CanadianCruiser21

4 hours ago, WickedRed said:

I met a couple guys who had camels put on their big toes.  Met their wives as well, who just shook their heads.

It’s kind of cliché (I know others that have done it) and not that funny if you really think about it. 
oh well, to each their own. 

On 6/2/2024 at 9:34 AM, Burrata said:

I didn't see henna tattoos, not a crazy question! : )

 

Not tattoo related but love your username. It’s my fav kind of cheese. 
The only place that has it on the ship is the Ship Show. It was really tasty and I went back for the show again (this time alone) just to get 2 orders of the salad and skipped the entree. 

Also not related but on that second time going to the ship show, I ended up meeting my now fiancé. So my love for Burrata found me a husband. 

You can do status match after booking, and it will apply, as long as it’s a few weeks prior. 

22 hours ago, Giraffes said:

So do they want your responses or do they want you to book another cruise after 4/15?

this is to correct their last survey wording where they said “$200 on your NEXT voyage”, which most interpreted as their upcoming cruise that was already booked. 
Putting a booking date after April 15 makes it clear that it can’t applied to bookings made before then. 
 

plus, bar tab might be going away completely soon, so this extra $50 might be for those new bookings that don’t include any bar tab. 

10 hours ago, jon81uk said:

In my opinion the best two courses are the appetizers , the roasted vegetable salad and the burrata and tomato.

Totally agree! I went back to the ship show again just to have the vegetable salad and ordered 2 burrata salads instead of the entree. 
 

Then I went for dinner at the test kitchen. 

Do you still get notifications for shows you are interested in?

hopefully they also do a headcount of people in line so there aren’t more people in line than there are spaces available. 

I stayed in a solo insider for 2 weeks and personally loved it, but I’m into cozy cavernous spaces. 
 

its not really $1540 more if you have an MNVV from a TA or just buying someone’s off Facebook. There are plenty available. You would get $300 off and $600 loot, that can be converted to cash relatively easily at the casino (bet on every number including 0 in roulette and you only lose like $30 or so. 

When you factor that in. It’s less than $700 more than the solo insider. To me, that still wasn’t really worth it as a solo sailor. You might just spend about 7 hours on your balcony and that would be $100 an hour you would be paying for sitting there instead of one of the many other places to sit outdoors.

I’m also a smaller person so a small room wasn’t a big deal to me. A larger person might feel more cramped. 

It’s a pretty good offer, especially for those who don’t already have DBE and MNVV, and really like Champaign. 

18 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

Last thing we saw was Q4 2025 for Brilliant Lady's arrival, but it's all conjecture until they actually put her back up for sale again. 

 

wow, I thought it would be Q4 2024, which is already a 1 year delay from the original date. 

19 hours ago, -The-True-North- said:

We have, but the opposite way. We bought CAD placeholders and wanted to use a US agent. It's pretty much impossible. The only way I can "see" it working, (note we only realized it after) is if the trip is NOT yet booked, send your clients the direct booking link. And they can book it themselves. Then it will be connected.

 

Otherwise, it is rare that US can book CAD or vise versa as agents can have only one primary currency.

Have you gotten this to work? I tried to book on my own using my US TA’s link and could not change it to CAD. 
 

8 hours ago, jon81uk said:

I think as these current changes are not the cruise lines fault, it’s war / terrorism that’s caused them to reroute round Australia they aren’t being as generous compared to the Brilliant Lady cancellations due to their ship not being ready. 

I’ve seen reports that people from the Brilliant Lady cancellation who chose one of the 3 cancelled itineraries can choose any new itinerary and keep their add-on loot, and are not restricted to the 3 replacement cruises. 

You cannot be a listed sailor in more than one cabin. This isn’t like a hotel. 

Itineraries and prices are up. Wow. I am officially priced out of VV. 

I did the flag once but I guess I accidentally ordered the wrong thing. I prefer to order at the station so I can see exactly what I’m getting and can ask questions and get custom portion sizes. 

2 hours ago, conandrob240 said:

Can you view anything proving you have Deep Blue Extras in your booking or on account?

