New Princess Policy

[Roses2]

In the past it was an honor to be among those few selected to tour the bridge of a Princess ship. Those selected to tour the bridge were asked not to discuss it with other passengers, most did not.

 

We learned this week that Princess has changed its policy. Now anyone can tour the bridge for a fee of $50. On our cruise this week on the Crown Princess, the new tour was advertised in the Princess Patter.

 

We discussed the change with the Hotel General Manager and he verified the policy change and said it would roll out fleet wide.

 

If you would like to tour the bridge, check the Patter on your next cruise and be prepared to pay $50 per person.

[AE_Collector]

I don't think the Ships Bridge has been able to be toured for years now other than on the "Ultimate Ships Tour" which has been priced at $150 per person so $50 for the bridge only might satisfy some of the demand. What with ships carrying 2, 3, 4 thousand passengers (and more) coupled with short 3, 4 & 5 day cruises, a free Bridge tour on each cruise would have lineups that rival the gangway lineup after the first announcement that everyone is clear to go ashore after arriving in port!

 

Terry

Edited January 20, 2015 by AE_Collector

[Roses2]

Very limited private bridge tours on Princess ships have been offered at no cost for years at the approval of the Captain. Generally they have been offered on sea days.

 

The actual tour usually was given by one of the junior bridge officers. Occasionally the captain personally gave the tour. Those on the bridge tours were requested to keep the matter confidential.

[AE_Collector]

How were people that would be invited chosen? An invitation primarily based on your number if cruises or days with Princess?

 

Terry

[snapdragon7]

Honestly, I think the new policy makes a lot of sense. It's more practical for Princess and fairer for the passengers.

[Wehwalt]

How were people that would be invited chosen? An invitation primarily based on your number if cruises or days with Princess?

 

Terry

 

I was chosen for a bridge tour for getting 50 cruise credits. It was actually the cruise after, as the bridge tour for that voyage was cancelled due to Norovirus (it was the shortened cruise on the Crown), but the FCC put some notes in my record so I could ask on the next voyage.

 

It was on the CB. There were about eight people. I do not know why the others were chosen (there were two teenage or so girls). It's as was said, I got a letter over the captain's (nonexistent) signature inviting me, asking me to meet at a set time on the last sea day, and we were asked to keep it hush hush. We were allowed to take pictures, but video was not allowed, but they let us use our phones to take pix, even ones with video capability. A security officer was at the meeting place with a clipboard, and everyone was very early.

 

It was with a junior officer, and he took us from the port bridge wing to the middle to the starboard bridge wing. It lasted about half an hour. The captain stuck his head out of his office and said hi.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Wehwalt

[fishywood]

So if the private bridge tours for the uber-elite were always "on the QT" how would anyone know that they will never be offered again?

 

Offering them as a paid activity to anyone wishing to sign up is hardly a dilution of one's precious Elite benefits, nor would it be worth whining about even if it was.

Edited January 20, 2015 by fishywood

[Wehwalt]

So if the private bridge tours for the uber-elite were always "on the QT" how would anyone know that they will never be offered again?

 

Offering them as a paid activity to anyone wishing to sign up is hardly a dilution of one's precious Elite benefits, nor would it be worth whining about even if it was.

 

Shrug. In my view, having done both, the UST's bridge experience is as good or better, because you have the captain doing it. I haven't the slightest interest in how many people do it, for all I care they can run the whole ship through the bridge. None of my business.

 

By the way, it was starboard to port. Too early in the morning.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Wehwalt

[Corfe Mixture]

I don't think the Ships Bridge has been able to be toured for years now other than on the "Ultimate Ships Tour" which has been priced at $150 per person so $50 for the bridge only might satisfy some of the demand.

 

Agreed, though having done the "Ultimate Ship's Tour", I would suggest that those who choose to save $100 by just doing this new tour are missing out.

 

For sure, the Bridge is interesting, and is the principal reason many folks take the tour, but the tour of the bridge is only a very small part of the "Ultimate Ship's Tour" and, whilst there is a "glamour/elite" element to visiting the bridge without exception the folks who did the "Ultimate Ship's tour" with us found the other parts of the ship far more interesting, and you gets lots of goodies with the "Ultimate Ship's Tour".

 

There is however, a strict limit of one "Ultimate" per cruise and about 12 (or maybe 16) persons per tour, probably as it clearly took a bit of effort to set it up (we were expected everywhere we went and there was a different officer waiting at each location to explain everything) which is perhaps why there is only one per cruise and there are regularly more folks wanting to take the tour than there are places.

 

Out of all the places one visits, the bridge was the area which required the least pre-planning for our visit, as whilst the Captain was on the bridge for our tour and the photographs, the junior officer who made the presentation on the operation of the bridge was already there as part of his duties.

 

There is no doubt that it is less onerous to arrange a "Bridge" tour and adding this tour is a good way of avoiding the disappointment of passengers finding that the "Ultimate" is booked up long before they think about making a booking, but IMHO, folks who go for the bridge tour on the basis that they can save $100 over the "Ultimate" are missing out - BIG TIME

Edited January 20, 2015 by Corfe Mixture

[Wehwalt]

It does require a lot of planning, and there is one person who is in charge of it. It isn't always difficult to get on them, when I was on the Ruby last January B2B2B on the Getaways promotion (where you got your fare back as a credit) the first two (five and four days) they did not have enough people and on the third (five days) they barely made the minimum of six.

