B2B short cruises

[Milwaukee Eight]

9 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I just feel it's a wasted day. And not a fan of muster. So we prefer one 7 day to a 3/4 b2b.

 

Plus, you dont have time to go anywhere. 

You could go visit Bella if you were in PC. 

[Cruisegirl6]

1 hour ago, orville99 said:

Since we rarely get off any ship to visit ports anymore, we look at a B2B 3/4 or 4/3 as just another 7-night cruise. Sailing out of Port Canaveral with the choice of Harmony or Mariner gives us two good ships to choose from. We currently have three B2B's booked on Mariner, and were able to do those in a JS for about the same price as a 7-night on Harmony in a OV balcony.

Having 92 cruises under my belt, we also really don't get off at ports....other than San Juan for a lunch/dinner or if we do the ABC islands.  The reason why we chose B2B on the Mariner is because its a ship we never been on and its been recently renovated.  We will book the Harmony for October so it be nice going on two different ships next year.

 

I am glad to hear we get our cards on the ship and not have to get off, but how do we go through customs while on the ship?  Is it done in that designated room?

[orville99]

11 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Having 92 cruises under my belt, we also really don't get off at ports....other than San Juan for a lunch/dinner or if we do the ABC islands.  The reason why we chose B2B on the Mariner is because its a ship we never been on and its been recently renovated.  We will book the Harmony for October so it be nice going on two different ships next year.

 

I am glad to hear we get our cards on the ship and not have to get off, but how do we go through customs while on the ship?  Is it done in that designated room?

The last  B2B was a bit different because of hurricane Dorian, but normally you will meet around 9:30 in a venue like the schooner bar, get your new sea pass cards, and then take a quick walk as a group off the ship to clear customs. If everything runs smoothly, the entire process takes less than an hour out of your day. 

[pcur]

16 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

We just booked up the Mariner B2B curious, I realize most people that do this book week long cruises, but do you book B2B on 3/4 night cruises?  We will be going to Coco Cay twice so I think that is good.  Just curious whether people book B2B on short cruises?

We've got  3 b2b cruises in 2021:  4 nt, 5 nt, 5 nt.  I don't think I'd do anything shorter as a b2b, because you have to keep doing the muster drill for each cruise.  Having to deal with that every 2 or 3 days would be a pain.

[orville99]

16 hours ago, rafinmd said:

I think I read on the "I'm a crew member" thread that the Mariner is now visiting Coco Cay twice on the 4-day so you'll actually have visits there.  I would personally prefer a 7 night cruise but 7 days is better than 4 any way you do it.

 

Roy

Only double-dipping at coco cay on select sailings. 

[Cruisegirl6]

56 minutes ago, orville99 said:

The last  B2B was a bit different because of hurricane Dorian, but normally you will meet around 9:30 in a venue like the schooner bar, get your new sea pass cards, and then take a quick walk as a group off the ship to clear customs. If everything runs smoothly, the entire process takes less than an hour out of your day. 

Wow, isn't that a long walk, we have my 81 year old father in law.  How long did it take to get off the ship then back on and did you wait in a long line to clear customs?

[Merion_Mom]

7 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Wow, isn't that a long walk, we have my 81 year old father in law.  How long did it take to get off the ship then back on and did you wait in a long line to clear customs?

 

1. You can get a wheelchair for Dad.

 

2. Most times, you practically jog past the agent, flashing your passport, and you are on your way.  (that's only slightly hyperbolic 😉 )

 

[orville99]

9 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Wow, isn't that a long walk, we have my 81 year old father in law.  How long did it take to get off the ship then back on and did you wait in a long line to clear customs?

In port Canaveral they use facial recognition at customs so clearing takes maybe 15 seconds per passenger.

[Cruisegirl6]

1 minute ago, orville99 said:

In port Canaveral they use facial recognition at customs so clearing takes maybe 15 seconds per passenger.

So we do have to get off, RC said we just go to the designated room and get our new cards and we don't have to get off....so we would have to get off the ship using the ramps walk all the way down to near the baggage claim and walk back on the ship?  sorry we are so confused lol.

2 minutes ago, orville99 said:

 

[orville99]

42 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

So we do have to get off, RC said we just go to the designated room and get our new cards and we don't have to get off....so we would have to get off the ship using the ramps walk all the way down to near the baggage claim and walk back on the ship?  sorry we are so confused lol.

On our last B2B on Harmony three weeks ago, we got off and went through the facial recognition scanner in the terminal. We will be on a B2B on Mariner in two weeks, and I expect we'll go through the same process on that one. I expect that the decision on doing customs screening on board or in the terminal is based somewhat on how many passengers are doing a B2B. There were ~100 of us on the Harmony B2B.

[Cruisegirl6]

Thank you!

[cruisegirl1]

 We seem to take a couple of sets of 3N/4N (or 5N/4N) back to back cruises each year.    While  we prefer the seven nights or longer or even seven nights back to back, that is not always possible. 

