rebeccac

15 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

We don't really use the pool and people were complaining about beds on Princess for years and we never had an issue with them or any other line.

If you don't care about the pools, then obviously that is not a deciding factor for you. 

I have also cruised many lines and while I don't find all the beds extremely comfortable, I think the beds on VV are the most uncomfortable of any line I have sailed on (I have been on 9 different lines).  They are barely 4" thick and hard as a rock.  If that is your thing, it might not be an issue.  For myself, I will often sleep in the hammock at night, because at least I don't wake up with every part of my body in pain.  

Like I said, it is definitely worth giving VV a try.  I will sail them again.  I just won't sail them exclusively.  

5 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

We haven't been on a cruise since 2019. We recently moved to Florida and wanted to get back to cruising. Our go to lines were Celebrity, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. I have been reading so many bad reviews from seasoned Cruise Critic members about the changes in food quality, entertainment, service, as well as new Tech features that they promote not working that I thought VV should be considered. We never sailed with them so we will have no expectations. I was going to book a shorter cruise to try it out but from what I am reading it seems the longer cruises would be more of the vibe that we are used to. We are 55 and 64 yrs old and live in an active resort style adult community so there is always something going on here and I was just wondering how we would fit in on VV.  

Every cruise line has people complaining about downward changes in quality.  Some of that may be true, some may be people looking at the past with rose colored glasses.  

As far as tech goes, don't count on VV to be an improvement over any other line.  The app is extremely flakey.  We had a friend in tears trying desperately to get dinner reservations when they opened.  That is why we generally let our TA deal with that.  

I'm not trying to dissuade you from trying VV.  Certainly worth trying.  Some people never go back to the other lines.  Personally, I like variety.  And the fact that the beds in non-Rockstar rooms are very uncomfortable (IMHO) and that the pools are a joke will certainly keep me from ever making VV the only cruise line I sail.  

Yes, usually you find them in the closet area.  I have never used them, so I can't say what they are like.   

You will see some people dressed fancy and others in shorts/t-shirts.  The only rules are that you do actually have to be wearing clothing and if you are in a bathing suit it has to be covered up (at least in sit down restaurants) and dry.

It can be earlier, but it seems like very often it is closer to 8a.  I'd say plan on exiting at 8a and if you are able to disembark earlier consider it a nice surprise.

It is possible, but it will probably be a bit closer to 8am until you can get off the ship based on my previous experience self-disembarking.  

IMHO, the best part about any of the Rockstar/MegaRockstar rooms is that the beds are actually comfortable.  

Our TA can easily pick and choose from the FAS offers, not sure why yours is telling you differently unless they have some sort of group rate going that includes it.  

Technically the only problem with doing this, is that in order for the AC to work at full power, the balcony door has to be closed AND locked.  The door only locks from the inside.  So, if there is still someone else sleeping in the cabin, it might get a tad warm.  It doesn't seem to get too bad, but if someone likes to sleep super cold inside, it might be an issue.  You will also get repetitive notices from VV about not having your balcony door closed and locked because of the AC issues.  I have learned to ignore them since I have been known to sleep on the hammock or spend long periods of time reading/napping out there.  

3 hours ago, Rogueperson said:

Gnocchi.  Texture is wrong.  Too mushy but tasted good.

My suggestion with the gnocchi dish (it is generally way over cooked), is to get the sauce from the gnocchi and have it put over a different pasta.  That has worked out way better!

On 4/23/2024 at 9:22 AM, cantgetin said:

You basically have 2 options.  You can buy it on board in another person's name (you'll need all their info, credit card number, etc.). Or you can buy it in your name and call VV to do the transfer.  In that case, the money issue is on you--you paid $300 for it.  You can give it to the other person or collect that $300 from them.  VV doesn't get in the middle of that.  

I'm not sure if you can still buy in another person's name using their credit card info.  I know that TAs can no longer do this.  Not sure about regular folk.  

If you want full sun that area in front is probably your best bet.  I will say that I need shade (I burn super easily) and even with the screening over top of the chairs, I found that I still had to keep moving around to "chase" the shade.  

Jacques is 88 years old.  I imagine he is more than ready to take a step back.  

