Question on combined cruises

[flyers10]

We are new to Princess and looking to book a combined 18 day cruise.  We would prefer booking as an 18 day vs booking as a 7 day and 11 day.  The problem is that we want to choose our cabin. The 18 day only shows guarantees. There are plenty of cabins available for both 7 day and 11 day cruises.  Seems like a very strange practice -  marketing an 18 day cruise and not allowing the customer to choose a cabin.  Any insight is appreciated.  Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Thrak]

Contact your TA or a Princess CVP and they can do it for you.

[cr8tiv1]

Your cabin for the 7 day may not be available for the 11 day cruise.  You could book it as two, but will probably have to change cabins on turn around day.  When is your cruise?  

 

I have been booked in 2 separate cabins.  My TA has worked with Princess Inventory to get me into a cabin that would work for both segments.  I don't know what happened to the person in my second cabin...maybe they got a nice upgrade?

 

When you do a mock booking, do you see your first cabin available for the second leg?  

[dreamin'ofthesea]

I have noticed that when cruise is first released you can select a cabin but as the cruise fills up guarantee only. Would agree ringing princess might help

[memoak]

They offer different cabins for the full cruise and the legs. We usually book the separate legs to increase plus perks as long as we can get the same cbin for both legs

[skynight]

I sail back to back cruises all the time with Princess. Here is how I handle the booking.

First - I use a TA. TAs usually have a few additional benefits like a little extra OBC. I would not try to do this alone on line. You can use a Princess Personal Cruise Planner which is basically like using a TA. 

Second -  I almost always book as separate cruises. There is really very little downside and it provides more flexibility. Example, the fare for one of the legs may go down. I have four cruises booked B2B for this coming winter. 

Third - Before I contact the TA I do my homework. I search the Princess site for each cruise. I look for cabins that I want and write down the cabin numbers. I make a list of the cabin numbers that match. Then when I contact the TA I mention that I wish to have the same cabin for each leg, and provide a list of acceptable cabins.

Once on board you will have a single folio for the entire time you are on board. It will feel like a single cruise. You did not mention where you plan to sail. No matter where it is, any turn around day requirements would be the same regardless if booked as a single booking number or separate booking numbers. In all cases your luggage remains in your cabin, and there is no disembark/re-embark process. There is an immigration requirement at US ports (Whitter excepted). In Europe and other countries it's basically just like any other port day. 

[OceanoPair]

5 hours ago, skynight said:

I sail back to back cruises all the time with Princess. Here is how I handle the booking.

First - I use a TA. TAs usually have a few additional benefits like a little extra OBC. I would not try to do this alone on line. You can use a Princess Personal Cruise Planner which is basically like using a TA. 

Second -  I almost always book as separate cruises. There is really very little downside and it provides more flexibility. Example, the fare for one of the legs may go down. I have four cruises booked B2B for this coming winter. 

Third - Before I contact the TA I do my homework. I search the Princess site for each cruise. I look for cabins that I want and write down the cabin numbers. I make a list of the cabin numbers that match. Then when I contact the TA I mention that I wish to have the same cabin for each leg, and provide a list of acceptable cabins.

Once on board you will have a single folio for the entire time you are on board. It will feel like a single cruise. You did not mention where you plan to sail. No matter where it is, any turn around day requirements would be the same regardless if booked as a single booking number or separate booking numbers. In all cases your luggage remains in your cabin, and there is no disembark/re-embark process. There is an immigration requirement at US ports (Whitter excepted). In Europe and other countries it's basically just like any other port day. 

Are you saying you will have a single Folio for both legs of a back to back? One Medallion for both cruises? And OBC combined for both bookings of a back to back? First back to back on Princess coming up in April.

[Cruisintimer]

25 minutes ago, OceanoPair said:

Are you saying you will have a single Folio for both legs of a back to back? One Medallion for both cruises? And OBC combined for both bookings of a back to back? First back to back on Princess coming up in April.

We always book our btb's ourselves online, Princess app combines the sailings. We receive one medallion for both cruises.  Onboard credits are applied at each sailing, ie; when we set sail for 2nd cruise, obc shows up.  Folio has been combined for us.  That has been OUR experience. 

[Bgwest]

8 hours ago, skynight said:

I sail back to back cruises all the time with Princess. Here is how I handle the booking.

First - I use a TA. TAs usually have a few additional benefits like a little extra OBC. I would not try to do this alone on line. You can use a Princess Personal Cruise Planner which is basically like using a TA. 

Second -  I almost always book as separate cruises. There is really very little downside and it provides more flexibility. Example, the fare for one of the legs may go down. I have four cruises booked B2B for this coming winter. 

Third - Before I contact the TA I do my homework. I search the Princess site for each cruise. I look for cabins that I want and write down the cabin numbers. I make a list of the cabin numbers that match. Then when I contact the TA I mention that I wish to have the same cabin for each leg, and provide a list of acceptable cabins.

Once on board you will have a single folio for the entire time you are on board. It will feel like a single cruise. You did not mention where you plan to sail. No matter where it is, any turn around day requirements would be the same regardless if booked as a single booking number or separate booking numbers. In all cases your luggage remains in your cabin, and there is no disembark/re-embark process. There is an immigration requirement at US ports (Whitter excepted). In Europe and other countries it's basically just like any other port day. 

☝️This. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[skynight]

2 hours ago, OceanoPair said:

Are you saying you will have a single Folio for both legs of a back to back? One Medallion for both cruises? And OBC combined for both bookings of a back to back? First back to back on Princess coming up in April.

