B2B question

[txd]

We booked B2B Cruises, and the same cabin to stay. How does it work. Do you need packing, disembark and re- embark the ship? Is there a rule for people taking B2B cruises?

Thanks

[wrk2cruise]

If you are in the same cabin you don't need to do anything with your belongings, they can stay in the room.  In US ports you are required to disembark and go through immigration and re-board the ship.  They do this in a very organized way as a group.  You will be asked to meet somewhere on the ship and will be escorted off and back on without having to go through checkin again. 

 

If you choose to go off and and explore you will be provided an in transit pass which will allow you to disembark the ship anytime after it has been cleared but won't be able to embark again until after they start boarding the new passengers.  Again you don't have to do checkin as you're in transit pass will get you back on.

 

They will provide you a letter during your first cruise explaining all the options.  Don't worry about it, many people do it and it's painless.

 

Did you remember to get the B2B discount applied to your reservations?

[Jim_Iain]

If you are in the same cabin you will not need to pack up anything.   Just leave it.

 

A couple days before the end of the cruise you will receive an invite to a B2B meeting where they will go over the process.   Turn around for b2b's may vary by port but are similar.  

 

You will have two options -  If you wish to go ashore early you can do so but will be restricted to re-boarding until general boarding.   You original card will be taken from you when you leave the ship and You will be given a Transit Pass.   When you return you will be directed to a special agent who will have your new SeaPass.

 

If staying aboard, Usually you will meet in a location with all B2B's.    After all passengers leave the ship the B2B's will be escorted into the terminal again your Original Seapass will be taken from you by security as you leave the ship.    In the terminal you will be give your new seapass and depending on ports will be required to do a quick immigration check.   Many ports you will not be asked to clear immigration.   Once the ship is zeroed out you will be escorted back aboard.     

[varoo]

18 minutes ago, txd said:

We booked B2B Cruises, and the same cabin to stay. How does it work. Do you need packing, disembark and re- embark the ship? Is there a rule for people taking B2B cruises?

Thanks

 

Which ship?  Which port?

The procedure is handled differently at different ports, and sometimes even handled differently at different times at the same port.

You may or may not be required to leave the ship.  They will explain the procedure for your particular turn-around day when you go to the meeting.

   

 

[Orator]

Remember that on Celebrity a B2B is treated as two separate cruises. Any non refundable OBC will be lost since and any refundable credit will be refunded. You will need to create to register for internet using a different user name. The information of other posters is spot on. As indicated you will receive specific directions and transit passes in your cabin toward the end of your first cruise.

[txd]

Thanks for the detail explanations. I didn’t know about B2B discount. I’ll contact Celebrity today. We are cruising for many years and I truly believe that CCMB is the best source of information. 

TD

[healthworker]

Wondering if any specifics to Miami? Doing b2b on infinity. Would like to walk around in port a bit

[mom says]

9 minutes ago, healthworker said:

Wondering if any specifics to Miami? Doing b2b on infinity. Would like to walk around in port a bit

The procedure is no different than other US ports, as described above.

 

ETA- google the Miami port. It's huge, but there's nothing there except ships and terminals. If you mean you want to walk around in Miami, you'll need a taxi or Uber.

Edited August 19, 2019 by mom says

[txd]

Dear Varoo, we are on Reflection out of Civitavecchia Oct. 2020

[Orator]

30 minutes ago, txd said:

Dear Varoo, we are on Reflection out of Civitavecchia Oct. 2020

You can take the shuttle to the port entrance and walk to town. Train station is a sort walk, just follow those carrying luggage. You can get a train to Rome, but be sure to get back in time to the ship. If you are a high stress person you might want to stay in Civitavecchia You will use the Transit Pass to reboard. You will be instructed where to pick up your new Seapass card .

Edited August 19, 2019 by Orator

[Orator]

37 minutes ago, mom says said:

The procedure is no different than other US ports, as described above.

 

ETA- google the Miami port. It's huge, but there's nothing there except ships and terminals. If you mean you want to walk around in Miami, you'll need a taxi or Uber.

