14 Day vs 2 7 Day (B2B)

[SteelerFanXL]

Is it better to book 7 day B2B or the 14 day cruise.  Looking at East/West Caribbean.

i understand B2B would give 2 cruise credits vs only 1 for the 14 day.  Any other benefits either way?

TIA

[JerseyGirlatHeart]

2 minutes ago, SteelerFanXL said:

Is it better to book 7 day B2B or the 14 day cruise.  Looking at East/West Caribbean.

i understand B2B would give 2 cruise credits vs only 1 for the 14 day.  Any other benefits either way?

TIA

We just did a 14 day and I thought we would only get 1 credit, but we got 2 credits each.

[julie3fan]

First thing I do is compare the price of booking as one cruise vs two cruises.  Then I see how many FCC/FCDs I have and what their benefits would be on one vs two.  I also figure out my shareholder benefit amounts.  Then I check if a cabin I want is available on the B2B or if it's only available on the single booking.  More often than not I book it as a B2B. 

[startedwithamouse]

12 minutes ago, SteelerFanXL said:

Is it better to book 7 day B2B or the 14 day cruise.  Looking at East/West Caribbean.

i understand B2B would give 2 cruise credits vs only 1 for the 14 day.  Any other benefits either way?

TIA

You'll receive a credit for each segment, so even with booking a 14 day, you'll receive two credits. 

 

[voljeep]

'might' be easier to get a re-fare deduction on one of the 7 day segments

[DCThunder]

I think you get an extra $50 of shareholder OBC for a 14 day cruise as opposed to 2x 7-day ones.

[skynight]

Booking b2bs.

Compare the costs. They are usually close.

Compare the OBC, may vary a some.

Usually more cabins are set aside for the 7 day voyages than the 14 day, so usually more to choose from if you book as 7 day segments.

We found that there is more flexibility when booking as two rather than one. This may not be important to you.

Your medallion will be valid the entire time you are on board.

No matter how booked your on board folios will carry over and you will receive one statement at disembarkation.

If booked as a 14 day you will have the same cabin for the entire time. If booked as two 7 days search for cabins that are available for both and select one of those.

It is a fairly easy process to change cabins on turn around day, in case you have to do so.

No matter how booked if your turn around day is at a U.S. port (Whitter excepted) then you will have to be processed through immigration on that day.

As others mentioned, cruise credit(s) for each leg no matter how the cruise is booked.

 

[Jadn13]

If you are Elite you get a bar set up every 7 days even if you book 14,  so that’s helpful if you don’t need to buy a package 

[CaliforniaDon]

In addition to all of the good info above (it seems to agree with our experience),  on our last East West Caribbean (early March), no decent mini-suites on the bump out were available for a 14 day cruise, but the same cabin WAS available for both of two 7's.  

We ended up making our own mess when we accidentally paid in full for one leg, and then could not switch it over to a travel agent (even though we un-paid a day later).  That meant that we missed out on double "special meal" agent and other minor perks.   

Lastly, the casino, unlike the regular bookkeeping, took away our small bank after 7 days. The casino does NOT carry over to week 2.  They gave us back our money (from a rather long list of confiscated funds), but it was a nuisance.

We also spent a lot of unnecessary worry about getting bounced to a different cabin for one of the two legs.  That didn't happen but would have been a buzz kill.

[Steelers36]

I have found it better to book separate voyages for the B2B's every time.  While I might give up some Shareholder OBC on one hand, I gain on the other. 

 

Besides opportunities to re-fare each voyage on its own, if there is overseas air involved, you can take advantage of price drops or change airlines for the one-way over or the one-way back at different times, depending on what pricing you see.  I saved us literally hundreds of dollars with ability to jump on better air arrangements as they occurred instead of being locked in with a round-trip booking. 

 

I look at all OBC's as well, but I generally lean on side of separate bookings with things being close or equal.  Of course, we also want to get the same cabin throughout and with early booking, generally not a problem.

[J13C85]

We are booked on a 14D Caribbean Christmas/New Year's Cruise on Sky (in a suite).  Here is what we found:

 

Pricing was much lower to book as the 14D than the 2 7D (in this case it was about $3K)

 

Inventory was much more limited on the 14D.  There were stateroom options for the 2 7D that were not available for the 14D. Hoping we will be able to bid on aft w/ wraparound balcony closer to sail date.

