Sail7Seas ---- B2B Questions

['The Bear']

Sail -- We're relatively new to cruising, 3 CCL cruises and, more recently a trip on 'your' ;) beautiful & elegant Maasdam. We enjoyed the experience so much that we purchased the same cruise next January along with the second itinerary as a B2B. :D

 

#1 Registration between cruises -- Is it necessary to debark with papers in hand or can this registration happen without leaving the ship?

 

#2 We have to change rooms (same floor) on the second half of the cruise. Do we simply pack our 'stuff" and leave it for our competent room steward, or is there another procedure?

 

#3 Purchased libations -- Will purchases on the first half of the B2B be returned at the end of the second cruise, or before the normal debarkation the evening prior to our first return to FLL? We Cannucks can only bring back so much booze duty-free eh !! ;)

 

#4 US Customs --- If the answer to #1 is as expected, do we wait until the final half of the cruise to pass through customs, or must we do this for each individual cruise?

 

Thanks, in advance,

[sail7seas]

Sail -- We're relatively new to cruising' date=' 3 CCL cruises and, more recently a trip on [i']'your'[/i] ;) beautiful & elegant Maasdam. We enjoyed the experience so much that we purchased the same cruise next January along with the second itinerary as a B2B. :D

 

#1 Registration between cruises -- Is it necessary to debark with papers in hand or can this registration happen without leaving the ship?

 

#2 We have to change rooms (same floor) on the second half of the cruise. Do we simply pack our 'stuff" and leave it for our competent room steward, or is there another procedure?

 

#3 Purchased libations -- Will purchases on the first half of the B2B be returned at the end of the second cruise, or before the normal debarkation the evening prior to our first return to FLL? We Cannucks can only bring back so much booze duty-free eh !! ;)

 

#4 US Customs --- If the answer to #1 is as expected, do we wait until the final half of the cruise to pass through customs, or must we do this for each individual cruise?

 

Thanks, in advance,

 

Hi Bear. So happy you like "MY" :) Maasdam so much you have booked to return.

 

#1 You did not mention where you are embarking for both of your cruising but without taking out my catalogs, I will assume it is FLL. In that case.... you will wait until all guests have left the ship. Go into the terminal with your passport; show it to the Immigration authorities and you are free to return to the ship or stay ashore. The reason I say wait until all departing guests have left (all colors have been called) is because they will not permit you to reboard until the former guests are gone.

 

At your convenience, go to the Front Office and give them the coupon for your second segment. They will take a new photo and you will be all set.

 

The night before the end of your first cruise, they will deliver a letter to your cabin detailing dining times and the Immigration procedure I just told you. Also, that envelope will contain your I.D.'s for your next cruise. When you leave the ship to go through Immigration, you scan off the ship with the old card. When you reboard, you scan on with the new card.

 

#2. Your cabin steward will help you move. Do not pack any of your hanging things from the closet. He will bring a rolling clothes rack and will hang them all on the rack to transfer to the new cabin.

 

Do not pack things in your drawers. The drawers are interchangeable and the stewards will take your filled drawers from your cabin and swamp them with the empties from the cabin you are moving to.

 

Throw your bathroom 'stuff' into one of your empty suitcases and any things you have around the cabin. Shouldn't take you 10 minutes to do that.

 

#3 Any liquor you purchased during cruise one that the ship is holding for you will be returned the night before the end of your first cruise. ;) It will be your to do with what you wish for your second cruise.

 

#4 I have heard (very rarely) where Customs clearance is required. Beats me why or what it could be worth. You do not have to have your luggage with you so what is the sense of Customs? How can you declare what you are bringing ashore if you are bringing nothing ashore? Ours is not to reason why. In the odd event you should be told to clear customs, do as instructed. I have NEVER heard of anyone bringing luggage with them.

 

In fact.......it would violate your rights to be forced to. We are permitted the Duty Free exemption once in thirty days and must be out of the country 48 hours to be eligible. If they make you use your exemption for a -0- Declaration they would have taken your right from you to declare your Duty Free when you really are departing at the end of your second cruise.

 

I never should raise that and don't worry about it as I've never heard of it happening. We have done at least 15+ sets of back-to-backs and have never heard Customs mentioned to us once on any of them.

 

You are going to love back-to-back. It is so delicious when you know you don't have to leave on turnaround day.

 

Hope this is helpful to you.

[2bout2c]

I've found on B2B in the US, it's not Customs you have to take care of. You know with all you bags, purchases and such. It's only Immigrations. They want to know who you are passing thru our country.

[sail7seas]

You will definitely have to do Immigration in a U.S. port on turnaround day. I outlined that in my response.

