Reviving a signature tradition from the early days of cruising, Princess Cruises is to debut an innovative, new program 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 program is a new twist on the departure celebration of bygone days, when friends and family would routinely come aboard to see off passengers.  This practice disappeared more than two decades ago, but it's now back – complete with lunch in the dining room and tour of the ship.

Unique in the cruise industry, the Bon Voyage Experience enables passengers to extend an invitation to their guests to join them onboard during sailing day for a four-course dining room lunch with wine, 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 program will debut in March in the ports of Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale, and then roll out to New York, San Francisco and Seattle. The number of guests who will be able to participate in the Bon Voyage Experience on any given embarkation day will be approximately 50. During the Alaska season, Sapphire Princess, Golden Princess and Royal Princess will offer the program in Seattle, beginning in May.

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