I walk to Bayside. Just leave the port area wand walk on the Bridge.

[mom says]

1 hour ago, Orator said:

I walk to Bayside. Just leave the port area wand walk on the Bridge.

If you find that walk enjoyable, then that's great. Me, I'll take a cab.

 

[LeeW]

2 hours ago, mom says said:

The procedure is no different than other US ports, as described above.

 

ETA- google the Miami port. It's huge, but there's nothing there except ships and terminals. If you mean you want to walk around in Miami, you'll need a taxi or Uber.

 

Miami Trolley is a good choice to get to the city.  Free, runs about every 20 minutes.  Not suitable for luggage, but great on B2B turnaround day.

[healthworker]

Great ideas. Thanks everyone!

[Denny01]

3 hours ago, txd said:

Dear Varoo, we are on Reflection out of Civitavecchia Oct. 2020

For a Euro port, you treat it like a normal port call. No checking with any customs or security. You just leave the ship and return as if it’s just another port of call. 

 

It’s great. You relax and enjoy the ship the night prior while everyone else is packing and closing up their stuff. One recommendation is either sign up for a tour that takes you off the ship as a group or wait a bit for all to leave the cruise so you don’t get caught up in all the crowd exiting. 

 

You’ll be told what to do the day or so prior, but usually you just turn you old card in and get a new one (depends on how digital they are on this ship now) and they return the old card later so you don’t mix them up.

 

We’ve done a goodly number of US and Euro B2Bs and love it!

 

Den

[mickey89]

Many of the security personnel especially in Miami must be casual labour or inadequately trained as on our B2B we had a lot of hassle getting back on the ship after a few hours ashore. 

[phoenix_dream]

One thing I learned on our B2B's is not to leave valuables out in your cabin.  Last time we did a B2B, our room steward forgot (I assume) that we were B2B and left our cabin door unlocked when he was done cleaning it.  Glad we did not have anything of value laying around.  Just a word to the wise.

 

I think you got a lot of good advice, above.  To the person inquiring about Miami - keep in mind that unless you arrange to get off the ship early, there really isn't a lot of time to do much.  Nothing is really close, and you can't easily just get off and walk around casually like you could in many of the Caribbean ports or Key West.  With the next group starting to board before 11:00 am, and the ship sailing probably at 4:00, that doesn't leave much time.  Personally in that port I recommend just staying on the ship and relaxing.

[rdt10]

7 hours ago, txd said:

Dear Varoo, we are on Reflection out of Civitavecchia Oct. 2020

This June on the Constellation in Civitavecchia for a B2B we were given a letter to attend a B2B meeting that covered the transition process. The transition day, we met at 9:00 in Rendezvous bar and traded our old seapasses for new ones. As we left the area, they had set up a scanner and scanned our new cards. We did not have to leave the ship and could use our cabin. We were given transfer passes if we wanted to leave the ship to avoid having to go through check-in again. We stayed onboard as there is not much to do in Civitavecchia and didn't feel there was enough time to go to Rome as all aboard was 3:30.

[carbon]

What is the b2b discount?

[davekathy]

11 hours ago, txd said:

We booked B2B Cruises, and the same cabin to stay. How does it work. Do you need packing, disembark and re- embark the ship? Is there a rule for people taking B2B cruises?

Thanks

Having the same cabin for each leg is a must for us. You will receive a detailed letter in your stateroom on what the TAD procedure will be for your specific cruise a day or two before the first leg of your B2B cruise is over. It will tell you where to meet, what time to meet and what you will need to bring with you. Once you have completed the TAD process you are free to do what you want. If you want to go back to your stateroom you are allowed to. The fire doors will be shut (not locked) to the corridors. You are allowed to open them. Just make sure to close them behind you.  We have always had a lunch in the MDR for consecutive cruisers on TAD. 

Edited August 20, 2019 by davekathy

[davekathy]

17 minutes ago, carbon said:

What is the b2b discount?