Yes. Single medallion. OBC for each leg is posted to your folio(s) at the start of each leg. Folio balances carry over. If that balance is a credit (OBC) then it will carry over. It's a simple debit/credit system. There is one folio on your final disembarkation date. Note that if you are on a long b2b the battery in your medallion may pose power. You can get a new medallion at passenger services if this happens. 

[Boku]

Is it correct that you also get double the benefits when booking a Plus or Premier package with B2B bookings rather than a combined booking.

[Thrak]

7 minutes ago, Boku said:

Is it correct that you also get double the benefits when booking a Plus or Premier package with B2B bookings rather than a combined booking.

 

Yes. The benefits are per voyage so you get the prix fixe meals, desserts, fitness classes, etc. for each voyage. No matter how you book it you should get a mini-bar for each segment if you qualify for that perk.

[LouCoop]

We have done a few B2B's but always with one booking number. This time we have one coming up that has 2 booking numbers. We booked using FCD and had to each use two of them to get OBC on both bookings. We also booked the plus package. When I checked our travel summary for the first part everything is fine but the travel summary for the second part does not show plus package. Does that mean they did not apply plus to the second booking or will it flow right on to it like B2B's with one booking number?

[wallyj]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

 

Yes. The benefits are per voyage so you get the prix fixe meals, desserts, fitness classes, etc. for each voyage. No matter how you book it you should get a mini-bar for each segment if you qualify for that perk.

Only if you booked as ‘separate’ bookings. If you booked as one voyage say a 14 day that can be booked a two 7 dayers, you will only get 2 SD for the 14 day sailing , but 4 if you booked as 2 separate booking numbers.

[Ombud]

10 hours ago, skynight said:

Once on board you will have a single folio for the entire time you are on board. It will feel like a single cruise

Question: I have to change rooms after 1st voyage. My choice as I wanted to try premium outside (balcony unusable on sea days) C100. I understand staff will move me to C700. Do my 2 folios still combine? Or does the room change close out Folio #1 & start Folio #2?

[wallyj]

1 hour ago, LouCoop said:

We have done a few B2B's but always with one booking number. This time we have one coming up that has 2 booking numbers. We booked using FCD and had to each use two of them to get OBC on both bookings. We also booked the plus package. When I checked our travel summary for the first part everything is fine but the travel summary for the second part does not show plus package. Does that mean they did not apply plus to the second booking or will it flow right on to it like B2B's with one booking number?

Sounds like a possible glitch or Plus was NOT added to your second booking?

 

Review your booking confirmations and fares. If you have 2 passengers $120/day difference should be obvious?

 

A quick check would be to go into your second booking on the Cruise Personalizer and try to ADD the Plus package, if you have it already it should say and ask if you want to upgrade to Premier. If it gives you an amount, then your booking does not have Plus.

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, Ombud said:

Question: I have to change rooms after 1st voyage. My choice as I wanted to try premium outside (balcony unusable on sea days) C100. I understand staff will move me to C700. Do my 2 folios still combine? Or does the room change close out Folio #1 & start Folio #2?

 

We did 31 days in one cabin and then 32 days (5 separate segments) that were all in another cab. The folio was combined. At the end of the cruise(s) it was a single bill. (Actually it was several hundred left as credit that was refunded.)

[Ombud]

Thanks @Thrak. This is the 1st time I booked in 2 different rooms as I didn't want a solid balcony in the TA but most of my gifted OBC is on the 2nd leg,  I'll exit owing, I always owe

 

Someday I'll book a long one with avatar on QM2 but right now I'm limited to a month as the "dog sitter" (aka grandson & his boyfriend) can't handle him more than that.

[SCX22]

Not sure what the rationale behind Princess' cabin management is.  In the case of 2 cruises that have the ability to be booked as one, it seems like Princess is holding back cabins on the short segments and waiting to see which cabins aren't booked on the single long cruise.  They then take the cabins that aren't booked on the single long cruise and assign it to those who booked guarantees on the short segments.

 

Having said that we book guarantee.  When we booked B2B Med and TA cruises as separate cruises and had the bookings linked, we were pleasantly surprised that we got assigned the same cabin for both segments.  It was a an even more pleasant surprise because the Med segment was booked as in Interior guarantee and the TA segment was booked as a balcony guarantee; in reality we got an upgrade on the Med segment.  Not sure if this is common.  I'm sure the upgrade part isn't common, but not sure if the being assigned the same cabin is had we booked the same category cabin on both segments.

Edited July 22 by SCX22

[memoak]

2 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

Not sure what the rationale behind Princess' cabin management is.  In the case of 2 cruises that have the ability to be booked as one, it seems like Princess is holding back cabins on the short segments and waiting to see which cabins aren't booked on the single long cruise.  They then take the cabins that aren't booked on the single long cruise and assign it to those who booked guarantees on the short segments.

 

Having said that we book guarantee.  When we booked B2B Med and TA cruises as separate cruises and had the bookings linked, we were pleasantly surprised that we got assigned the same cabin for both segments.  It was a an even more pleasant surprise because the Med segment was booked as in Interior guarantee and the TA segment was booked as a balcony guarantee; in reality we got an upgrade on the Med segment.  Not sure if this is common.  I'm sure the upgrade part isn't common, but not sure if the being assigned the same cabin is.

It has always been the case that when a cruise can be booked as one cruise or two different cabins are available for each option.  This is nothing new and has been this way for years

[flyers10]

Thanks all for the info.