What is the best B2B on Princess

[cityguy300]

It depends on what length of cruise you prefer and if you are port type people or days at sea people. We enjoyed the B2B Southern Carribean which saw 11 different islands in 14 days.

 

I did this back in March. While it was nice to be able to see so many islands in one trip, I did not like (or anticipate) the 2nd week being a mirror image of the 1st one other than the ports -- same menus, same entertainment, same presentations! So that's something to keep in mind when doing a B2B, although I think most pairings are different routes/lengths so the duplication should be less pronounced.

[Pia1913]

Pricing is in. I tried to reserve on-line had a price on an AD $4350.00 but wanted full payment now:confused: So I called Princess and my reservation timed out and the price changed to $5395.00:confused:. I'm still going but I'll wait and see what my TA can do and I don't want to drop 20% deposit today.:D

 

Anthony

 

I put both on my "watch" list. Can't do anything until I acquire more FCC's, so will have to wait until on the Coral next month. I would grab an AD for $4350 in a hearbeat.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I put both on my "watch" list. Can't do anything until I acquire more FCC's, so will have to wait until on the Coral next month. I would grab an AD for $4350 in a hearbeat.

 

HI may i ask what is FCC

[Pia1913]

HI may i ask what is FCC

 

FCC = Future Cruise Credit. You buy FCC's only while on board for $100 each. This is good as your entire deposit on any Princess cruise and you also get an amount of shipboard credit depending on the length of the cruise. You need not book a cruise at the time of purchase; you have four years in which to use your FCC. If you don't use it you get your money back. We cruise a lot and always have many FCC's on hand. However, if you look at my sig you will note that we have 9 cruises booked and I am currently w/o FCC's. I would never book a cruise w/o one, since I'd have to put down 20% and would not be getting my appropriate OBC. BTW, the OBC you get is per person, not per cabin.

 

Did I cover it? Did this answer your question?

[Joy R]

We have just changed our booking - or rather added to it. We were booked on the Santiago to Rio cruise on the Star Princess in December, but have now decided (because the difference in price, proportionately, is not that great) to do the B2B from L.A. We have FCCs for the original cruise booked, but of course not for the first part. And we will have to change cabins, as the one we booked originally apparently isn't available for the first part.

 

Has anyone got experience of doing something like that? We used the same Travel Agent (British). If we'd done the whole thing originally we would probably booked it through a US travel agent, and arranged our own flights etc. but I don't dare take the risk of cancelling outright and trying to re-book, as it seems this cruise is selling out fast now, and our T.A. has been really helpful, and probably in the end the cost wouldn't have been much different. It's the flights from the UK that bump up our costs.

[Thumper69]

Pia,

 

I hope I'm not highjacking this thread but....Your considering doing the Transpacific B2B.;)

 

Have you ever removed a FCC from an upcoming cruise, paid for that cruise in full early and used the FCC for another cruise?

 

I am booked for a B2B Mex Riv in Dec. and have used one FCC for each cruise. As you know I want to book Syd-LA 23 Oct 2010. I am sooo excited I want to do it NOW. No way am I going to miss this cruise, I thought they were'nt going to do it in 2010 when the schedule for vthe Star didn't include these sailings.:D

 

Do you think I could pay for the Mex Riv. in full early/now, remove my FCC on one of the sailings and apply it to the Transpacific? I don't want to wait until December and buy more FCCs to make the Transpacific reservation. The only other option is to wait for a reduced deposit sale, I don't want to pay 20% ($2,000) for a cruise late 2010 unless I absolutely have to.

 

Anthony

[ggprincess2004]

Anthony,

I didn't have enough FCC's remaining in inventory to book the transpacific b2b, so I did just that - removed an FCC from an upcoming cruise, and used it to hold the second part of the b2b. When I get on board at the end of this month, I will get more FCC's and add the second person to the second part of the b2b. For now, the reservation is in place.

