Tips and tricks for doing a B2B

[NoShoes2]

Do you typically get the same table assignment in the MDR?

 

[Biker19]

18 minutes ago, NoShoes2 said:

Do you typically get the same table assignment in the MDR?

 

No, but you can ask for that either before the first cruise via email (rcldining@rccl.com) or the host early during the first sailing. 

[bob63005]

On 6/7/2024 at 7:09 AM, NoShoes2 said:

My wife and I are booking a B2B on Wonder out of Port Canaveral for next February. Does anyone any tips, trick or advice they would be willing to share? 

 

I bought some bourbon in the duty free shop on first leg and they delivered it the last night of the first cruise. I had D+ drinks and wanted it at home but could have consumed in the room on the second leg if I had wanted   

[NoShoes2]

23 hours ago, bob63005 said:

I bought some bourbon in the duty free shop on first leg and they delivered it the last night of the first cruise. I had D+ drinks and wanted it at home but could have consumed in the room on the second leg if I had wanted   

 

Good to know! haha

[karena1]

On 6/7/2024 at 8:09 AM, NoShoes2 said:

My wife and I are booking a B2B on Wonder out of Port Canaveral for next February. Does anyone any tips, trick or advice they would be willing to share? 

 

Try to get the same cabin, I always book early enough to make sure I can do that.  If you keep the same cabin, you do not have to pack anything.  You just leave your cabin as is, and you can go back to your cabin any time you want during the morning and not have to wait until cabins are open at 1 or so.  I won't do a B2B unless I can stay in the same cabin.  I know they help you move, but I don't want that hassle.  

 

 

[island lady]

52 minutes ago, karena1 said:

Try to get the same cabin, I always book early enough to make sure I can do that.  If you keep the same cabin, you do not have to pack anything.  You just leave your cabin as is, and you can go back to your cabin any time you want during the morning and not have to wait until cabins are open at 1 or so.  I won't do a B2B unless I can stay in the same cabin.  I know they help you move, but I don't want that hassle.  

 

 

 

Exactly this!  ^   🙂 

[cruisegirl1]

On 6/10/2024 at 7:10 PM, NoShoes2 said:

Do you typically get the same table assignment in the MDR?

 

If we have a table we like,  we request it for the next cruise. More often than not we have new wait staff as the staff are frequently moved around. 

[BND]

3 hours ago, karena1 said:

Try to get the same cabin, I always book early enough to make sure I can do that.  If you keep the same cabin, you do not have to pack anything.  You just leave your cabin as is, and you can go back to your cabin any time you want during the morning and not have to wait until cabins are open at 1 or so.  I won't do a B2B unless I can stay in the same cabin.  I know they help you move, but I don't want that hassle.  

 

 

We either book onboard or our TA books for us.  Either way, they can easily compare cabins and see what's available on both legs without moving from screen to screen.  We only dob2b's in the same cabin.  One of the biggest perks of doing a b2b is not having to pack up anything.

[island lady]

16 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

If we have a table we like,  we request it for the next cruise. More often than not we have new wait staff as the staff are frequently moved around. 

 

On the 63 night first quarter WC we did...we liked our wait team so much, which indeed got moved around with each of the "mini segments"...that we begged the dining room host to move us also to follow them.  😉  Worked for us...and them!  😄 

[CanobieFan]

Might be a dumb question but since this topic is already a thing, I might as well ask it. We're doing a b2b, in the same room, but since it's actually two different one-way sailings, we wanna get off and explore on the disembarkment-embankment day, is this gonna be an issue?

[karena1]

17 hours ago, BND said:

We either book onboard or our TA books for us.  Either way, they can easily compare cabins and see what's available on both legs without moving from screen to screen.  We only dob2b's in the same cabin.  One of the biggest perks of doing a b2b is not having to pack up anything.

I am a TA and I always book on the ship to get the OBC.  But I do my research ahead of time, so I know exactly what cabin I want.  Not sure I would do a B2B if I had to move cabins.  I agree, the biggest perk is not have to pack.  

[mets123]

2 hours ago, CanobieFan said:

Might be a dumb question but since this topic is already a thing, I might as well ask it. We're doing a b2b, in the same room, but since it's actually two different one-way sailings, we wanna get off and explore on the disembarkment-embankment day, is this gonna be an issue?

No. You'll be issued an in transit pass. That works in the US but not sure about foreign ports. Don't know where you're sailing from.

 

[aubreyc1988]

I've done 2 b2b cruises on Navigator, a 3 day + 4 day in July 2023 and a 4 day + 7 day in May 2024, my experiences were slightly different, even though they were the same ship

 

July B2B: Got a letter the night before explaining how our room steward would move our luggage if changing rooms and what time to meet in the morning. We met in Star Lounge at 8:30, waited there until 9:30 (Where I assume that was when all other passengers were off) and then we got new keycards which we kept separate from our current keycards. They they scanned us off the ship, we went down to customs...those with passports did facial recognition, those with BC it did take a bit longer. Then we went back to the ship, scanned in with our new keycards, did muster and waited for our rooms to be ready

 

May B2B was the same as July except after we went through customs, they had us sit in the waiting area of the port terminal for over an hr before letting us back on the ship AFTER the Suites/Pinnacle/Key members. 

