RollWave

11 hours ago, MamaFej said:

 For the first time since 2017, we don't have a Celebrity cruise, nor any cruise with more than 900 passengers booked. If we find a VV itinerary that really interests us, we might give them a try. 

What are the smaller lines you have tried or are going to try?

15 hours ago, chefchick said:

I don’t want to become a cheerleader for Virgin Voyages (or any line for that matter) because I truly believe that each line has pluses and minuses. But I also don’t really understand the reasoning behind being loyal to only one line in the first place? Great itineraries or good food/entertainment I understand   Pricing/overall value, of course. But what else is keeping you sailing the same line over and over again?  Yes, loyalty programs do give you “perks” and we all like that but at least until the end of 2024 if you have a high status with another line (or even some hotel chains I think) you can be status matched on Virgin and get perks on your very first cruise with them…good ones too.  Again, how you spend your vacation time and dollars is none of my business but I feel that it is the adult/no kids Celebrity cruiser who would most enjoy a Virgin Voyages cruise.  Just something to keep on your radar if you haven’t thought of it.  You can thank me later. 😎

We are getting ready to take our second VV long weekend cruise to give them a second chance. We have not boarded yet and the status match is a sticking point.

PROS from the first cruise: Food was fantastic!!! Adult only was awesome. Loved the private beach club experience. Enjoyed that there is an onboard drag queen. Liked the Wednesday to Sunday itinerary.

CONS from the first cruise: The dining reservation system (one night we could not get a dinner reservation and the staff could give a flip -- no help). Crew was not at all customer service oriented nor interested in solving anything -total blank stares, did not know how to help with wifi - I would not have been shocked if they said  "ok boomer" even though we are not boomers. Pool on board was not great. Cabins are Ikea-ish.

WE ARE: Empty-nesters in our 50's. Extremely busy work life which equals plenty of discretionary income to spend on travel & experiences, but we want/need no hassles (such as a messed up dining reservation system and crew with an attitude).

STATUS MATCH: This is an issue I am about to speak with VV about AGAIN for our upcoming cruise. They granted my husband the match and not me. (We have the same status everywhere else - cruise lines, car rental, hotels etc..)

Why does this matter... he has an early embarkation perk and I do not. They will not 

make him the primary on the reservation and have the attitude of "oh well -maybe it will work out at the port but we can't guarantee". We have a 3:45 embarkation and he has the ability to get on well before this time. To me, this seems like a very easy no cost fix that would greatly reduce my agita...just change our embarkation time to an earlier embarkation to honor my husband's status. 

The early embarkation is the only perk he has that I care about...not the $100 drink credit...the early embarkation which is free to them to handle, and they just do not seem to get it.

On 4/18/2024 at 9:11 AM, OceanCruise said:

If you want to try a frozen drink, my favorite is a Mudslide. It is like an alcoholic mocha milkshake.

Agree! One of our cruise rituals is to have a Mudslide as our first drink onboard. We only drink them on a cruise ship.

Many thanks for all for the answers!

Very helpful!

It has been awhile since our last cruise with Celebrity.

We just did our check in for an upcoming cruise and were assigned

a late check-in time.

We are staying in a Retreat cabin. We thought we go to the port (Ft Lauderdale)

at 11am - which is now several hours before our assigned check in time.

Has Celebrity been sticking to the assigned check in times? Should we reach out to

Celebrity to get our time changed or just show up when we choose?

A few questions for the folks who have sailed with Margaritaville at Sea!

We are seasoned cruisers with status with Celebrity & RCCL.

Booked Paradise at Sea for a quick weekend getaway in a week or so - Friday departure.  Have looked through the reviews on this site. The ship is smaller & older but that happens to be what we like in a ship. We understand it is a quick 2 night trip  and that it might have a budget feel. We are ok with this as we are local and this is just an option for a weekend away vs driving to the Keys or Orlando etc.

We booked an ocean view cabin on deck five and we purchased the License to Chill package.

Questions:

1- The package includes a dinner at JWB Steakhouse as well as a SPA credit.

    Is it hard to get reservations at either place? Can they be made ahead of time or only

    once on board?

2- Does the ship clear out while in port? We enjoy a quiet ship while in port.

    Wondering if other passengers feel the same and the ship is still busy while in port.

3- SPA - any thoughts or suggestions about the spa treatments?

4- JWB Steakhouse - any thoughts or suggestions about this restaurant both for dinner and breakfast?

Thanks in advance!

One of my favorites - the white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies. The last two cruises they did not serve them - I missed them.

The place where we noticed the adults only aspect the most was at the Bimini Beach Club - it was very nice to have only adults in the pools and beach. 

The pizza was very good. Grab & Go boxes - awesome. No announcements nor photographers - another subtle difference. A new spin on entertainment - a drag show at sea - seriously fun!

17 hours ago, cantgetin said:

There is no perfect line.....there is a right line for each person or family at a particular time in their life.  

Thus the reason for a place such as Cruise Critic where cruisers can share their opinions!

