Reviving a signature tradition from the early days of cruising, Princess Cruises is debuting an innovative, new programme giving passengers the opportunity to invite their friends and family aboard their ship on embarkation day to wish them ‘bon voyage’ and get a taste of the onboard experience.

Called the ‘Bon Voyage Experience’, the programme is a new twist on the departure celebration of bygone days, when friends and family would routinely come aboard to see passengers off.

Unique in the cruise industry, the experience enables passengers to extend an invitation to their guests to join them onboard during sailing day for a four-course diningroom lunch with drinks, a ship tour and even a souvenir photo.

Passengers and their guests can enjoy priority embarkation and will be able to spend approximately four hours together on the ship before it sets sail. The cost for the programme is $39 per person, which can be applied toward a future Princess cruise.

The programme will debut in March in the ports of Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale and will then roll out to New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

“Long-time cruisers will recall the fun of the bon voyage send-off with their family and friends and we’re excited to re-introduce a new, modern version of this experience,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president.

Cruise passengers will be notified about the programme through the pre-cruise emails they receive as their cruise date approaches.