Back to Back - but in separate cabins for each segment

[kywildcatfanone]

Hi all,

 

Just got off the phone with our TA and was able to book a 2nd 7 day cruise on the Sky having previously booked a 7 day a few months ago.  The only downside is that we will be in different cabins, so one week on one deck and the next week on another. 

 

Have never done a back to back before, how does that work?  I know you have to meet somewhere or get off the ship and go thru customs, but will we now have to pack our bags off and back on as well to get them from one cabin to another, or does Princess offer to do that for us?  Doesn't matter to me either way, just didn't know how that was handled.

 

Thanks!

[Colo Cruiser]

Housekeeping /room steward will help you move.

Let Stewart know during the cruise.

[skynight]

14 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Hi all,

 

Just got off the phone with our TA and was able to book a 2nd 7 day cruise on the Sky having previously booked a 7 day a few months ago.  The only downside is that we will be in different cabins, so one week on one deck and the next week on another. 

 

Have never done a back to back before, how does that work?  I know you have to meet somewhere or get off the ship and go thru customs, but will we now have to pack our bags off and back on as well to get them from one cabin to another, or does Princess offer to do that for us?  Doesn't matter to me either way, just didn't know how that was handled.

 

Thanks!

Your stuff remains on the ship.

b2b process in Ft. Lauderdale

You will be required to go through immigration on turn around day where your passport will be inspected. You will receive instructions in your cabin. Read and follow them exactly. If just one person does not follow the instructions there will be delays for all until that person is located. There will two options:

If you decide to stay on the ship you MUST report to the location, usually the theater, at the time indicated, usually around 9:30 or so. You will need your passport and medallion. There you will wait until you are guided  by a staff member as a group through immigration and back on the ship.

If you decide to leave the ship you may do so at any time up until the final disembarkation, around 9:30. Take your passport, medallion and the intransit cards provided to you in your cabin. You can then re-board anytime after general boarding has begun, around 11:30. With the intransit card once you go through security you go directly to the gangplank.

Cabin:

Your luggage and others items remain on the ship. If you are staying in the same cabin the cabin steward will clean your cabin just like any other day. As a courtesy we normally mention to our steward feel free to clean our room last.

If you are changing cabins speak with your cabin steward ahead of time. The cabin steward will arrange to have your belongings moved. Keep as much on hangers as possible. These items will be moved on hangers and hung in your new cabin. Other items can be placed into one of your suitcases. Once your new cabin is clear you may be able to place some of your items, such as belongings you keep in the cabin safe, maybe some toiletries, into the cabin yourself. 

 

[JF - retired RRT]

In addition to what skyknight said...we usually find the steward for our 2nd cruise (sometime toward the end of #1) and introduce yourselves.

[kywildcatfanone]

Thanks for the help.

 

I think I know the answer to this, but any unused OBC on the first cruise, can it be kept for the 2nd cruise, or are the considered separate?  Usually don't  have any, but on this cruise we will have more OBC on the first than the 2nd.

[geoherb]

One thing that may help on Medallion ships is the ability of the staff to locate wayward passengers who don't show up. We've taken two trips with back-to-back cruises from Fort Lauderdale. The first one was a nightmare because a mother-daughter pair did not show up on time. We waited about 45 minutes before they finally took us down to see Immigration. Then they held us off the ship for another 15 minutes until the pair nonchalantly decided to show up. That was after an hour of being paged over and over again.

 

The second time worked without a hitch. You can also opt to leave the ship in the morning as other passengers are disembarking. You won't be allowed back on until after the ship has cleared. You'll receive an in-transit card to show to reboard the ship. I like to wait until after lunch to walk to Total Wine to pick up reinforcements for the next cruise and to Publix or Walgreens for anything else we need.

[geoherb]

1 minute ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Thanks for the help.

 

I think I know the answer to this, but any unused OBC on the first cruise, can it be kept for the 2nd cruise, or are the considered separate?  Usually don't  have any, but on this cruise we will have more OBC on the first than the 2nd.

 

It's supposed to carry over, but I don't trust Princess any more after what happened to me on my back-to-back cruises on the Island Princess to Alaska this summer. On the ship, it showed one thing. After the cruise, when I did not receive a refund check for my unused refundable OBC, I called and was told that the voyages were treated separately. The reps said the ship was in error in showing the OBC rolling over from the first cruise to the second and the amount I prepaid for an excursion on the first cruise being credited against the OBC I had on the second cruise. 

[Kamloops50]

2 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Thanks for the help.

 

I think I know the answer to this, but any unused OBC on the first cruise, can it be kept for the 2nd cruise, or are the considered separate?  Usually don't  have any, but on this cruise we will have more OBC on the first than the 2nd.

Only if your in the same cabin. If different cabins you'll get a new room card/medallion . OBC will not carry over automatically. Sometimes if you talk to Passenger Services half way thru the first cruise. They can have it moved over .

[TheRabbit]

This will happen to us next year and all my research matches with what has been said above, though the medallion is a wild card. Not a big deal. Possibly by then one will work for both segments.

 

In the past, OBC has been carried over as well as internet minutes on a B2B without a room change. Is the cruise booked under one Booking Number or two?

[kywildcatfanone]

Separate booking numbers, booked 6 months apart.  I will check with passenger services, but I will probably just make sure to use all the OBC on the first cruise.

