Question about turn around day of a b2b cruise

[screenname2004]

If we do a B2B on a RC ship from Fort Lauderdale, what can we do when we come back to port after the first segment? Do we have to stay on board or we can leave the shop for a few hours?

[mo&fran]

58 minutes ago, screenname2004 said:

If we do a B2B on a RC ship from Fort Lauderdale, what can we do when we come back to port after the first segment? Do we have to stay on board or we can leave the shop for a few hours?

You have the choice to do either.  You will get instructions towards the end of the first cruise explaining both options.

[Hogbay]

1 hour ago, screenname2004 said:

If we do a B2B on a RC ship from Fort Lauderdale, what can we do when we come back to port after the first segment? Do we have to stay on board or we can leave the shop for a few hours?

You will get a letter explaining the process and a in transit card . Yes you can leave the ship. 

[flamingos]

After you go to the terminal to get checked in for you new cruise, you can choose to go back on board but you have to stay in public areas, and there will be no services available until they start letting passengers on, ~10:30 or 11.  Bring a book, find a comfy chair in a lounge. 

 

[Ashland]

6 minutes ago, flamingos said:

After you go to the terminal to get checked in for you new cruise, you can choose to go back on board but you have to stay in public areas, and there will be no services available until they start letting passengers on, ~10:30 or 11.  Bring a book, find a comfy chair in a lounge. 

 

Hmmm...We've always had access to our same B2B cabin and our check in has usually been done the day before at the consecutive cruisers meeting.   

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your reply.

[BND]

24 minutes ago, Ashland said:

Hmmm...We've always had access to our same B2B cabin and our check in has usually been done the day before at the consecutive cruisers meeting.   

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your reply.

Our experience on every b2b cruise we've done is on turnaround day, b2bers meet in the morning and walk off as a group using old cards to get off and then go past customs and get back on with our new cards.  We've never done anything the day before and we've done 4 or 5 b2b's.   The only difference on our last one on Jewel was since we had turnaround day in Quebec, we didn't have to get off the ship.  They did the check out/check in onboard and we were free to go around 915.  Usually it's at least 1030.   We've never met up the day before.   We get a letter a couple of days beforehand with instructions on what to do on turnaround day.  We definitely have access to our cabin all day on turnaround day.

Edited December 5, 2023 by BND

[flamingos]

52 minutes ago, Ashland said:

Hmmm...We've always had access to our same B2B cabin and our check in has usually been done the day before at the consecutive cruisers meeting.   

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your reply.

 

The ones I have been on, we all were led off to the terminal. Got checked in, which included a skip the line pass if we decided to go back to town, and could get back on the ship. We switched rooms, but we sat talking to people who were staying in the same cabin who also hung out in the lounge with us.

 

[PhillyFan33579]

6 hours ago, Ashland said:

Hmmm...We've always had access to our same B2B cabin and our check in has usually been done the day before at the consecutive cruisers meeting.   

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your reply.

I have never heard of a consecutive cruisers meeting the second to last day of a cruise. Is this something new? I haven’t done a B2B since this past January on Wonder. 

[brillohead]

12 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I have never heard of a consecutive cruisers meeting the second to last day of a cruise. Is this something new? I haven’t done a B2B since this past January on Wonder. 

 

I don't think it's been done that way for several years.  Or maybe it's just certain itineraries that have different customs/border patrol requirements.  But I've certainly never done it on any cruise out of the USA over the past five years.

[Ashland]

6 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I have never heard of a consecutive cruisers meeting the second to last day of a cruise. Is this something new? I haven’t done a B2B since this past January on Wonder. 

Sorry for the misunderstanding (how some apparently read my post) but it has always been the last day we've had our meetings. And depending on the port we've actually had some ports where Customs came onboard and we didn't have to leave the ship. Others we did a quick walk off/on.

 

We always sail in the same cabin and have access to it regardless.

[APDMOM]

Just to share our experience about the cabin.  If you are in the same cabin, you can return to it anytime.  Your room steward will know you by that time anyway.  
 

Since turnaround day is always VERY busy for the room stewards, we usually give ours “off” for the day for our room - make our own beds and tell him we don’t need service for that day.

[BND]

3 hours ago, Ashland said:

Sorry for the misunderstanding (how some apparently read my post) but it has always been the last day we've had our meetings. And depending on the port we've actually had some ports where Customs came onboard and we didn't have to leave the ship. Others we did a quick walk off/on.

 

We always sail in the same cabin and have access to it regardless.

You did say " our check in has usually been done the day before at the consecutive cruisers meeting. "

[BND]

3 hours ago, APDMOM said:

Just to share our experience about the cabin.  If you are in the same cabin, you can return to it anytime.  Your room steward will know you by that time anyway.  
 

