2016 Bon Voyage Experience?????

As a booked passenger who does the BVE with a friend who is not cruising, are you charged the $39 fee?

No, you probably already paid about $3900! :-D. Just make sure your bookings are linked so you can board early.

As a booked passenger who does the BVE with a friend who is not cruising, are you charged the $39 fee?

No.

Hi :D

A big thank you goes out to Always Cruisin for posting the BVE list.

I had called Princess before for our San Francisco cruise on May 11th.

I guess I got a rep that did not know what it was & he told me it was not offered for our cruise :(

After I saw the post with the list & saw it was offered on our cruise, I called Princess again:)

This time I got a great representative who knew exactly what I was talking about :D

The kids are now booked and very excited to becoming on board with us.

It is a nice thing to do for them since they will be dropping us off :)

Thank you Judy at Princess for knowing your stuff :D

Unless there has been a change, when we booked the BVE for our daughter the Princess rep told me anyone doing the BVE is allowed to bring on a bottle of wine.

Yes, I know that sounds weird.

If you are sailing and a friend or family member does the BVE they are allowed one bottle of wine and they can leave it with you.

Our daughter and her bf did the BVE last year and we had 2 extra bottles of wine along with the two we brought on. ;)

Thank you all for the info on the BVEs.......hope to make a request soon for our Alaska cruise out off SF since our son lives there!.....Thanks!!!

As others have mentioned or encountered.........my TA was told by a Princess Rep this past week that there was no BVE for the Grand Princess sailing out of San Francisco on June 10th.........well, after reviewing CC member comments and a January post by a CC member with pics of their BVE on the Grand out of San Francisco.......I called Princess!

Low and behold.......there is a BVE and have booked my son and his girl friend!

So we're set for the BVE (a first for us).......and it does pay to keep asking if you get a "no" or an inaccuarate answer!

I got it from Onesource which is the Princess TA site.

 

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That's great. Thanks for sharing it. :)

Unless there has been a change, when we booked the BVE for our daughter the Princess rep told me anyone doing the BVE is allowed to bring on a bottle of wine.

That's ok -- another poster reported calling princess and receiving

the answer "What's a BVE?"

It's just like new england weather. If you don't like the

answer, just call again, and it will change.

Here's a fun example:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=44649362&postcount=21

That's ok -- another poster reported calling princess and receiving

the answer "What's a BVE?"

 

It's just like new england weather. If you don't like the

answer, just call again, and it will change.

 

Here's a fun example:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=44649362&postcount=21

:D Just keep calling back until you get the answer you want to hear..lol

I don't want to sound dumb here but, is there a BVE type package that can be used by just hubby and I traveling? He is a first timer cruiser and this is my first Princess and I don't mind paying the $39 to get the special tour and early boarding. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Are you asking if you can do the BVE on a cruise you're booked on? In other words, to pay for the ability to board early and get the wine and photos? That's an interesting idea, and I don't know the answer. But I don't know why they wouldn't let you. Maybe call Princess to ask?

BTW, the tour isn't so special. You only go in the public areas, so you could just wander around on your own.

I don't want to sound dumb here but, is there a BVE type package that can be used by just hubby and I traveling? He is a first timer cruiser and this is my first Princess and I don't mind paying the $39 to get the special tour and early boarding. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Pretty much a waste. You won't really board all that much sooner. Of course if you plan to cruise Princess again in the near future you would get the money back with your new booking.

We did a BVE when we weren't cruising in order to be able to purchase more future cruise deposit credits. You can only purchase the "good" ones while onboard.

I would never spend extra money in order to board an hour earlier. Simply not worth it to me. We did do a BVE for my son when he dropped us off in SF one time. It was nice to be able to take him onboard and show him around, have a nice lunch with wine in MDR, etc. Since his BVE was linked to our booking we all got to board early. That's pretty much the only way it would be worth it to me.

We are doing a BVE with our son and his girlfriend for our Alaskan cruise in May. We sail out of Seattle. Have never been on a cruise or done a BVE. Judging from the posts on this thread, it sounds like it will be a fun experience! Can't wait :D

I don't want to sound dumb here but, is there a BVE type package that can be used by just hubby and I traveling? He is a first timer cruiser and this is my first Princess and I don't mind paying the $39 to get the special tour and early boarding. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I think you need to have someone not on the cruise do the BVE and have your booking ID cross referenced with theirs.

If you have any friends in your departure port invite them to join you. My sister got a FCC deposit for a cruise we were planning. So it worked out great

To those of you who call Princess and ask about the BVE... When you call, ask to speak with the "Bon Voyage Desk" and that person should have the same list I posted and be able to help you. If you say "BVE" they will have no clue as to what you are asking for.

I called for May 11th out of San Francisco for our Alaska cruise and it is not being offered[emoji53]

Yes it is!!

Grand Princess - May 11 '16 - San Francisco - A614N

Just make sure you realize that the 39.00 for FCC expires in 90 days. We did one in November and had to book by the beginning of February. I am glad all your "BVE"'s were wonderful. Ours was a disaster, thanks to everyone on Cruise Critic, we knew what to expect, and when everything went wrong, I demanded what I knew what was to be correct.

Just make sure you realize that the 39.00 for FCC expires in 90 days. We did one in November and had to book by the beginning of February. I am glad all your "BVE"'s were wonderful. Ours was a disaster, thanks to everyone on Cruise Critic, we knew what to expect, and when everything went wrong, I demanded what I knew what was to be correct.

You can't leave it there. What happened?

You can't leave it there. What happened?

