leisuretraveler223

I will confess, if I had been at a table of six people that all knew each other already, I might have considered that. But we were one of three couples seated together and kind of taking over the cooking wouldn't have been something I would have done. I think it would probably be much slower and problematic for guests to cook, and I get that. But not doing it makes the whole format kind of pointless. I mean, it's not like this is even some Japanese hibachi where the cooking is some sort of campy show. If we're not doing it ourselves, I'd much rather be served properly cooked plates out of the kitchen.

No, you don't have to show it. But I have to be honest, this is kind of a strange question. Are you planning on NOT bringing the credit card? The potential for there being a problem at some point on the voyage and sailor services needing to re authorize it is not slim. I've had that happen on plenty of cruises.

There, I said it! I love Korean BBQ. But it's supposed to be a fun and social meal where you cook your own pieces as you go and eat hot fresh selections made just the way you want it right off the grill. But instead, the waiter comes out and cooks (really overcooks) everything all at once, piles it on a plate and then you pass it around. If that's how it's going to be prepared, just have someone actually cook it properly in the kitchen so we're not relying on the waiter not being distracted by other duties and overcooking everything. Aaaaah... I feel better now!

The flags worked okay last week. It was hit or miss. One time, we had someone on us in about 20 seconds, then next time it took a good 7-8 minutes. I have tow big gripes with The Galley. First, is that if you order multiple things, they come at different times. Not really a big deal, but if they're really spread out, it kinda sucks. Two of us ordered four items. The first item came in about four minutes, the last one took close to 25. Kind of a disjointed way to have a meal. The second issue is that it really doesn't offer much variety. It looks impressive when you first walk through with all the different stations. But then when you look at the menu and realize they all have only two or three offerings it's just not as wide a selection as you expect. Couple that with the fact that nothing changes on the menu form day to day and it's really a boring and limited option (sadly, this is the same with their other dining venues).

Well, the water actually rises above the level of the pool and fills the surrounding area, so who knows where they're actually measuring to. All I know is I'm 5' 10" and I could stand, but not by much. I had to get way up on my toes to take a sip of my drink!😆

My bad. I meant to say 5' 1". I guess if it's 5' .11" then it's actually 5' 1.76"- so even deeper! LOL! Regardless, it's kind of odd to have the whole thing that deep. Basically anyone under about 5' 9" is not going to be able to comfortably stand.