Now, waiting for price drops..........

 

Ginger

[Toto2Kansas]

Pia,

 

I hope I'm not highjacking this thread but....Your considering doing the Transpacific B2B.;)

 

Have you ever removed a FCC from an upcoming cruise, paid for that cruise in full early and used the FCC for another cruise?

 

Anthony

 

Anthony, we did just that about 6 weeks ago. I had put down two FCC's on a cruise just over a year ago for a 10 day Tahiti cruise. Since then, I had used all my FCC's and was FCC-less. Then a stateroom popped up for the cruise right before ours that we wanted. My TA took one of the FCC's from the original booking, and used it for the Hawaii to Tahiti portion so we could book the B2B using one FCC for each. It is very doable and the TA had it done in minutes. ;)

[Pia1913]

With all the cruises we currently have booked, I know I can borrow one or two FCC's from any of them. I use one per person, so that would even make it easier.

 

However, my husband and I are not in complete agreement on the transpacific, so meanwhile I'll just keep my other fall 2010 bookings intact. It would be very easy to just cancel the Med and use those FCC's for the Pacific, since the dates conflict and we certainly can't do both. I'm sure the Sapphire will not be selling out and we will still be able to find availability even if we wait until October. :)

[kath00]

Another vote here for the Vancouver to Whittier and back to Vancouver. There is just the right mix of port and sea days for a wonderful trip. Do it in early May and you get beautiful views of snow covered mountains and it's too early for mosquitoes. We did it on the Island Princess - our favorite ship.

 

I was told we can't do this because of the Jones act? Princess told me no B2B in AK ever. We so badly wanted to go B2B and thought Vancouver would be ok as a foreing port. Was told it did not count. Did you take a different ship to go back to back?? Or was I misinformed?

 

Thanks!

 

Katherine

[ggprincess2004]

I was told we can't do this because of the Jones act? Princess told me no B2B in AK ever. We so badly wanted to go B2B and thought Vancouver would be ok as a foreing port. Was told it did not count. Did you take a different ship to go back to back?? Or was I misinformed?

 

Thanks!

 

Katherine

 

If you are starting and ending in Vancouver you have no problem, Vancouver is in Canada, not the US, and it isn't an issue. We went b2b2b on the Sapphire a few years ago, LA to Van, Van to Whittier and back to Van. Not a problem, we ended outside the US. You will start and end outside of the US - not a problem. Try a different rep, or book both without linking the two cruises.

 

I booked the Seattle to Sydney transpacific and the Sydney to LA transpacific, and Princess told me they couldn't link the bookings becasue it violated the Jones Act, starting in one US port and ending in another - but I told the gal that was crazy, Sydney was more that 1000 miles away and a distant foreign port. She said that I was correct, and there wasn't a problem booking the b2b, just a problem linking them because of the computer system and what it won't allow. No biggie, I booked the trip I wanted.

 

You can do the Alaska b2b without violating the Passenger Services Act/Jones Act. :)

[kath00]

Thank you! I am finally starting to understand this crazy rule.

 

So how is it that they let you go to Sydney but not to Vancouver and back? Because Sydney is farther? Or not a North America port?? Could they have kept you off the ship? I would have been nervous. I guess with 2 separate ressies (and 2 different rooms, check ins, etc) perhaps they would not notice?

 

I would love to do more B2B but these restrictions are painful to work around! I just inquired about a San Diego to Ft Lauderdale Panama Canal with a return trip right after and the cruise line just said NO, I can't do it!!! UGH.

 

Katherine

[ggprincess2004]

Thank you! I am finally starting to understand this crazy rule.

 

So how is it that they let you go to Sydney but not to Vancouver and back? Because Sydney is farther? Or not a North America port?? Could they have kept you off the ship? I would have been nervous. I guess with 2 separate ressies (and 2 different rooms, check ins, etc) perhaps they would not notice?