However, you can only cash out your winnings not any of the loot you used to play.  

1 minute ago, Vallesan said:

I guess I look at it from another angle  …. I get in touch with a TA and am giving them the opportunity to earn $$$ commission! I think they should give me a ‘fee free’ service for my business!

 

Maybe I’m wrong, I don’t know!

You are not wrong, as long as you actually give them business (at least at some point).  The people I am referring to which cause some agents to charge fees are the ones that have no idea what they want, so the agents spend lots of time and multiple revisions trying to nail down the trip they want and then once the client seems to be happy, the agent never hears from again.  I can understand where the frustration of those sorts of people could make an agent at least consider charging a fee.  

Like I said, my agent doesn't charge a fee and I do believe there are plenty of good ones that don't, but as with many things these days, a small number of people can ruin things for everyone.  

2 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

This is part of doing business. Isn't it the same with realtors and many other professions? 

Absolutely. 

Certainly TAs selling cruises should be able to make up for anyone who doesn't book since cruise lines pay some of the better commissions.  However, hotels and many other land based options pay very little and airlines (unless being booked as part of a package) pay nothing.  

All I was saying is that I understand why the idea is becoming more common, not that I agree with it one way or the other.  I have been fortunate to have known my TA for a long time and by now they know what I like and don't like.  It is nice to have someone you can trust.  

It is true that it used to be unheard of for TAs to charge a fee to the client and while there are still many many who don't it is becoming more prevalent.  Certainly, there are plenty of TAs who still charge no fee, but from talking to a friend of mine who is a TA, I can understand the temptation.  There are so many clients who are just kicking tires and after the TA spends time on researching cruises and coming up with a proposal, the client ghosts them and there is no compensation for the time spent.  

All that being said, my TA still does not charge a fee.  I use them for the personal service and any deals or perks I may get, I just consider a nice extra bonus.  

I would guess if you have already booked your cruise, you would have to cancel and rebook to get this offer.  

If you are sailing from Miami there are a bunch of third party companies that do scooter rentals and usually they will be delivered to your cabin.  If you used a TA, they should be able to help you with this.  If not, just google "cruise scooter rentals Miami" and you will get plenty of responses.  There is also a forum on here specifically for "disabled" cruising.  

26 minutes ago, Carol Loves to Cruise said:

Gee….im not sure where I read it but I read a post somewhere recently that says Virgin can arrange rental of scooters and there’s room in the hallways to park/charge the scooter.  I was so happy about it, but now I think someone posted incorrect info.  

I would be shocked if VV rents the scooters themselves.  Usually, that is a third party thing.  Also, while people may park their scooters in the hallways, it is usually prohibited (although often not enforced).  The one big advantage with VV is that their accessible cabins quite often are still available much closer to a cruise departure than a lot of other lines.  

This is not something that is particular to VV.  It can and does happen on ALL cruise lines (and yes, it does happen on other lines even for reasons other than weather or safety).  The fact that someone points out the contract does not make them a blind loyalist of any particular line, it just means that they have actually read the contract.  

3 hours ago, VVhater said:

It’s France in two months; it has nothing to do with weather or unrest or anything else beyond Virgin’s control.  I don’t understand why so many commenters are defending this. 
 

Yes, they just transferred the $11 to our loot. Though it’s likely we’ll spend more than that on the day we’re captive on the ship instead of in France. 

I don't think it is necessarily that commenters are defending this action, they are merely stating the fact that on pretty much any cruise line, the contract that you agree to when you purchase your cruise says that the cruise line can change the itinerary at any time for any reason.  This is just the way it is.  You may not have read the small print in the cruise contract where this policy is written (and who does read all the small print), but you agreed to it by purchasing the cruise.  Whether it is right or wrong is a whole other discussion.

None of the various Carnival brands status match with each other.  

1 minute ago, DCGuy64 said:

The post I referred to said Bar Tab was going away, which implied that they're doing away with it entirely. That's different from a promo, hence my confusion. Thanks!

Yeah, that is why I tried to differentiate between two concepts.  🙂

6 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Can you elaborate on this?

The bar tab as a concept is not going away.  However, the bar tab as an added "free" promotional part of a cruise is said to be going away.  There was another thread on this.