Just did a four day cruise on Scarlet Lady. Was a fairly late booking (about three weeks out) and got a good rate on a Mega Rockstar Suite. Thought I'd share my observations. Arrival: As a Mega Rockstar, it was great. Private suite entrance. Easy check in process (show passport, get band). And first ones on the ship, escorted directly to room on 15. Room 15275A very nice. Plenty spacious, comfortable bed and great balcony. Loved the bar and they were happy to restock, adjust inventory. Agent was great for this and anything we wanted. Was a little concerned about noise from the pool deck, but really never noticed. We weren't in our room the night of the pool party, so I can't say about that. Loved the proximity to the pool deck itself. Richard's Rooftop was great, particularly on our sea day when the rest of the pool deck was understandably busy. Overall impression of the ship: Interesting layout. I get the focus on smaller more intimate spaces making the ship feel less busy. And on this completely full voyage, it worked. Never felt too crowded. But it also doesn't really have any of those "wow" spaces. Nothing bad, just an observation. As for the decor of the ship, it kind of runs hot and cold. There are areas that are very nice, but much of it feels a little sterile. The elevator lobbies look like an office building out of the 1960s. I don't care for an over-the-top theming of a ship or space, but this just kind of struck me as kind of uninspired. Pool deck: Main pool deck was kind of odd. The corrugated metal walls and vertical railings on the upper deck made the main pool deck feel like it was nowhere remarkable. No real view of the ocean and just felt a little more closed in. The pool design with the elevated surround is one of the oddest things I've ever seen. In order to get to the pool you must take a BIG (probably 18-20 inch) step up, then five feet later take the same step down into several inches of water. I can honestly imagine only minor mobility issues make this pool almost completely inaccessible to most people. There are stairs all across one end, but once in, the entire pool is 5'11" deep, which means many people cannot stand in the pool because of the depth. So, the edges and stairs are always crowded, the middle of the pool is often empty. But honestly, the big step up and down is a puzzler. I know someone must've absolutely bought it on that by not. Just doesn't make sense. Service: Overall good. Bars, especially the pool bars could be very slow. Bartenders were nice and made good drinks. But there was never any sense of urgency, that's for sure. Bar stock was VERY frustrating. It seems they were always out of something. Never the whole ship mind you, but certain bars. Frustrating because if they have it on board, it shouldn't take a day or more to restock a bar. Case in point: On day three, asked for a vodka seltzer drink at the pool bar around 2 pm. Bartender said, "we still haven't restocked those form yesterday, everyone was drinking them!". So they ran out the afternoon of day two and a day later they still hadn't restocked them. So he spent all afternoon disappointing people. Again, the ship hadn't run out, they just hadn't restocked. Another bar oddity: Sip bar(the champagne bar) lists Dom Perignon on their menu, both by the bottle and by the glass. They simply would NOT sell it by the glass. The bartender said he needed to get approval from the supervisor to do so. They had bottles, but he wouldn't open it to sell a glass. He said it wasn't offered that way. Every printed menu in the place lists it both ways. I showed him and he said "hmm, I'll have to check on that". Three straight days, no luck. Just weird. Food: I had high expectations based on what I've heard. It didn't exactly live up to them. The Wake was excellent. Test Kitchen was okay, but really more style than substance. It makes it look like an elaborate concept but it's not. It's just cranking out six courses hundreds of times a night and talking about them like they are somehow more unique than they are. Extra Virgin was a train wreck with an over 50 minute lag from appetizer to entree for everyone seated near us. In the end, it was highly unremarkable mass produced pasta dishes and mediocre proteins. Gumbae is a pale reflection of actual Korean barbecue. If we're not going to cook it ourselves, then the whole tabletop thing is just a show. The end result being that most of it is wildly overcooked as the waiter is trying to cook while also serving, getting drinks etc... The Galley was okay and the service worked well, other than no one gets their food at the same time, so my breakfast burrito came in two minutes but my wife had to wait about fifteen for her eggs. Overall I really didn't find the food to be a lot better than what I've had in the MDR or buffet on Royal, Celebrity or Norwegian. And the major drawback is lack of variety. At least on those cruise lines, the menus change every day. On Virgin, sure there are more venues, but they all have fewer choices and generally don't change. The crowd was..... interesting. We joked about the fact that the later it got, the more progressive the mood became. Go to the club with my wife and two other couples and it became a running joke of how many times we would get propositioned in virtually every way. We were propositioned as a couple by other couples, by individual women, individual men. We were propositioned is individuals by men, women, couples... Nothing wrong with it, and I think the energy of the more open crown definitely translated in a positive way at the parties and club. Just definitely a different vibe! Overall: I like some of their ideas, don't really care for others. I think it was a fun four day diversion, but don't know if I really have any interest in more than four days on board. Would I do it again? Maybe if the timing, price and circumstances were right. I would likely travel with more than just my wife, maybe two or three couples. But it was a good time. Feel free to fire your questions at me.

I’m probably just missing something on the website. Gratuities for Mega Rock Star Agent: included? If not, is there a suggested amount? Per day/per cruise.

Whenever in doubt about any app not working correctly, the BEST first step is to delete the app and then download it again. Most of the time if there is an app based glitch, this will fix it.

"cruise critic awards". Now there's a prestigious title! No chance those are manipulated by marketing factors by cruise critic. Remember, CC is at it's core, simply a travel agency. Sure, there's lots of distracting bells and whistles, but it's all about sales. And these "awards" are pretty much a meaningless marketing item.

I used to follow that guideline. And then, I was forced to carry a set of golf clubs on board a cruise ship because the porters said they couldn't be responsible for them. Mind you they were in a cushioned travel bag that can be shipped or checked as luggage on a flight. Once they made me drag that beast up to my room, I swore I'd never check baggage again. If they ever give me blowback, I just tell them it contains valuables and medications and they let me right through. Oh, and the security machines (i.e. x-ray) can handle enormous bags. They sometimes put a cover on it to only allow smaller ones, but it lifts open like a door and you could practically fit a volkswagon through there!

What is the expected timeframe for luggage delivery? Is it expedited for Mega Rock Star Suites? We are flying in early and will need to kill time before boarding. We usually just carry on board on cruises, but if we have to kill a couple hours, we were thinking we might just leave the luggage with the porters so we aren't lugging it around Miami. But I hate not getting my bags until late the first day. Any feedback would be appreciated!

Mega Rockstar Suite, and it says we can board any time after 1 or 1:30. What's the situation if we arrive there earlier? Flight lands at MIA at 10am, wondering if we need to kill time.

THANK YOU!!!! This is what I was hoping to hear. I actually did book through a TA. I’ve been on tons of cruises, just not Virgin and always book through her. I literally did this on a whim, emailed her and she booked it and got back to me within the hour. But, she’s currently in Chile and I figured I’d follow up with her after she flies home tomorrow. But if Red Glove is that good, hopefully I’m all set.

