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A Break From Reality In A Break From Reality?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: May 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

To begin, I'd like to point out that Bon Voyage, compared to its The Sims 1 predecessor "Vacation" is definitely a superior product in terms of not only its visual elements, but the depth of play and exploration value. However...compared to the rest of The Sims 2 expansion packs, BV ranks as one of the lowest, not only for the extreme technical incompatibilities that still haven't been resolved for a lot of users, but moreso for the fact it doesn't realllly add a lot to the game. Like University, BV feels like an unnecessary departure from the regular time span and flow of the game - since aging is suspended while away. Even the shortest length of vacation you can book (3 days, 2 nights) can feel dragged out.

Again though, there is certainly a lot more to do on vacation this go around. There are three distinct locales to visit (rather than Vacation's freaky alpine/beach/forest combo) - Twikki Island, a tropical paradise, Three Lakes, a mountain camping retreat, and Takemizu Village, a 'Far East' destination. Each locale has a number of hotels and villas to stay at from the low ranking bargain spots (try the free campground in Three Lakes!) to pricy luxury resorts that can cost your Sims upwards of $1,000 a night. Additionally, your wealthier sims can purchase a Vacation Home - be warned though, they're barely furnished! When you arrive at a hotel you get the opportunity to book as many rooms as you like - each room has a different set up and number of beds so your entire family can shack up in one room or take over the entire hotel. The only real unique thing about hotels is you can order room service - at a hefty price. Most hotels offer some sort of additional activity - fishing, musical instruments, hot springs or pools, massage tables, saunas etc. but in general the real action is outside of your hotel.

Each locale offers about 5-7 tourist spots for you to visit, which generally fall under one of the following categories: shopping lot, park, landmark site (see an ancient ruin or a giant temple), activity spot (each locale has a number of activities such as tea ceremonies, ax throwing, or learning a fire dance). This is essentially what should take up your vacation time - but instead of just visiting these places, you're given the challenge/opportunity to pursue "Vacation Memories", a special sub menu of unlockable memories tucked away in the memories panel. Everytime you do a certain action related to the hints on the Vacation Memories page - such as eat a certain local dish, find a hidden map, or participate in a regional activity - the memory is unlocked on your sim's path to being a seasoned traveller. I believe there is a certain reward for completing all tasks - but I haven't gotten there yet!

Aside from the added gameplay from the "Vacation Memories" challenges, there are a lot of neat little features that make the game superior to TS1's Vacation. For one, your sim doesn't just 'forget' their vacation when they return home. They can bring back souvenirs and unlock new interactions such as learning each region's local gesture, dances, and telling their fellow sims about their travels. You also earn vacation benefits for a short period of time after your return, ranging from extra success in the office to adding an extra 'want' slot. Additionally, if you discover each of the secret lots for the locales, you'll probably be coming home with an extra special ability, item, or even a creature.

In general BV surprised me - I was expecting a complete and total Vacation rip-off, and while it retained some of the key elements of Vacation, the Sims team really worked to make this game mean something beyond taking a break from reality (in a game that is truly a break from reality). Be warned - vacations don't come cheap, although if you played the Sims for this long, chances are you've figured out its pretty easy to earn buckets of cash for your Sims, and at least you've got somewhere to burn it now!

Bottom line - although I felt like the game added a lot to the original version of this expansion, I didn't feel like it added a ton to my enjoyment of the everyday game my sims are generally involved in. I'd say this is worth adding to your Sims lineup, but probably isn't a priority for most people.

The Best So Far!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 10
Date: September 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Have to say besides loving the season this is number 1 of all Expansion packs that they made so far for the Sims 2. I ony played on the island and can not stop plying for the Islands are great so far and love how you can pose for a picture and learn a fire dance which is fun to watch when they are learning it. Hope the other two places are just as fun. Hope everyone will enjoy this. for this is the best yet.

Bon Voyage is good but glitchy

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 04, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Bon Voyage is a great expansion pack to have because it allows your sims to get out of town. I got bored with my sims at home all the time and found that besides going downtown I needed a break from normal day-to-day routines.