17 hours ago, cantgetin said:

 Bottom line, overall, we were delighted with VV and got off our first cruise with 3 more booked.  We love the "almost all included" and the bar tab concept....and the NO KIDS and, frankly, no senile old ladies cruising solo and latching on to me!  That sounds horrible, but it did contribute to our issues with Celebrity.

The Celebrity cruises we have been on have not been filled with senile old ladies cruising solo and we sail with Celebrity a lot. The last few Celebrity cruises we experienced many families with children running wild thus the reason for giving VV a try!

It comes down to preferences. What makes for a nice vacation for some may not work for others. VV was not for us but I am glad it is wonderful for others. 

On 3/27/2023 at 2:22 PM, mfs2k said:

I'm still trying to process if this is a cruise line I want to return to, or was it One and done...  

We are just off Scarlet Lady this morning and said this very thing on the drive home.

We are avid cruisers with Celebrity as our line of choice. We were intrigued by the Adult Only aspect of VV. We toyed with the idea of purchasing the future cruise offer while on board and decided not to. We may give VV another try but did not want to be boxed in with having to go again. 

On 4/1/2023 at 12:04 PM, Travel-and-See said:

Razzle Dazzle has some pretty creative and bold flavors... it can be a bit much for breakfast if you just want a basic breakfast. You can customize the dishes a bit, or order stuff ala carte to get a more plain breakfast there. 

 

The Wake is very nice, but really more of a brunch menu than breakfast imho. 

 

And that leaves the Galley - they have everything you want. It can just be a little busy at breakfast. 

 

I do wish that the Wake or Razzle would serve omelets. (I don't think either of them do?). 

Razzle Dazzle bacon is amazing! Their Cobb Salad (on dinner and breakfast menu) is also very good. The French toast encased in multicolored sprinkles was not good.

We are just off Scarlet Lady with very mixed feelings about the experience. 

It seems the place to get an omelet at any time is The Galley.

Overall, we felt breakfast was a weak spot in the food lineup.

Best meal we had was dinner at The Wake. We considered it the best meal we have ever had on a cruise ship and it rivaled meals at high-end land-based steak houses. 

On 4/4/2023 at 8:01 AM, CruisingWalter said:

 

Basic rule, as with any cruise line, just ask. And I would approach one of the dining captains when you first get on board to talk through what they can and cannot do. 

Agree! Always ask.

This morning at The Wake one of our party only wanted scrambled eggs and an English muffin. He ordered Steak & Eggs - hold the steak and double up the eggs. The English muffin was not on the menu, but they were able to provide.

Just now, cantgetin said:

Just curious, how early were you trying to leave?  One of the nice things about the VV time schedule is that when we've chosen a later departure time, most of the traffic from other cruise lines has already departed.

 

We had breakfast at The Wake and then departed. We got off the ship after 9am which is later than we have ever been off of a cruise ship. There were 7 other ships in port. There was a slight delay with Virgin getting in to port. Getting off the ship was a breeze. The garage was chaos.

We just got off of Scarlet Lady this morning. Bingo with the Diva did not take place on our cruise. It was crazy getting out of the port this morning. Took about 45 minutes to get out of the garage. We have never seen the port so busy.

We are on the April 5th sailing.

Wondering if it is going to crowded or a light sailing.

How would we go about finding out?

Having some anxiety about dinner reservations, show reservations etc...

We were not able to do anything with the APP and are hoping that once on board it will all work out.

We have been very loyal to RCL & Celebrity. Giving VV a try. A few questions...

1- Trying to make reservations for dinner. I am not able to get into two of the restaurants we really want to try.

    Since they seem to be booked - is there any chance of being a walk up?

2- Are reservations needed for breakfast & lunch?

3- The whole reservation concept is stressing me out a bit (what is I change my mind / what is we dont want to eat at that time etc..)

     For those who have sailed with VV - does it all work out? I have not ever heard of anyone starving on a cruise but at the same time

     I would like to know we can try the restaurants that we want.

45 minutes ago, YoPhilly said:

Hello.  We too are converts.  After many cruises on Princess, we jumped ship to Celebrity, and then tried Oceania.  Although we don't rule out Celebrity completely, we love O's smaller ships - fewer passengers, better service, delicious food.  Our first O cruise was an oceanview on the Regatta - one of the R ships.  Although the cabins are smaller than their larger sisters, we didn't mind it at all.  No matter which category, you're never far from an outside deck.  If entertainment is very important to you, I'd say it's not for you.  Yes, there is usually some musical group in the bar area and generally daytime lectures or something like that.  Regarding specialty restaurants, you're initially allotted a certain number of reservations in each restaurant based on your cabin category - which you can and should book prior to sailing.  Once onboard, you can request additional reservations on an ad hoc basis.

Only you know if it's right for you.  I'd recommend giving it a try.  You might just love it like the rest of us! 😁

Thank you! Great information! I think we are going to give Oceania a try! The smaller ships, fewer passengers, great food & service - are important to us.

14 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

Agree OLife is confusing to (almost) all. We have some posters with advanced degrees in OLife, so the fire hose of good advice is coming shortly.

Also, give the search function here on cc a try. Search olife and you’ll get LOTS of hits.