So, I pulled the trigger and booked Scarlet Lady for a four night the middle of next month for the wife and myself. Mega Rockstar "Gorgeous Suite". This is my first booking with Virgin and once I received my email confirmation, I went to the website to access and start planning. Only I could no longer access my account, constant error message. I finally called and talked to IT. They could see the account and the reservation but were at a loss as to why I could not access either. The representative said he was going to "put in a ticket" to have it addressed, but then determined their "system is being updated" so he will try and put the ticket in sometime tomorrow. I expressed my frustration at having spent substantial $ on this booking and now being in the dark, unable to make dinner reservations or anything else. He then offered to make dinner reservations for me, which I thought was great, until he said the only availability was at one restaurant at 9:45 one night and that I could "just walk in" on the other nights. I was a bit surprised and I asked, is there no further accommodation made for guests in top tier suites. He then offered to get me in tough with their "Red Glove Department" that should be able to help me. Alas, they're not open until Monday. Someone put my mind at ease. Please tell me that this experience is going to get better. I don't want to be stuck "winging it" for dinner every night, and I'd like to try and see what options are available for other activities (shore excursions, etc) before we leave. Not the best first impression.....

Wife and I are doing a four day out of Miami in mid-April, just on the process of booking a Mega Rockstar Suite today. First time on Virgin. Do I need to book anything now/once the reservation if finalized? I am unfamiliar with dining on Virgin, do I need reservations, and if so, am I already too late to get good times? I don't know what I don't know and would appreciate any help, since it's not like I've got months and months to learn about this!

You are more than free to think that. You're wrong, but that's your prerogative.

You can really take it one more step. There is no need to print your luggage tags. The porters will attach them in an instant. It's kind of an odd remnant in cruising that makes no sense. No one asks about affixing airline luggage tags prior to travel, they do it at the airport. Really no different.

I'm looking at a 15 Day Panama Canal transit in a Haven suite. I can see the deposit amount, and the payment scheduled and cancellation costs starting at the 120 day mark. But what about prior to that? Are NCL deposits refundable? I can't find anything on the site regarding this.

What if the main stairs were unusable. What if the grand lobby with the big doors to the outdoor deck were the site of the emergency? I'm going to spend the entire week using the main stairs, etc. But the PREFERRED route from my stateroom to muster, the one marked on the back of my door may very well instruct me to use said crew stairs. Maybe just once during the week it would make sense to do so. I have thought about this more than you give me credit for.

PortMiami to Miami International Airport is 7.7 miles and without traffic (which is often the case on weekend mornings when people disembark), estimated travel time is 10 minutes. It can be done, easily. But if it's 3 in the afternoon, that's a different story!

e-muster is super convenient, but it's a joke. It provides no insight into what it's like crowd wise. And it provides totally inadequate training for the crew. That being said..... Traditional muster on cruise lines isn't much better. As long as cruise lines continue to devalue it by wasting time in muster telling me about their environmental programs, or having kids club staff trying to get kids wirstbands, it's pointless. Get rid of the nonsense and tell people what they need to know. Also, if I'm going to be forced to stop what I'm doing and march to my muster station, let me do it for real. In a real emergency, we'd be using the crew stairs as well as the guest ones. We would be accessing the outdoor decks through the emergency doors from the promendade, theater or wherever. Don't pretend it's a real drill, but then re-route everyone. The reality is that any actual muster on one of these ships would go horribly. Which is why the real industry goal is to never ever have to do it.

We cruised over New Year and one in our party was a last minute cancelation. It wasn't really a big deal because it was a triple at a really good rate, so the two people would have cost about the same. I know there are some things that are supposedly refunded, but I'm not sure what they are. Also, does anyone have any experience with the timeframe on the refund? She was also booked on an excursion and they assured me that since she didn't sail, she would be removed from it and then I would be refunded after we returned home. I'm just wondering if I should be contacting them yet, or is it usually like a 3-4 week thing?

I never get travel insurance. I have medical coverage when overseas, and I have medical transport coverage. So the only thing I'd be insuring is the loss of the cost of the cruise. Under those circumstances, unless you have a personal situation that dramatically increases the odds of having to do that, self insuring is better. Basically, travel insurance can provide peace of mind, but is NEVER considered your best investment opportunity. There are much better ways to take that money and realize the gain.

Pretend cost and timing are irrelevant. You're going on a Celebrity cruise to Alaska. Which itinerary do you choose and why?