Since turnaround day is always VERY busy for the room stewards, we usually give ours “off” for the day for our room - make our own beds and tell him we don’t need service for that day.

Ours have usually changed our sheets the night before so they don't have to do it morning of.  Since we're in JS, we  get twice a day service and don't leave dirty towels in the am for them to change out. So, other than making our bed, they don't really have anything to do in our cabin.  When we are free to go after we have checked out and back in we normally return our passports to our cabin and go get a cup of Starbucks coffee and hang out in a public space/lounge until the b2b lunch.

[Sunshine3601]

11 hours ago, flamingos said:

After you go to the terminal to get checked in for you new cruise, you can choose to go back on board but you have to stay in public areas, and there will be no services available until they start letting passengers on, ~10:30 or 11.  Bring a book, find a comfy chair in a lounge. 

 

???

You do not have to sit with others waiting to board.   You will simply walk off the ship with the group of consecutive cruisers then a customs officer will look at your passport and back on board you go or use your transit card to leave terminal and come back on the ship whenever you want with no wait.

[Sianli]

Usually we have had to get off but once in PR 2022 we were given our new cards on board.and only had to swipe without exiting to the terminal. I don’t think we always got a b2b lunch either although we have chosen to skip in order to go to port

Edited December 5, 2023 by Sianli

[BND]

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

???

You do not have to sit with others waiting to board.   You will simply walk off the ship with the group of consecutive cruisers then a customs officer will look at your passport and back on board you go or use your transit card to leave terminal and come back on the ship whenever you want with no wait.

That's not what that poster said.  Reread it.  They said you have to stay in public areas onboard when you reboard and that there are no services until 1030-11.  But,  the exception to that is if you're in the same cabin, you can go to your cabin anytime.  And, our experience is the coffee locations are open right away (Starbucks, Cafe Lattetude).  We got coffee on Jewel at 930 after we checked back in.  No leaving the ship as we were in Quebec and there is no US customs to go through.  Some experiences vary such as walking off the ship, waiting a bit in the terminal (we've had to a couple of times for 30 min mainly due to a couple of missing passengers who weren't b2b but were in no hurry to get off).

Edited December 5, 2023 by BND

[RobInMN]

41 minutes ago, BND said:

That's not what that poster said.  Reread it.  They said you have to stay in public areas onboard when you reboard and that there are no services until 1030-11.  But,  the exception to that is if you're in the same cabin, you can go to your cabin anytime.  And, our experience is the coffee locations are open right away (Starbucks, Cafe Lattetude).  We got coffee on Jewel at 930 after we checked back in.  No leaving the ship as we were in Quebec and there is no US customs to go through.  Some experiences vary such as walking off the ship, waiting a bit in the terminal (we've had to a couple of times for 30 min mainly due to a couple of missing passengers who weren't b2b but were in no hurry to get off).

Yes, people seems to focus on what happens in US ports, but truth is, it seems to vary by ship/port/country. Our experience in Amsterdam on Jewel was like yours. Pretty sure there was no "consecutive cruiser meeting" the day before. No "meet in a lounge and wait". No escorted off & on in a group. We just reported to the Theater where we receive our new SeaPass cards and an "In Transit" card, we then went to a security podium they brought up from the gangway room and security personnel scanned us out of the previous cruise on our old SeaPass, then into the next cruise on the new SeaPass, and we were immediately sent on our way. They did ask us to be cognizant of the crew trying to clean the public areas, and like you said, if we were in the same cabin, we could go to our cabin if we wanted to. I'm trying to recall if there was a B2B lunch. I think there was, but not 100% sure.

[BND]

1 hour ago, RobInMN said:

Yes, people seems to focus on what happens in US ports, but truth is, it seems to vary by ship/port/country. Our experience in Amsterdam on Jewel was like yours. Pretty sure there was no "consecutive cruiser meeting" the day before. No "meet in a lounge and wait". No escorted off & on in a group. We just reported to the Theater where we receive our new SeaPass cards and an "In Transit" card, we then went to a security podium they brought up from the gangway room and security personnel scanned us out of the previous cruise on our old SeaPass, then into the next cruise on the new SeaPass, and we were immediately sent on our way. They did ask us to be cognizant of the crew trying to clean the public areas, and like you said, if we were in the same cabin, we could go to our cabin if we wanted to. I'm trying to recall if there was a B2B lunch. I think there was, but not 100% sure.

That was exactly our experience in Quebec.  All our US b2b's we've had to get off and back on with varying waits.  One no wait at all, the others have varying wait times.  Customs can come onboard but that is the rarity.

