B2B procedures

[Bigbob7777]

We have a back-to-back on the edge in July.  Anyone know the procedures for this now?  Never did it before.  Do you get your new Sea Pass card before exiting; or have to go through whole process with all the new cruisers?  Any other info?  We have the same cabin both cruises.

bob

[Northern Aurora]

It is very easy.  Several days before the end of the first leg (generally when the poor souls who aren't on a B2B receive their disembarkation luggage tags) you will receive a succinct letter outlining the process on your turnaround day.  This letter will include instructions regarding when and where you receive the new sea pass card, what time you will be able to re-board and so forth.  You will also be issued a "transit pass" so if you leave the ship for the day you will bypass the mess in the cruise terminal.  Also, during pre-covid times B2B cruisers were invited to the Concierge Class lunch in the MDR on embarkation day.

 

For accounting purposes each leg is treated as a separate cruise so any unused OBC will not carryover to the second leg.  

[jg51]

.

We agree with everything that "Northern Aurora" has stated.

We would add the following:

 

(1) Try to get the same stateroom for both cruises.  That will make the (Dis)Embarkation Day a "breeze" for you and for the crew: no packing, no moving anything.

 

(2) If you cannot get the same stateroom for both cruises, try to get one on the same deck for the second cruise.

 

(3) If you have to move ... whether you have to change decks or not, a stateroom steward will shift all clothing, from cabin to cabin, that you leave on hangers in your closet.  Then you can move the rest (in bags/luggage/etc.) yourself.  [Put nothing in the hallway on the first Disembarkation night!]

 

(4)  There will be a meeting, around the second-last or third-last day of the first cruise, at which you will meet other back-to-backers and a couple of crew members (from Guest Relations) who will explain everything to you about temporarily exiting the ship, reboarding, and any other concern that is raised (e.g., going rapidly through Customs).

 

Try using the CruiseCritic "Search" to locate other thread about this topic.  You may find additional tips in those threads.

Edited June 21, 2021 by jg51

[wrk2cruise]

I wonder if they will allow getting off  for the day (transit pass).  In the FAQ's I noticed on normal embarkation you are not allowed back off the ship once you have embarked.

 

[cruisestitch]

Different issue.  You haven’t embarked on the new cruise yet.

 

Once you do check in for the new cruise, then you won’t be allowed back off the ship that day.

[sandancer]

We have done this multiple times. It really is easy even if you change cabins.  Last time was on Reflection. By the time we got off and reboarded all our stuff was in our new cabin. No more than 30 mins for the whole procedure. Our next b2b we only move next door so should be painless. 

[ericfromri]

10 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

I wonder if they will allow getting off  for the day (transit pass).  In the FAQ's I noticed on normal embarkation you are not allowed back off the ship once you have embarked.

 

the transit pass allows you to get back on the ship before the new arriving guests, after you have gone through customs and they have a zero count..  on a few cruises<canada> immigration came on the ship but normally you get off usually as a b2b group. you can stay out in town after customs until normal embarkation... not to be confused with a unlimited hop off hop on port day 

Edited June 22, 2021 by ericfromri

[Bruin Steve]

10 hours ago, jg51 said:

 

(3) If you have to move ... whether you have to change decks or not, a stateroom steward will shift all clothing, from cabin to cabin, that you leave on hangers in your closet.  Then you can move the rest (in bags/luggage/etc.) yourself.  [Put nothing in the hallway on the first Disembarkation night!]

 

Allow me to correct this slightly.  You really don't have to move ANYTHING yourself...You do need to pack up all of the random items you otherwise have about the cabin--in drawers, in the bathroom, etc.  But, yes, no need to take anything down hanging in the closet.  Your cabin steward will come with a cart and move EVERYTHING.  One strategy is to ask for additional hangers and hang up as much as you can, then put everything else into your suitcases (easy because they will be half empty).  When you get to your new cabin, the suitcases will be there...and anything from the closet will be hanging in the new closet.  Do make sure that you have accounted for everything.

 

It's relatively easy...but much, much easier to just book the same cabin...you just don't have to do anything between cruises except check out with the old card and in with the new one.

Edited June 22, 2021 by Bruin Steve

[wrk2cruise]

14 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

Different issue.  You haven’t embarked on the new cruise yet.

