Princess allows non-cruisers onboard for embarkation day

[captainron]

Now that we've bashed this subject to death we have heard that:

 

it is a security threat; :eek:

it isn't a security threat; :D

the numbers will be overwhelming;

the numbers will be no big deal;

the 50 people will destroy someone's embarkation day;

for others, the 50 people don't mean a damn thing;

the dining room will be overcrowded;

the dining room will still have lots of room;

people will be wandering freely around the ship;

the $39 guests will be in the company of their hosts;

etc etc etc.

 

Question is after 200+ posts, have we come to any conclusion yet? I'd submit not so let's get on another subject and bash it as well :rolleyes: (lol).

 

Ciao for now!!!

[awhcruiser]

:D Well said......

 

Now that we've bashed this subject to death we have heard that:

 

it is a security threat; :eek:

it isn't a security threat; :D

the numbers will be overwhelming;

the numbers will be no big deal;

the 50 people will destroy someone's embarkation day;

for others, the 50 people don't mean a damn thing;

the dining room will be overcrowded;

the dining room will still have lots of room;

people will be wandering freely around the ship;

the $39 guests will be in the company of their hosts;

etc etc etc.

 

Question is after 200+ posts, have we come to any conclusion yet? I'd submit not so let's get on another subject and bash it as well :rolleyes: (lol).

 

Ciao for now!!!

[pablo222]

Question is after 200+ posts, have we come to any conclusion yet?

 

I'm going on the emerald in a few weeks, unfortunately as a single,

as the spousal unit it unable to attend. So, for fun, I set him up

for the $39 afternoon on board. My travel agent took care of it

in a few minutes.

 

As Princess offered it, and we bought it, what difference

does it make what positive or negative coments are offered here?

 

My conclusion -- read online forums for humor value.

[Working 2 Cruise]

I like the idea. I've got a friend taking a local Princess cruise. I'm going to see if I can take advantage of this.

 

Since this will be in effect for my cruise, I wonder if people will have also access to the International Dining Room for lunch without any hassles?

[Maraprince]

At each and every port EVERY cruise ship has TA's and people from tourist bureaus that come on board for a tour of the ship, its cabins and are treated to lunch before the ship leaves the port.

 

So what is the difference having 50 more people on board who are paid guests of passengers actually sailing on the ship? This group will just be added to the other groups and all served lunch.

 

The kitchen staff and selected crew members involved with hosting are prepared for this since it is nothing out of the norm for them.

 

 

MARPRINCE

[John Reid]

Hmmm... Priority boarding for those who book the bon voyage meal. So, if I get one person to join me/us for the meal, I can get onboard in an early group and rush to the Sanctuary line to book our chairs for the week. Now that might be worth it $39.

[Cruise Gypsy]

I'm going on the emerald in a few weeks, unfortunately as a single,

as the spousal unit it unable to attend. So, for fun, I set him up

for the $39 afternoon on board. My travel agent took care of it

in a few minutes.

 

 

 

Pablo222,

 

Just curious - what sort of identification information did they request for DH? Also, is he Captain's Club member?

[bermuda triangle]

Since 1998 people getting married on Princess have the option of getting married aboard the ship. The couple can pay for a reception package, around $70+pp and have up to 80 guests who leave prior to the ship departing unless they are sailing. Other lines offer these packages as well, such as RCCI and NCL.

Theses parties board the ship with priority, in some cases a few hours before the sailing guests are allowed to board.

I don't see how the 50 people allowed aboard for bon voyage parties cause any more security risk or disturbance to embarkation day activities than those attending an onboard wedding.

Laura

[Happy ks]

I can't wait to hear from pax not involved (not having a guest come on with them) come back and tell us how it impacted their cruise.

 

Since the subject of travel agent groups or guest groups has been an issue in the past (I've never seen threads about it) I think the stress and furor is much ado about nothing.

 

I also think the majority of pax will not even be able to invite a non-cruising visitor as many people have to fly to their embarkation port city.

 

Worry about the big stuff.

[CruisinLow]

I can't wait to hear from pax not involved (not having a guest come on with them) come back and tell us how it impacted their cruise.

 

Since the subject of travel agent groups or guest groups has been an issue in the past (I've never seen threads about it) I think the stress and furor is much ado about nothing.

