B2B and Captain's Circle - help answer my questions!

[Honolulu Blue]

I'm considering taking a B2B on Princess and have a few questions about the experience:

 

1.  The B2Bs I'm considering consist of two cruises of seven days each.  They are (will be) listed both separately and as single cruises.  Can some of you summarize the advantages and disadvantages of booking both as a single cruise booking # and as two separate cruises?

2.  Let's say that I'll have 12 cruise credits by the time I sail on this B2B.  I'll be sailing solo, so that means I'll get 2 credits for each cruise - if I book them separately.  Or will I get all 4 credits if I book the B2B as one cruise??

3.  Assuming that I will have 16 credits at the end of the second cruise, when will I get my Diamond status?  On my next Princess cruise?  On the second cruise?  Or on boarding the first cruise?

4.  How easy is it to link these cruises if I book them online separately?

5.  As a CCL shareholder, I would get $100 in OBC for each of the 7-day cruises, but $250 for a 14-day cruise.  Can I tell whoever handles the OBC shareholder credit these days that I'm really on a 14-day cruise when I have these two 7-day cruises?

6.  What perks and bennies is Princess offering to B2B sailors these days?

 

Thanks in advance for your kind and informative responses.

[karatemom2]

If you book it as B2B it will count as 2 separate cruises with two distinct reservation numbers. If Princess offers it as a single itinerary as well and you book it that way it will count as one cruise with one reservation number. 
 

My daughter and her husband booked their Med cruise last year as a 21 day single cruise itinerary, but it was also offered as three 7 day cruise itineraries as well. The cost was slightly better booking as a single itinerary and my daughter is already Elite so trip count didn’t really matter. 
 

Only you can determine what works best for you. If you are trying to achieve Elite status, it might be more beneficial to book it as two separate reservations if cost is equal. Sounds like you would achieve your Elite status by taking your second cruise leg, so you would not get benefits until your next Princess cruise after that. 
 

In terms of your shareholder’s benefit, you would get $100 OBC each leg if you book it as two trips or $250 if you book it as one. You wouldn’t be able to get the $250 if you book two separate reservations as the OBC credit is credited per reservation based on the benefits defined for that reservation. 

Edited May 11 by karatemom2

[skynight]

1. Unless the fares are vastly different, usually better to book as two cruises for additional flexibility and more available cabins. Once on board there is little difference on how you booked. You will have a single on board folio for the entire time you are on board. All credits and debits carry over.

With the plus or premier fares the extra benefits such as 2 casual meals are per booking number. So with two booking numbers you will get 2 casual meals per leg. Same with some of the other benefits like spa classes and specialty dining for the premier package.

2. You receive the same amount of cruise credits no matter which way you book. As a solo you will receive 2 for each leg, 4 total. Cruise credits go by voyage number or legs, not by booking number.

3. When you disembark you will have 16 cruise credits. On your next Princess cruise you will be elite loyalty level. Diamond is a term used by other cruise lines.

4. They are automatically linked. You do nothing. I would use a T.A. Princess' customer service is poor at best. If you book on line direct and have any issues you will have to take care of them directly with customer service. It's easier to go through a TA if you have issues. Princess also has Personal Vacation Planners. These are kind of in house TAs.

5. No. One booking number = $250 OBC. Two booking numbers = $200 OBC. No way to change this.

6. No extra benefits for b2b cruises.

 

If your turn around is at a U.S. port then you will have to go through immigration. No exceptions. This requirement is U.S. law. It does not matter how you booked. There is an easy process to do this. You will receive a letter in your cabin. Read and follow the instructions exactly.   

[doghog]

22 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

3.  Assuming that I will have 16 credits at the end of the second cruise, when will I get my Diamond status?  On my next Princess cruise?  On the second cruise?  Or on boarding the first cruise?

Speak with the CC host or whatever they are called on the first leg. Celebritys onboard CC Concierge and RCs onboard CAS LA will expedite the process to ensure you are the next tier level for the second leg. Hopefully Princess CC does the same. 

[skynight]

20 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

If you book it as B2B it will count as 2 separate cruises with two distinct reservation numbers. If Princess offers it as a single itinerary as well and you book it that way it will count as one cruise with one reservation number. 

This is not correct if you are speaking about cruise credits. Cruise credits are awarded per Princess' voyage number, not by booking number. Single booking number or two booking numbers you will receive the 4 cruise credits, two for each 7 day voyage. 