 

 Because we have to fly or drive eight hours to a cruise, we rarely if ever consider a three or four night cruise alone, and always add a second cruise to it.      We enjoy every one  of them. We are not bothered by the second Muster drill or anything else that is required on the second cruise.  We seem to enjoy ourselves on the turnaround day.  We  have our luggage, have access to our cabin, and find it a very relaxing day. In the US port, we have rarely  gotten off the ship  on turn around day , except once or twice to drop something off at the car.  

 

 We also don’t live near a beach, and when we cruise the Caribbean, enjoy going to the beaches. So we don’t mind that we go to Coco cay twice in one week (on one of our upcoming 4N cruises we are going twice on one cruise.  (In fact Coco Cay is a great deal, as going to the beach on other islands requires a cab ride, entrance to the beach or paying for an on inclusive etc. )

 

 I might not bother with the option if I lived nearby and could just drive an hour or less to get on a cruise for a long weekend. Our situation doesn’t allow that so we enjoy our short B2B cruises  or a B3B a  now try to do a seven night B2B because of travel  time and expense  

 

enjoy

 

m

 

 

 

 

[cruisegirl1]

3 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Having 92 cruises under my belt, we also really don't get off at ports....

 Surprised that you haven’t had a B2B yet. I’m suspecting that once you try it, you’ll be hooked

 

enjoy

m

[Cruisegirl6]

3 hours ago, pcur said:

We've got  3 b2b cruises in 2021:  4 nt, 5 nt, 5 nt.  I don't think I'd do anything shorter as a b2b, because you have to keep doing the muster drill for each cruise.  Having to deal with that every 2 or 3 days would be a pain.

Agree, three would be too much of a pain for the muster drill, the only thing I cringing on is seeing that washy washy detective movie again, they really need to change it, I so tired of it. 

[Cruisegirl6]

50 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

 Surprised that you haven’t had a B2B yet. I’m suspecting that once you try it, you’ll be hooked

 

enjoy

m

My other half never wanted to do a B2B thinks its a pain, but I finally said Harmony (and we be back in October) or B2B on a ship we never been on thats been newly renovated so he is going to give it a try.  I do believe he find its really no big deal especially we don't cruise for ports but the ship.  😁

[cruisegirl1]

13 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Agree, three would be too much of a pain for the muster drill, the only thing I cringing on is seeing that washy washy detective movie again, they really need to change it, I so tired of it. 

 I don’t believe they show that movie during the Mariner Muster drill. It will be playing on TV but you are not subject to it during the drill. 

 

M

Edited September 30, 2019 by cruisegirl1

[brillohead]

I did this exact B2B last week -- three day on 9/20 then four day on 9/23 on Mariner, debarking on 9/27.  

We met around 9:00ish in the Star Lounge on turnaround day, they went around and handed out new room cards and took our pictures with the iPad, then when they were ready they escorted us off the ship (scan out with old card), through the facial recognition, and back around to the boarding area where we sat in chairs for about 10 minutes or so before boarding again (scan in with new card).  

Definitely get a wheelchair for anyone with mobility issues, it's a LOT of walking (I have a bum knee and was ever so grateful for the seating in the boarding area!).  

The fire doors will be closed (but not locked), but you can go back to your room before the 1:00 announcement.  (Just don't let any "regular" cruisers follow you through the fire door, as their rooms aren't ready yet.)  They also offered a sit-down meal in the MDR for consecutive cruisers, so we didn't have to deal with the hordes in the Windjammer, which made for a more peaceful meal experience.

You can get yourself a prime seat on the pool deck or in the Solarium, since you're the first ones on the boat.  Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can!

We also told our room steward that he didn't have to service our room that morning, and kept our "do not disturb" magnet on the door.  We're pretty low maintenance, and we had plenty of towels for that evening still, so missing the morning service was no big deal to us, but gave our room steward a little bit of a break.

[Cruisegirl6]

3 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

 I don’t believe they show that movie during the Mariner Muster drill. It will be playing on TV but you are not subject to it during the drill. 

 

M

😃

[Cruisegirl6]

51 minutes ago, brillohead said:

I did this exact B2B last week -- three day on 9/20 then four day on 9/23 on Mariner, debarking on 9/27.  

We met around 9:00ish in the Star Lounge on turnaround day, they went around and handed out new room cards and took our pictures with the iPad, then when they were ready they escorted us off the ship (scan out with old card), through the facial recognition, and back around to the boarding area where we sat in chairs for about 10 minutes or so before boarding again (scan in with new card).  

Definitely get a wheelchair for anyone with mobility issues, it's a LOT of walking (I have a bum knee and was ever so grateful for the seating in the boarding area!).  