 

I also think the majority of pax will not even be able to invite a non-cruising visitor as many people have to fly to their embarkation port city.

 

Worry about the big stuff.

 

Well said! ! ! ! ! !

[TERESAh]

We received this email regarding our Mexico cruise in April. I think its a good idea for people who have never been on board a cruise ship to see if it is something they would like to do. If someone wanted to do something to the ship, they could just book a cruise and do it.

[pablo222]

Pablo222,

 

Just curious - what sort of identification information did they request for DH? Also, is he Captain's Club member?

 

We are both elite.

 

The one day ship tour showed up in the personalizer, and it had

to be filled out just like a cruise. The passport info was auto-filled-in

from the captain's circle number, so I'm not sure if it was absolutely

required, or not. They did want everything including an emergency

contact, just like a cruise.

 

The spousal unit was then able to print a boarding pass.

They request you to show up at 11:00am. So, in my opinion,

all the day-tourists will be through security before regular

embarcation even starts. This should help the folks who were

so concerned that adding 50 extra people would create delays.

 

The only part that was a surprise -- while you can apply the $39 fee

to a future booking. But, it's only good for 90 days.

 

We are doing this March 7th, so we should have the complete details

in a few weeks.

[Law5Guy]

Could there be a security problem? I suppose so. Is the incremental risk great? I really don't think so.

Will there be more people milling about the ship? Yes. I agree that extra folks will be getting onboard. Extra folks will be eating lunch. Extra folks will be touring the spa. On and on. Will there be more excitement onboard? Yes. The guests will be excited and the passengers entertaining them will be pumped!

Will the guests get their money's worth? Yes. $39 for the afternoon plus 4-course lunch with wine...sounds liked good value to me. Future OBC makes the deal even sweeter.

Is this good deal for Princess? Absolutely. Additional, albeit small, revenue stream. Fantastically high "conversion rate," i.e., I expect a very high percentage of these guests will end up booking a future cruise. I think it is brilliant marketing.

People flying to the embarkation port will be unlikely to utilize this experience, but folks w/i driving distance should have a much easier time finding people to drive them to the port.

[Globaliser]

And I don't see this any different to the many visiting groups I have seen on ships over the recent few years. I have seen large groups of Travel Agents, visiting the ship for the day while taking tours.

At each and every port EVERY cruise ship has TA's and people from tourist bureaus that come on board for a tour of the ship, its cabins and are treated to lunch before the ship leaves the port.

 

So what is the difference having 50 more people on board who are paid guests of passengers actually sailing on the ship? This group will just be added to the other groups and all served lunch.

I agree: I don't see what all the fuss is about.

 

In addition to travel agents etc, Princess has also invited past passengers for similar ship tours and lunch at turnaround ports. We've been security screened, counted on, and counted off thoroughly, just as if we were passengers - so I really can't see how 50 extra paying "guests of passengers" is going to be any different from what Princess is already doing on a routine basis.

[J&KCruisers]

I like the concept of being able to visit other Princess ships while in the same port. To be able to use the cruise card and board another ship to take a tour would be an incredible marketing concept which would allow some additional research in planning the next cruise.

 

Let's face it, those of us on Cruise Critic are all about doing research and exchanging information. The ability to get on other ships for a look around would be great for expanding information and dispelling myths.

 

I vote that Princess make visiting other ships in port an "excursion".

[startraveler]

What I want to know is - if I come on board for the short time will I get one of the Princess Cruises' stamps to place in my Princess Circle passport? :D

[pablo222]

I like the concept of being able to visit other Princess ships while in the same port. To be able to use the cruise card and board another ship to take a tour would be an incredible marketing concept

 

15 years ago, you could do that. That was back went the cruise card

was a little printed paper thing, in a brown plastic case.

 

If you're crew, you can still do it.

[ddpe]

I really don't mind this at all except for the additional burden on the crew. What kept going through my mind is that I would pay $39 for priority embarkation and a nice lunch and tour everytime I cruised. Now, we eat off the ship so as not to deal with HC on embarkation day. I know that would add a lot of burden to the crew, but wouldn't a nice bon voyage lunch be wonderful. Unfortunately, I know no one in FLL, Miami, etc. I would actually be willing to pay more for a nice sit-down lunch with wine and priority embarkation.

