B2B on NCL with different cabin-mates

[Iggy68]

Has anyone ever done a B2B cruise with NCL but had different friends sharing the cabin with you on the two legs? I’m doing a B2B on the Escape in August and I’m staying on the ship after the rest of my group get off after the first leg. I’m just wondering what the procedure would be on changeover day if I had a different friend coming to join me for the second leg. Would I get off the ship and meet them to check in together?

 

Any experiences or advice would be gratefully received 😊

[mscdivina2016]

6 hours ago, Iggy68 said:

Has anyone ever done a B2B cruise with NCL but had different friends sharing the cabin with you on the two legs? I’m doing a B2B on the Escape in August and I’m staying on the ship after the rest of my group get off after the first leg. I’m just wondering what the procedure would be on changeover day if I had a different friend coming to join me for the second leg. Would I get off the ship and meet them to check in together?

 

Any experiences or advice would be gratefully received 😊

I assume you have two separate bookings.

On the day everyone gets off, you would go and get a new card normally.

 But since you have a different cabin mate you probably will need to get off and get back on as you might be b2b but your booking isn't because they are not identical.

[zqvol]

This is an unusual request. NCL may not treat it as a B2B in which case you would have to go through the usual check-in procedure. If they treat you as a B2B the night prior to debarkation you could pick up your new key card and treat the stop as any port of call,  but the local authorities may want you to clear off the ship. You are probably not going to get a satisfactory answer until you actually are on board.

[MeHeartCruising]

I agree with zqvol.  I don't think this happens often enough for there to be a known procedure.  Ask them when you get on board during the first week if you will be considered and processed as a B2B passenger.

 

Either way, I doubt there is a requirement that you have to meet the second person off the ship unless you want to do that.  If you're considered a B2B passenger, you can be processed off and back on the ship before they load the new passengers.  Depending on the port, you may not even be required to leave the ship.  So you could go back on and your friend would join you after they were let on board.  If you're not considered a B2B passenger, you will leave the ship with the others and then have to re-check in.  You can do this with or without your cabin mate for the second cruise.  This assumes the 2nd person has all the proper papers to get on the ship. 

 

Unless you plan on sightseeing in the turn around city, I would just get back on the ship however they let you back on.  Then have your friend meet you when they get on the ship.  Unless they are someone who is not comfortable with the check-in process alone.

Edited May 14, 2022 by MeHeartCruising

[KeithJenner]

I have had experience with this, although mine was more complicated (and caused some problems). It was back in 2015 though, so things have likely changed anyway.

 

When the Escape launched, I did a three day cruise from Hamburg to Southampton with my wife and son. They then went home and I stayed onboard for the one night CTN when I was joined by my brother. Following that, he left whilst I carried on to Miami as a solo. All three legs were in different cabins.

 

The system tried to pull all three bookings together, so I just had one onboard account for the full two weeks. This caused a number of problems, good and bad.

 

The good was that, as I had the beverage package for the transatlantic, and had purchased corks and caps for the three day, I actually had them both for the full two weeks, including the CTN. I was the only person on the ship who had the beverage package that day, and saved a fortune. As both were marked on my room card, I did get lots of questions from bar staff who assumed I had purchased both packages. 🙂

 

Before the CTN I got off the ship with my family and walked to the station with them. When I returned back I met my brother at check in, but I didn't need to check in again (I think I had got a new card at guest services in the morning).

 

The problem was that things started going wrong with my room card. We discovered on the CTN that only by brothers card opened the door. That wasn't a problem, but when he left the ship the next morning and cabins were available for the transatlantic, I found that my card still didn't let me in the room. For a period I had to call a number if I wanted to get into my room so that they could let me in. This wasn't ideal, but I decided to live with it for a while. When I couldn't get a drink with it though, I decided to get something done about it. Senior staff got involved, and eventually they got it sorted (plus some OBC for the inconvenience). It was certainly an experience, and I have a unique room card as a souvenir.

 

Another inconvenience was having to do 4 muster drills in 5 days. 🙂

 

I suspect that your experience won't be quite that complicated.

[Iggy68]

Thank you everyone for your helpful comments. Very much appreciated 😊