Freelancer3

We have stayed at Four Points by Sheraton Barcelona Diagonal three times and then to the port by taxi. 

Uber is available and yes, only one spot, but not too far. 

Pay in full discount is back. I got it today.

... maybe Alaska.

Great job reviewing. Thanks for doing it.

14 day cruises has only one Scarlet Night

Early in December I sailed on the Scarlet with the largest number of sailors  to date - 2600. After we boarded, we got the remaining dinner reservations we needed. Though we could tell there were more people on board, I cant say it felt crowded.

In fairness we had taken a number of VV cruised prior and new the routine. For anyone new to VV the process is vastly different from traditional cruises and may seem confusing until they get their virgin-legs. 

I do agree there could be more options in the galley, but I do like it better than buffets. 

On all our cruises there has been a special sushi variety daily in addition to the normal selections. The plastic containers used on the ship are reusable the same as the plates and silverware. 

You might see a bit more European decor, wine and food. 2 hour dinners is not uncommon. 

RC and Carnival are US based and cater everything toward a US market place.

Personally, I enjoy European / Italian flair, but I still much prefer VV. 

I have done one 7 day MSC yacht club and multiple 7 day plus VV cruise.  MSC yacht club is the only way I would cruise again on MSC. The Yacht Club had one specialty restaurant. private pool, bar, butler, etc. The internet was terrible. It is a more traditional european style cruise. 

With VV, we always cruise a Terrace, usually midship. 

I would choose VV everytime for the multiple specialty-style restaurants, casual atmosphere, better internet, no children, and  one extra day.

14 new cruise ships launching in 2024 of various sizes. Lets see how this affects all line's prices in 2025.

Some of the itineraries look very intriguing. 

My favorite steak is The Wake filet. It's better than the tomahawk. 

No Thanksgiving menu this week.

6 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

SWEET!  Get right down to the Get Lost Desk as soon as they open. I love those folks, if you're on Valiant Lady, I honestly can't remember the name of the female associate, but she likes a flat white with oat milk. I started dropping off coffees in the morning for everyone to try to use up our Bar Tab. 🤣

Im on VL. Did you learn anything from the Get Lost Desk? Thanks!

4 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

Wifi is crappy in San Juan!

Agree, WiFi became almost unusable when we got within a km of San Juan. It remains so at 5pm.

Valant Lady this week has the most sailors since its launch but service has been very good. There are lines for pizza, ice cream, dinner, but they have moved very quickly. 

Three cheers for the crew!

Uber and taxi's are plentiful in SJ.

I like The Courtyard in Isla Verde. Its close to the airport and has a beautiful city beach. 

6 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

With the WiFi, download was fine, upload was really slow and we think that's why the voice did not work on outgoing. Even trying to use audio only apps from the computer. Keep in mind this was a Caribbean cruise where the WiFi is the best coverage for ships at the moment. The speeds really slowed down when we were in port as well. At sea the speeds were better. 

IT does throttle the speed. I think they have slowed it down more. On other VV cruises I have gone to VV IT and they have improved it.  I do hope it improves next week in the Caribbean.

Valiant in April Transatlantic: No problem with Zoom or audio using premium.

Valiant in October Transatlantic: I could hear well on Zoom and audio calls, but the other party had difficulty seeing or hearing me using premium. 

The lower the deck, the better if you get seasick.

I like 10 midship. I have stayed there many times- a few in rough waters. There is no noise in the halls, top or bottom.

Thanks for the information cantgetin. I appreciate how much you are commenting and providing information on this forum. 

WOW! So we think everyone has to pay by tomorrow night or.... they aren't offering it to new reservations starting tomorrow night?

On Valiant Lady transatlantic 2 weeks ago:

Tomahawk Treat Yourself was $75 each. We shared one. 

The only venue that seats as few as 200 is The Manor - based on table configuration.

The Red Room can be configured multiple ways. Its occupancy is about 800. 

Keep in mind that entertainment on board is different from other lines and occurs all over the ship. 

The app - when it works - has the daily schedule plus its shown on LED screens on the central corridor elevators (on each floor )as well as printed at 3 locations. 

VV is not for everyone, and cannot be compared to other lines. It does have its flaws, but is our favorite. 

18 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

 

We had to cough-up a whopping $25.47 extra.

Such a deal.

We paid $66. Great deal at the price I paid for the cruise. 

Just FYI- Current VV cruise prices are quite a bit higher.