Edited May 11 by skynight

[skynight]

2 minutes ago, doghog said:

Speak with the CC host or whatever they are called on the first leg. Celebritys onboard CC Concierge and RCs onboard CAS LA will expedite the process to ensure you are the next tier level for the second leg. Hopefully Princess CC does the same. 

The OP can not achieve elite level for the second leg. The OP starts with 12 cruise credits. After the 1st leg the OP will have 14 cruise credits, one for the leg and an additional one for sailing solo. You require 15 to become elite. The OP will reach the elite level after disembarking the 2nd leg and will be elite on the next Princess cruise. 

[karatemom2]

1 minute ago, skynight said:

This is not correct. Cruise credits are awarded per Princess' voyage number, not by booking number. Single booking number or two booking numbers you will receive the 4 cruise credits, two for each 7 day voyage. 

 
If that’s the case it news to me since that wasn’t the case for us many years back when we were trying to get to Elite status. We did a B2B Alaska cruise that could also be booked as a single itinerary and the Captain’s Circle host I spoke with at the time told us we would only get credit for two cruises if we booked both individually and had two distinct reservation numbers. Perhaps that has changed but that was the way it worked for us when we were counting up to Elite status. 
 

OP, seems like there is conflicting information, so best to confirm with Princess loyalty. 

[Cruise Raider]

26 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

I'm considering taking a B2B on Princess and have a few questions about the experience:

 

1.  The B2Bs I'm considering consist of two cruises of seven days each.  They are (will be) listed both separately and as single cruises.  Can some of you summarize the advantages and disadvantages of booking both as a single cruise booking # and as two separate cruises?

If Princess offers it as a single itinerary and you book it this way, you will get 2 credits for sailing solo for the full sailing.  

26 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

2.  Let's say that I'll have 12 cruise credits by the time I sail on this B2B.  I'll be sailing solo, so that means I'll get 2 credits for each cruise - if I book them separately.  Or will I get all 4 credits if I book the B2B as one cruise??

As above, if you book it as a single itinerary, you will get 2 credits for the entire sailing. 

26 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

3.  Assuming that I will have 16 credits at the end of the second cruise, when will I get my Diamond status?  On my next Princess cruise?  On the second cruise?  Or on boarding the first cruise?

Princess uses elite status as their top tier and is granted after you’ve attained you 15th cruise credit.  So yes, after you have completed you second leg of your B2B.  

26 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

4.  How easy is it to link these cruises if I book them online separately?

You won’t need to link your cruises, it will be automatic.  They will show separately in your personalizer but as one on your app.  

26 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

5.  As a CCL shareholder, I would get $100 in OBC for each of the 7-day cruises, but $250 for a 14-day cruise.  Can I tell whoever handles the OBC shareholder credit these days that I'm really on a 14-day cruise when I have these two 7-day cruises?

If you book this as 2 sailings, you cannot combine them to get the higher amount of stockholder credit.  Applying for the credit is now done online through Stockperks.  

26 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

6.  What perks and bennies is Princess offering to B2B sailors these days?

There’s no real perks or monetary benefits to booking a B2B but they seem to be having a ‘in transit passenger’ meeting onboard to explain the processes that will take place.  

26 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

 

Thanks in advance for your kind and informative responses.

For me, I would book it as two sailings.  It gives you more flexibility and only $50 less in stockholders credits.  Just my thoughts 

[skynight]

"If Princess offers it as a single itinerary and you book it this way, you will get 2 credits for sailing solo for the full sailing. "

"As above, if you book it as a single itinerary, you will get 2 credits for the entire sailing."

Princess awards cruise credits by Princess' voyage number not by booking number. A b2b sailing is two different Princess voyage numbers. In the old cruise card days you could see the voyage number at the bottom of the cruise card. The OP as a solo will receive 2 cruise credits for each Princess voyage or leg of the b2b. How the OP books does not matter. 

 

[karatemom2]

2 minutes ago, skynight said:

"If Princess offers it as a single itinerary and you book it this way, you will get 2 credits for sailing solo for the full sailing. "

"As above, if you book it as a single itinerary, you will get 2 credits for the entire sailing."

Princess awards cruise credits by Princess' voyage number not by booking number. A b2b sailing is two different Princess voyage numbers. In the old cruise card days you could see the voyage number at the bottom of the cruise card. The OP as a solo will receive 2 cruise credits for each Princess voyage or leg of the b2b. How the OP books does not matter. 

 

This may be the case, but I think it would be wise for the OP to confirm before making her booking decision. I know this is not the case in my daughter’s cruise history count on her total number of Princess cruises. Her honeymoon cruise last year just added to her cruise count by one, not three. And it was three separate voyages but is reflected in her loyalty history as one cruise. As I said, that was inconsequential for her, but if I was basing my booking decision on it I would want to get confirmation from Princess loyalty. 

