B that begins Venice-to-Rome, and then the 2nd leg is Rome-TA-to-Miami. Are you saying we won't necessarily HAVE to disembark in Civitavecchia? (I anticipate we will, just to walk around the town, but we aren't planning on going in to Rome because we will have visited there on our land trip before boarding the first leg in Venice)

 

Generally, B2B guests are directed to gather in a lounge to meet a crew member who will lead them off the ship. Those who choose to, wait in the terminal with the crew member & when the ship is cleared, they can return to the ship.

[Katie H]

We did a B2B2B on the Pearl a few years ago. The middle leg was Vancouver to LA. I always wondered why we did not have to get off the ship in LA and I think something someone posted above explains it. We had several stops in US ports before arriving in LA.

 

 

On NCL, there is usually a note in the daily saying if you are B2B to please bring your cruise documents for the next cruise to guest relations. It only took a few minutes for them to do whatever they do. We then got a letter telling us what to do on turn around day. When changing cabins, the letter includes luggage tags noting your old cabin number and new cabin number. You are told to put the tags on your luggage but to leave the luggage in the cabin. The cabin stewards took care of everything. We did not pack the clothes hanging in the closet and they were moved to the closet in the new cabin.

 

 

 

We have done B2B while changing cabins on other lines, but NCL was by far the easiest. Of course, it is much nicer when not changing cabins.

[casofilia]

Exactly as Katie H says. Read everything and carry out what is required; so very simple.

[terri910]

Generally, B2B guests are directed to gather in a lounge to meet a crew member who will lead them off the ship. Those who choose to, wait in the terminal with the crew member & when the ship is cleared, they can return to the ship.

We'll be old hands at it eventually...*L* We are actually on B2B2B2B cruises on the Star....beginning in Venice, and ending up in Los Angeles!

[MeHeartCruising]

We have an upcoming B2B that begins Venice-to-Rome, and then the 2nd leg is Rome-TA-to-Miami. Are you saying we won't necessarily HAVE to disembark in Civitavecchia? (I anticipate we will, just to walk around the town, but we aren't planning on going in to Rome because we will have visited there on our land trip before boarding the first leg in Venice)

 

Country's rules can change. And, I think it can vary from cruise line to cruise line and possibly even ship to ship... BUT, I can tell you when I did a B2B in 2010 that had Civitavecchia as the change-over port, Royal Caribbean gave us the choice of staying on the ship or exiting and returning later in the day. Even if we chose to get off and return, they told us how to bypass the full check-in process and return via another entrance more directly to the ship. For those that chose to stay on the ship, they still made us walk down to the gangway location where passengers were being "scanned" OFF the first cruise. They would scan you OFF and then immediately scan you ON the second cruise using your second ID card (which was given to you on board as part of the process). Once processed OFF and then back ON, you were free to go back on the ship and do what you wanted. I chose to get off the ship and walked around Civitavecchia a little bit and had some lunch. Then I returned to the ship around noon, maybe. I think regular boarding had already begun, but I still used the provided bypass route.

Edited September 9, 2018 by MeHeartCruising