jon81uk

Although in general in Europe it’s pretty easy to self guide as the public transport is available. We did Marina di Carrera to Pisa by train easily. Whereas somewhere like Costa Maya you need a tour to get to the Mayan ruins, either booking with the ship or external.

An outline schedule will appear in the app at 45 days, with the major shows, but they will switch round in the week or two before boarding. In general there will be an 7pm OR 8pm and a 10pm show in the Red Room most nights. Another Rose dinner show will be on about three times around 7pm (there is a charge but it includes a lot of alcoholic drinks). Then Lola’s Library will be in the Manor a couple of times, when I was onboard that was 9pm to midnight (with dancing after), but it used to be later. The dance parties are generally around 11pm.

Yes. So the main use is security to get on and off the ship but it’s also seen when checking into restaurants and to locate you for shake for champagne.

Probably best to message Squid Ink directly on Instagram.

Did you book lock it in GTY rate? If so you can’t bid until you get your first cabin assigned.

That additional loot is the agent giving you part of their commission, effectively cashback from them, not all agents do it, it’s their decision to try and attract more business. If VV said book direct and we will give you $100 then TAs wouldn’t be happy as it makes it look better value to book direct.

We just did Irresistible Med last week, yes 10% VAT added to all food and drinks. Shops open in international waters but add 20% tax which can be claimed back by doing forms on the ship and collecting it at the airport.

Yeah this was 7pm so I don’t think there was enough crew available!

The only reason to reduce the number of showings on some things is because it is better for the cast morale to have almost a full house instead of lots of performances with one a handful of guests. We did have one caberet show cancelled as only four of us turned up to see the singer.

There was nothing wrong with our meal last Tuesday on Valiant Lady, felt like mains were a little slow but it wasn’t actually bad. Server was good and food was all as expected. I just don’t think it’s very exciting.

It only really happens if there is less than 900 or so onboard, which is rare nowadays.

Last week on Valiant most places were quick to get starters out but mains took longer and it felt like the Wake had the longest wait for main courses.

Allow 90 minutes for most meals, two hours for Gunbae and Test Kitchen. It’s possible to be done in 60-90 minutes when it’s not so busy though but it’s worth allowing a little more time. Generally we see shows at 10pm, that way have plenty of time after a 7/8pm reservation.

I think they are now changing the entire Happenings Cast as a group and it generally is about a five month contract (as they have some rehearsal time before getting on the ship). For example on Resilient the cast boarded the new ship to rehearse in April, for sailings starting early May and they left in August. The current Valiant Lady cast did rehearsals in Orlando late May and started on the ship in June through to October.

There already is significantly more paid-for activities compared to two years ago. Most of them do include alcoholic beverages but it’s gone from about three different classes/activities to about eight or ten. Although it’s not as bad as the terrible insole sales pitch that is listed as a fitness workshop.

Decks 9-13 don’t have any public spaces above or below so there is no noise issues to consider.

For Valiant Lady you can see the cast on their Instagram https://instagram.com/valiantladyhappeningscast?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== The current diva is Gila Moonstar. https://instagram.com/gilamoonstar?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== But the next cast change is 22nd October for Valiant. Dont think the Scarlet or Resilient Lady casts have set up a similar Instagram page but you can find their individual profiles. Carlos left Scarlet Lady in July https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu-Pfa1xLUH/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== from a bit of searching on Instagram, Scarlet Lady is on Happenings Cast 7 and has Kara Kature as the diva https://instagram.com/thekarakature?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

They claim it’s like a hotel; they just assign the best room in the category at the time of booking. Almost all hotels don’t allow guests to select rooms at time of booking. But for people who have been on before and know what they like then many do like specific rooms. In general though any room on decks 9-13 will be fine.

What room category are you trying for? Deck five is all sea view and there are only a handful of those on other decks and all at the very very front in the nose of the ship. If you want a higher deck and midship you need central sea terrace.

I’ve just got off Valiant Lady and the old record store never opened, they just had a tiny selection in the essentials store.

Virgin Voyages is almost all Americans and Brits. More Americans from Miami and then probably 60% Brits from Barcelona or Athens. Less than 10% of guests are non-English speakers (ie not UK, USA or Canada), just a few Italians and Spanish. It’s definitely an American cruise line. 7pm or 7.30 does seem the most popular time to dine and then see a show at 10pm. I think 8.30-9.30 reservations are less popular. Most tables seat two or four, so as a solo you’ll get a 2-top for yourself. Some nights there are organised solo meet up where they have a group table for dinner though. The only restaurant that seats strangers together is Gunbae as the tables round the grill seat 6-8. Although at most places the tables for two are close enough together that you can make conversation!

Don’t think you need to book, just first come first served so arrive a little early for better seats. No charge but there will be servers for drinks in the Manor.

Should be able to see them here https://www.virginvoyages.com/shore-excursions but need to use the app to actually book them and see exactly what is available for your dates.

It will appear in the app at 45 days out anyway.

Currently onboard a busy Valiant Lady apparently with 2200 sailors and we’ve not had any problems with dining. I did make reservations at 45 days out but have been able to change the time of some without problems and also turned up late at Test Kitchen so my reservation had been automatically cancelled but they were still able to seat us. I have seen people report they are being turned away at the Wake for walk ups, that seems to be the hardest place to get into. If you want the prime 7pm slots you need to get in quick as soon as booking opens in advance or onboard. But getting 8pm or 6pm isn’t difficult.