bon voyage expérience

[RNGALNG]

I am going to be near a port on vacation when one of the Princess ships arrives. How do I find out if it is holding a BVE? Is there a place on the Princess web site that tells you about this experience?

[Pam in CA]

I am going to be near a port on vacation when one of the Princess ships arrives. How do I find out if it is holding a BVE? Is there a place on the Princess web site that tells you about this experience?

Here's the schedule but the 2014 dates aren't available yet. Check with your TA or directly with Princess.

 

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

[caribill]

I am going to be near a port on vacation when one of the Princess ships arrives. How do I find out if it is holding a BVE? Is there a place on the Princess web site that tells you about this experience?

 

When you say "one of the Princess ships arrives" it sounds like it might be a port visit, not a day the ship turnsaround with disembarkring and embarking passengers.

 

If this is not a turnaround day for the ship, then the BVE is never offered.

[RNGALNG]

When you say "one of the Princess ships arrives" it sounds like it might be a port visit, not a day the ship turnsaround with disembarkring and embarking passengers.

 

If this is not a turnaround day for the ship, then the BVE is never offered.

 

It is San Francisco and it would be the Grand. So, no, it wouldn't be a port day but turn around. I did not make myself clear! My bad!

[Mekamax]

Call them directly and they can give you all the information. :) It is fun.

[smf81]

Call them directly and they can give you all the information. :) It is fun.

 

And if the agent you get doesn't know for sure, ask them to check. I had to do that when booking a BVE on the Island Princess in LA for February. It didn't show up on their list, but it was available for booking.

Steve

Edited December 2, 2013 by smf81

[cr8tiv1]

Just got off the Star Princess to Hawaii. We started the cruise with a friend doing the BVE. He was told twice that there would not be one. Then, I received an email and phone call from Princess letting me know that his information was incorrect. We had 48 hours to get this put together.

 

"Passage" must be booked at least 5 days prior.

 

When you get your embarkation photo taken, be sure to tell them you are ALL on the BVE. They didn't have our photos ready and they had to scramble to get them printed before our friends got off.

 

You may need to remind them that wine comes with the lunch.

 

We boarded almost 30 minutes late. That really cut into the time onboard. We had to skip the tour to have lunch in the MDR and more dessert at the IC. They wanted to say hello to ELUA, but missed that opportunity too.

 

They got off just before muster and our trip was great as usual. Had a fantastic time and missed you. We will have to do this together in 2015.

[Thrak]

It is San Francisco and it would be the Grand. So, no, it wouldn't be a port day but turn around. I did not make myself clear! My bad!

 

The schedule probably doesn't show any more in SF for 2013 but don't count on that being accurate. I booked one in SF that was several weeks after the last one shown on the schedule. There was another one a week before the one I did as well.

 

I called my TA and asked about it and he only had access to the schedule and told me I was out of luck. Then I called Princess and asked them to check. The person on the phone didn't know but she did check for me and, after waiting maybe a minute, she came back and said that there were others available so I booked one.

 

It never hurts to call and ask. You may be pleasantly surprised.

[judy0524]

My husband and I are sailing out of SF on January 19th. I called Princess to see if we might have a BVE with his sister and her husband who would drive up from San Jose. Princess said it was available for that cruise and that no one had signed up for one yet. I still have to get all the info...birthdates, full names, etc. that Princess requires. My TA is handling it for us.

[RNGALNG]

Thank you one and all for all your helpful hints! I'm finding it very difficult to plan a trip for my daughter and myself when she is three hours away, studying for finals at college, and has a boyfriend who occupies a lot of her time. This will be her Christmas/birthday/graduation trip out west. Oh, the possibilities of things to do with her on our journey. I will pass this on to her to see if she wants to do it! (I would really love to do it, but. . .this is HER trip! Gotta do what she wants to do!)

 

Cr8tiv1, wouldn't that be wonderful? I will have to check with the man and see what he thinks!

[dchip]

My sister and BIL signed up yesterday for the Grand BVE on 1/19/14. So happy that we don't have to get off the ship this time. The Grand BVE was excellent in October. It went like clockwork.

 

Cheers, Denise