 

I would love to do more B2B but these restrictions are painful to work around! I just inquired about a San Diego to Ft Lauderdale Panama Canal with a return trip right after and the cruise line just said NO, I can't do it!!! UGH.

 

Katherine

 

With a return trip to San Diego? Of course you can, Aruba is a "distant foreign port" and that is why they can even do a San Diego to FLL cruise in the first place - they do a stop in Aruba. Just book one and then call back and book the other if you are having problems with this. As long as the cruise makes a call in Aruba you are good to go.

 

And yes, Sydney is over 1000 miles away, so it is way farther than Vancouver. But my point was that if your cruise originates in Vancouver, it starts outside the US and you do not have an issue with a Van to Whittier and immediate Whittier to Van cruise at all.

 

The restrictions are not all that painful, you just have to remember that you cannot originate from a US port and return to a different US port without having a "distant foreign port" included in the itinerary. It does make some of the coastal b2b's impossible, but it does not make a b2b Panama Canal illegal or impossible.

[kath00]

Thanks for the clarifications. I will call Princess back. It seems to me that they are about as confused as I am. I talked to NCL today for a B2B Panama Canal possibility and they said they would "look into the resrtictions" and get back to me. Hmmmm. :confused:

 

Anyway, I am looking at B2B Vancouver-Whitter-Vancouver just as you suggested.

 

So I theoretically should be able to book

1) Pacific Coastal to Vancouver

2) Vanc to Whittier

3) Whittier to Vanc, right?

 

I think it's the Pacific Coastal they are having trouble with in the ressie process. They say absolutely no back to backs following a Coastal Sailing. I might just use a different company for that part of the cruise and swap ships (albeit I would like to avoid that painful process if possible).

 

Katherine

[Bill B]

So I theoretically should be able to book

1) Pacific Coastal to Vancouver

2) Vanc to Whittier

3) Whittier to Vanc, right?

The answer to this depends depends on two variables:

The port from which cruise #1 originates; and, whether cruises #1 & #2 are 'linked'.

[ggprincess2004]

Pacific Coastal originating in the US, ending in Vancouver, then to Whittier and back to Vancouver is "legal". We have done it, that was our b2b2b on the Sapphire a few years ago. We picked up the ship in LA, sailed up, same ship all the way. This is not a problem and you can/should in fact link the sailings, so that is clear your final port is Vancouver. There is no violation of the PSA/Jones Act.

[kath00]

Pacific Coastal originating in the US, ending in Vancouver, then to Whittier and back to Vancouver is "legal". We have done it, that was our b2b2b on the Sapphire a few years ago. We picked up the ship in LA, sailed up, same ship all the way. This is not a problem and you can/should in fact link the sailings, so that is clear your final port is Vancouver. There is no violation of the PSA/Jones Act.

 

This board rocks! Thank you! I called Princess back and had a LOOONG discussion with a supervisor about all the limitations of the PSA and finally he agreed that this B2B2B is ok! LOL. So looks like 2010 that will be our itiniary in May or Sept. Thanks again everyone. Hope I didn't hijack this thread too much with the back and forth but it really is going to be an amazing itiniary this way! Kids will join us for 1 leg and the rest will be just DH and I. YIPEEE.

 

I am so excited I am jumping up and down.

 

Katherine

[ggprincess2004]

Kath00 - so glad you were able to book what you wanted. We enjoyed this itinerary as we got two days in the Alaskan ports, so were able to do and see more things. Have a fantastic cruise(s)!:)

[mreasier]

We are booked on the Diamond on b2b cruises from Auckland to Beijing. The 1st leg is 12 days from Auckland to Sydney leaving on Feb 9, 2010. The second leg is 36 Days from Sydney to Xingang (Beijing) leaving on February 21, 2010. We figured we may only get to that part of the world once - so we are trying to get as much in as we can. We were able to secure the same stateroom for both legs - no room changing - yea!