[kywildcatfanone]

One other question, I know we can trade the mini bar for something else, but I assume they won't carry over any unused coffee drinks from the coffee package (for the mini bar swap) to the 2nd week either?  I'm assuming it will die at the end of the first week, and I will have to do that again the 2nd week.

[NavyVeteran]

4 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

One other question, I know we can trade the mini bar for something else, but I assume they won't carry over any unused coffee drinks from the coffee package (for the mini bar swap) to the 2nd week either?  I'm assuming it will die at the end of the first week, and I will have to do that again the 2nd week.

I would not assume that, and I would not bother calling Princess to ask pre-cruise. I don't think any answer you get from anyone at Princess or on Cruise Critic will be definitive as to what they will do on your specific ship on your itinerary.

 

Ask at passenger services during the first cruise. They may or may not carry the coffee package to the second cruise.

 

On the subject of moving to the new cabin: If you are not going ashore, you should be able to stay in your old cabin (past the normal 8:00 am that others have to leave) until your new cabin is ready. Talk to your new steward in advance, and he or she will probably clean your cabin first, since you're already on the ship waiting for it. If you do plan to go ashore, check with your new cabin steward to ask if you can move your safe contents to the new safe immediately after the new cabin is vacated - before it is cleaned and ready for you.

[KevintheIrishDJ]

They "zero" out everything, so I guess the coffee will be gone also.

[kywildcatfanone]

10 minutes ago, NavyVeteran said:

I would not assume that, and I would not bother calling Princess to ask pre-cruise. I don't think any answer you get from anyone at Princess or on Cruise Critic will be definitive as to what they will do on your specific ship on your itinerary.

 

Ask at passenger services during the first cruise. They may or may not carry the coffee package to the second cruise.

 

On the subject of moving to the new cabin: If you are not going ashore, you should be able to stay in your old cabin (past the normal 8:00 am that others have to leave) until your new cabin is ready. Talk to your new steward in advance, and he or she will probably clean your cabin first, since you're already on the ship waiting for it. If you do plan to go ashore, check with your new cabin steward to ask if you can move your safe contents to the new safe immediately after the new cabin is vacated - before it is cleaned and ready for you.

Good stuff.  Thanks!

[kywildcatfanone]

We are also getting the TA coupon book, I wonder if the expiration date for the book will still be 12/31/19 or when they change the dates on those?

[Aus Traveller]

6 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

In addition to what skyknight said...we usually find the steward for our 2nd cruise (sometime toward the end of #1) and introduce yourselves.

We do that also. Usually the steward will offer to clean your 'new' cabin first so you can put your things in.

 

As someone else said, the items on hangars will be moved to your new cabin on a clothes rack. We usually put everything else including our toiletries into our suitcases and zip them up to make it easier for the stewards. They move everything to the new cabin. We put the contents of the safe in our new cabin before we go ashore.

[Sudoku]

We changed cabins in Nov on the Crown.  OBC, internet minutes, and coffee card all transferred with us.

[caribill]

11 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Thanks for the help.

 

I think I know the answer to this, but any unused OBC on the first cruise, can it be kept for the 2nd cruise, or are the considered separate?  Usually don't  have any, but on this cruise we will have more OBC on the first than the 2nd.

 

9 hours ago, Kamloops50 said:

Only if your in the same cabin. If different cabins you'll get a new room card/medallion . OBC will not carry over automatically. Sometimes if you talk to Passenger Services half way thru the first cruise. They can have it moved over .

 

If the bookings are linked, the OBC should carry over if you are in the same cabin or if you are switching cabins. 

 

"Should" does not mean it always happens, so I always stop by the Passenger Services Desk to make sure their records have the correct information for this.

 

 

6 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

One other question, I know we can trade the mini bar for something else, but I assume they won't carry over any unused coffee drinks from the coffee package (for the mini bar swap) to the 2nd week either?  I'm assuming it will die at the end of the first week, and I will have to do that again the 2nd week.

 

If you were in the same cabin for both segments it should. Being in different cabins with different booking numbers means it might or might not. As another post indicated, it did carry over for that person.

 

6 hours ago, NavyVeteran said:

On the subject of moving to the new cabin: If you are not going ashore, you should be able to stay in your old cabin (past the normal 8:00 am that others have to leave) until your new cabin is ready.

 

You original cabin steward needs to prepare your cabin for the new passengers that will be in it. You should leave your original cabin by the time everyone else is supposed to leave their cabins.

[RMMariner]

11 hours ago, geoherb said:

 

It's supposed to carry over, but I don't trust Princess any more after what happened to me on my back-to-back cruises on the Island Princess to Alaska this summer. On the ship, it showed one thing. After the cruise, when I did not receive a refund check for my unused refundable OBC, I called and was told that the voyages were treated separately. The reps said the ship was in error in showing the OBC rolling over from the first cruise to the second and the amount I prepaid for an excursion on the first cruise being credited against the OBC I had on the second cruise. 

This exact same scenario happened with us this year after our back to back to Alaska. We were owed a considerable amount of refundable OBC. The final statement on the ship said we would receive the refund. Princess then sent us a much smaller refund. Quite a few phone calls later (and after dealing with the first rude Princess rep I have ever dealt with), we should be getting our refund some time next month. We were on the Golden.