skrodle Posted October 18, 2014 #1 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Hey there... just back from the BVE on the Star Princess in SF. It was so nice.. The only tough part was the time where we realized we had to get off the ship. We were allowed on until 2:30 but I think we left just after 2... we were getting too settled in and too comfortable, we might have become stowaways. The weather was perfect in SF today. We got to the terminal just before 11 (allow for traffic... the Embarcadero was HORRIBLE) they were expecting us and just after us they started general check in. We checked in right away and got our cruise cards (Be sure to bring your passport for the BVE, and print your boarding passes) it makes the whole process much smoother. They had a small area for all BVE passengers to wait, about 11:20 the FCC came and got us and took us on board. They took our picture as we boarded. We had the option to do the tour, since we have been on so many grand class ships we opted out of the tour and got some drinks. A couple of the bars were open and you can charge to your account with your cruise cards. They do charge tax on drinks in the port.. .just be aware. At noon, we had lunch in the main dining room and they had a special area for BVE guests. We normally dont like sharing a table, but we had a really nice couple with us. They were just doing the BVE too, as they were doing a full cruise next week, but wanted to check out the ship (he was also a little nervous and she thought this would be a good way to show him how nice the ship was). Our lunch was great, one of the better lunches I have had in the main dining room. Afterwards, we just relaxed by the lotus pool till about 2pm. It was so nice, we were the only ones there the entire time. The water was a little cold in the pool, but the Jacuzzi was actually not hot so that felt great. Our friends from lunch found us as they dropped off our pictures during lunch to them (the letter you get says you can get them at the photo gallery). It was funny because the pic has the map of the ships route and says "we travelled 1400 miles". We got a good laugh out of that. Knowing that the $39 goes towards you future cruise bill, it was basically a free afternoon of food and relaxing. It was also really nice for about an hour being the only ones on the ship. It felt really special. I will definitely do this again! And the fact that we are only 2 miles from the terminal doesnt hurt :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSloan Posted October 18, 2014 #2 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Sounds like a good way to spend an afternoon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janetz Posted October 18, 2014 #3 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Sounds great. I thought you were allowed on for 4 hours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skrodle Posted October 18, 2014 Author #4 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Sounds great. I thought you were allowed on for 4 hours? Since sail away was 4pm, they were kicking us off at 2:30, so just over 3 hours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janetz Posted October 18, 2014 #5 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Since sail away was 4pm, they were kicking us off at 2:30, so just over 3 hours Thank you. Our daughter and boyfriend are doing it this Sat in NY. We were told 4 hours. We will see. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cflutist Posted October 18, 2014 #6 Share Posted October 18, 2014 skyodle: Which dining room was it in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PathfinderEss Posted October 18, 2014 #7 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Sounds like a great way to have a few hours on a cruise ship. I presume you were at the new dock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcvt Posted October 19, 2014 #8 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Glad you had a good time. Definitely had good weather here today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skrodle Posted October 19, 2014 Author #9 Share Posted October 19, 2014 skyodle: Which dining room was it in? Portofino Dining room. The odd thing was they sat us on starboard side so we only had a view of the dock... Port would have been much nicer with a view of the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skrodle Posted October 19, 2014 Author #10 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Sounds like a great way to have a few hours on a cruise ship. I presume you were at the new dock? yes new cruise terminal... its SOOOO nice... nicest cruise terminal Ive ever been in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNUZULOOSE Posted October 19, 2014 #11 Share Posted October 19, 2014 We were there today and it was a beautiful day. The star is a beautiful ship. We went out on the rocket boat ride. What an excellent day to have a BVE! Glad you enjoyed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#1Nanna Posted October 19, 2014 #12 Share Posted October 19, 2014 OP, did you take any pics? Would love to see them if you did! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skrodle Posted October 20, 2014 Author #13 Share Posted October 20, 2014 OP, did you take any pics? Would love to see them if you did! Sent from my iPhone using Forums sorry no pics :( it looks like the other grand class ships ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calif. Cruisers Posted October 20, 2014 #14 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Where did you park for the length of the BVE? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flutprop Posted October 20, 2014 #15 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Did you purchase FCC? We did a BVE in August and dropped off a form for 2 FCC. After checking a few times over the next month, finally got a resounding NO, Not eligible from a Captains Circle manager. Still wondering if others are still able to get them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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