Guest aboard the Grand in SF for lunch

[rocmoss]

I know I saw somewhere that you can pay 50 dollars to have someone come aboard and tour the Grand and have lunch before it sails but can't find where I saw that and my travel agent checked with princess and they said they don't have such program. Does anyone know about this or am I just imagining that you can do this.

[beg3yrs]

You may be thinking of the Bon Voyage Experience. It is only available at certain ports and on embarkation day. For $39 per person, people can come on board at the beginning of embarkation. For that they get a Welcome Aboard photo, lunch in the MDR with a glass of wine and a tour. After that they are on their own until about an hour before sailing whereupon they must disembark. They even get their own cruise card for the day.

 

The $39 can be applied to a cruise within 90 days as well.

 

We treated our friends who drove us to and from the ship on our last cruise. It was a very nice experience.

 

Call Princess directly to see if it is available in SF. You can book it directly with them, no need for your TA to handle it as it is simple and I don't think the TA gets a cut anyway.

[rdsqrl]

Here's the link that your Travel Agent should have been familiar with and that you can forward on to her (I'm guessing she doesn't book much Princess; you should ask around on your next cruise for recommendations, as you'll save money in the long run with a TA who passes on volume discounts to their clients):

https://book.princess.com/BookingSystem/jsp/home/ship_visit/BonVoyageExperience.jsp

[beg3yrs]

Here's the link that your Travel Agent should have been familiar with and that you can forward on to her (I'm guessing she doesn't book much Princess; you should ask around on your next cruise for recommendations, as you'll save money in the long run with a TA who passes on volume discounts to their clients):

https://book.princess.com/BookingSystem/jsp/home/ship_visit/BonVoyageExperience.jsp

 

That's a great link, chock full of information even if you're not a TA. Good on ya' Rdsqrl.

[rdsqrl]

That's a great link, chock full of information even if you're not a TA. Good on ya' Rdsqrl.

*blushing*

Someone else posted it first, probably one of our resident TAs here on the board. I merely made a bookmark.

[trbarton]

I did the BVE in March on the Grand and am doing it again next month with people who are going on my December 20th holiday cruise out of San Francisco. It's a good deal especially since you get the $39 back as a credit on a future cruise so it's really free plus a good way to see the ship. My boarding pass says to be there at 1:30 pm but you need to arrive before 11 am so you can be processed and board the ship. It's also a chance for people to purchase a Future Cruise Certificate, as I purchased one in March that is being applied to my December cruise. Yes the BVE is also a way to bring friends onboard with you the day you are cruising plus you get to board early with them before the regular passengers board so you have the ship to yourself for awhile with your friends. Remember they have to be off the ship by 3 pm.

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Tom:)

[rocmoss]

Thanks for all the good information. Much appreciated:)

[always_cruisin]

Here's a link to our BVE in June.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1860138

[casavaha]

We will be in San Francisco on Aug 18. I think I will take the opportunity to visit the

Grand. Have a nice afternoon on board. I really want to purchase some FCC's.

 

Greg

[Gunner22aa]

Please note that the Princess web site says it is limited to a maximum of 50 people per cruise. I'd book early to avoid disappointment.

[casavaha]

Thanks, I went ahead and booked it. Princess said arrive around 11:30. I will be there

earlier. Have never been on the Grand but the Star and Golden many times.

 

Greg

[bdjam]

Thanks, I went ahead and booked it. Princess said arrive around 11:30. I will be there

earlier. Have never been on the Grand but the Star and Golden many times.

 

Greg

Get there at 10:30 - tell the shore staff that you're on BVE and they will get you in the terminal and checked in - then you will wait for the Future Cruise Consultant to come off the ship and bring the group that's waiting on board - that happens shortly after 11:00.

I arrived at 11:30 with my BVE guest on my last Grand Princess cruise - we were shooting for 10:30 but got stuck in traffic getting across the Bay Bridge - and the group had already been taken on board...so you can definitely do it sooner.

[bellebaby]

Can the $39 BVE credit be applied to a cruise that is already booked, or is it only applicable towards a new booking?

 

Thanks.

[always_cruisin]

The $39 is applied to a future cruise, not one already booked.

[trbarton]

The $39 is applied to a future cruise, not one already booked.

 

I'm booked on a BVE on August 18th on the Grand and also booked on the Grand for a Dec, 20th Holiday cruise. So from what you are saying my $39 for my BVE will not apply to my Dec. 20th cruise. If I had not booked yet would the $39 apply? Can I use more than one BVE on a cruise reservation?

 

Tom:)

[Pam in CA]

Thanks, I went ahead and booked it. Princess said arrive around 11:30. I will be there earlier. Have never been on the Grand but the Star and Golden many times.

Ignore that!! When I did it, my boarding pass said to board after 1pm. The boarding passes for the BVE are generic for those sailing, not the BVE. Get there by 10:30AM. Everyone has to be checked in and waiting to board before they allow the BVE group to board. If someone is late, they can hold up everyone.