[elephant98]

Yes, I realize that travel agents already have tours and parties onboard. And I find the crowds noisy and disrupting. Maybe I'm just being selfish that I don't want to share the joy of embarkations with non-cruisers, but I don't I like this reinstatement of a old tradition. Isn't the turn around time between disembarkation of the last cruise and embarkation of the new passenger tight enough without adding more people coming or going?

 

I can see your point. Embarkation day is organized chaos with passengers running every which way trying to find their way around the ship, often with little carry on bags, strollers, and other things they don't want to pack into their bags. As organized as travel agent tours are, these groups often add to the chaos and difficultly in getting around the ship simply by the sheer number of people clogging the hallways. Not only that, passengers are sometimes turned away (gasp! :-0) from a bar/public room that they want to spend time in due to a private party or wedding reception being held there. So, from that standpoint, I can understand the cause for concern. But, for now, I'm not worried so much because it is only another 50 people. If, however, this turns out to be a test program for an expanded guest visitor option, then my opinion could change.

 

Until the muster staion drill has occurred, my luggage has safely arrived in my stateroom and the ship is pulling away from port, I often find it difficult to feel like I am on vacation Perhaps having a "bon voyage" friend with me for a couple of hours would change that!

[Seal]

I really don't mind this at all except for the additional burden on the crew. What kept going through my mind is that I would pay $39 for priority embarkation and a nice lunch and tour everytime I cruised. Now, we eat off the ship so as not to deal with HC on embarkation day. I know that would add a lot of burden to the crew, but wouldn't a nice bon voyage lunch be wonderful. Unfortunately, I know no one in FLL, Miami, etc. I would actually be willing to pay more for a nice sit-down lunch with wine and priority embarkation.

 

Well part of what you want is already waiting for you--you may have lunch in the MD between Noon and 1:30--and order yourself a glass of wine--as far as priority embarkation--we're always aboard be noon--but I believe that San Juan won't let you on until 1 pm--maybe that's changed, havae gone out of their for a couple of years.

 

Nancy:D

[northwestbear]

We love this idea. This will be our third time sailing out of Los Angeles and always have the In-Laws shuttle us to the ship. Thought this was a perfect way to say "Thank You!" Called Princess and it was set up in just a few minutes. Just to let those with security concerns sleep better, I had to provide names, dates of birth and current address just to make the reservation and then had to go on-line and provide valid passport numbers for our guests and complete all of the same immigration info as other passengers. I also had to print out boarding passes and set up an onboard account for our guests. They will need passports to board the ship. I was told the number of guests for our sailing is limited to 40. The $39 is charged for the guests only (passengers are considered to have already paid). The guest reservations and our cruise reservations are separate, but supposedly cross referenced in their computer system. We were told we could priority board as early as 11:00 am and that all guests will need to depart before 3:00pm.

[timhn]

This is excellent idea. When I book my next cruise and this "Bon Voyage" available for Australia, I'll make sure to reserve couple spots for my friends/relatives.

[CHIEB2812]

great idea, i love it!!:d

[BruceMuzz]

I visited some old colleagues on Crown Princess in Ft Lauderdale last weekend.

They had over 1,000 visitors for the day - which is about normal for turnarounds in FLL.

 

100 or so were friends and family of crew.

Around 250 were service engineers and vendors.

They had 2 large groups for a free lunch; 300 travel agents and 225 from some mariner society.

There was a smattering of PCL Corporate visitors.

 

And 5 visitors who purchased the new $39 visitors package.

 

No bombs or guns were found, and nobody stowed away.

No complaints were received about the extra 5 diners in the dining room.

[Buddy604]

Awesome idea - good for Princess! Too bad it'll never happen in Vancouver because of US immigration, I'd love to tour the different lines that come into port.

I've done it in Vancouver as a TA invited to tour the ships, many times. I just need to provide my DL or Passport data a week or so ahead, and surrender my ID at the crew entrance. No US immigration required since I'm not staying on until the US.

 

Visitors usually board several hours ahead of traveling passengers during the turn-over between cruises so they don't impact regular boarding. I'm usually out of there not long after the passengers board so we don't overlap much.

 

Personally, I think it's a great idea - and a great way to bring friends aboard during a B2B too.