Ship Tour

[boxztrs]

On Princess you can prebook a lunch visit on embarkation day for $39. Does HAL have a similar program?

[PathfinderEss]

There is a ships tour but it is extensive and expensive. Certainly more then a lunch.

[NanaBnana]

Last year, on the Nieuw Amsterdam, it was $129 per person for 3 1/2 hrs. Including backstage, the liquor pantry, engineering, medical, environmental, laundry, the bridge (and a photo with the captain), and cocktails with the HotMan. We received a couple DVDs, tote bag, the photo, a cookbook and an informational book about HAL. It's worth it once. There are only 10 spots open and they fill up quickly.

 

Hope this helps!

[Australian family]

The tour is $150 for a ships tour. We wanted to do it on our last cruise. We went and booked the tour on the first day onboard. The staff could not give a day or time, which I felt was very disorganised. They then rang us 2 days later to say that the tour was at 11am on a shore day. The ship was only in port until 2pm. We did not do the tour and were very disappointed that we couldn't do it. They did not attempt to even organise a 2nd tour even though it was a 14 night cruise, and the first tour did fill, and had people on the waiting list.

[CruiserBruce]

Talking apples and oranges here, folks. OP I asking about bringing guests onboard, during a port day giving them lunch, and a general tour, not a behind the scenes tour, which HAL offers on a sea day for $150.

 

That being said, not sure HAL offers what OP is talking about. We got something similar to what OP is asking about as part of a TA's open house in SF on Oosterdam, in 2004 when she was new. Paid off for HAL, as we booked a cruise on board, for a pretty good deal then.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On Princess you can prebook a lunch visit on embarkation day for $39. Does HAL have a similar program?

 

HAL does not anything like this.

The dining room is reserved for Mariners lunch.

[dobiemom]

On Princess it's called the Bon Voyage Experience. They have it on some ships at some ports. You get to come onboard on embarkation day, take a tour of the ship, have lunch, get a photo, and then hang around the ship until 3pm.

 

Costs $39 (non-refundable, non-transferrable) but if you book (not sail) within 90 days you get it taken off your cruise fare (or is it OBC?). And while onboard you can buy a FCC. :)

 

You need to call Princess to book the BVE. They'll give you a booking number and you have to do an online check-in just like you were going on a cruise. Bring your boarding pass, ID (can just be a DL, no BC or passport needed), and your credit card.

 

I just found out/remembered Princess does this just this week, so now a GF and I are booked! :D It's a nice way to see a ship you've never been on. Wish HAL would do this.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sounds like a great idea.

But on HAL ships there would only be the Lido buffet for people to have lunch.

The dining room gets too crowded with the Mariners.