Can our gradson come aboard, see our cabin and ship and leave before departure?

First time sail on the grand princess, from SFO. CAn our family board, see our cabin,etc then depart before sailong?

You would have to pay for the Bon Voyage Experience. Not sure how much it is or if it is available in all ports. Check with Princess to see if it is available and how much it is. I believe you get a lunch with them as well..

Call Princess or your T.A. If the Bon Voyage Experience (BVE) is available in S.F. then it can be booked for your family. There is a cost, $39/pp. There are specific instructions that have to be followed. The BVE guests basically are the first to board once boarding begins. This will be around 11am. They can have lunch and use of the ship. They have to disembark around 3pm or so.This is the only way you can arrange for an on board visit. Here are some details from the Princess web site

"The Bon Voyage Experience is an innovative new program harkening back to the nostalgic tradition from the early days of cruising, allowing guests the opportunity to invite family and friends aboard your ship on embarkation day. The program's new twist also allows cruisers new to Princess to see the inside of a Princess ship and experience the excitement of cruising first-hand -- even if they're not affiliated with booked guests.

Guests will spend up to four hours onboard before the ship sets sail, where they'll enjoy a four-course dining room lunch (including wine), a guided ship tour, and a souvenir photo! Plus, the $39 per person cost of the program can be applied toward a future cruise with Princess. Only 50 guests are able to participate in the Bon Voyage Experience on any given embarkation day, so make sure you make your reservations soon!

To learn more about Bon Voyage Experience reservations and availability near you, please contact your Travel Consultant or call 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237) as long as it is not within 7 days of sailing."

Bon voyage experience is often available in San Francisco. Registration is like booking a cruise, in that he will need a passport etc.

You can easily opt out of the guided tour

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Bon voyage experience is often available in San Francisco. Registration is like booking a cruise, in that he will need a passport etc.

It is like booking a cruise but a passport is not necessary. We did this with my niece to thank her for taking us to the port in San Francisco ... only a driver license or government issued ID was required.

The $39 fee is non-refundable and non-transferable, once booked.

Your grandson needs to be at least six months old. We were planning on doing this for our SFO cruise this July, but my grand daughter will be only four and a half months old, so she can't come on board. The Princess agent told me the age requirement is set by Homeland Security. I rather doubt that, but I couldn't get around it and am not willing to risk showing up with her and being turned away...

Ships have BVE schedules. You need to ask Princess.

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Thanks to all for your replies

A child needs to have a copy of birth certificate - a real one with the seal - as identification since booking a BVE is the same process as booking a cruise. We've done the BVE in San Francisco twice. Once because we foolishly ran out of FCD and wanted to buy more and once to thank our son for driving us to SF for our cruise. He came aboard, toured the ship (with us - not the guided tour), checked out our balcony stateroom, and had a great lunch in the dining room. He was entitled to a glass of wine with lunch but gave it to my wife as he had to get back in the car and head home after the BVE. He's a CHP officer and they kind of frown on drinking and driving. Something about seeing the consequences first hand on the highways...

Hope it works out for you and your grandson. :)

I agree, sign up for the BVE!! Hey I am a Rhymer. :rolleyes:

The BVE also includes a photo, so be sure to pose with your grandson when boarding.

Why don't they just go on the cruise with you for the "total cruise experience" package? Sort of like putting a filet migion in front of a vegan.

I wish the Bon Voyage was offered here in Australia, itsonly ever through some agents, not many, or a news outlet.

Your grandson needs to be at least six months old. We were planning on doing this for our SFO cruise this July, but my grand daughter will be only four and a half months old, so she can't come on board. The Princess agent told me the age requirement is set by Homeland Security. I rather doubt that, but I couldn't get around it and am not willing to risk showing up with her and being turned away...

Well, Princess' minimum age for infants is 6 months anyway, so they would not book a PVE for someone under that age, since it is the same mechanism as booking a cruise.

The security requirements for the BVE are a combination of Princess' and the port authority's ISPS (international ship and port security) plans, and the port authority's plan must meet Homeland Security's requirements as well as the IMO's. This can vary from port to port, so it might well be that Homeland has a minimum age requirement as well.

And assuming the BVE is offered on the OP's sailing, can a minor child book it by themselves? Obviously the grandson would board with his grandparents, but when the time comes for all non-passengers to disembark would a child be allowed to walk off alone? I doubt any special accommodation would be made for a non-ticketed person to meet them in the terminal. Nor would there be time for the OP to escort them off the ship then be back on board before boarding closes.

Obviously I am making an assumption that the grandson is not an adult. And we don't even know if said grandson is the only guest the OP wishes to invite: thread title reads "can our grandson board...." while body of thread revises to "can our family..."

I am guessing that the OP recalls the long-ago time when cruisers could bring guestsd on embarkation day no charge and no questions asked. Growing up in Miami in the 70s I remember my mom always "volunteering" to drive visiting friends and family to the port for their cruise, where we would hang out with them almost right until sailaway.

Well, Princess' minimum age for infants is 6 months anyway, so they would not book a PVE for someone under that age, since it is the same mechanism as booking a cruise.

 

The security requirements for the BVE are a combination of Princess' and the port authority's ISPS (international ship and port security) plans, and the port authority's plan must meet Homeland Security's requirements as well as the IMO's. This can vary from port to port, so it might well be that Homeland has a minimum age requirement as well.

A long time ago (2001) I was on a RCCL cruise out of Miami and there was a 2 week old baby on the sailing. I was amazed the baby was allowed. It was a huge family reunion or I don't think she would have cruised otherwise (before criticism for the Mom). Now, the requirement is 6 months so I wonder if Homeland Security is involved here.

A long time ago (2001) I was on a RCCL cruise out of Miami and there was a 2 week old baby on the sailing. I was amazed the baby was allowed. It was a huge family reunion or I don't think she would have cruised otherwise (before criticism for the Mom). Now, the requirement is 6 months so I wonder if Homeland Security is involved here.

As far as Princess' rule of 6 months on a cruise (12 months if more than 3 sea days in a row (IIRC), it is way more a liability issue than Homeland. They just don't want to deal with infant care in the medical center, and associated lawsuits.