OK--just remember--you asked--LOL

Anyway.....We did the repositioning from NY to Ft Lauderdale....2014---It just so happened that the Regal Princess was going to have the festivities with the dignitaries in the few days when we returned on the Royal, so as a surprise for my DH for our anniversary, I booked the BVE.

Reading the posts regarding the BVE here on CC, it sounded like a good way to spend our anniversary afternoon. We booked the Hyatt Pier 66 on the causeway, just so happened to get a room facing the ship and were thrilled to be able to hear the celebration from the ship as well as see the fireworks.

When I printed off the "boarding" pass, it said to be onboard by 11:30. So we leave the hotel at 10 to cross the bridge and get through security. We get let out by the terminal, its now 10:20, holding our boarding pass, I ask a person directing the line about where do I go, she said get in this line.....this "line" extended from the door and was circling the building, we stood there a few minutes and saw the "priority" line and asked someone else showing our boarding pass, we were told "you are in the right line" Its now 10:45. Something is not right, you get that feeling. So again I ask someone else, NOW they say get in that line--the Priority line, so now we are inside the building and are going through the different lines, finally getting our paperwork, upon completion, I ask again, so where does the BVE group meet, I was given the "wave" "over there"...so there we go, just the two of us directed to a seating area.....alone...meanwhile, I notice a group in another area being escorted on ship. Some travel company. So now I have my envelope waving it in front of any "staff" who walk by me, saying BVE BVE, one responded by saying I will get someone....NOW, when I booked this, I got two of the last six places, so where were the other 48 people, NOW, I am getting annoyed, its now 11:30, I get this other guy with a radio and tell him I AM part of the BVE group, where are the rest of this group, So this guy says come with me, and FINALLY are "escorted" on ship, while he is radioing someone to come "get us", now as we are snaking our way through the terminal, doesn't this guy bypass the "photo op", which is INCLUDED in the package. Hmmmm. As we are "doinked" onboard, here comes this woman. Don't forget, we JUST got off the Royal, we don't need a tour of this ship. All we wanted was to find the rest of this group. I was told that BVE participants got "stickers" to identify them, we never got one. Anyway, despite protests, she insists on taking us through the atrium and to the pax services area, where we tell her again, now its noon and we want lunch, so she takes us up to the dining room. Now I ask her about the photo that we have paid for and are entitled to. OH, IF you want that, you need to get off the ship and find the photographer and have it taken and get back onboard WHAT! So, we do that, get back on and go to the dining room, I again wave my BVE envelope with the letter saying about the "free" glass of wine. We are seated, waiter comes over with the menu's order a glass of wine and hand him the letter for the free wine, and start chatting with our table mates, Now its 12:45, here comes the waiter with our wine and hands us the slip to sign, we tell him no, its included, he goes away, comes back with the letter and tells us we have to LEAVE the dining room, "this dining room is for REAL passengers" Our tablemates just looked at us and we excused ourselves and were taken to the other side of the dining room, where this guy in a white jacket is at the door, we showed him the letter, telling him we were NOT part of the travel people, he takes us BACK to the original dining room and were reseated at another table, now its 1:10, I kid you not, we finally order our food, get it, finish up 2:15 and are finally able to go off on our own, now we have to disembark by 3, so we got a whole 45 minutes, so we head off to pick up our photos, there is no one around, we find our photos, they are the ONLY ones there, we help ourselves to a folder and leave. Where were the other photos, hmmm. So we just checked out the differences that we heard of after they build the Royal, the "aft pool".

We were happy that we got on the Regal, even if it was for the short time, but, if it wasn't for the CC boards, we would still be standing on the dock waving bye bye, without ever having boarded. When I got home, I called Princess, got an agent, and told them I wanted to talk to the BVE department, I was told NO, I said in no uncertain terms I wanted to talk to them NOW, I was transferred and let them know what I said above, If I was a first time Princess customer, I would never sail with them. Luckily I know the ropes....I just don't want that to happen to anyone else.....

OH yeah, the best part was I got to chat with Lauren Tewes, Fred Grandy...and was introduced to Jan Swartz

Thanks for asking LOL :)

LOL. Well sometimes those things that go wrong end up being fun in the end. You got to be part of the Love Boat experience.

bookmarked for the dates

Here's something that nobody has talked about much. Instead of doing BVE's with other peole on the cruise how about doing them just with yourself. It's a fun way to be on a ship and enjoy the ship life for a few hours. When I did my first BVE it was hard to leave the ship knowing I was not on the cruise. Even the security person at the gangway said as I was leaving "Your not coming back?" which made me laugh.

When Princess was new to having regular cruises out of San Francisco I signed up for the BVE just to have a chance to see a Princess ship. Since people are always asking about this & that on Princess ships I did an extensive photo shoot all over the ship of most rooms & areas most without people in them, I was a Professional Photographer before, & posted what I had photographed with explainations of my photos. Sort of like a documentary with still photos of the ship.

You can take the $39 and apply it as a credit if you make a new reservation within 60 days. I am planning another Princess cruise & have BVE's booked for July 10th, 20th, to celebrate my birthday, & 30th & plan to use all of the BVE's as a credit towards a new booking, something I have not been able to do before.

Tom😁

Tom, can you apply more than one BVE credit to a cruise? That would be fantastic!

Tom, can you apply more than one BVE credit to a cruise? That would be fantastic!

Before making my reservations I talked to Princess several times to confirm I could add them all together & each time it was a YES. I already had one booked & reconfirmed with the agent before I made the additional reservations. Once I completed the 3rd, July 30th, & made my new booking I post my results.

I'm looking to a fun time plus a time to ask any questions about anything I heard about Princess like photo specials.

Tom😎