jon81uk

Depends on what you mean by dressed up, I think a majority made an effort to look nice for dinner, very few people appeared scruffy or had sports jerseys or similar.

The glass seperatjng arrivals and departing passengers is on the top floor just before boarding. All arriving passengers doing check in are separated from disembarking passengers

I think they designed the terminal backwards, all the waiting space is on the top floor after you have done check in and security. There is generally no need to wait at that point and can just board the ship as check in and security are the slow points! They should in my opinion move the check in desks to the top floor to open up a waiting area on the middle floor before security.

We bought on the ship back in 2021 and very happy with the hammock. Ours is white, mint green and black stripes. Only noticeable difference to the one on the balcony is that the ends to the loops are shorter, but we needed to buy straps to hang it from our pergola anyway.

On VV some of the best cakes are on the buffet, the Sweet Side counter in the Galley has some pretty good patisserie type desserts, a few are a bit heavy on gelatine and too set but many are good. One of the simplest but great is a ginger and chocolate cornflake cake topped with raspberries and blueberries.

There is a big difference between a party crowd for New Year and a longer trip crowd for a transatlantic.

Officially on the website VV only promise expedited boarding with a dedicated line. But many people arrive at 12.30 and are able to check in earlier than their slot. They will have a list of who should have the extras, but you can see it under add-ons in the app.

They reinvented the dinner menu at Razzle Dazzle, it moved away from the Instagram-friendly and mainly veggie/vegan stuff and have gone with a more upscale New American menu. I don’t think it was specifically cost cutting and more to do with reinventing to try and make it more popular as a dinner restaurant, I think there was a celebrity chef involved with the new after dark menu. The brunch menu didn’t change significantly and as you say there is a lack in meat and too much focus on bright colours for photos, whereas the new dinner menu seems to focus a bit more on flavour. A great review post overall and I agree the Galley needs work as it gets repetitive quickly.

Sailor loot and on board credit are the same thing, not sure why one is labelled differently for you.

Probably about 90minutes most of the time but it’s often a bit of a slow meal as many people order seconds and thirds of some dishes. My favourites are the fried spicy chicken, the seafood pancake, bibimbap and then the marinated beef for the grill.

Too early to tell what difference prices have made, anyone cruising now will have booked 6-18 months ago. Also the holiday period will attract a different crowd anyway.

I’ve always left luggage with the front desk or bell services of the hotel, then return to the hotel an hour before the boarding time to get a Uber/Lyft to the terminal.

Look at the December 2024 and May 2025 transatlantic voyages for more sensible pricing. The April 2024 Miami to Med has some weird pricing for some reason, I think it’s almost sold out and they jacked the price up. But the November 2024 Rome to Miami is £5300 for a terrace and May 2024 Miami to Barcelona is £4400. It’s still a lot more than they were charging for a transatlantic a year ago, but it’s not as crazy as the April one this year.

generally I think rockstar has a seperate line. But don’t need to line up an hour before even if not rockstar. For Its a Ship Show then yes 20-30 minutes before to get allocated a good table. For the unreserved shows like Around the World with the Diva it depends when doors open, but as it’s not ticketed there might not be any staff to separate rockstars, its first come.

I spent ages playing Daytona racing like I was 18 again.

I’ve not come across them as a list on the menu but by checking the various menus you can get an idea, for example On the Rocks lists all the whiskey and bourbon options and can see that Buffalo Trace is the cheapest. The only ones I can remember are Absolut vodka, Beefeater gin, Buffalo Trace bourbon, Bacardi rum.

It will tell you in the app what date the first update to the schedule will appear, it is usually 45 days out. That will only show the major shows like Duel Reality in general and in my experience changes several times. A week or two before sailing it usually adds in more activities but the live music and similar won’t show until the last few days before boarding and it all may change onboard.

If it also helps with cheaper drinks, as standard house spirits aren’t shown on the menu, spirit (Absolut vodka, Beefeater gin, Barcardi rum etc) with a free mixer (Coke, Sprite, tonic, juice etc) are US$8. Heineken is served in US standard 12oz measures, about 350ml which is about a standard can, they don’t serve the equivalent of a British pint.

There was an organised party taking place the Athletic Club one night, it is definitely possible to get VV to organise and reserve space for celebration gatherings.

There will be a separate line or entrance and dedicated check in desks even if not an “area”. At Barcelona there was a separate line and one X-Ray just for rockstar then desks specifically for rockstar sailors.

Onboard the ships all prices are in US Dollars. Wine lists vary by restaurant and wines are regularly out of stock, but the below site will give an indication (could be two years old so some prices may have gone up) https://profcruise.com/virgin-voyages-bar-menus-and-drink-prices/

Same as other shows if it is in the Red Room it’s best to book but walk in may be possible. If it’s in the Manor then capacity is lower so better to book.

UntitledDancePartyShowThing is the standing show on Scarlet and Valiant, but I don’t think the view from the balcony is great. But for standing at Untitled you can get in late without an issue most of the time. Duel Reality is seated and the balcony is for latecomers as the main seating can’t be accessed once the show starts.

The only food that is extra cost is things like seafood towers or platters, tomahawk steak or wagyu beef and truffles plus afternoon tea. I’ve never bothered though, you can eat very well without spending anything. Drip coffee, tea bags, Coke, Sprite, Fanta and juice from concentrate is included but loose leaf tea, espresso based coffee, hot chocolate, fresh juice, mocktails and all alcoholic drinks are charged for. Most cruises include some free bar tab in the current promotion though which can be used on any charged for drinks and if you pre-pay more bar tab you get a free bonus.

The major likes are fairly obvious, no kids, WiFi included, tips included, soda included, no main dining rooms (instead six unique dinner restaurants). But then no upselling, no announcements, modern cirque style entertainment, unique bars and spaces and modern bright cabins with great showers. Not much I don’t like but there are a few workshops that are actually just sales pitches (like a “posture” workshop that is just to sell insoles), the pools in the spa are too cold, the main pool is a bit weird (but the large jacuzzi is great). Sometimes service (especially in the Wake) is a bit slow or inattentive and occasionally drinks ordered from a server in a busy bar can take a while. But overall we’ve had a great experience across six voyages.