PAT for B2B?

[Superdottie]

Hi, we start booking our activities for the second leg of our B2B tomorrow. I understand we’ll be required to leave the ship, but we’ll we have to reboard with a PAT time? Or do all B2B get back at the same time? 

 

I’m hoping this could be a good opportunity to book Palo brunch on board, assuming we can’t get it at our online check in...

[Shmoo here]

29 minutes ago, Superdottie said:

Hi, we start booking our activities for the second leg of our B2B tomorrow. I understand we’ll be required to leave the ship, but we’ll we have to reboard with a PAT time? Or do all B2B get back at the same time? 

 

I’m hoping this could be a good opportunity to book Palo brunch on board, assuming we can’t get it at our online check in...

Technically, no Port Arrival Time is necessary on the second cruise.  That said, however, if you're prompted to select one during your online check in process, it's a good idea to do so.

 

Once you've checked in (in the terminal) for the second cruise, you'll be the first to board (sometimes just before everyone else, sometimes an hour or so beforehand, it varies).

 

 

[Superdottie]

Great, that’s what I was hoping for. Appreciate the response! 

[chemistrynerd]

The night before disembarkation, you will have a note in your cabin describing procedures to B2B passengers.  In the past (in Port Canaveral), if you are keeping the same cabin, you'll leave all non-essentials in your cabin and meet in a lounge.  At "last call" to leave the ship (around 9:30), all the B2B passengers will disembark, go through customs, and immediately head right back into the check-in area.  You will be the first people in the terminal.  You'll wait in the concierge area.  After the all clear is given (wait varies), you'll exit the concierge area through a side door and re-board the ship.  If in the same cabin, you can go straight to your room, but the ship will not come back to life until general boarding begins.

 

My family has done two B2B cruises.  Both were in Port Canaveral.  If you're keeping the same cabin, I'd suggest going straight to your cabin and keeping low profile.  It's a great morning to enjoy the stateroom entertainment system or get a nap.  The ship staff is busy getting everything ready and the public areas (pools) are closed.  Maybe others have better ideas on how to spend this time.

[Superdottie]

Great information! Thank you!

[moki'smommy]

In our case the pools opened as soon as the cleaning was finished, so we were able to have an hour or so before others boarded.  There is also one food place open during that time....as if there isn't enough food already.  You CAN choose to leave the terminal between cruises if you wish; in that case you will check in and re-board as if it weren't a B2B.
We've done about half a dozen B2Bs on DCL.  Each one was different--follow the instructions you'll get in the letter sent to your cabin.

[dcassetta]

On both BTBs we've done we were invited to Cove Cafe for complementary coffees and snacks.  There were several officers present and we had nice conversations with them.

[gometros]

LOL. Only the only B2B I did, we would all never have fit. It was a repositioning form San Juan to PC after a Southern Caribbean and over 800 passengers stayed on for the return leg.

[cantgetin]

On 11/16/2018 at 7:43 AM, gometros said:

LOL. Only the only B2B I did, we would all never have fit. It was a repositioning form San Juan to PC after a Southern Caribbean and over 800 passengers stayed on for the return leg.

When we did the TA crossing and first Med as a B2B, there were over 125 cabins doing B2B.  The Cove Cafe was open for adults only and food and beverages were available in the Promenade Lounge for families.  On another B2B, we were the only family doing it....Cove Cafe was open for ALL until boarding began.  Reality is that we didn't need a snack between breakfast and lunch.

[DCLCrazy]

On 11/4/2018 at 10:55 AM, Superdottie said:

Hi, we start booking our activities for the second leg of our B2B tomorrow. I understand we’ll be required to leave the ship, but we’ll we have to reboard with a PAT time? Or do all B2B get back at the same time? 

 

I’m hoping this could be a good opportunity to book Palo brunch on board, assuming we can’t get it at our online check in...

We have done a B2B and until I told them before we sailed through the 800 number, they had no idea we were sailing back to back.  So make sure they know you’re doing it.  They have to check and make sure it’s kosher with the PVSA law.  Also, remember, you don’t have to go right back on board.  If you’re in a place you’ve never seen before, go ashore and treat it like another port day.  There’s not much going on onboard so you might make more of your time exploring the port.  I think you have to be back by 2.  At least we did when we were in San Juan.  Enjoy your trip!  If you’re gonna do laundry, do it the morning everyone is getting off the first leg of the trip.  You’ll have the machines all to yourself.  Just make sure you tape a note to it letting the CMs know you’re on a B2B and will be back later to get it. :)

 

[cantgetin]

The person you talk to at the 800 number often doesn't have a clue about many things.  Having done 6+ B2Bs on DCL, the appropriate people DO know that you are doing a B2B, whether a simple one out of PC or a  complex one as in Europe tied to a Trans-Atlantic.  There is no worry about the "Jones act", also known as PVSA--on those very rare DCL cruises where it matters, the computer will not permit you to book a violation!  Typical DCL cruises (by that, I exclude things like 2 night cruises) are fine.

 

The laundry hint is one we often use, and DO label the machine with a note that you are on a B2B so your stuff doesn't end up in "Lost and Found" in the terminal!

 

You can choose to get off and enjoy the port.  In this case, you cannot re-board until general boarding starts and must be back on before "all aboard" time.  Remember that you do need to check in again on DCL, so you can't show up one minute before "all aboard!  You can also choose to basically have the ship to yourself.  True, there are no activities scheduled until boarding starts, but  at least one location, usually the Cove Cafe, will be open for munchies and beverages.  The pools will re-open as soon as they are cleaned.  It is a great time to take photos of the ship with no people in them or to just hang out and enjoy the alone time.  You DO NOT need a PAT if you are doing a B2B.  If you are staying on board (not exploring the port), you typically go thru Customs, turn and re-enter the terminal, and wait till they open the computers for the new cruise.  Then you check in and re-board before the terminal opens to new passengers. So yes, all B2Bs remaining on board can board at the same time.  We've had cruises where we were the only cabin doing a B2B and times when there were 125+ cabins doing it.  The reservations area for Palo will not be open when you re-board. Check the Navigator for the opening time--we've seen it  as soon as boarding starts and also at a specified time.

 

On most of our B2Bs, we got a call from "Dining" at the end of the first leg, asking if we had all the reservations we wanted for the second leg.  Translation--they would book Palo/Remy for us before those reservations opened up to new cruisers on board.  The only time this didn't happen was when we were on cruises with lots of cabins doing B2Bs.  If you don't get a call, it won't hurt to go to Palo on the last day of leg 1 and ask if you can make a reservation for leg 2.  The worst they can do is to say "no."

 

I should note that EACH of our B2Bs had some different features.  In some cases it seemed to depend on the number of B2Bs.  US ports generally required us to get off and go thru Customs, then re-board within an hour or so.  European ports had different rules in different years.  We've had everything from get off for several hours to just go to GS at a specified time to get a new KTTW card.  The one thing that has been consistent is that you'll get an instruction sheet in your cabin on the last day with all the instructions you'll need.

[Shmoo here]

39 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

"Jones act", also known as PVSA

While similar in content, the Jones Act and the PVSA are different laws  The difference being that the Jones Act applies to cargo and the PVSA applies to passengers.