 

['The Bear']

Thanks 'Sail' for the prompt answer to my queries, I knew that I could count on you, with all that cruising experience, to know the minotae associated with a B2B.

 

I'm sure that we will love this cruise --- we waited 35 years after our marriage, while we raised & educated our kids etc., to take a cruise; and loved it so much that we have cruised every year since !! Again a heartfelt thank-you !!

[sail7seas]

Bear..... How wonderful that is now YOUR turn. Kids raised and educated....... I'm happy to help with any questions you have. Ask away. The next best thing to sailing Maasdam (and Noordam) and all the 'dam' ships is talking about them. :)

 

How great after 35 years you have discovered the joy of cruising!!

 

Fair winds and a following sea......

 

[Tinknock50]

Sail,

I have been looking at these B2B with increasing interest. 7 days just doesn't cut it anymore.

 

A question.....will the steward just move your stuff to the new cabin....or do you have to be there? It would be nice if it was all in place when you re-boarded.

[sail7seas]

Sean .....

 

 

We have always kept the same cabin. When we pick which back-to-backs and which dates, we only book consecutive dates that permit us to remain in the same cabin. We book early to have best availability.

 

Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I am reasonably sure your stewards will ask you be present........ for their protection. There is always the chance someone could claim something was lost in the move or was left behind. It would be wise to stay with them. To remember to empty the safe and the like.

 

I do know they get it done VERY fast. Usually the steward from the old cabin and the one from the new cabin and maybe even one of their friends work together to get the b-to-b guests moved and set up quickly.

 

[Tinknock50]

Sean .....

 

 

We have always kept the same cabin. When we pick which back-to-backs and which dates, we only book consecutive dates that permit us to remain in the same cabin. We book early to have best availability.

 

Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I am reasonably sure your stewards will ask you be present........ for their protection. There is always the chance someone could claim something was lost in the move or was left behind. It would be wise to stay with them. To remember to empty the safe and the like.

 

I do know they get it done VERY fast. Usually the steward from the old cabin and the one from the new cabin and maybe even one of their friends work together to get the b-to-b guests moved and set up quickly.

 

 

Thanks Sail....sounds pretty quick and trouble free.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You have a couple of choices at the end of your first cruise. (We have also done quite a few back-to-back cruises including quite a number out of Ft lauderdale). When you get off the ship in Ft lauderdale to go through Immigration you will be called LAST to leave the ship. On our last number of cruises all Intransit passengers received a letter indicating what time and place we were to meet so that we could leave the ship together. A person from the front desk escorted us off the ship. I just wrote about this again after we got home in March from our back-to-back cruises. Should you decide to wait in the terminal to get back on the ship, you may wait anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour. The ship has to be cleared first. IF you decide to leave the terminal and go somewhere in Ft Lauderdale, you will have to fill out a declatations form to give to the people at the door as you leave the terminal. We have watched some people get into a hassle with the customs people about this as they argued about coming back to the ship for another cruise.

[peaches from georgia]

Should you decide to wait in the terminal to get back on the ship, you may wait anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour.

You have much more experience with this than I do, KK, but when we did a b2b we walked off with the group of others cruising the next week with our escort, flashed our passports at an Immigration official who didn't look at them, and walked directly back onto the ship through the crew entrance. The whole thing took just minutes and we were back in our suite with no wait in the terminal at all.

 

Maybe if varies from ship to ship? :confused:

[Krazy Kruizers]

peaches

 

We used to be able to just walk off the ship and get back on through the crew entrance. But beginning with our Volendam cruises in 2005, the rules changed, at least for our ships. We also did this on the Zuiderdam (2005), Volendam (2006) and Maasdam (2007).

 

[booboo29]

peaches

 

We used to be able to just walk off the ship and get back on through the crew entrance. But beginning with our Volendam cruises in 2005, the rules changed, at least for our ships. We also did this on the Zuiderdam (2005), Volendam (2006) and Maasdam (2007).

 

 

B to B on the Westerdam in November was just like KK described it. We were escorted off as a group and allowed to reboard once the ship was cleared, which was about 30 minutes or so. DH and I were first back on board and it was really fun to feel like we had the ship to ourselves.:D

[sail7seas]

You have much more experience with this than I do, KK, but when we did a b2b we walked off with the group of others cruising the next week with our escort, flashed our passports at an Immigration official who didn't look at them, and walked directly back onto the ship through the crew entrance. The whole thing took just minutes and we were back in our suite with no wait in the terminal at all.