The fire doors will be closed (but not locked), but you can go back to your room before the 1:00 announcement.  (Just don't let any "regular" cruisers follow you through the fire door, as their rooms aren't ready yet.)  They also offered a sit-down meal in the MDR for consecutive cruisers, so we didn't have to deal with the hordes in the Windjammer, which made for a more peaceful meal experience.

You can get yourself a prime seat on the pool deck or in the Solarium, since you're the first ones on the boat.  Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can!

We also told our room steward that he didn't have to service our room that morning, and kept our "do not disturb" magnet on the door.  We're pretty low maintenance, and we had plenty of towels for that evening still, so missing the morning service was no big deal to us, but gave our room steward a little bit of a break.

Thank you so very much.  I need two knee replacements, right one right now and left can wait but medicare won't pay for stem cells so I am trying to hold off in hopes one day soon they will cover it.  My father in law is 81, I guess you can say we just walk slow but its good that we won't have to deal with those long lines and are together as a group and probably by pass all the lines and such off the ship and back onto the ship?

Breakfast, that is nice, I assume they let us know what time to have breakfast in the MDR, that is nice, do you recall what time breakfast started and ended?

That is great we can go right to the room when we reboard the ship, we have to change rooms, we have ocean balconies for the 3 night and JS for the 4 night.  About what time would you say you got back on the ship for the second part of your cruise and did you board first before everybody else?

Edited October 1, 2019 by Cruisegirl6

[JupiterTwo]

We're doing our first B2B in January on the Enchantment of the Seas out of Galveston. It's a 4/5 Galveston-Cozumel-Galveston-Progreso-Cozumel-Galveston. When we booked it, we were going to Costa Maya, but the Enchantment is having chronic propulsion problems, so Royal swapped Progreso for Costa Maya.

 

We're doing it for suite points. After our cruise on the Liberty in August, we moved up to Emerald. This B2B will put us in Diamond.

 

Unfortunately, we will have to move about 3 doors down on the second leg.

 

Steve

[cruisegirl1]

 Breakfast hours will be listed in the Compass.     Breakfast will be available in the windjammer,  main dining room and possibly other areas of the ship.  You are likely aware that on that last morning, breakfast starts and ends a little bit earlier then on a usual day on the ship.  And of course, no room service, even if you are back to back in the same cabin  

 

 Don’t get too hung up on the specific details  as the process can change slightly from cruise to cruise.    You will be escorted every place you need to go. Those who need to take an elevator vs  escalator to do so. 

 

I see you are changing cabins. . They will explain the process that you leave your hanging clothes in the closet and put all your other items in the suitcase. They will move your suitcases for you. Often, if our new room is ready, we simply move our suitcases ourselves and let them moving hanging clothes later.  In every back to back we’ve had, our clothes have been in the new cabin by the time  we have re-boarded the ship.  And every time except one, the room has already been serviced. 

 

 It is not a bad idea mid cruise to go to guest services or the concierge to make sure that they have you listed as a back to back cruiser. 

 

 You will clear at your folio for one cruise and start fresh for the second.  So, if you have any onboard credit you have not used, you need to make sure you use it before the second cruise. If you want give crew any additional gratuities,  it is generally best to do it after the first cruise as they may not be serving you during the second cruise. 

 

Enjoy

 

m

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brillohead]

14 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Thank you so very much.  I need two knee replacements, right one right now and left can wait but medicare won't pay for stem cells so I am trying to hold off in hopes one day soon they will cover it.  My father in law is 81, I guess you can say we just walk slow but its good that we won't have to deal with those long lines and are together as a group and probably by pass all the lines and such off the ship and back onto the ship?

There are actually NO lines to bypass for a consecutive cruiser.  Everyone else is already off the ship when they escort you off, and everyone else isn't yet ready to board when you're waiting to get back on.  Here's a picture I took while sitting in the chairs waiting to board... as you can see, the waiting area is pretty darn deserted this early in the morning!

 

 

14 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Breakfast, that is nice, I assume they let us know what time to have breakfast in the MDR, that is nice, do you recall what time breakfast started and ended?

The special meal for consecutive cruisers is lunch in the MDR, not breakfast.  I think the lunch was served at noon.  

If you don't get a letter in your stateroom on the last day of the first leg, make sure you call the front desk and make them get you one -- I called them and they just said to be at the Star Lounge at whatever time, and I didn't know about the special lunch at all.  Fortunately, I knew other B2B cruisers who DID get the letter, and they let me know about the lunch while we were waiting for reboarding.  

[Cruisegirl6]

Thank you so very much, excellent information!

[orville99]

Just got off of our B2B on mariner, and the turnaround through customs only took 20 minutes. We got to the star lounge at 9:30, got walked off to go through customs at 9:38, and were back in our cabin at 9:58. 

[thjeepster]

On an average how many B2B cruisers are there?  (I know the amount is different each time and each type of ship, but was just wondering on a Non-Oasis Class ship an average for a 4 to 5 night B2B).