 

Once you do check in for the new cruise, then you won’t be allowed back off the ship that day.

 

I was only trying to raise the possibility that it won't be allowed and that someone should really check with Celebrity if it was a concern.  None of know how these things will be handled yet.  We will know more in the next couple of weeks.

[Kathy53]

We're on a B2B and have the same stateroom.  Once you go through the Immigration process and reboard, are you able to return to your stateroom at anytime or do you have to wait until the new passengers are told the time when the cabins are ready. 

[Northern Aurora]

2 hours ago, Kathy53 said:

We're on a B2B and have the same stateroom.  Once you go through the Immigration process and reboard, are you able to return to your stateroom at anytime or do you have to wait until the new passengers are told the time when the cabins are ready. 

 

Kathy53:  Firedoors on the stateroom decks are generally closed.  The hallways are generally a mess as there are piles of large bags with laundry (sheets, towels and so forth).  

 

And a comment regarding a meeting for B2B passengers :  There may or may not be such a meeting.  

 

And I also agree that moving staterooms is very easy.  

[Kathy53]

21 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

Kathy53:  Firedoors on the stateroom decks are generally closed.  The hallways are generally a mess as there are piles of large bags with laundry (sheets, towels and so forth).  

 

And a comment regarding a meeting for B2B passengers :  There may or may not be such a meeting.  

 

And I also agree that moving staterooms is very easy.  

Thank you Northern Aurora.  I know that the firedoors are closed until 1:00 p.m., at least that has been our experience.  Based on what you said, I guess we should take what we will need until everyone is allowed to go to their staterooms.  Much appreciated. 

[towel-animal]

Does anyone know if attention needs to be brought to Celebrity pre-cruise if one has back-to-backs booked? We ended up booking 3 back-to-back sailings on Apex, same stateroom for each. But all three sailings were booked in separate phone calls to different agents and I never specified we'd be back-to-back guests....should I call and mention it? Or Celebrity will figure it out on their own?

[Northern Aurora]

11 minutes ago, towel-animal said:

Does anyone know if attention needs to be brought to Celebrity pre-cruise if one has back-to-backs booked? We ended up booking 3 back-to-back sailings on Apex, same stateroom for each. But all three sailings were booked in separate phone calls to different agents and I never specified we'd be back-to-back guests....should I call and mention it? Or Celebrity will figure it out on their own?

 

When folks receive their disembarkation surveys (ie, the forms asking what time they want to disembark at the end of the cruise) there will be a box to check if you are B2B.  

 

Also, there is a slight discount for B2Bs.  The discount is based on the length of the legs, and for extremely short cruises doesn't exist.  We were on what was technically a B2B2B2B one time with the third leg being a two night "taster" out of Southampton, and that two night leg "broke" the B2B series.  In any event call your TA or Celebrity if you booked directly with them and provide the reservation numbers so you can receive the small discount.  The discount can be applied whether the legs were booked at the same time, or at different times.

[fortisZH]

Another question on that topic: It seems that B2B is possible again? I think they did not allow if for health screening reasons in the past few months - but this restriction is gone now?

[Northern Aurora]

12 minutes ago, fortisZH said:

Another question on that topic: It seems that B2B is possible again? I think they did not allow if for health screening reasons in the past few months - but this restriction is gone now?

 

We booked a B2B on Alaska itineraries in September.  Both legs are 7 nights.

[fortisZH]

Thanks. I'm thinking about combining two 7N on Apex in August out of Athens.

 

Will speak to my TA tomorrow then.

[jg51]

13 hours ago, Bruin Steve said:

Allow me to correct this slightly.  You really don't have to move ANYTHING yourself...You do need to pack up all of the random items you otherwise have about the cabin--in drawers, in the bathroom, etc.  But, yes, no need to take anything down hanging in the closet.  Your cabin steward will come with a cart and move EVERYTHING.  One strategy is to ask for additional hangers and hang up as much as you can, then put everything else into your suitcases (easy because they will be half empty).  When you get to your new cabin, the suitcases will be there...and anything from the closet will be hanging in the new closet.  Do make sure that you have accounted for everything. ...

.