All of our B2B cruise have been 7 days per leg. We have received $50.00 per leg, per stateroom. 

[txd]

37 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Having the same cabin for each leg is a must for us. You will receive a detailed letter in your stateroom on what the TAD procedure will be for your specific cruise a day or two before the first leg of your B2B cruise is over. It will tell you where to meet, what time to meet and what you will need to bring with you. Once you have completed the TAD process you are free to do what you want. If you want to go back to your stateroom you are allowed to. The fire doors will be shut (not locked) to the corridors. You are allowed to open them. Just make sure to close them behind you.  We have always had a lunch in the MDR for consecutive cruisers on TAD. 

Davekathy, what will happen if you have two different cabins and not the same for both legs of the trip?

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, txd said:

Davekathy, what will happen if you have two different cabins and not the same for both legs of the trip?

 

 

I am not "davekathy" but almost all of our cruises are B2B, B2B2B or B2B2B2B series.  We spend 60 to 90 nights a year on Celebrity ships.  If you suspect that we are Zenith members of the loyalty program you would be correct.

 

If you have two different staterooms, the move process is very simple.  Celebrity will ask you to pack your clothes in the drawers (they will give you plastic bags if you wish) and your toiletries.  Items hanging in the closet on hangers will remain.  Your stateroom attendant will put your luggage on a hotel bellman type of trolley, and your items on the hangers will be moved onto the trolley.  The stateroom attendant will move them to your new stateroom.  You will be responsible for moving the items in your stateroom suite.  Let your stateroom attendant know that you will be shifting staterooms, and the stateroom attendants for the first and second legs will coordinate the move.  If you decide to leave the ship for the day it is most likely that the stateroom attendants will be able to get you into the second leg stateroom to deposit your items in the safe before you leave the ship.  The stateroom attendants do this routinely.  B2B guests will receive a detailed succinct instruction letter about the turnaround day procedures, and the process will be outlined.

[fleckle]

1 hour ago, txd said:

Davekathy, what will happen if you have two different cabins and not the same for both legs of the trip?

 

Not Davekathy here, but I think I can answer this one as it is something we have done many times through the years.

The stateroom attendants will move everything for you.  They bring around a hotel type luggage cart with a hanging rack. 

 

Just let them know about it in advance.  I also request one of their large plastic trash bags as we just toss all our shoes in the bag for the move so we don't need to pack them.

The bag of shoes rides right on the luggage cart for the move.

 

Essentially,  try to leave most of your clothing on hangers as the stateroom attendants will move the stuff on hangers directly from one closet to the next, so you don't need to pack any of it. 

 

You only need to pack up the loose stuff,  (everything that is in drawers, on shelves, on the countertops, wall or floor). 

Almost everyone who has done this a few times has worked out a system for doing it that works best for them.

It takes us about 10 to 15 minutes to pack up everything in our stateroom that is not on hangers and have it all in the suitcases, ready to be moved.

 

Once we are in the new stateroom, it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to unpack it all and put everything away.   (That includes wiping surfaces down with Lysol wipes and putting the empty suitcases away under the new bed.)

 

One more thing: we like to contact the new stateroom attendant in advance and ask him/her to give us a call and leave us a message the morning of the turnaround day to let us know as soon as the previous tenants vacate their cabin so we can transfer the contents of our safe to the new safe. 

We let them know that we want to do that right away early in the morning, before they even clean or make up the room.

That way we we don't need to carry valuables from the safe around with us wherever we go on the turnaround day while waiting for the new room to be ready.

 

Also, if they know who will be changing rooms that day, they try to get the rooms for those people ready first.

 

Edited August 20, 2019 by fleckle

[grandgeezer]

We prefer to stay in the same stateroom, on a B2B, but sometimes it's not economically feasible to to do such.  We book when we find a price we can live with and sometimes we can't find a room that is available for both legs. To keep the same room for both legs of our B2B coming up, we would have to book two categories higher than we want which would raise our cost $300 p.p.

I think an extra 1/2 - 3/4 hour, each, of our time is worth $600.