On the website, go to manage booking, then click on the yellow add ons highlighted bar. 

2 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

That's not how it works. If you paid for a Central Sea Terrace, you get a $600 Bar Tab even for a solo traveler. Is your cruise 6 nights or less? Then it's a $300 Bar Tab for the cabin. $600 for 7 nights or longer.  

Correct, Bar tab is based on length and is for the whole cabin, regardless of the number of sailors or cabin type (solo insiders also get the same amount). 

VV prices round trip from Miami haven't really a bargain for a while now, but wow some of the previous amazing Europe deals are no more. Hoping the prices just went up to factor in an amazing Black Friday sale, but the 30% email that was accidentally sent out suggests otherwise. 
I have 3 sailings in 2024 and all of them are in a sea terrace and cost less than $100 USD per night per cabin, AFTER I factor in the getting back about $600 of the sailor loot in cash at the casino. That’s amazing for just the room, before factoring in the food and entertainment. My airport hotel in Miami the night before one of the sailings is $300 alone.
 

Most other cruises are about $250-$500 per night for a balcony cabin (after automatic gratuities and wifi).

Anyway, it’s not a surprise the prices have gone up. Glad I got in before it becomes Di$ney for Adult$

55 minutes ago, valuemkt said:

Very interesting. Today I was offered a MNVV by a TA. He then promised a better fare than what i could get online, plus 600 loot plus 600 bar tab for a 5 day cruise. I of course had to "buy" the MNVV first. I simply asked for a copy of the invoice / booking so i could review before purchasing. He couldnt / wouldnt do it for some reason .. and consequently, neither could I 😞

It wouldn’t be $600 bar tab on a 5 day cruise. They also can’t really get you a better fare, other than the $300 MNVV discount, unless they are giving you some commission. 

4 hours ago, -The-True-North- said:

Ohh nice.

 

Did you have to call in, or did you email?

 

I'm still waiting to hear back from me email.

 

What did you say to convince them?

I used the chat feature and said that the original email said it was for my “next voyage”, but the access key came and said it was for a new voyage. I already have 5 sailings booked and I can’t add any more. 

Update! I got it applied to an existing booking! 

1 hour ago, -The-True-North- said:

Is this 10% Sail-Again Saving Bonus different from the Deep Blue See 10%?

 

If you have deep blue Sea, can you get both?

No, it’s one or the other 

Ooof. That’s rough. I do have one booking that is not MNVV. Just annoying that they changed the terms after completing the survey. 

Anyone have any luck getting the $200 credit added to an existing booking this time around? 
I already have 5 upcoming voyages booked and don’t plan to book any more. 

3 hours ago, cantgetin said:

 I DO expect that if they get a "circle" for a given cruise, we will each see the "loot" associated rather than the agent taking a free cabin for themselves,  

The $100 loot for each sea terrace+ booking is in addition to the free cabin they get for every 10 rooms. I think the gold level agencies get to give the $100 loot per cabin automatically though, even if they don’t have 10. 

3 hours ago, -The-True-North- said:

They could save 16+% in commissions if they provided additional loot for those not wanting to use a Travel Agent.

 

I never in my life used a TA until sailing on VV. I would prefer not to, but because a TA will add loot, I'm going to.

 

Seems counter intuitive.

16% plus a free cabin for every 10 cabins booked on that sailing! TA’s also go a long way in promoting and marketing VV though. I am part of groups for other cruise lines and don’t see the same level of cruise pushing or community support. I don’t recall how I came across VV, but it was definitely TA marketing that somehow got me to book 45 nights across 4 sailings. VV really needs the extra marketing, not only because they are new, but because their sticker price can easily turn people off who don’t realize the price includes wifi, gratuities, specialty restaurants, and more. I’ve said this all over Reddit and CC, but VV really feels like a secret for a value for dollar shopper like me. Stacking MNVV, 10% PIF, 10% DBE makes the price on par with other cruise lines (except maybe MSC), but VV is even less than MSC after paying gratuities and wifi, and MSC has a crappy experience. All this to say, once word gets out, VV can increase prices by 20% and still do quite well.