Thanks for the correction, "B.S.".  We have done many back-to-backs, but only one involved a change of staterooms.  We don't remember (now) being told that everything (hanging clothing AND luggage) could be moved for us.  [It's nice to know that stewards will move everything, if guests desire that.]  Instead, we recall our steward telling us that the guests in our second stateroom would be leaving the ship extremely early -- and that we could therefore put all our packed luggage in that stateroom's closet before we would temporarily leave the ship.  It worked out just fine, but it seems likely that many guests would want to have ALL their belongings moved for them.

.

6 hours ago, Kathy53 said:

We're on a B2B and have the same stateroom.  Once you go through the Immigration process and reboard, are you able to return to your stateroom at anytime or do you have to wait until the new passengers are told the time when the cabins are ready. 

.

Dear "Kathy53," please see our response to "Northern Aurora," just below.

.

4 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

Kathy53:  Firedoors on the stateroom decks are generally closed.  The hallways are generally a mess as there are piles of large bags with laundry (sheets, towels and so forth).  

 

And a comment regarding a meeting for B2B passengers :  There may or may not be such a meeting. 

.

Hello, "N.A.."

You are correct in saying that the firedoors are closed and that the hallway is a mess.  Nevertheless, we have always (in more than ten back-to-backs) been permitted to go to our stateroom before the general announcement.  The firedoors were heavy, but not impossible to open ... and stewards (who already knew our faces from the first cruise) smiled and did not object to our early (re-)entry.  [It's up to you, "Kathy53," whether you want to follow our example or not.  By immediately going to our second cruise's stateroom (usually the same as the first), we hardly had to take anything with us when temporarily disembarking.]

 

Also, "N.A.," regarding the "meeting for B2B passengers," you said that there "may or may not be such a meeting.  Over the last eleven years, we have done seven back-to-backs on Celebrity ships, two on RCI ships, and at least four on other cruise lines' ships.  In those thirteen (or more) cases, there was such a meeting every single time except once -- and, in that one case, the reason was that we were the ONLY back-to-back guests!!!

.

3 hours ago, towel-animal said:

Does anyone know if attention needs to be brought to Celebrity pre-cruise if one has back-to-backs booked? We ended up booking 3 back-to-back sailings on Apex, same stateroom for each. But all three sailings were booked in separate phone calls to different agents and I never specified we'd be back-to-back guests....should I call and mention it? Or Celebrity will figure it out on their own?

.

Hello, "t-a".

When you mentioned booking the three legs through "different agents," were you referring to three non-Celebrity travel agents, or three Celebrity "vacation planners"?  Hmmm.  Either way, we would recommend that you phone Celebrity directly and explain the situation to them.  We know, from past experience, that the vacation planners like to go into the computer records and make a sort of "chain," "linking" the separate cruises together -- and that could be true for multiple reasons. 

 

You were correctly told (here at CruiseCritic, above) that you will get back-to-back discounts.  You will get them on each leg, not just the second and third ones -- but we would not call them "small" discounts, as they may be enough to pay for a specialty restaurant dinner!  [That may depend on the length of the cruises.  We can't recall for sure.] 

 

One thing is sure, though:  If you ever book back-to-back cruises right away (on your first phone call to Celebrity), the discount will not show up right away.  It seems to take two to four weeks for the paperwork to get to an office that approves and applies the discount to your invoices.  We recall one case, in which we were expecting discounts of $50 on each invoice ... but after we had waited more than a month (and saw no discount applied), we called the Captain's Club about it.  As a way of apologizing, they applied discounts of $100 on each invoice!

 

Have fun, all.

.

Edited June 22, 2021 by jg51

[wrk2cruise]

4 hours ago, towel-animal said:

Does anyone know if attention needs to be brought to Celebrity pre-cruise if one has back-to-backs booked? We ended up booking 3 back-to-back sailings on Apex, same stateroom for each. But all three sailings were booked in separate phone calls to different agents and I never specified we'd be back-to-back guests....should I call and mention it? Or Celebrity will figure it out on their own?

 

I would if for nothing else to get them combined as B2B2B so you get the discount on each segment.   I'm assuming they are 7 night sailings which would give you a $50 discount on each leg per stateroom.

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, jg51 said:

.