[Cruise Raider]

16 minutes ago, skynight said:

"If Princess offers it as a single itinerary and you book it this way, you will get 2 credits for sailing solo for the full sailing. "

"As above, if you book it as a single itinerary, you will get 2 credits for the entire sailing."

Princess awards cruise credits by Princess' voyage number not by booking number. A b2b sailing is two different Princess voyage numbers. In the old cruise card days you could see the voyage number at the bottom of the cruise card. The OP as a solo will receive 2 cruise credits for each Princess voyage or leg of the b2b. How the OP books does not matter. 

 

I don’t think it is a common thing but Princess has started to offer a cruise itinerary, mostly Alaska from what I’m looking at, as either two one way 7 sailings or as one 14 day sailing with a unique voyage number.  This is the first year I’ve seen them offered as such.  
 

Another example is taking a B2B from Vancouver this Sept.  

You can also disembark the ship in San Francisco or start the cruise in San Francisco but if you start in Vancouver and go the full way through the canal, it is still only one voyage and will be counted as such.  These cruises are rare but you can certainly book them as one voyage.  

Edited May 11 by Cruise Raider

[memoak]

14 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

I don’t think it is a common thing but Princess has started to offer a cruise itinerary, mostly Alaska from what I’m looking at, as either two one way 7 sailings or as one 14 day sailing with a unique voyage number.  This is the first year I’ve seen them offered as such.  

It has been that way for awhile and different staterooms are offered on each option. For example I am booked on a B2B Alaska which can also be booked as one 14 day cruise. If you try to book the 14 day no suites are available but a few are available on the 7 days. And even when I booked a year ago the suite options were different on each cruise option. I could not get an aft suite I liked as a 14 but could on the 2 7 day cruises. Also in a suite that means I get 2 free specialty dinners and up to 4 mini bars

Edited May 11 by memoak

[doghog]

1 hour ago, skynight said:

The OP can not achieve elite level for the second leg. The OP starts with 12 cruise credits. After the 1st leg the OP will have 14 cruise credits, one for the leg and an additional one for sailing solo. You require 15 to become elite. The OP will reach the elite level after disembarking the 2nd leg and will be elite on the next Princess cruise. 

Agree. Misread the post. First clue I should have noticed was when @Honolulu Blue mentioned Diamond. No Diamond tier on Princess. Thanks. I appreciate the correction. 

 

Sorry for the incorrect info @Honolulu Blue. 

Edited May 11 by doghog

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, doghog said:

Misread the post. First clue I should have noticed was when @Honolulu Blue mentioned Diamond. No Diamond tier on Princess. Thanks. I appreciate the correction. 

 

Sorry for the incorrect info @Honolulu Blue. 

It's OK. I apologize for confusing Elite with Diamond.

[doghog]

4 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

It's OK. I apologize for confusing Elite with Diamond.

At least you'll have something new to look forward to on all your cruises after your B2B cruise. Cheers...🍻

[NavyVeteran]

If you want to book Princess EZAir, there is an advantage to booking the two cruises separately that has not yet been mentioned. If you book one cruise, then you have to book both air directions at the same time. If the fare goes down in one direction, you cannot rebook it without rebooking both directions, and the other direction may not be available or may have increased in price. If you book two separate cruise bookings, then you book one way with EZAir - one way to the ship on the first booking and one way home from the ship on the second booking. Then you can cancel or rebook one direction with no impact on the other air direction.

[Honolulu Blue]

Thanks everyone!  There's a lot of good information here.  I'll study it in more detail later, when I'm ready to book my B2B.

[wallyj]

On 5/11/2024 at 3:04 PM, skynight said:

 

If your turn around is at a U.S. port then you will have to go through immigration. No exceptions. This requirement is U.S. law. It does not matter how you booked. There is an easy process to do this. You will receive a letter in your cabin. Read and follow the instructions exactly.   

One exception, I know of personally is the port of Whittier in Alaska.
 

B2B passengers from YVR going back to YVR from Whittier, do NOT go thru immigration/customs as you did this in YVR, so on turnaround day, you do not need to get off the ship.