[bonsai3s]

Agree with both BND and RobinMN.

 

Our recent experience all on the Symphony....B5B.

 

* First TAD...in Barcelona. We went to the Royal Theater, got our new seapass cards, then photo taken, "ding" out with the old cards, and back in with the new cards. On the way out of the theater, we asked: "Where do we go now?"

The crew member smiled and answered: "You are free to roam". It took less than a minute!

 

* Second TAD...now in FLL/PE. We went to the Royal Theater, got our new seapass cards, then waited. We walked off the ship and "ding" out...they took our old seapass cards (returned them a few days later), then waited downstairs in the terminal. All B2B passengers met with CBP and showed our passports. We were then told to sit down at the terminal...and wait. We walked back up onto the ship...another long queue formed approaching the gangway...because they were taking new photos as you "ding" in.

Total time: approximately 3.5 hours.

 

* Third TAD...FLL/PE. Same process...theater, walk-off...but this time we didn't have to meet with CBP...they used Facial Recognition. We again waited in the terminal before boarding.

Total time: approximately 2 hours.

 

* Fourth TAD...FLL/PE. Same process...theater, walk-off...facial recognition...no waiting...back onboard.

Total time: approximately 1.5 hours.

 

 

[Ashland]

6 hours ago, BND said:

You did say " our check in has usually been done the day before at the consecutive cruisers meeting. "

Thanks..

Edited December 5, 2023 by Ashland

[APDMOM]

5 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

Agree with both BND and RobinMN.

 

Our recent experience all on the Symphony....B5B.

 

* First TAD...in Barcelona. We went to the Royal Theater, got our new seapass cards, then photo taken, "ding" out with the old cards, and back in with the new cards. On the way out of the theater, we asked: "Where do we go now?"

The crew member smiled and answered: "You are free to roam". It took less than a minute!

 

* Second TAD...now in FLL/PE. We went to the Royal Theater, got our new seapass cards, then waited. We walked off the ship and "ding" out...they took our old seapass cards (returned them a few days later), then waited downstairs in the terminal. All B2B passengers met with CBP and showed our passports. We were then told to sit down at the terminal...and wait. We walked back up onto the ship...another long queue formed approaching the gangway...because they were taking new photos as you "ding" in.

Total time: approximately 3.5 hours.

 

* Third TAD...FLL/PE. Same process...theater, walk-off...but this time we didn't have to meet with CBP...they used Facial Recognition. We again waited in the terminal before boarding.

Total time: approximately 2 hours.

 

* Fourth TAD...FLL/PE. Same process...theater, walk-off...facial recognition...no waiting...back onboard.

Total time: approximately 1.5 hours.

 

 

 

Wow! Those are long wait times!  Our experiences in Port Canaveral, Tampa, and Miami were no more than 30 minutes each.  In Bayonne, we did not have to leave the ship - CBP met us in a lounge… Makes me wonder if this is related to the specific port.  Bayonne and Tampa were Royal Caribbean B2B.  The other two were MSC.

[bonsai3s]

6 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

 

Wow! Those are long wait times!  Our experiences in Port Canaveral, Tampa, and Miami were no more than 30 minutes each.  In Bayonne, we did not have to leave the ship - CBP met us in a lounge… Makes me wonder if this is related to the specific port.  Bayonne and Tampa were Royal Caribbean B2B.  The other two were MSC.

Hi APDMOM!

 

Many of the B2B passengers on the second TAD were angry...but tempers cooled down rather quickly after boarding...and upon reflection...

 

* There were U.S. Health Inspectors onboard...putting the crew on edge.

* It was the end of a TA...first time at FLL/PE...everyone, including crew members, had to meet with CBP.

* I can't remember the exact number of B2B passengers, but it may have been over 200.

 

[LeeW]

They have to zero the ship in Fort Lauderdale, so you can either get off and back on with the B2B or pick up your new cards and get off earlier.  They will sometimes run tours for B2B folks but you are better off doing these on your own.

 

Had two cases of getting off and getting new cards from ship staff in the terminal.  One was ok (around 20 people, so we went through immigration and got new ones in line before boarding again).  Second was disaster - around 400 people and they only had cards for around half.  They finally let us all back on and we had to go to Guest Services for the new cards.

[njkruzer]

In Australia everyone had to leave the ship by 9 am and could not re-board for 2 hrs.  Australian Border Fordes were very strict.  And for our 1st change we hadn't left Australia!    

[Nessa1dc]

We are doing a B2B on the Liberty in NJ.  We have done B2B before, the only difference this time is that we will be changing cabins.  We will move from a Balcony to a Jr. Suite.  Will we have early access to our new room?