Your sims can go to 3 destination vacations spots: Twikki Island, Takemiku, Three Lakes. While on vacation your sims needs to find vacation mementos. There are 45 vacation mementos to find in all. These mementos are stored under the memory icon in a suitcase. Also while your sims are on vacation they can buy souvenirs which they can display on a souvenir/collection rack. Once they buy all the souvenirs from all the vacation destinations they earn a surprise.

Some of the problems I have experienced with this expansion pack initially were that the bellman keeps getting stuck in my room sometimes. The bellman was stuck in my room for 3 days one time. Also at one of my vacation homes, my sims burned some food on the stove and I could not remove the burnt food from the stove for the entire vacation stay (5 days). So now my sims can't cook anymore and they can only have food delivered. Which also makes me mad because they have other burners on the stove to use so why can't they use another burner instead?

Your sims can learn things like singing a sea chantey or chest pounding which they can teach to other Sims back in town. This expansion is good if you get bored of playing the sims at home all the time and just find yourself needing a break.

Great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: October 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I happen to love this game! I think it's one of the best yet and that's a tough call because all of the Sims games are really good. I do have some issues with the lagging and the higher demand that it has for my computer. That's pretty minute in comparison to how cool Bon Voyage is. The vacations are fun and beautiful!

Totally INCREDIBLE!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 7
Date: December 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'm an avid Sims lover, and I like all my expansion packs and anticipate all of them. But by the times the come out, I've gotten myself so riled up that they're not as great as I thought, even though they are still enjoyable. But Bon Voyage is totally different. It's vacations are awesome, and the new "vacation secrets" feature gives you something extra to work towards. It's a blast, and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT FOR TEENS. After all, I am one!

Lots of Fun To be Had...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The Sims 2: Bon Voyage

This is lots of fun. I liked being able to visit all the different locations. One thing to note thats cool they included with it is "dig for treasures option" . for those who don't like to use money cheats on their game this is a excellent opportunity to dig up treasure/junk sell it for extra simoleons. The Asian themed architecture was my fave part /and location to visit was the far east. It offers beautiful scenery and lots of fun things for your sims to do. I really enjoyed it and thought it was a excellent addition to my gaming experience. I never had no securom issues. that I know of and I have cd/dvd burners on my computer including a Extrenal which is what I play the game with. I would say next to seasons

I love this game!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 16
Date: September 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I think this is the best expansion pack I've played yet. I love how you can book the vacation and spend the days at the resort. It's awesome. I just bought it last night and have not gotten into the full details yet but I am thoroughly excited.

Good Addition

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: April 20, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The premise for Sims 2: Bon Voyage is fairly simple. Now your Sims can book a vacation and, for a up to a week, spend some time in a new vacation neighborhood. There are three new locations for your Sims to vist: Twikii Island, Three Lakes, and Takemizu Village. Your Sims can go on tours, interact with the locals, collect souvenirs, and take snapshots for their spiffy new photo albums, which can be ordered using a computer when they get back home. Sims don't have to worry about work or school when they go on vacation, and their aging is also suspended.
If Sims have a good vacation, they get to choose from some new bonuses when they return. My favorite addition to the game is the beach lot; now your Sims can have houses on the beach and swim in the ocean. Overall I think this expansion pack is worth the money.

Enjoyable expansion

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: October 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I enjoy this game and didnt experience long delays or laggy game play like others. Going on vacations is a nice break from the daily running mode of the game. I do have to admit though that the best expansion pack experience thus far has been Seasons. However this is a nice addition to that expansion and the others.

Grandchild pleaser

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: December 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I purchased this as a birthday gift for my grand-daughter (at her specific request. I've now observed her playing the game (as much as her mom will allow - 1 hour per day - smart, that daughter of mine!) and she is having fun as well as learning about geography, travel manners, planning, culture and patience (just wait until she meets the TSA... :)

I rate this highly as a gift item based on her enthusiasm in playing it (she even shares with her younger brother) and the fact that I actually received a THANK YOU note!

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