Thanks for the correction, "B.S.".  We have done many back-to-backs, but only one involved a change of staterooms.  We don't remember (now) being told that everything (hanging clothing AND luggage) could be moved for us.  [It's nice to know that stewards will move everything, if guests desire that.]  Instead, we recall our steward telling us that the guests in our second stateroom would be leaving the ship extremely early -- and that we could therefore put all our packed luggage in that stateroom's closet before we would temporarily leave the ship.  It worked out just fine, but it seems likely that many guests would want to have ALL their belongings moved for them.

.

.

Dear "Kathy53," please see our response to "Northern Aurora," just below.

.

.

Hello, "N.A.."

You are correct in saying that the firedoors are closed and that the hallway is a mess.  Nevertheless, we have always (in more than ten back-to-backs) been permitted to go to our stateroom before the general announcement.  The firedoors were heavy, but not impossible to open ... and stewards (who already knew our faces from the first cruise) smiled and did not object to our early (re-)entry.  [It's up to you, "Kathy53," whether you want to follow our example or not.  By immediately going to our second cruise's stateroom (usually the same as the first), we hardly had to take anything with us when temporarily disembarking.]

 

Also, "N.A.," regarding the "meeting for B2B passengers," you said that there "may or may not be such a meeting.  Over the last eleven years, we have done seven back-to-backs on Celebrity ships, two on RCI ships, and at least four on other cruise lines' ships.  In those thirteen (or more) cases, there was such a meeting every single time except once -- and, in that one case, the reason was that we were the ONLY back-to-back guests!!!

.

.

......

 

You were correctly told (here at CruiseCritic, above) that you will get back-to-back discounts.  You will get them on each leg, not just the second and third ones -- but we would not call them "small" discounts, as they may be enough to pay for a specialty restaurant dinner!  [That may depend on the length of the cruises.  We can't recall for sure.] 

 

......

.

 

Not only are firedoors closed I have been on Celebrity ships when the elevators were programed such that after the disembarkation passengers had left and before the staterooms were ready for the new occupants the elevators would not stop at floors containing only staterooms.  They were programed to bypass those floors.  That should suggest that they don't want passengers on those floors at that time.  So while the stateroom attendants may "smile and did not object to our early (re-)entry" we should also remember that turnaround days are very difficult for the staff and crew.  Any thing we can do to make the process for them easier is appreciated.

 

How nice that "jg51" has experienced seven turnaround days on Celebrity ships during the past eleven years.  My husband and I spend (at least pre-covid) 60 to 90 days a year on Celebrity ships.  We have done seven turnaround days in a single calendar year.  For those who are wondering -- yes, we are Zenith members of the Captain's Club.  Believe me -- Celebrity does not always have meetings for B2B passengers.  

 

I also continue to describe the B2B discounts as small.  While I suppose they may be described as large for someone on a meager budget, I just checked our Alaska B2B which was booked in May.  Both  seven night legs are in suites.  One one leg the passenger fare for each of us is over $4200 for a total of more than $8400 in cruise fare.  We are receiving the $50 B2B discount. The discount is not based on the amount of the cruise fare but on the length of the cruise leg.

 

 

[jcpc]

On my last several cruises on Summit (after the SM was revolutionized) and also on my 2019 Edge cruises, the fire doors were NOT closed on turnaround day.  Rather they were opened and embarking passengers were asked to proceed directly to their cabin upon boarding to pick up their room key and also to drop off their "carry-on luggage".   Passengers were asked NOT to remain in their staterooms (as the room stewards were still busy preparing the cabin) but to only drop off their carry-on luggage and pick up their room key. 

 

Additionally, not really sure yet what the turnaround procedures will be for B2B  guests now if there are any "Covid restrictions" in place.   So I think we'll have to wait to see what exactly the B2B procedure will now be. I have a B2B scheduled in November so I'll find out then how Celebrity is now handling the B2B cruisers.

[jcpc]

Regarding the amount of the B2B discount.  I'm not really sure exactly how they are figured.  Northern Aurora states she has two 7-night cruises booked B2B and is receiving a $50 (per cruise?) discount.  I, however, have two 5-night cruises booked B2B and am receiving a $100 per cruise discount.  So discounts may vary based on itinerary, ship, etc.  