 

Maybe if varies from ship to ship? :confused:

 

That is always how it has worked for us. We have once or twice had to explain to the security person at the terminal doorway what we meant that we were 'sailing again'. Until they understood we had booked the next cruise and could show them both the ID from the previous cruise and the one dated for the next cruise, they didn't want to let us return.

 

Once they saw both ID cards, no problem. We have never waited in the terminal.

 

The only time we ever choose to stay ashore has been in Montreal......and we will stay ashore again in August when we do another b-to-b in August.

[sail7seas]

It just occured to me the difference in KK's most recent experiences and what we have always experienced could be simply that on those cases there were 'malingerers'...... some folks who were supposed to disembark had not left yet. Their color was called and they ignored it and were staying aboard later than they were supposed to.

 

The Officials would not clear the ship until they left.

I guess we've been lucky and people left when they were supposed to.

 

I'll let you know what happens on our upcoming June back-to-backs on Maasdam. We 'turnaround' in Boston and don't think we'll stay ashore. We probably will 'attempt' to reboard immediately.

 

[3 Fan]

We are doing back-to-back on the Westerdam in February 2008. I have another question. When we reboard will we be allowed to return to our cabin? Or do we have to wait in the public areas?

[sail7seas]

If you are staying in the same cabin, yes......You may go to it.

 

However, sometimes they close the fire doors to keep people from entering. The night of your last cruise, ask your steward if it will be okay for you to return to your cabin.

 

I'd be very surprised if he did not say "yes".

 

Have a great cruise!

[kryos]

#4 I have heard (very rarely) where Customs clearance is required. Beats me why or what it could be worth. You do not have to have your luggage with you so what is the sense of Customs? How can you declare what you are bringing ashore if you are bringing nothing ashore? Ours is not to reason why. In the odd event you should be told to clear customs, do as instructed. I have NEVER heard of anyone bringing luggage with them.

I think you "technically" have to go through customs, but you just show them the declaration card with "in transit" written across the top. And, you certainly don't bring any luggage off with you at the end of the first half of the b2b. You won't actually declare anything until you get off the ship for good at the end of the second half of the b2b, and thus have your baggage with you.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[mamaofami]

We did a b2b in Alaska and kept the same cabin. We received the new ID cards the night before, left the ship by depositing the old ID cards and reborded after some touring using the new ID cards. I don't recall going through any customs. Is this possible or is my memory faulty?

[Tinknock50]

This isn't your typical B2B experience, but this is what what written in the Daily Program in Vancouver when I boarded the Noordam for a one night.

Half of the passengers were continuing on to Seattle to end their much longer 20+ days cruise.

 

IN-TRANSIT IMMIGRATION

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) require that all in-transit guests attend inspection tomorrow, even if you are not going ashore. There are two options:

1. Guests wishing to make the most of their time in Vancouver should disembark in the morning at any time during the disembarkation process,however,they are not permitted to re-board until 1:00pm. Upon re-entering the terminal, guests will have to go through US immigration with all newly embarking guests.

2. Guest staying on board in the morning will be called over our PA system to the terminal to see US immigration officials by the color of your 'in-transit' card (received today with your notice). We expect this to begin at approximately 11:00am.

 

WHAT TO BRING?

When leaving ths ship, you will need to have your color coded 'in-transit' card as well as your passport or proof of citizenship (with photo ID). You will also need to have your Holland America Line Guest ID Card in hand as you approach the gangway for scanning at the security gate.

[Krazy Kruizers]

mamaofani

 

I see that you did Alaska on the Statendam - that means that you went from Vancouver to Seward and then back down to Vancouver. We have done that back-to-back a couple of times. In Seward you never have to go through immigration.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have also done back-to-back cruises out of San Diego and again we did not have to go through immigration.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Several times the fire doors have been closed when we got back on the ship. But we just opened them and went back to our cabin.

 

Only once did our cabin steward not make up our cabin until he was done getting the others ready. The majority of our cabin stewards changed the sheets the day before. Knowing that we are always up early, the stewards would come to our cabin right away and do it first since there was hardly anything to do in it.

 

A couple of times we got back on the ship just a couple of minutes before the new passengers got on. We didn't have much time to enjoy the ship by ourselves.

[sail7seas]

Now that Embarkation normally begins about 11:15, there is very little time with the ship to ourselves like it used to be. In the days when embarkation began at about 1:30, we would have at least a few hours when there was hardly anyone aboard. What fun that was.

 

Now....by the time the last guests are off the ship, the first of the new guests are boarding.

 

Not a complaint by any means as we enjoy the early embarkation as much as everyone else.

 

[mamaofami]

Thanks, KK. We did do the itinerary you described and I didn't recall immigration. Thanks for clearing that up for me.