Lesson 4 of 5

Turnaround day, and what you pay twice for

The day between two legs is easy, but your bill starts again.

Video, 5 min: Turnaround Day on a Back-to-Back Cruise, Step by Step. Free, on our YouTube channel.

The day itself

The night before, a letter arrives in your cabin. It tells you where and when to meet the other guests who are staying on. Read it. Those two facts are all you need.

The ship then has to show that every guest from the last cruise has left, which is called the zero count. At some ports you are walked off and straight back on with your badge, in about ten minutes. At others you are checked where you stand.

Then comes the best part. Until the new guests board, the ship is almost empty. No lines at the coffee bar, plenty of loungers, a quiet pool. Regulars plan for it.

Same cabin or a new one

Booked the same cabin for both legs? Do nothing. Housekeeping leaves your room alone and you keep your key. Booked two different cabins? Pack a bag the night before, and the crew moves it for you.

Three things stop at turnaround day

Legally, a back-to-back is two separate cruises. The first closes your account and the second opens a new one.

• Your drink package. It runs for one cruise. There is no two-week price, so the second leg is a second purchase.
• Your onboard credit. It ends at 10:00 PM on the last night of the leg, while you are still aboard. Spend it before then.
• Your casino offer. It covers one sailing. A back-to-back needs one for each leg.

Three things carry over

• Gratuities are a daily rate: $18.50 per guest per night in a standard stateroom and $21.00 in a suite when we last read it, so 14 nights cost the same as one 14-night cruise.
• Loyalty points count nights, so you earn the same either way.
• The cabin, if you booked the same one.

One bonus: the wine allowance of one bottle per guest of drinking age applies to each sailing, so a back-to-back allows a bottle for each leg.

The full list is in what you pay twice for, and the day is told step by step in turnaround day, what actually happens. Last lesson: booking.

In short: Turnaround day is a quiet morning aboard. It is also a billing line: three things end and three carry over.

The legtolegcruises.com lessons are independent and not affiliated with Royal Caribbean International or Club Royale. Fares, offers and rules change often, so confirm every detail with Royal Caribbean before you book.