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#1
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Back to Back cruise
Can anyone tell me, or point me to a review, on what happens on the
changeover day on a back to back cruise, port is Fort Lauderdale, on Royal Caribbean. Particularly for non-American cruisers, (immigration etc.,) is it better to stay on board or go ashore? Thanks PeterT |
#2
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Back to Back cruise
"Peter T" wrote in
: Can anyone tell me, or point me to a review, on what happens on the changeover day on a back to back cruise, port is Fort Lauderdale, on Royal Caribbean. Particularly for non-American cruisers, (immigration etc.,) is it better to stay on board or go ashore? Thanks PeterT Welcome to America, the immigration authorities will want to see you anyway, so you might as well go ashore. |
#3
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Back to Back cruise
While on back-to-back cruise on the Paradise in September, we had to get off;
wasn't our choice. What they did was have us get off last, walk through customs, check in again, and keet us in a different area for approx. 30-45 minutes. We than reboarded. I think there were 18 of us back-to backers. This was Carnival's way. Maybe RCI does it differently. Arlene Peter T wrote: Can anyone tell me, or point me to a review, on what happens on the changeover day on a back to back cruise, port is Fort Lauderdale, on Royal Caribbean. Particularly for non-American cruisers, (immigration etc.,) is it better to stay on board or go ashore? Thanks PeterT |
#4
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Back to Back cruise
"ArleneL" wrote While on back-to-back cruise on the Paradise in September, we had to get off; wasn't our choice. What they did was have us get off last, walk through customs, check in again, and keet us in a different area for approx. 30-45 minutes. We than reboarded. I think there were 18 of us back-to backers. This was Carnival's way. Maybe RCI does it differently. I have come to find out that it isn't up to the cruise line but getting off the ship is dictated by the local immigration office. In Miami, they make you get off the ship and re-board. Crick Hatch just did back-to-back-to-back cruises on the Carnival Glory from Port Canaveral and he never left the ship. He was allowed to do all his paperwork at the Purser's desk. In my opinion, based on my experience... customs and immigration at the Port of Miami is the most inefficient, anal retentive, and unfriendly of any port I have ever sailed from. Understaffed, slow and surly are their best qualities. You would think that the federal government would have standardized procedures for cruise ship disembarkation but that is not the case. Implementation of policy is left to the local offices and in this case, Miami stinks. -- George in PA http://www.countryside-travel.com Norwegian Dawn http://www.cruisemaster.com/dawn.htm Sleazy 3 - Carnival Conquest http://www.cruisemaster.com/sleazy3.htm The Mother of All Group Cruises http://www.motherofallgroupcruises.com |
#5
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Back to Back cruise
We did back-to-back on the Coral Princess in Alaska a few months ago. On
Princess, they issue you a card when you check in and the first time you get on the ship, they take your picture which is stored on the computer for checking each time you get on the ship. A week later, we arrived in Seward. The night before, we got our cards for the following week delivered to our cabin. It was interesting that at some point our old card no longer unlocked the door. We were called"in-transit". We were not given any instructions. We decided to get off the ship. At the gangway, they took our picture with the new cards as if we were getting on the ship for the first time. We got through the terminal with no Problem and took a bus into Seward to look around. We got back in a few hours and there were no passengers arriving yet so check-in and customs were not yet set up. We were sort of treated like crew and got on the ship with no problem. We did the same thing a week later in Vancouver. It was the end of the Alaska season. The ship was on it's way to the Caribbean and we were booked for three more days and would get off in LA. It counted as three cruises. We have been on a lot of cruises and the last day comes too soon and is sad, so it was great to watch people leave and we didn't have to and could do as we pleased. We also got really close to a lot of crew members. "Peter T" wrote in message ... Can anyone tell me, or point me to a review, on what happens on the changeover day on a back to back cruise, port is Fort Lauderdale, on Royal Caribbean. Particularly for non-American cruisers, (immigration etc.,) is it better to stay on board or go ashore? Thanks PeterT |
#6
