Take a trip down memory lane to the early days of cruising (we’re talking ‘70’s and ‘80’s). You might recall that envious friends and family were allowed on board to see you off on embarkation day. You proudly showed them around your cruise ship, stopped by the buffet and sipped cocktails with cheery little umbrellas before ushering the poor unfortunate land lubbers off the ship and waving farewell from the deck. Ah, the good old days! Don’t laugh, all you post-Boomers – you’ve probably seen it in the movies – or maybe your parents were the happy cruisers.

Well the good old days of Bon Voyage festivities are coming back – at least on Princess ships. The cruise line is introducing an new program that gives passengers the opportunity to invite their friends and family on their ship to get a taste on the onboard experience and wish them Bon Voyage before sailing. The unique concept called the “Bon Voyage Experience” includes a four-course dining room lunch with wine, a ship tour and souvenir photograph.

After priority embarkation, cruise passengers and their guests will have about four hours to spend together on the ship before it sets sail. The cost of the program is $39, but here’s the best part – the money can be applied towards a future Princess cruise – what a deal! We’re betting that many Bon Voyage Experience guests will want to take advantage of this offer after this cruise ship “teaser”.

Cruise passengers will be notified about the program through pre-cruise emails from Princess as their embarkation day approaches. In port guests can be booked through a travel agent or by calling 1-800-PRINCESS, beginning 120 days prior to the cruise and up to six days before the sailing date. But don’t delay – the number of guests allowed to participate in the Bon Voyage Experience on any given embarkation day is 50.

The program will debut in March in the ports of Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale, before being rolled out in New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

We’re hoping that other cruise lines follow suit – Bon Voyage!

Filed under: Cruise News, Miscellaneous