 

Princess counts this as one cruise not two (however, as it is a suite it counts as 2)  Had we booked it as 2 7D it would be considered 2 cruises (and as a suite that would be 4)

 

As it is one cruise, we get free specialty dining on the first embarkation night only.  Had we booked this as 2 7D we would have gotten free specialty dining on both embarkation nights.

 

For the Premier package, as this is 1 cruise, we would get 2 specialty dining dinners (aside from the free one on embarkation night) Had we booked this as 2 7D, we would have gotten 4 specialty dining dinners (again in addition to the free one on the 2 embarkations). We passed on Premier because of this and went with Plus.

 

Truthfully, we am pleased w/ the 14D choice we made as we like the cabin location and the other differences are offset by the savings.  As indicated above, we chose Plus as the $560 Premier upgrade seemed way too pricy for what we are receiving. On our 7D cruise in 2024 we went with Premier and benefits were exactly the same as the 14D but cost was half ($280)

 

Hopefully above is helpful.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, J13C85 said:

We are booked on a 14D Caribbean Christmas/New Year's Cruise on Sky (in a suite).  Here is what we found: 

,...........

Princess counts this as one cruise not two (however, as it is a suite it counts as 2)  Had we booked it as 2 7D it would be considered 2 cruises (and as a suite that would be 4)

.....

 

Princess does give a cruise credit for each segment, no matter which way you book it.

 

Either that or another unannounced lost benefit.

Edited April 22, 2023 by Steelers36

[bjkTX]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Princess does give a cruise credit for each segment, no matter which way you book it.

 

Either that or another unannounced lost benefit.

Not sure if I understand what you are replying to - but we have never received 2 credits for a 14 day cruise (booked as one cruise not two 7 day cruises) unless we were in a suite.

 

Also - someone earlier mentioned if you are on a 14 day cruise and are elite you get a mini bar setup twice?  Is that really the case?

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Then there is the military OBC benefit if you qualify, which would work out better booking the single 14-day cruise rather than separately booking the two 7-day cruises.

  

 https://www.princess.com/military_benefit_program/

 

[reedprincess]

2 hours ago, bjkTX said:

Not sure if I understand what you are replying to - but we have never received 2 credits for a 14 day cruise (booked as one cruise not two 7 day cruises) unless we were in a suite.

 

Also - someone earlier mentioned if you are on a 14 day cruise and are elite you get a mini bar setup twice?  Is that really the case?

 

??

We have always, always had a cruise credit for every segment of a cruise, regardless of how it was booked 

We've booked multiple 14 night sailings that were actually two 7 night sailings combined, and have always received 2 cruise credits, 2 mini-bar set-ups, 2 specialty dinners when booked in suites, and so forth.

It has never mattered how it's booked when it comes to segments. We've done 25 night sailings that were a 15 night and a 1p night combined into one Grand Voyage, per princess, and booked as 1 cruise with 1 booking number - and cruise history shows 2 cruise credits as it was 2 segments... (Well, 4 as it was a suite). We had specialty dining each embarkation day, 4 mini-bar set-ups, etc.

 

Perhaps you need to check with the Captain's Circle department to ensure you've been credited property?

 

[caribill]

3 hours ago, bjkTX said:

Not sure if I understand what you are replying to - but we have never received 2 credits for a 14 day cruise (booked as one cruise not two 7 day cruises) unless we were in a suite.

If the 14 day could have been booked as two 7-day cruises, you should have received a cruise credit for each segment (two credits if in a full suite for each segment).

 

This has been true since about 2012. Before about 2012, only one credit would have been given for a 14-day that could have been booked as two 7-day cruises.

 

 

3 hours ago, bjkTX said:

 

Also - someone earlier mentioned if you are on a 14 day cruise and are elite you get a mini bar setup twice?  Is that really the case?

 

 

Yes.

[skynight]

9 hours ago, caribill said:

If the 14 day could have been booked as two 7-day cruises, you should have received a cruise credit for each segment (two credits if in a full suite for each segment).

 

This has been true since about 2012. Before about 2012, only one credit would have been given for a 14-day that could have been booked as two 7-day cruises.

 

 

 

Yes.

We sailed two b2bs on the Grand in 2009. Received the one credit at that time.  At some point on a later cruise we visited the Captain's Circle desk. They converted the sailings to 2 credits each. 