Agree with the comment that if entertainment is important to you, O might not be your new home. We often hear, and I agree, that the pax are the entertainment. You’ll meet interesting people who have lived interesting lives, and you’ll make new friends.

Since I’m surfing cruisecritic more weeks in a year than I am cruising onboard a ship, I also appreciate the “tone” I find here on the O forum. The Celebrity forum had too many trolls and angry, sharp-sounding posts. You’ll find a little bit of that here as well, but not as much as on the X forum. So, I cruise on O for the virtual community as well.

Thank you! I came across a review blog that someone shared in the forum. It looks like the entertainment may suffice. 

Agree- the Celebrity forum can get a bit angry.

Thank you in advance for any & all input!

We are long time cruisers with loyalty to Celebrity (currently Elite+) for the past 15 years or so. We are in our mid-50's. One of the many things we like about Celebrity is the style of the ships (understated, no confetti cannons or water slides or grand promenades). We also like the live music that they will have throughout the smaller venues on the ship. We are self-employed (ie constantly busy & working) - a cruise is an opportunity to relax. We are not picky about cabin type - no "suite only" attitude from us - but we are picky about cabin location. We have had some lovely trips in an inside cabin and terrible trips in an upgraded cabin under the pool deck.

Reading through the various topics on this forum as well as hearing from other passengers while on past cruises (a frequent comment - if you like Celebrity you will LOVE Oceania!!!) we have decided to give Oceania a try. We are looking at a NYC to Bermuda sailing September 2023 on Insignia. We like the itinerary with overnight stays in two Bermuda ports. Also, the price point is attractive for us to give the line a try.

- Insignia: I have read some negative comments about the R class ships. Having not been on any Oceania ships will we enjoy the Insignia?

- Entertainment: We enjoy having a drink and listening to live music. Does Oceania offer this type of entertainment? Any examples from recent sailings?

- O Life: A tad confused about OLife. Are any shore excursions included with the cruise fare if you do not select Olife? If Olife is selected, must you do the flights or can you get a credit for this and book your own flights?

- Specialty Restaurants: It appears specialty restaurants are included. Is it easy to get reservations?

Please feel free to share experiences or any other nuggets of Oceania wisdom!

Self-employed Floridians here. We go on a lot of short cruises out of Miami, Ft Lauderdale, and Cape Canaveral (RCL) because the short getaways tend to be all our schedules will allow.

In our experience the Celebrity short cruises tend to be less booze cruise-ish than some of the other lines. As with anything there are exceptions. My "rules" I do not go on short cruises during the college Spring Break period going out of Miami or Ft Lauderdale. I also avoid school vacation times. It is the same as going to Disney - go when everyone else is at work or in school (favorite time for both Disney & Cruising is between Thanksgiving & Christmas)

After our recent Alaska cruise (7 days on Celebrity) I am adding any holiday to my list to avoid or proceed with caution. We went over the July 4th holiday weekend and experienced behavior we have never seen before. By the way - this cruise had 250+ children on board - they were very well behaved - some of the adults not so much!

11 hours ago, deliver42 said:

 It's now every man for himself, and the hell with the rules or anyone else. So sad.

So true - this is EXACTLY how traveling today (cruise, airlines etc..) feels! 

Forget that there are 2000+ other people on this ship....it is MY VACATION not your vacation so to heck with you seemed to be the going attitude.

On 7/1/2022 at 1:36 PM, patty1955 said:

We've been loyal Celebrity cruisers but now my favorite is Oceania! The food is so much better and they remind me of how Celebrity was when we first started sailing. My only complaint about our Oceania cruise was too many ports. 

We too have been loyal Celebrity cruisers. Just off Celebrity Solstice Alaska itinerary. At a wine tasting a fellow passenger said - If you like Celebrity you will love Oceania! Looking forward to researching to find out more about Oceania.

On Solstice they had chips for sale in the liquor store. If I recall correctly there were two varieties - Lays and Pringles each in the smaller individual serving size. They were well stocked too!

10 hours ago, Pinboy said:

Were they at a convention , or, maybe a political rally for ( can't make political statements on CC). 

In all our cruises with Celebrity we never saw behavior like that.

I imagine they would be the same types described as " Slobs at the buffet " , the " I'll wear what I want and could care less what the dress code requests ",  "heckle" a comedian during his/her performance at will----- and wear their baseball hat with the peak facing backwards.

 

 

No idea! It was a strange week regarding the passengers!

To be fair the poor behavior was not only on the ship it was in port too! In Skagway a passenger from one of the Princess ships was totally dressing down a teenage worker in one of the visitor centers - she was a greeter and did not immediately know the answer to the questions. The Princess passenger started screaming at her to "Call Brandon - Call Brandon - Call Brandon - he is as useless as you"

5 hours ago, D C said:

It would be quite easy for X to publish, even as a flyer in the room at embarkation, what is actually available compared to the advertised list. 

That would be a nice touch. They left it up to the bartenders to deliver the news which I thought was unfair because there were some passengers who were not happy. By the way the bartenders we encountered worked really hard to offer alternatives or suggestions for other drinks etc...