Pros and Cons of back-to-back cruises (B2B)

I believe. all lines now only count number of sea days/nights. Number of cruises is terrible as it counts a 7 day cruise the same as a 3 day cruise. Each counts as 1 cruise. An unfair advantage to someone who takes 5, 3 or 4 day cruises a year.

NCL awards double nights for booking 9 months out.

That’s a good point, I never thought of that.

Regent is one line where you get your loyalty points when you book, so it doesn’t make any difference if you are B-2-B or not. I believe it is 21 days when you start getting some perks.

One time, on Regent, I was having a beer with a fellow and he began moaning about the high cost of internet. Which it was. I said, wait a minute, you are on the same cruise we are and it is over three weeks long, you aren’t paying anything, you get free internet. Made his day.

It will either be the 1st or 2nd cruise after I retire. Hawaii will be the other one

Definitely look at repositioning cruises + 1 (or vice versa). We've noticed the repo cruises are less costly plus you definitely get different itineraries :)

B2B has been something I've been interested in and would like to try and do If I can find the right 2 itineraries and get the same cabin for a decent price. We will see.. I know there are many cruises in my future...

On Princess, B2B counts as separate cruises. Their reward system is based on either/or - number of days and number of cruises.

Good point.

In our case, our loyalty level is driven by number of cruise days because we prefer extended cruising. For this year, even though we booked our voyage as a 14 day cruise, it is also available to book as 7 day voyages. When we booked we were informed that it counted as 2 cruises.

Anyway.... the date versus cruise issue may also affect in transit passengers depending upon how the cruise line designed their system. In transit is the term is used to describe B2B passengers on the cross-over day. As in transit passengers (U.S. travelers), we do not have to undergo the same level of security scrutiny btwn B2B voyages and have access to the ship during the transition period before new cruisers are allowed to board.

Last year we B2B'd the Panama Canal on PC (FL-LA-FL). Two separate cruises, 30 days total. Despite it being two separate cruises, our cabin card was good through the entire 30 days. This became a critical issue when it was time to re-board at the LA port.

We were in transit and re-boarding should not have been an issue except for the weird walk off/walk on process followed by LA port authority staff. Because of the amount of walking and the speed we had to keep up with, hubby opted for a wheelchair assist. Instead of sticking with our group of in-transit passengers, we were left off in the same seating area with the newly boarding handicapped passengers. As all the able-bodied in transit passengers continued to re-board immediately, we were stuck waiting for a new assist. After waiting 45 minutes, hubby had enough and got out of the wheelchair to hobble back onto the ship. The only reason we were allowed to re-board was because our cruise pass card date extended to the last day of the second cruise. Otherwise we would have been *#&%#)@-at-the-drive-through (so to speak).

These are the special intricacies that everyone is bound to run into at some point over an extended history of cruising. In the big picture, it was a relatively minor inconvenience but we learned another valuable lesson as a result.

Remember this too. Their is a difference between a B2B and a 14 day cruise. A B2B counts as two cruises. This could affect, depending on your loyalty program, how you move up. Some lines honour advancements while onboard. But NCL, how you get on, is how you get off. Changes are applied on your next cruise. So, let's say you are 2 days away from moving up in the perks program. On NCL, if you book the B2B, you would change status after the first week. But, if you booked a 14 day cruise, well, you would remain at your current level. Carnival, on the other hand, will usually give you the boost immediately. They don't have to, but they opt to break their own rules in the name of customer satisfaction, which is fine.

Yes, having to change staterooms is a major pita.... but when we book in advance, we have been fortunate to get the same cabin for each leg. That is a key point if you are considering this. Don't wait too long to book because the chance of staying in the same cabin for multiple voyages goes down as more cabins are booked up.

Yes we have and yes I would again. Once we had to change cabins, inconvenient but no big deal.