olemissreb

If you look at my signature, you can see that I regularly go a year or more without cruising. I'll be back on a ship in March '25 and can't wait.  Much as I love cruising, I also like variety so this year is a land based vacay in Key West. I haven't been there before, so I'm looking forward to it (almost as much as the cruise).

9 hours ago, Miss Ellsworth said:

I hit the buffet in the evening and make up a cheese and fruit plate (and sometimes bread) to take back to my cabin. I also make sure that I always have a bottle of wine in my cabin. In the evening, I love to sit on my balcony with a glass of wine and fruit and cheese plate

 

I also have a tradition that I call Prosecco Out, Prosecco In. I have a glass of prosecco as we are leaving the pier on Embarkation Day, and then another glass of prosecco as we are pulling up to the final pier of the cruise - no matter how early that is

LOVE the fruit and cheese plate idea. I'll need to bring wine from the bar though and my BF can bring his beer or bourbon from the bar too. I do like to have some champagne as I board the ship, but now I think I'll have to have some as I stand on my balcony and cry as we pull away from our last port on our last night (I love sleep too much to drink it as we arrive back in San Juan. 😁).

4 hours ago, ChrysFox said:

Try it fried.  Little crispy bites.  I love fried okra, but can barely tolerate it in any other form.

I was like you (and it took a miracle just to get me to try it fried and I grew up outside NOLA!!!), then a co-worker of mine brought in homemade pickled okra. YUMOH!

2 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Typically our family/friend groups will split among two or three different excursions.  Once folks start sharing their preferences, the groups form up pretty fast.  Like you say, each doing their own excursion booking is so much easier.  

It worked out great for us. My inlaws did cruise excursions every port day (except St. Thomas and they went sailing with us...I did give them the option in the other ports too, but they did their own thing) and when they hears about our excursions, they'd wished they'd gone with us. 😂

I, too, would suggest RCL.  I would also suggest that each different family do their own excursions. Don't try to plan something for everyone. I did this when I cruised with my kids and now ex and his parents. 4 of us did one thing and his parents did soemthing else. Then we would meet up together for dinner and discuss our day. My boys were 10 and 14 (24 and 28 now) at the time and they still remember their first cruise ever with their grandparents.

Just now, RocketMan275 said:

I'm about two out of three.  Almost always Caribbean cruises.   Those that didn't result in a price drop, booking early saved a ton of money on price increases.  For example, my Jan 25 cruise is up about 35%

I think my March '25 cruise is up double digit % since I booked. I truly haven't checked in a while. That cruise is Southern Caribbean out of Puerto Rico.  I just love sailing from PR...it'll be my 3rd time doing that. Cruise is a different port every day that includes 4 that I haven't been to yet.

38 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Good for you. Much better paying off early than charging it to a credit card at 20% interest.  Just be sure and watch for price drops.

Always looking for price drops. Sadly I've never gotten one. Guess the times and itineraries I pick are just too popular. 😀

Just because it's hard as heck to find...and I actually got it on sale. 😂

12 hours ago, LloydJr said:

You don't have to pay for any of that until 120 days out (drink and dining gratuities) or when you are on the ship (excursions and DSC).  Sure, if there is a "must do" excursion, go ahead and book that early.  Otherwise, why let NCL have your money interest free?  T-bills are paying over 5% now.

I'm disciplined enough to make monthly payments, but not disciplined enough to keep myself from spending it if it's there.

8 hours ago, david_sobe said:

Guess what?  Only 2 more years till my next NCL cruise on the Aqua.  God willing I will boarding today February 22, 2026!  Please feel to check back for my semi-live report.  Will I be able to find cookies or hash browns?
Stay tuned!

 

Has anyone ever booked a cruise this far out?

My Alaska cruise was booked the day the itineraries were released which was probably close to 2 years out.

I booked my Viva cruise this past August for March '25. I tend to book my cruises way far out so I can pay it off over time as well as the drink packages, tips, and excursions.