[bjkTX]

9 hours ago, caribill said:

If the 14 day could have been booked as two 7-day cruises, you should have received a cruise credit for each segment (two credits if in a full suite for each segment).

 

 

I understand that - what I was questioning was this statement:  "Princess does give a cruise credit for each segment, no matter which way you book it."   Booked as a 14 day cruise we have never been given 2 credits.  Perhaps the difference is IF you could have booked it as two 7 day cruises.  All our 14 day cruises could not be booked that way.

[ED49404]

Also; if you want to cruise south of Grenada, like Trinidad & Tobago, you have to do a 14 day cruise.  Usually, you get 8 ports and 5 days at sea and do not have to go back to Ft Lauderdale for the second half of the cruise.

[skynight]

28 minutes ago, bjkTX said:

I understand that - what I was questioning was this statement:  "Princess does give a cruise credit for each segment, no matter which way you book it."   Booked as a 14 day cruise we have never been given 2 credits.  Perhaps the difference is IF you could have booked it as two 7 day cruises.  All our 14 day cruises could not be booked that way.

It goes by the voyage number. Examples. Two 7 day cruises booked b2b as a single booking number will have two separate voyage numbers one for each segment. Thus, two cruise credits. One 14 day Circle the Caribbean cruise will have one voyage number; one 28 day RT South Pacific will have one voyage number. Thus one cruise credit in both of these examples.

 

[Senga]

21 hours ago, JerseyGirlatHeart said:

We just did a 14 day and I thought we would only get 1 credit, but we got 2 credits each.

 

21 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

You'll receive a credit for each segment, so even with booking a 14 day, you'll receive two credits. 

 

16 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Princess does give a cruise credit for each segment, no matter which way you book it.

 

10 hours ago, reedprincess said:

We have always, always had a cruise credit for every segment of a cruise, regardless of how it was booked 

 

41 minutes ago, bjkTX said:

I understand that - what I was questioning was this statement:  "Princess does give a cruise credit for each segment, no matter which way you book it."   Booked as a 14 day cruise we have never been given 2 credits.  Perhaps the difference is IF you could have booked it as two 7 day cruises.  All our 14 day cruises could not be booked that way.

When we booked B2B Alaska cruises we were given one credit for each segment but when we booked a 14 day Norweigan Fjiords and 14 day Mediterranean we were given only 1 credit.  When I questioned it I was told if it was booked as a 14 day then only 1 credit.  Go figure!

[ehogan]

If you book a b2b that also sold by Princess as singles, make sure that you check your account for errors at the end of the first leg.  We did an Alaska B2B last year, discovered a substantial error while into the second leg and had some difficulty in getting it corrected because “We close your account at the end of the first leg”.  Made no sense to us since we booked it as a single cruise with one booking number.

[cruisingthomas]

18 hours ago, CaliforniaDon said:

In addition to all of the good info above (it seems to agree with our experience),  on our last East West Caribbean (early March), no decent mini-suites on the bump out were available for a 14 day cruise, but the same cabin WAS available for both of two 7's.  

We ended up making our own mess when we accidentally paid in full for one leg, and then could not switch it over to a travel agent (even though we un-paid a day later).  That meant that we missed out on double "special meal" agent and other minor perks.   

Lastly, the casino, unlike the regular bookkeeping, took away our small bank after 7 days. The casino does NOT carry over to week 2.  They gave us back our money (from a rather long list of confiscated funds), but it was a nuisance.

We also spent a lot of unnecessary worry about getting bounced to a different cabin for one of the two legs.  That didn't happen but would have been a buzz kill.

You should be able to specify on each booking … “No Cabin Upgrade” … to reduce the possibility of them changing  your cabin.

[Kineticoh20]

I will tell you for me returning to Fort Lauderdale sucks! If you can find a circle cruise that’s what I recommend. We really enjoyed the circle cruise itinerary.

[DCThunder]

1 hour ago, Senga said:

 

 

 

 

When we booked B2B Alaska cruises we were given one credit for each segment but when we booked a 14 day Norweigan Fjiords and 14 day Mediterranean we were given only 1 credit.  When I questioned it I was told if it was booked as a 14 day then only 1 credit.  Go figure!

Were the 14 day Norway and Med cruises two 7-day legs?  If it's sold as 14 day cruise, you won't get two credits.