Guests to See Us Sail Off

[bsharynu]

My parents are meeting us in Tampa to see us and their grandchildren sail off. How close to the port or ship can they get before we have to part from them? I'm sure things have changed with secuirty from years ago but just wondering if they can come to the port with us or if that is a waste for them.

[joeyancho]

They can say bon voyage outside the drop off point. After that a ticket is needed.

[CapeCodCruiser]

They can say bon voyage outside the drop off point. After that a ticket is needed.

 

That area is always chaos - have a nice long leisurely breakfast with them somewhere and they should skip the port.

[ccruisequeen]

If there's a park near the port, as is the case in Long Beach, maybe they can wait there. Once you board, go up to the lido deck and wave to them.

[Ehpride]

Channelside is right next to the port and they could go in the Courtyard. There's a gate and guard to prevent you from getting next to the ship, but they could see you on aft lido or the outside promenade from there.

[cb at sea]

Since you'll need to be on the ship at least 90 mins. before it sets sail, that's a long time to wait to "see you sailaway"!

[MrPete]

Ah, the days of the old Bon Voyage parties.

 

I ran into someone who once said he'd pack a cooler and board a ship not knowing anyone and have a nice afternoon on board and get aff at the horn blow.

 

But why do I remember a recent FB post asking if they offered Bon Voyage for a price, would anyone be interested? Interesting concept. Not sure if I would pay. But then again, I wouldn't pay for a FTTF either.

[DCT61]

PRINCESS offers (for a price of course) non-cruising guests of booked passengers, the ability to tour the ship and have lunch onboard before the ship departs. I wish all cruiselines would do this.

[tef43]

Since you'll need to be on the ship at least 90 mins. before it sets sail, that's a long time to wait to "see you sailaway"!

Not to mention the time it takes you to go through the embarkation queue. :rolleyes:

[Carnival_Brides]

PRINCESS offers (for a price of course) non-cruising guests of booked passengers, the ability to tour the ship and have lunch onboard before the ship departs. I wish all cruiselines would do this.

 

I think they charge $50 for this and they let you put this towards a deposit after you tour the ship. I wish Carnival would do that too.

[MCC retired]

You can view the ship and speak to cruisers on the Promenade

Deck from Channelside courtyard upper level.

[Upandadam]

Might be a bit difficult since ships often leave late too. I've had them leave up to 6 hours late.

[AndrewD65]

Tampa does offer a few options, as I lived in Tampa for 6 years and have been to Channelside many times. You can park in the Parking Garage where there is one hour free parking, on the top level you can see the ship, and watch it sail off. If not they have the option in between the buildings they can watch the ship, or the best spot is on the second level in channelside where the they can sit and eat, it's the top level of of the security fence and watch them sail off.

[mikeg001]

There are 2 places i would recommend. On the 2nd floor of channelside (Bennigans) you can sit outside. Or Davis Island dog park, i see people on the edge of the water all the time waving at the ships leave.

[brad09821]

We have watched my parents sail away from the kiddie playground at the aquarium. We have also watched the ship leave and then hopped on 275 to the Sunshine Skyway bridge and parked on the fishing pier just in time to see the ship reach and sail under the bridge. When we cruised the Paradise in February, my parents did the same thing. Watched us sail away from the aquarium and headed to the bridge to watch us go under. I think it is relatively cheap to buy a pass to watch the ship and not have to fish. We could actually see the kids waving to us from the deck all the way out on the pier.

[luv2trvlnow]

PRINCESS offers (for a price of course) non-cruising guests of booked passengers, the ability to tour the ship and have lunch onboard before the ship departs. I wish all cruiselines would do this.

 

I think they charge $50 for this and they let you put this towards a deposit after you tour the ship. I wish Carnival would do that too.

Princess has the Bon Voyage Experience. It costs $39 a person. You get a tour of the ship, a picture of you on the ship, and lunch in the main dining room with wine.

 

You spend 4 hours onboard. You don't need to be guests of booked passengers. And yes the $39 will be put towards a cruise if you booked within a certain number of days. You can also buy their version of the future cruise certificate while onboard. We are going to be doing this after we get off the Breeze in April. We will drive up to Fort Lauderdale and check out the Ruby Princess.

 

Sharon