[Northern Aurora]

4 hours ago, jcpc said:

On my last several cruises on Summit (after the SM was revolutionized) and also on my 2019 Edge cruises, the fire doors were NOT closed on turnaround day.  Rather they were opened and embarking passengers were asked to proceed directly to their cabin upon boarding to pick up their room key and also to drop off their "carry-on luggage".   Passengers were asked NOT to remain in their staterooms (as the room stewards were still busy preparing the cabin) but to only drop off their carry-on luggage and pick up their room key. 

 

Additionally, not really sure yet what the turnaround procedures will be for B2B  guests now if there are any "Covid restrictions" in place.   So I think we'll have to wait to see what exactly the B2B procedure will now be. I have a B2B scheduled in November so I'll find out then how Celebrity is now handling the B2B cruisers.

 

 

I hope folks reading this realize that you were on a an Edge class ship and also on the Summit after it was revolutionized.  Not all ships have been revolutionized.  On our last Celebrity sailing, which was to have been a B2B2B2B, we left the ship on March 20, 2020, the day Celebrity ceased passenger operations on most ships, in Sydney, Australia.  On that sailing, on a Celebrity ship which was not revolutionized, we received our sea pass cards in the embarkation cruise terminal and folks were told to wait in public lounges until the announcement was made that staterooms were ready.

 

Our next B2B is in September, 2021 so will be interesting to learn about changes.

 

I have our booking confirmations for both of those September cruises in front of me.  Both are for seven nights and both are in Suites.  We received a $50 discount on each leg.  But we received an incredible additional amount of non-refundable OBC from Celebrity on one leg -- almost double from the amount we were to receive.  

[NantahalaCruiser]

Note that most of the previous comments are associated with a B2B turnaround at a US port.

 

In other international ports the rules about getting on and off at the turnaround port can be significantly different.  For example, in Hong Kong, we had complete freedom to get on and off multiple times during the turnaround day.

[jg51]

On 6/22/2021 at 1:51 PM, Kathy53 said:

Thank you Northern Aurora.  I know that the firedoors are closed until 1:00 p.m., at least that has been our experience.  Based on what you said, I guess we should take what we will need until everyone is allowed to go to their staterooms.  Much appreciated. 

 

23 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

Not only are firedoors closed I have been on Celebrity ships when the elevators were programed such that after the disembarkation passengers had left and before the staterooms were ready for the new occupants the elevators would not stop at floors containing only staterooms.  They were programed to bypass those floors.  That should suggest that they don't want passengers on those floors at that time.  So while the stateroom attendants may "smile and did not object to our early (re-)entry" we should also remember that turnaround days are very difficult for the staff and crew.  Any thing we can do to make the process for them easier is appreciated. ...

 

For those who are wondering -- yes, we are Zenith members of the Captain's Club. ...

 

I also continue to describe the B2B discounts as small.  ... I suppose they may be described as large for someone on a meager budget ...

.

Hello again, "Kathy53."

 

Based on what "Northern Aurora" has just added, we would encourage you -- even more enthusiastically than in our last post --  to visit your stateroom, immediately after re-embarking on "turnaround day," by going through a fire door.

 

If the elevators have been programmed to bypass decks [not "floors"] that have staterooms only, then, please do go up to the first "public" deck and walk down the stairs to your stateroom's deck.  (We have never seen any elevators so programmed, but anything is possible, we suppose.)

 

As "N.A." stated, "turnaround days are very difficult for the staff and crew," and whatever "we can do to make the process for them easier is appreciated" ... We know, however, from multiple experiences, that your merely returning to your back-to-back stateroom early on "turnaround day" will cause no "difficulty" at all for the staff and crew.  [Please don't let the mess in the hallway trouble you!]

 

We will "also continue to describe the B2B discounts as"  not small, given what they can purchase.  After all, we are not suite-dwelling  aristocrats (with more time at sea than the Captain).  We are just shabby little Elite-plus "peons," struggling to cruise "on a meager budget" (always in Inside staterooms) -- and we are not ashamed to admit it!  We would rejoice to accept even a $5 discount -- and then pass it along to a waiter or steward.

 

Wishing you all the best in the exciting future.

.

Edited June 23, 2021 by jg51