 

The $39 will show up on your Cruise Personalizer as a credit. Ask to have it applied to your current booking. The worst they can say is, "No."

[always_cruisin]

I'm booked on a BVE on August 18th on the Grand and also booked on the Grand for a Dec, 20th Holiday cruise. So from what you are saying my $39 for my BVE will not apply to my Dec. 20th cruise. If I had not booked yet would the $39 apply? Can I use more than one BVE on a cruise reservation?

 

Tom:)

 

We tried to get ours applied to our November sailing on the Grand (booked a year ago) and they said no. It has to be a new booking.

[rmitch64]

My wife and I are going to do the BVE on the Grand in SF this Week. I was told when making the reservation that they would apply the $39 each to an existing booking. I asked twice because of what I had read on the board, and the answer was the same. I'll report back after the experience.

 

 

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[casavaha]

We are on the Royal, Oct. 9. I thought I would have to wait for that cruise to purchase

FCC's. Now I only have to wait one month and I can buy them aboard the Grand. I

need at least 4 for next year.

 

Greg

[rmitch64]

My wife and I had a wonderful experience doing the BVE on the Grand in SF yesterday. We arrived at the cruise terminal around 10:30 and there were signs for the BVE. We were told exactly where to go for early check-in. We checked in and were given our cruise cards, and then we were told to wait in an area with other BVE guests. We boarded at 11AM and were told that we had to be off the ship by 2:50. I thought it would be more like 11:30 to 3:30, so important to arrive early as times may change. Our host was the future cruise specialist. We opted to take a roughly 30 minute tour of the ship with the specialist. Lunch was served in one of the main dining rooms from 12:00 - 1:30. The lunch is exactly the same as those cruising would receive. My wife and I were seated at a window table alone. We were presented with a menu and it had 4 or 5 appetizers, and then some burger options, a pasta course, main courses (We both had beef tenderloin), and I believe 4 desserts. I had an orange soufflé and some Nutella ice cream, and my wife had just the ice cream. We were given free soft drinks with re-fills. The lunch was wonderful. Everything tasted great. Because my wife is a dark chocolate lover, and did not eat much of her ice cream, we headed over to the International Cafe to find something more to her liking. A richer brownie hit the spot. It's important to remember that you are treated as a passenger, even though you are doing the BVE.

 

 

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[rmitch64]

Accidentally hit send on my app. Couple of last notes. We toured the ship on our own, and found a quiet spot or two to relax. We were very full from lunch, but still wanted to try the wonderful pizza. We sat down with a couple of slices and were not disappointed. It took us a little extra time to get off the ship because there was a wedding party leaving as well. Overall, we had a fantastic time on the ship. I would recommend this experience in SF even if you were not sailing in the future. It would have cost more to get room service in our hotel. Have you seen the cost of a hamburger in a SF hotel lately? NOT CHEAP!

 

 

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[trbarton]

My wife and I had a wonderful experience doing the BVE on the Grand in SF yesterday. We arrived at the cruise terminal around 10:30 and there were signs for the BVE. We were told exactly where to go for early check-in. We checked in and were given our cruise cards, and then we were told to wait in an area with other BVE guests. We boarded at 11AM and were told that we had to be off the ship by 2:50. I thought it would be more like 11:30 to 3:30, so important to arrive early as times may change. Our host was the future cruise specialist. We opted to take a roughly 30 minute tour of the ship with the specialist. Lunch was served in one of the main dining rooms from 12:00 - 1:30. The lunch is exactly the same as those cruising would receive. My wife and I were seated at a window table alone. We were presented with a menu and it had 4 or 5 appetizers, and then some burger options, a pasta course, main courses (We both had beef tenderloin), and I believe 4 desserts. I had an orange soufflé and some Nutella ice cream, and my wife had just the ice cream. We were given free soft drinks with re-fills. The lunch was wonderful. Everything tasted great. Because my wife is a dark chocolate lover, and did not eat much of her ice cream, we headed over to the International Cafe to find something more to her liking. A richer brownie hit the spot. It's important to remember that you are treated as a passenger, even though you are doing the BVE.

 

 

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Mitch:

 

Thanks for your report. You have to be off the ship by 3 pm because the ship sails at 4 pm and they need to have a manifest of whose on the ship.

 

I did the BVE in March and will do it again next month with other people from my December 20th cruise. I've heard conflicting reports on CC about being able to apply your BVE cost towards an existing booking rather than a new one. Did you have a chance to talk to anyone on the ship about it?

 

Thanks!

 

Tom:)

[rmitch64]

I was not able to talk to anyone about my existing booking, but the person that I talked to at Princess to originally book the BVE reiterated 2 or 3 times that it could be applied to my existing reservation. I have his name and am going to call them next week to see if I can apply it. Will report back early in the week.

 

Thanks,

 

Rick

 

 

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