[crochetcruise]

In the past it was an honor to be among those few selected to tour the bridge of a Princess ship. Those selected to tour the bridge were asked not to discuss it with other passengers, most did not.

 

We learned this week that Princess has changed its policy. Now anyone can tour the bridge for a fee of $50. On our cruise this week on the Crown Princess, the new tour was advertised in the Princess Patter.

 

We discussed the change with the Hotel General Manager and he verified the policy change and said it would roll out fleet wide.

 

If you would like to tour the bridge, check the Patter on your next cruise and be prepared to pay $50 per person.

 

Information delightedly noted, and budget will be tweaked to have the funds available. THANK YOU for taking the trouble to share this information!

 

Crochetcruise

[pablo222]

How were people that would be invited chosen? An invitation primarily based on your number if cruises or days with Princess?

 

I was invited when I reached 50 cruises on princess.

 

The best was when we were a visitor, and the person hosting it was friends with the captain.

Private tour with the captain.

 

Who is now Commodore Romano, and a super-nice guy.

Edited January 20, 2015 by pablo222

[boone2]

I wrote a letter to the captain asking if my friends and family (5 in all) could visit and we were invited along. We were asked not to make it common knowledge on the ship. We were part of a group of about 10. The captain wasn't around but the bridge officers were available to show us around and answer questions. We had to be met by security and escorted to the bridge Very enjoyable

Terry

 

 

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[Shogun]

Hi All

Bridge tours selection,

A very nice letter to the captain may be a golden wedding, 100 birthday etc

Being connected to Princess shore side staff etc from head office

Being an old sea dog, captain from merchant navy a harbour pilot

Getting married on board and being invited by captain

Doing a lot of cruises

Being friends of captain or senior crew

There are many ways that folks are selected for events not open to all.

One Captain we know well invited us to spend time with him, when called to the bridge he took us with him, we were requested to stand to one side and just watch, the ship was in heavy fog and we could hear other ships horns, we were there over an hour amazing to see crew working the way they did

 

 

Yours Shogun

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Forums mobile app

[jagsfan]

I have always wondered why we were picked once for a captain's cocktail party for maybe 25 people. Open bar, and wonderful hors d'oeuvres. We were all asking each other (discreetly, of course) why we were invited. It lasted about 45 minutes, I think, and the captain and a couple of other senior officers stood around and chatted. Surreal experience!

 

 

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[AKman2495]

We got a bridge tour when we signed up for a deluxe renewal of vows package-although you could get one for an anniversary package, etc -as long as it was deluxe.

 

MY DW, whois not not really interested in such things relaxed in the cabin. There were 6 of us who went on the tour of the bridge. we were met by a junior officer who took us up there. The Captain did join us for a while. He is a people person and really enjoyed meeting the passengers.

 

We were told to keep it confidential and not to be bragging about it while onboard.

 

While I was impressed, I found it quite sedate.

[aquilegia]

I'm not sure of the point in asking the chosen few to keep it quiet, when anyone on the bridge wings (as Wehwalt says his group was) is clearly visible to other passengers!

[JF - retired RRT]

I noticed a small sign on the Pax services desk when I went to get a hole punched in my card (this was also on the Crown 2 weeks ago). I was going to ask what it was about and forgot - senior moment:D

[Colo Cruiser]

There will always be private invitations at no charge.

[pmcue]

On Royal we were invited as Suite Guest. IMO not worth $50.

 

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[Wehwalt]

I'm not sure of the point in asking the chosen few to keep it quiet, when anyone on the bridge wings (as Wehwalt says his group was) is clearly visible to other passengers!

 

I will confess my comment on entering the starboard bridge wing, from where my balcony (or part of it) could be seen was "I can see my house from here" which caused some laughter on the bridge. But who spends their time staring at the bridge wing? You really can't see what they are doing.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Was on my first cruise 21 years ago and I seem to remember the bridge tour we went on was at no charge and open to anyone. Could have been any officer leading it, I really can't remember and it wasn't that important to us. Maybe it was first come, first serve. On our last cruise, we were invited to the bridge and met the captain and got a private tour as I was doing a favor for someone and that got the attention of somebody. It was nice (and we felt special) but certainly wasn't a must-do as they can't possibly do this for everyone who asks.

[beg3yrs]

But who spends their time staring at the bridge wing? You really can't see what they are doing.

 

Well, on one cruise, DW thought the Staff Captain was cute ...

[KruzPrincess]

Years ago, anyone could go do the bridge tour without a fee. Of course, ships were smaller then and there were no safety concerns. I did it a few times and thought it was interesting, but I wouldn't pay $50 for it.

[Roses2]

So if the private bridge tours for the uber-elite were always "on the QT" how would anyone know that they will never be offered again?

 

Offering them as a paid activity to anyone wishing to sign up is hardly a dilution of one's precious Elite benefits, nor would it be worth whining about even if it was.

 

The gratuitous and rather snide remark about the "uber-elite" is quite a misinterpretation of how those were chosen to visit the bridge. We, like many of those who have posted, were invited many, many cruises before we became Elite.

 

Our first bridge tour came because we had written a laudatory letter to Princess management singling out a staff member for exceptional service. We were invited to tour the bridge on our next cruise. (We had less than 5 cruises at that time.)

 

Being invited to tour the bridge was not, nor was it ever, an Elite benefit. The invitation often was the result of being helpful or polite to a Princess staff member or just asking nicely if it were possible.