Have had some really great sunsets lately.

On my first cruise, I got a little queasy and so took some dramamine, but it knocked me out. Since I didn't want to sleep thru my cruise, I got the wrist bands and they helped.  I've since tried bonine and even though it's "non-drowsy", I still got sleepy so...I read somewhere (probably here on CC) to start taking dramamine or bonine at night a few nights before you sail. It helps me sleep well and it's already in my system by the time I board the ship. I keep taking it the whole time I'm on board, but again only at night.

As for the anxiety, talk to your doctor. He/she should be able to help you with either medications or other mental exercises that you can use. I pray you find the answers that will work best for you to work thru your anxieties.

Do you have to book the entire boat or can you book 4 spots and then Phil will fill in the remaining spots with others?

On 2/12/2024 at 9:05 AM, Waterfreak2009 said:

I ask because I'm thinking of doing the "Let's Take a Selfie - Grand Cayman", which goes to a couple tourist sites with the last place being 7 mile beach. It's only a 3 1/2 hour excursion getting us back to the ship at 2:30 and the ship does not leave until 6. Would it be acceptable to "quit" the excursion at the beach to get more time there? Obviously I would be responsible for getting myself back to the ship. 

OK this wasn't planned at all, but on my first cruise, we were doing a walking tour of Old San Juan (cruise sponsored excursion) and somewhere along the way, me, my ex and another couple we met were taking pictures or something and the group just left us!  Oh well - it was a pretty boring tour anyway and we all made the best of it and got back to the ship on our own.  Of course I think that is easier to do in OSJ since it's not a tender port like Grand Cayman (if Grand Cayman is still a tender port - it was the last time I was there 25 years ago or so).

1 hour ago, FFTB said:

For the Jewel route, what is there to do in Seward during the layover if I want to get off the ship?

Not sure how much time you'd have as a layover in Seward, but you could look at doing a Kenai Fjords tour with Major Marine.  We did it the day before our cruise and saw all kinds of wildlife. We even got so close to a glacier we could hear it calving and the crew pulled in a piece of that glacier and made "glacier margaritas"!.

The day of the cruise, we went to the Alaska SeaLife Center and did a behind the scenes tour...we got kisses from a sea lion!

I love another posters idea of a side-by-side. If you can arrive in Seward in a Saturday and then leave again on Sunday, you'd have plenty of time to do both of the things I mentioned (and probably many others).

1 hour ago, dshefter said:

No shortage of bars. Plenty of bourbons fit into the regular beverage package. Have a great time.

Already upgraded our FAS since BF is a Blantons drinker! Since he's never cruised before, I figure if I can get some Blantons in him (lots of it), maybe he'll fall in love with cruising as much as I have.🤪

Thank you for this review! My group will be in the Viva in March '25...and we can't wait for a week of relaxation, adventures, and laughter. My BF is a bourbon drinker, so we'll probably hang out there...A LOT!

5 hours ago, Russiamomm said:

Thank you so much for this post.  I agree with everything you said.  I too was an NCL loyalist (Sapphire status) until I tried Virgin.  I’ve now done 3 cruises on Virgin and can’t wait to get back on.  But I still love NCL too.  Trying to compare them is difficult.  Virgin is completely different from other cruise lines in a lot of ways.  First, I loved the food.  Every restaurant is as good or better than the NCL specialty restaurants.  I love the fact that there’s no buffet and no huge main dining room.  The Galley (Virgin’s food court that replaces the buffet) is consistently good with a good variety of options.  And table service.  I love that soft drinks are included in the fare.

 

I was also hesitant about the lack of a drink package.  But it was not an issue.  We bought a Bar Tab.  Had another $100 from the status match, which also included $10 a day in specialty coffee.  We were booked through the casino, so got drinks for free there.  Drinks were reasonably priced.  With all our benefits it was a challenge to blow through the bar tab, but I was up to the challenge.  😂

 

One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is the lack of announcements.  I LOVED that.  Unless it was an emergency, all announcements were made via the app.  No obnoxious announcements about bingo, the art auction, etc.  it made for a much more pleasant trip.  
 

