Back to Back Cruises - Cruise Line Fans: Cruise Forum, Reviews and Chat From Real Cruisers

wendymac · 09-30-2009, 01:52 PM

My question is, is it better pricewise to book back to back cruises before you go on your cruise, or do it whilst you are on board the ship?

reggierail · 09-30-2009, 02:30 PM

I think you are asking, "Should I book both before or wait to book the second leg till I board the ship for the first leg".

If that's your question, you most certainly should not wait. The second leg might be completely sold out and you would most likely pay more and would have to change cabins if you could get space on the second leg at all.

Book early and get the same cabin for both legs and then have a good travel agent to follow the pricing for you and adjust the price if the fare goes down.

Reggie

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LuLu · 09-30-2009, 02:40 PM

While I'm not a TA, I have taken quite a few B2B cruises.

Totally agree with Reggie! Also, if you want to be in the SAME cabin for both sailing, you just about have to book both in advance.

B2B cruises are great! Go for it!

Blizzard · 09-30-2009, 09:55 PM

It is very rare that you can get a great deal for the next week while you are on the ship. Most often it is sold out. Also, unless you live in or near the port you would have an issue with your return transportation.

Having the same cabin is one of the nice things about a B2B that you would not be able to do.

cruzinlass · 10-01-2009, 10:33 AM

There have been RARE situations where cruiselines have sold space on the next voyage, during the current voyage at greatly reduced rates. It usually has something to do with some type of MAJOR CRISIS (think 9/11 or a major hurricane).

That being said, if you have your heart set on doing a back to back, book it in advance. Most likely, you will not get a good offer, once you set sail.

Cruise Planner · 10-01-2009, 11:39 AM

I agree with the others - it's always best to book both cruises at the same time as early as possible. Not only will that possibly be the best rate, but you insure you'll get the same cabin for both cruises. It's a hassle changing cabins and having to break in a new cabin stewart. Sometimes, Princess will offer specials when booking back-to-back cruises.

However, with all that said, most cruise lines will offer a special on your cruise whereby if you book another cruise you'll get an onboard credit. So there is an advantage to booking the next cruise while on the current cruise. But this should only be attempted if you know for sure that the next cruise has lots of space available and you don't mind changing cabins. One word of advice; if you want to do this, make sure you book the 2nd cruise within the first few days of the current cruise. Most cruise lines, such as RCCL, require you to book a cruise more than 2 days before the start of a cruise.

But back-to-back cruises can be a great way to see many ports when the ship is doing completely different itineraries. We're doing back-to-back cruises on Oct 17th & 24th out of Venice to the Greek Islands and we're really excited about the different itineraries

Pete

antelipa · 11-09-2009, 11:33 AM

The baltic sea ships