Is it possible to do Bon Voyage Experience without accompaniment?

[Vexorg]

Me and a friend are currently booked for 10 days on the Emerald Princess in December, and looking forward to it. Even though I've been on quite a few cruises now, this will only be her second cruise on Princess, with the first being a 3-day repo on the Island Princess (which, if you have any familiarity at all with the Grand Class ships, can be a little confusing to navigate around since things tend to be in the "wrong" place a lot.)

 

I've been thinking of taking advantage of the fact that both the Star and Golden Princess homeport here in Seattle to take a day for a Bon Voyage Experience so she can get a chance to see one of the Grand Class ships before the trip, but the info I've seen seems to imply you need to be accompanying booked passengers to do it. Is there a way to do this if you aren't with other passengers?

[Belle]

You don't have to be with people

going on the cruise.

[always_cruisin]

We've done it twice (the Grand and the Star) and were not cruising at the time.

 

Book it and have fun.

[PescadoAmarillo]

We've done it on a turnaround day between B2B cruises in Fort Lauderdale. It's a nice way to spend the day.

[Pam in CA]

I've done it twice with friends without knowing anyone sailing. A few of us did it earlier this year as a mini Meet & Greet for our Maiden Passage cruise on the Royal in October.

[Sincity]

Don't you find it difficult to be on a Princess ship and not being able to stay on it?

[casavaha]

We are doing the Grand on Aug. 18, in San Francisco. Nice to get a free lunch and wine

and be on a cruise ship. It will be hard to leave, but I will be on two cruises in Sept.

This program is so good but so few people know about it.

 

Greg

[Pam in CA]

Don't you find it difficult to be on a Princess ship and not being able to stay on it?

It probably is for some but I've loved every minute of the BVE. It was definitely worth $39 to me.

[tutuwahineLV]

We are doing the Grand on Aug. 18, in San Francisco. Nice to get a free lunch and wine

and be on a cruise ship. It will be hard to leave, but I will be on two cruises in Sept.

This program is so good but so few people know about it.

 

Greg

 

 

not really a free lunch... at $39 for the experience...but still worth it.

 

I'd do it if I lived in one of the homeport cities.

[beg3yrs]

not really a free lunch... at $39 for the experience...but still worth it.

 

I'd do it if I lived in one of the homeport cities.

 

We would as well. Driving 1000 miles RT for a few hours on the ship? Not today.

 

BTW, nobody has mentioned, at least on this thread, the $39 will be credited toward any cruise booked within 90 days. That would make it a free lunch!

[Vexorg]

I take it I wouldn't be able to apply the credit to an existing booking? I already have one booked with a final payment date in the middle of next month, but was planning to make final payment within the next couple of weeks.

[beg3yrs]

I take it I wouldn't be able to apply the credit to an existing booking? I already have one booked with a final payment date in the middle of next month, but was planning to make final payment within the next couple of weeks.

 

Sorry, new bookings is what they say. You can always ask though.

[casavaha]

not really a free lunch... at $39 for the experience...but still worth it.

 

I'd do it if I lived in one of the homeport cities.

 

It is free. I am using the credit to book a 3 day cruise in September. So the lunch costs

nothing. I do not mind spending the $39 either but I sure like the idea of being able to

use the credit for another cruise.

 

Greg

[Sailingpeace]

We've done it on a turnaround day between B2B cruises in Fort Lauderdale. It's a nice way to spend the day.

 

While you wait to rebord your own ship you Bon voyage on another ? That sounds great ( if my understanding is correct). That would make the day in Fll much more interesting.

[Nancy/Doug OH]

We've done it on a turnaround day between B2B cruises in Fort Lauderdale. It's a nice way to spend the day.

 

May I ask what you did with your luggage? Thanks

[TessM]

I take it I wouldn't be able to apply the credit to an existing booking? I already have one booked with a final payment date in the middle of next month, but was planning to make final payment within the next couple of weeks.

 

I did the Bon Voyage Experience last Saturday (Aug 10th) on the Star. I noticed today that they applied my $39 to an existing booking.

 

I was surprised because I didn't think they would have done that. I thought it was only for new bookings.

[trbarton]

I'm also on the August 18th BVE on the Grand and I've read on some other posts that the $39 can be applied to my existing booking on my Holiday cruise in December on the Grand so we'll see what happens.

 

Anyone else had the $39 applied to an existing booking?

 

Tom:)

[dmwnc1959]

Do other cruise lines (Celebrity, Holland-America. etc) have a similar program to the BVE?

[TessM]

I did the Bon Voyage Experience last Saturday (Aug 10th) on the Star. I noticed today that they applied my $39 to an existing booking.

 

I was surprised because I didn't think they would have done that. I thought it was only for new bookings.

 

UGH! Ignore this. It suddenly occurred to me that the $39 was from a Bon Voyage Experience that I did in February. I guess I just never the $39 before.

[terrific_surprise]

I'm also on the August 18th BVE on the Grand and I've read on some other posts that the $39 can be applied to my existing booking on my Holiday cruise in December on the Grand so we'll see what happens.

 

Anyone else had the $39 applied to an existing booking?

 

Tom:)

 

We tried to have our $39 for our February BVE applied to our (previously booked) March cruise. Our Princess Cruise Vacation Planner said he would see if it could be done, but after attempting it he said it couldn't be done after all. However the $39 credit still appears to be available for a future cruise, if we book by the end of the year.

[gcvt]

Do other cruise lines (Celebrity, Holland-America. etc) have a similar program to the BVE?

 

Royal Caribbean certainly does not, and I haven't heard of any other major lines doing it but I could be mistaken? Seems a shame that they don't all do it. It clearly works well enough for Princess to keep the program going. If it wasn't profitable, they obviously wouldn't do it. Our BVE guest from last September on Star still talks about it. Possible 'conversion' right there.

[dmwnc1959]

Royal Caribbean certainly does not, and I haven't heard of any other major lines doing it but I could be mistaken? Seems a shame that they don't all do it. It clearly works well enough for Princess to keep the program going. If it wasn't profitable, they obviously wouldn't do it. Our BVE guest from last September on Star still talks about it. Possible 'conversion' right there.

 

THANKS, and I agree that more lines should do a BVE program. I have a turn-around day in FLL and there would be several ships in port I'd love to see first-hand. I think actually being able to set foot on one of them just may change my opinion of them. Or not. ;)

[gcvt]

THANKS, and I agree that more lines should do a BVE program. I have a turn-around day in FLL and there would be several ships in port I'd love to see first-hand. I think actually being able to set foot on one of them just may change my opinion of them. Or not. ;)

 

Exactly! We're planning to do a BVE on Grand later this year to see if we want to take her to Hawaii in November, or wait until after she does her dry dock here in SF beginning on Dec 10 :o

[JPEvans]

How do you go about booking this?

[dmwnc1959]

How do you go about booking this?

 

Hi JP!

 

Here's a list of ships and dates, and the details of how to go about booking it...:D

 

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