About the demographics, we are in our 50s/60s.  Felt right at home.  Many younger people, but also may much older than we are.  It’s a very inclusive environment.  Many gay couples.  We met some fabulous people.  
 

Just a note about the crew.  Overall we found them enthusiastic and friendly.  They are allowed to be themselves.  No rules about hiding tattoos, for example.  They can interact with guests more than on other lines,  we had many long conversations with the crew.  They seemed happy.  There also seems to be less of a hierarchical structure. The officers wear the same t-shirts/polos as everyone else.  We were chatting with a couple of crew members in the smoking room (no judgement, please.). They were wearing Virgin polos and khakis and had name tags. We asked what they did for Virgin.  They casually said they were the Captain and Co-Captain.  😳😂. That’s just the vibe on the ship.
 

Bottom line is we loved it.  Price-wise, it is generally a little higher price point than NCL.  But you do have to be sure to compare apples to apples.  Virgin’s pricing really is all inclusive other than alcohol.  No specialty dining fees, no daily service charges and sodas and juices are included.  Tipping is not expected (although the crew won’t turn down a few bucks if offered.  😃). I encourage everyone to try it, but leave all ideas about what a cruise should be behind.  We still love NCL, and have two more booked.  Virgin is just plain different.  In a good way, at least in my mind.  

 

 

With the Bar Tab, do both people im a cabin have to have it? My sister is almost 20 years sober and while her boyfriend does drink, it "stinks" that she has to buy a drink package even if she'll only be drinking water and Dr. Pepper.

I've been thinking about doing a VV cruise with my boyfriend, but was a little concerned about age differences since we are both in our 60s. Thanks to you for putting my concerns to rest. Maybe we'll go in a couple years.

7 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

I fondly remember my virgin voyage.

Oh, wait...you're talking about cruising.

Never mind.

@schmoopie17 I want to sail with you sometime. You have a sense of humor I can relate to AND you're a Packer Backer. Yes my screenname may be all about Ole Miss, but I was born a Green Bay Packer fan. I've said for years..."I bleed Red & Blue om Saturdays and Greenand Gold on Sundays". 

I've done both. I would go back to Alaska in a heartbeat. I loved my NE/Canada cruise and would do it again (with a much different itinerary), but there was so much more I wanted to see & do in Alaska. Plus I'm more of a mountain person than a leaf person.

Sept 2019 was my last cruise to New England/Canada. Next one is March 2025. Can't wait!

3 hours ago, Maggie6195 said:

I paid off our April cruise at the end of December. Then called to get a 2-day pre-cruise deviation (NCL BOGO promotion). They credited back our transfer. Not sure what happened, but in the process somehow I now owe 2 cents. Guess I need to call AGAIN! 

I had an issue where I know I put in a payment of X00 and NCL only charged my card X99.98. Not sure what that was all about. Guess I'll fimd out when I make another payment. Final payment isn't till Nov. so I have plenty of time.

395...at least I have a vacation in Key West in 77 to break things up a bit.

12 hours ago, kaz828 said:

I have never sailed from San Juan as well, what do you like, do you usually stay before the cruise?

I love sailing by El Morro. And yes, I do go down at least a day before. Gives me more time to sightsee in Old San Juan. Next year I'll get to share it with my sister, her boyfriend and my boyfriend.

I'm never up in time to see the harbor pilot board the ship, but I do love to stand on my balcony and watch the harbor pilot disembark. I always hold my breath because I'm always so nervous he/she will miss the boat and fall in the water. 

I can also be found on my balcony as we pull away from our last port of call (usually the last day)  with a glass of wine...crying because I know I have to go back to reality.

I try to do half day excursions or at least get back to the ship about 2 hours before all aboard time.

And lastly, I do like dressing up for dinner...from business attire to full on formal gown. I don't get to dress up enough in real life, so I take full advantage on a cruise.