Questions & Advice for Back to Back cruise

[Bakerette]

My mom & I will be going on our first back to back on Independence in March 2022 & I would like any advice about back to back cruises that you can inform me about. If it helps we are staying in the same stateroom. I have a couple of questions that I want answered:

1st question: if I purchase a beverage package for the first part of the voyage & I want the same drink beverage package for the second part of the voyage do I have to purchase it for both of the cruises?

2nd question: My mom and I will be driving to port Canaveral and parking @ the terminal and I want to know if we would have to pay parking for both cruises or just the first cruise?

 

Edited November 16, 2021 by Bakerette
Reworded the title, added a sentence and questions

[twangster]

Consecutive cruising is fun and easy especially when staying in the same cabin on both voyages.

Typically on the second last night of the first cruise when other guests are receiving their departure luggage tags you will receive a letter in your cabin explaining the process.  The process can vary slightly and right now, this month, the B2B process includes COVID testing required for all guests boarding the next cruise.  By March of 2022 that may or may not still be a part of the process. 

Beyond that the basic premise is to meet at a designated venue and time on the day the first cruise is over and the next cruise will begin.  They normally ask you to meet between 8:30am to 9:00am.  You'll need all the things you normally need to board a cruise... passport or other ID,  credit card for your account and vaccination card.  Once all the consecutive cruisers are present they'll escort everyone off the ship to meet with CBP to be processed like all departing guests are processed.  Once the ship reaches "zero count" (all guests off) only then will CBP clear the ship for boarding of the next cruise.  

In Port Canaveral CBP has facial recognition for US passport holders.  While you need to have your passport with you if the facial recognition technology recognizes you it will instantly provide a green status.  With a green status you are done with the CBP portion of the consecutive cruiser process.  If something doesn't match, you don't have a US passport or it can't determine who you are using facial recognition you will need to be processed manually by a CBP officer.  

Once everyone who is a consecutive cruiser is finished with CBP you will be escorted back upstairs in the terminal to wait until clearance is given to reboard the ship.  The clearance comes from CBP as they review the manifest and all crew are processed before allowing any guests back on board the ship.

Once clearance has been obtained consecutive cruisers board the ship first followed by new guests joining the ship on that day.  Timing can vary week to week so one cruise there may be a gap between consecutive cruisers boarding and new cruisers boarding and sometimes the new cruisers are right behind the consecutive cruisers.  

Consecutive cruisers are offered a boarding day lunch on the next cruise in the MDR.

Currently due to protocols they close off the cabin hallways and they fog the entire area with chemicals to kill any viruses.  This is a new step because of the pandemic.  The fogged areas need time to settle and clear before guests are allowed back into their cabins.  At present they ask consecutive cruisers not to venture back to their cabins until the time that cabins are available to all guests.  This varies ship to ship.  On Indy this month cabins were closed off until 2pm and consecutive cruisers were asked to avoid all cabin guest areas until 2pm.  

For Indy this month I spent roughly 2 hours off the ship before we were allowed to reboard.  

You do have the option of leaving the ship to visit the area on turn around day.  If you leave the ship in this manner you can't reboard the ship until general boarding for the new cruisers on the second voyage has commenced.  You will be given an "In Transit" card to expedite your return but you will still need to go through terminal security on your return.

The two cruises are separate events.   You should check in online for both cruises as if they are not B2B cruises.  You will get a new SeaPass card for the second cruise and your onboard account for the first cruise must be settled and closed at the end of the first cruise.  Any OBC on the first cruise does NOT transfer to the second cruise.  

Since you are not changing cabins you can leave everything in your cabin during the consecutive cruiser process but make sure you bring all the requirement documentation with you.  Since you may have some time to kill bring a book or a tablet to entertain yourself during the more boring aspects of the consecutive cruiser process.

On my recent B2B there were 64 consecutive cruisers.  

Here is the Consecutive Cruiser letter from Indy early November of this year. 

 

 

[BrianB]

Ditto! B2B-ing is a great way to sail! On the Oasis and the Anthem out of Bayonne, the experience has been similar with some changes (to be expected between ships and ports). On the Oasis, the check-in process for the second cruise was done while we sat in the theater waiting to go ashore and through customs. On Anthem, it was done in the terminal after we went through the facial recognition scanners and before anyone else was admitted into the building. Kept an eye on the app until it changed from the first cruise to the second. As soon as that happened, we did the muster safety drill. I did B2Bs on the Oasis in September and October and now on the Anthem. Every time there were well over a hundred of us. I think a lot of us are trying to make up for the cruise drought over the past year and a half.
Two or three days before the end of the first cruise, we received the same notice @twangsterposted. But there was a QR code in the upper corner that we had to scan. It opened up a website where we entered all of our information and selected a time for our antigen nose swipe the day before disembarkation. Had the results in a couple hours. There was no need to show the negative result on turnaround day…if it was positive, we would have been immediately quarantined. 
I did b2b with the same cabin…easy peasy…no need to do anything and the attendant will give your cabin priority. I also did it where I changed cabins (yesterday) and all I had to do was pack up the stuff I had in drawers and toiletries. All the hanging clothes stayed in the closet. The bring a wheeled garment rack and just transfer them on the hangers to my new cabin, along with my luggage. 
I think the best thing b2b-ing is the night before disembarkation day…looking at all the luggage in the hallways…always a sad sight to see.. …But then again, I ain’t leaving!

[MuttMutt]

Our recent B2B was really easy to handle.   Did our onboard test first thing in the morning on Saturday after doing all the setup using a QR code. Got the results late that night showing we were good. On the final day we met worth a bunch of others in the Star lounge while one of the ship concierge made sure we were on the list and had our test results and documents with us. They had a copy of results on hand for anyone who forgot them on Liberty but not sure if they all will be doing that. We were given our new SeaPass then checked off the ship. 

 

After about 10 minutes of waiting in the terminal we went through the check in process and not long after that were back on the ship. 

 

One thing we did to enjoy it more was pour a bottle of wine into a drink container I use and once we started waiting we started having a little drink here and there. Not sure if it's against policy or not but it sure made things much more fun for us,  lol. Just don't get drunk and stupid and you should be fine though. I actually did a little livestream after getting back on the ship. 

 

I think the process was pretty simple and easy to handle though so no big worries if you follow the directions given.