 

Not a whole lot of tips to share, but I liked going to the b2b lunch to kill time and then I just hung out at a bar until rooms were ready. One tip I'd give is that if you can stock up on water on the first leg (I'm prime in the casino, so I always have a fridge of water), you can put that in your suitcase and your room steward will move it over and it will not go through any sort of inspections as far as I know so you could have 2-3 cases in there for all they know.

[dunedinmaiden]

On 6/7/2024 at 8:15 AM, smokeybandit said:

It's really not that elaborate of a thing to need tips or tricks. 

My mother taught me, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything!"

[Floater4life]

On 6/7/2024 at 4:12 PM, c-leg5 said:

I have never been invited to a pre-meeting!
 

Are they well attended? I am not sure I would want to spend time on vacation hanging out at a meeting when the necessary details are adequately explained in the letter on the bed. What is the purpose of a meeting?
 

It is bad enough getting to the meeting point on time on the day and hanging around waiting  for those that are late as mentioned above.  I wouldn’t want to spend more time prior to the cruise end. What do they explain that isn’t in the letter?

Life is hard. Go...Don't go. The wait is not bad and I'm sure you can handle it. When you reboard go to the pool and have a drink.

[c-leg5]

1 minute ago, Floater4life said:

Life is hard. Go...Don't go. The wait is not bad and I'm sure you can handle it. When you reboard go to the pool and have a drink.

I have no problem with the turnaround meeting.
 

It is the pre-meeting that explains the letter, that is left on my bed that already explains the procedure, that I have a problem with.

 

Fortunately in all my B2B’s I haven’t encountered it and it seems to be a policy of the past! 

[island lady]

Many, many years we attended the "pre-meeting".   Yawn...but after that, we never went.  Actually I am surprised they are still doing those?  Did not know that.  

 

The letter is pretty spelled out.  

[savva0122000]

Interesting thread.  We do our first B2B in October

[nelblu]

Do you need to check in on the APP for the 2nd leg.  Also, muster?

[mets123]

Yes for both. But choose a late time for check in so a person who wants an early one can get it 

 

[nelblu]

48 minutes ago, mets123 said:

Yes for both. But choose a late time for check in so a person who wants an early one can get it 

 

Good idea

[cruiselvr04]

On 6/12/2024 at 12:27 PM, CanobieFan said:

Might be a dumb question but since this topic is already a thing, I might as well ask it. We're doing a b2b, in the same room, but since it's actually two different one-way sailings, we wanna get off and explore on the disembarkment-embankment day, is this gonna be an issue?

I have never been to a port that I couldn’t get off on.  Some places have a strict policy that once you get back on you can’t get off again.  Sydney Australia was like that.  But we could get off as long as we did it at the time they said.  Once anyone embarked in Sydney they were not allowed to get off again at any time. Hope this makes sense. 

[CanobieFan]

20 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

Sydney Australia was like that.  But we could get off as long as we did it at the time they said.  Once anyone embarked in Sydney they were not allowed to get off again at any time. Hope this makes sense. 

Awesome, thats my hope. We're doing a Med b2b where leg 1 ends and leg 2 starts in Civitavecchia but we wont be there at any other point and while I don't wanna go into Rome, I'd like to see the ruins actually in Civitavecchia itself. Otherwise it seems like a wasted day just sticking around on the ship itself.

[lv2bcruzin]

On 6/7/2024 at 8:13 AM, cruiselvr04 said:

The best part is watching everyone else put their bags out and leave.  Meanwhile you get to sleep in a little, and sometimes for an hour or so have the ship to yourself. 
 

There will sometimes be a consecutive cruiser lunch. 
 

Since you have the same cabin I would not consider putting in a Royal up. To us, it’s not worth the move.

Would normally agree as we tend to only book B2Bs when we do not have to move cabins based on the hassle.

 

However, moving cabins because of an RU bid getting accepted may be okay depending on the upgrade.

 

We booked a JS on a Harmony B2B. First week we were upgraded to a Crown Loft suite for a total of $200 (min bid). Moving to the JS for the second week was more of a first world problem downgrade, but well worth the inconvenience of moving cabins for a Crown Loft. 

[island lady]

4 hours ago, lv2bcruzin said:

Would normally agree as we tend to only book B2Bs when we do not have to move cabins based on the hassle.

 

However, moving cabins because of an RU bid getting accepted may be okay depending on the upgrade.

 

We booked a JS on a Harmony B2B. First week we were upgraded to a Crown Loft suite for a total of $200 (min bid). Moving to the JS for the second week was more of a first world problem downgrade, but well worth the inconvenience of moving cabins for a Crown Loft. 

 

B2B and more cruises are the reasons I don't bid on an upgrade. I will only bid on single leg cruises...though we don't do a lot of those any longer.   Just really don't want to move.  Unpack once and call it home.  😉