I recently discovered a Princess Cruises program that I didn't know existed: its Bon Voyage Experience.
Buried deep in the line's Frequently Asked Questions is the only mention of this fantastic preview opportunity that other lines should also consider.
The Bon Voyage Experience is actually a classic return to bringing visitors onboard that was reimplemented by Princess back in 2010.
The cruise line website reads as follows: "The Bon Voyage Experience is an innovative new program harkening back to the nostalgic tradition from the early days of cruising, allowing guests the opportunity to invite family and friends aboard your ship on embarkation day. The program's new twist also allows cruisers new to Princess to see the inside of a Princess ship and experience the excitement of cruising first-hand -- even if they're not affiliated with booked guests."
It's also a bargain at only $39 per person since it includes four hours aboard the ship, a four-course dining room lunch with complimentary wine, guided ship tour and souvenir photo (which alone can run you well over $20 at sea).
What's more, for those who decide to reserve a cruise later on, the cost can be applied to the booking.
From a cruiser's perspective, this is an ideal chance to bring buddies onboard to see you off and share in some of the fun prior to setting sail. Long gone are the days of being able to walk a flight passenger up to their gate, but this goes way further, as it's the equivalent of being able to step onboard the plane with them before it takes off.
Still, the real draw of this program and the much-buried lede here is the unparalleled marketing opportunity that exists for those who are entirely new to cruise-that most coveted market segment.
Here is an inexpensive way of bringing the uninitiated briefly up to speed on what the onboard experience is like. Granted it's just a taste, but it's a huge start.
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If short 3- and 4-day cruises are the gateways to hooking new loyalists, such a four-hour ship tour might be the catalyst for getting them to set sail in the first place.
So, why on earth is this program not more heavily touted, and why do more cruise lines not copy it? That's a seriously good question.
Truth is, ship visitors not booked on a sailing are usually frowned upon for security reasons. Corporate cousin Carnival Cruise Line has a "No Visitor" policy that applies for its entire fleet in all ports of embarkation and ports of call. In fact, Carnival's website specifically says the opposite of Princess': "Guests sailing on our cruises will not be permitted to have visitors on board to see them off." (The only exception is for wedding guests.)
Most cruise lines mimic Carnival in this regard: Silversea Cruises is one that can make arrangements for visitors, but that's rarer and not a specific program per se. In either case, when visitors are permitted, pre-registration seems to be the most crucial element to understandably ensuring proper security, and limitations apply.
Princess, for instance, allows a maximum of 50 at a time to participate in its Bon Voyage Experience.
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If Princess can make this experience work in a secure fashion though, far more cruise lines should pick up the torch too.
Carnival at least has its wonderful Great Vacation Guarantee to entice newcomers to set sail with literally nothing to lose, but as argued before, a ship preview is more likely to get guests to make that first booking to begin with.
Quite simply, it's a no-brainer to widely implement.
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