BVE

[Justalone]

New to cruising.    Can anyone tell me about an introduction to Princess Cruises called BVE?

Thank you.

 

[Colo Cruiser]

5 minutes ago, Justalone said:

New to cruising.    Can anyone tell me about an introduction to Princess Cruises called BVE?

Thank you.

 

They discontinued it.

[Daniel A]

I did the Bon Voyage Experience (BVE) a couple of times before it got discontinued last May.  As I remember, you would pay $40/pp and get a four course lunch with a glass of wine, a ship's tour and free time to explore the ship.  You had to get off the ship by a certain time, but it was a wonderful thing to do in Fort Lauderdale if you had a free day.  You had to book it in advance - just like you were booking a cruise including entering Passport info into their system and showing that passport at the cruise terminal.  If you were going on with a passenger booked for the cruise leaving that day, you and your passenger friends got 'super priority' boarding so you and your friends could maximize your day on the ship.  The money you paid for the BVE could be used against the fare for a future cruise as long as you did it within a year.  It's a shame that the program was discontinued.  It was a fun day.

Edited January 15, 2020 by Daniel A

[Justalone]

10 hours ago, Daniel A said:

I did the Bon Voyage Experience (BVE) a couple of times before it got discontinued last May.  As I remember, you would pay $40/pp and get a four course lunch with a glass of wine, a ship's tour and free time to explore the ship.  You had to get off the ship by a certain time, but it was a wonderful thing to do in Fort Lauderdale if you had a free day.  You had to book it in advance - just like you were booking a cruise including entering Passport info into their system and showing that passport at the cruise terminal.  If you were going on with a passenger booked for the cruise leaving that day, you and your passenger friends got 'super priority' boarding so you and your friends could maximize your day on the ship.  The money you paid for the BVE could be used against the fare for a future cruise as long as you did it within a year.  It's a shame that the program was discontinued.  It was a fun day.

Thank you.

[Expat Cruise]

Princess does something like this still in Singapore. They invite past guest onto the ship for lunch. They seem to do this a couple times a year and send a email with the offer. I believe also offered in Hong Kong, we did once in Singapore have never got the Hong Kong offer. We did not pay a fee to Princess but they did try to sell us future cruises and most purchased.

 

[Justalone]

56 minutes ago, Expat Cruise said:

Princess does something like this still in Singapore. They invite past guest onto the ship for lunch. They seem to do this a couple times a year and send a email with the offer. I believe also offered in Hong Kong, we did once in Singapore have never got the Hong Kong offer. We did not pay a fee to Princess but they did try to sell us future cruises and most purchased.

 

 

OP here.   How about people like me who have never cruised with Princess?   I am in USA.

Edited January 15, 2020 by Justalone

[Expat Cruise]

6 minutes ago, Justalone said:

 

OP here.   How about people like me who have never cruised with Princess?   I am in USA.

i'm sorry while I am from Boston I spend most of my time traveling outside the United States, so I really do not know the current programs that Princess offers to first time cruisers. But I'm sure one of the members here will reply and answer for you.

[Daniel A]

15 minutes ago, Justalone said:

 

OP here.   How about people like me who have never cruised with Princess?   I am in USA.

If you want to 'dip your toe in the water" first, I suggest you look into any of the 1,2 or 3 day cruises Princess does out of the West Coast.  They're not much more of a cost than the $40 you would have spent on a BVE and you'll get a much better understanding of what it is like cruising with Princess than a BVE could ever give you.  Just a quick look I did, I saw a one day cruise from Vancouver to Seattle for $99/pp for an inside.  For that price you can't go wrong!  There are many other very short cruises out of the West Coast for you to look into.  Good Luck and welcome to cruising!