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Back to Back cruise
Don & Lynn that sounds awesome! I agree the last day is sad. Must
try a back to back next time. Jim We have been on a lot of cruises and the last day comes too soon and is sad, so it was great to watch people leave and we didn't have to and could do as we pleased. We also got really close to a lot of crew members. |
#7
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Back to Back cruise
If I recall correctly, Princess had a little get together for all the pax
doing back to back cruises during the week. They had an open bar for an hour or so & explained the whole transition procedure. (This was back in 1992). "Don & Lynn" wrote in message ... We did back-to-back on the Coral Princess in Alaska a few months ago. On Princess, they issue you a card when you check in and the first time you get on the ship, they take your picture which is stored on the computer for checking each time you get on the ship. A week later, we arrived in Seward. The night before, we got our cards for the following week delivered to our cabin. It was interesting that at some point our old card no longer unlocked the door. We were called"in-transit". We were not given any instructions. We decided to get off the ship. At the gangway, they took our picture with the new cards as if we were getting on the ship for the first time. We got through the terminal with no Problem and took a bus into Seward to look around. We got back in a few hours and there were no passengers arriving yet so check-in and customs were not yet set up. We were sort of treated like crew and got on the ship with no problem. We did the same thing a week later in Vancouver. It was the end of the Alaska season. The ship was on it's way to the Caribbean and we were booked for three more days and would get off in LA. It counted as three cruises. We have been on a lot of cruises and the last day comes too soon and is sad, so it was great to watch people leave and we didn't have to and could do as we pleased. We also got really close to a lot of crew members. "Peter T" wrote in message ... Can anyone tell me, or point me to a review, on what happens on the changeover day on a back to back cruise, port is Fort Lauderdale, on Royal Caribbean. Particularly for non-American cruisers, (immigration etc.,) is it better to stay on board or go ashore? Thanks PeterT |
#9
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Back to Back cruise
Thanks for the answers Guys & Gals, I think you have made up my mind that
we should treat Fort Lauderdale as another Port day. I'll start looking for a suitable excursion. Something to keep my dearest away from shopping malls :-)) PeterT While on back-to-back cruise on the Paradise in September, we had to get off; wasn't our choice. What they did was have us get off last, walk through customs, check in again, and keet us in a different area for approx. 30-45 minutes. We than reboarded. I think there were 18 of us back-to backers. This was Carnival's way. Maybe RCI does it differently. Arlene We were on the same cruises as Arlene and Milt, and had to get off the ship and go through customs. We opted, since we were already off the ship, to take an air-boat tour through the Everglades and returned to the ship in early afternoon. We then proceeded through check-in in a most expiditious manner. We basically used Miami as another port visited. We are looking forward to doing anothe rback-to-back next year; Vancouver to Honolulu and Honolulu to Ensenada (22 days, with 13 in Hawaii). Ray Wishing light winds and smooth seas to all |
#10
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Back to Back cruise
I have done many back-to-back cruises ... and each case is handled
differently by the cruise line and local officials [but, in general, the local officials often have no idea what to do]. I had one strange event in NYC with Cunard ... I was told by Cunard that the Customs personnel would come to my cabin to give a quick check ... and after that the vessel's Front Desk would take care of the rest. The Customs man arrived ... and asked: "Where is the Luggage?" I explained that there was no packed luggage as I was staying aboard for the next voyage ... and he was free to look in closets, drawers, empty luggage, etc. He was dumbfounded ... and kept saying he can only inspect packed luggage. I suggested he call his Supervisor to check as to what to do ... he finally just gave up and left and said not to worry. I received my new ID from the Front Office. I then walked off the ship [after all the passengers had disembarked] ... no one was even left on the pier to check me out. P.S. I have also left/joined voyages enroute [and some of those disembarkations/embarkations in foreign lands have been most peculiar]. |
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