 

@karatemom2, Princess updated its software many years ago to recognize segments, so if a sailing can be booked as smaller segments and you booked it as one longer single segment, you should receive a credit for ‘each’ segment. So a 21 day cruise, that could have been booked as 3 separate 7 day sailing, should still receive 3 credits minimum, more if sailing solo or in a suite. After booking, your cruise history should show future credits. If this is not reflected correctly, call Princess to see if there is an error. In rare instances, unless you booked separately, you would not receive the multiple credits, such as a Transpacific, from Sydney to the West Coast of North America that has a short segment Sydney to Auckland. The current Majestic sailing that just arrived SEA after first arriving YVR, from Sydney, had a stop in Auckland with passengers embarking/disembarking, but for those who booked Sydney to YVR, it was still considered ONE cruise credit. Elite passengers did NOT receive a new mini bar in Auckland, this would be your clue, it is not a true ‘segment’ for cruise credit counting.

[lstone19]

Princess voyage numbers can be seen on your Travel Summary. From what I've observed, voyage numbers are four or five characters with the first character identifying the ship, the second character the year (last digit), and the next two the voyage of the year. If there's a fifth character, it is a letter and means that the voyage combines two or more shorter voyages.

 

For instance, before taking a move over offer, we were booked on U416B. U is Sun Princess, 4 is 2024, 16th voyage of the year (as originally scheduled before the cancellations), and the B because this was the 21-night version that combined seven-night cruises U416, U417, and U418. Our Captain's Circle history showed we would be getting three cruise credits for it.

 

In its place, and a combination of our move over replacement cruises and a separate paid booking, we are booked on U513, U514A, and U516A. U513 is the 14-night TA from Fort Lauderdale, U514A is 14 nights from Barcelona to Athens combining U514 Barcelona to Rome and U515 Rome to Athens, and U516A is 14 night Athens to Rome combining U516 Athens to Barcelona and U517 Barcelona to Rome (yep, we do that last segment twice). On the Captain's Circle history, it show we will receive a total of five cruise credits - 1 for the first 14 nights since it cannot be split any finer and 2 for each of the following 14 nights since those are bookable as two seven-night cruises B2B.

[mahasamatman]

Several years ago, we booked a Panama Canal cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver. After the cruise, we were credited for two segments each bacause (unbeknownst to me) the cruise was also bookable as a back-to-back Fort Lauderdale to San Pedro and San Pedro to Vancouver. So I have to side with the people who say the OP will get four cruise credits total as a solo cruiser.

[PensFan1028]

We are in the same "boat" here :). 

 

Looking at my Captain Circle History/Future, it shows our upcoming 14 day (booked as single voyage) as 2 credits each. The 1st credit will put us at 15 completed after the 1st week. Would we get the Elite benefits on the 2nd half of the voyage?

[skynight]

On 5/12/2024 at 3:46 PM, wallyj said:

One exception, I know of personally is the port of Whittier in Alaska.
 

B2B passengers from YVR going back to YVR from Whittier, do NOT go thru immigration/customs as you did this in YVR, so on turnaround day, you do not need to get off the ship.

 

This is correct, and I believe it is the only exception. The reason is that passengers have already gone through U.S. immigration in Vancouver when boarding so that there will not be any immigration procedures when the ship reaches its first U.S. port in Alaska. I did not mention it initially because the OP was not sailing this itinerary. 

[wallyj]

9 hours ago, PensFan1028 said:

We are in the same "boat" here :). 

 

Looking at my Captain Circle History/Future, it shows our upcoming 14 day (booked as single voyage) as 2 credits each. The 1st credit will put us at 15 completed after the 1st week. Would we get the Elite benefits on the 2nd half of the voyage?

Yes, visit the loyalty desk which is also Future cruises, as they handle both of these functions before the end of your first segment for them to verify.
 

 They may have to manually ‘upgrade’ you on board, as your medallion was produced for your entire voyage not knowing the second segment you graduate to the next level. You may get a new medallion, or they may just place a ‘sticker’ on your old medallion to show the level change. They can order your minibar and provide you will the correct first day letter.

[PensFan1028]

Thanks, we will give that a shot.

[shayatl]

Recently cruised Australia-NZ B2B2B (3 legs).  Our friend who was traveling with us had three separate booking numbers and achieved Platinum status after 2nd leg of trip.  On 3rd leg, she was not given a new medallion but she was credited back for half of the amount she'd paid for WiFi package for that leg before departure.  She went down to Guest Services at start of first leg to confirm that her status would change between legs 2 and 3.  Also, there are some itineraries where you must disembark along with all your luggage even if in same stateroom - that happened to us on first leg which went from Brisbane to NZ and then back to Brisbane.  Then on 3rd leg, around Australia, we had a different stateroom and Princess used a trolley to move all our hanging clothes so we only had to partially pack for that one.