singleflyer

There will be three ships in that day; two leave at 6pm and then ours leaves at 10. Thanks for the advice; I'll avoid trying to take it down during "rush hour" (or I'll walk).

Exactly. It is instant, though I believe you might have to "link" Virgin Red and Virgin Atlantic. I would do that first. Create a Virgin Red account if you don't already have one, then in your account go to "Link Account". I had my points from Amex to "purchasing" my Access Key at Virgin Red in about 30 seconds.

I'm thinking of booking the "Scenic Santorini & Oia on Your Own" for $75. Basically for two reasons: 1. Getting to Town - I have heard the line for the cable car is extremely long to get up (and apparently getting back down as well). I don't want to wait hour(s) to get up to Fira. I also don't really want to hike up or take a mule. 2. Visit Oia - I understand that there is a boat you can take from the place where the tenders let off, but I also wonder how long of a line there would be for that. It also looks like there is a bus so maybe that is an option. I figure if there is a line to get back down the cable car, it would be easy enough to hike downhill. Anything I am not thinking through? I'd rather just explore on my own but $75 to not have to worry about lines and transportation could be worth it.

I wasn't in a suite but some people I met were. They had a "concierge" with them round the clock (maybe they were Mega Rockstars or something even higher?) that got them into shows, secret parties during Scarlet Night, and ushered them behind the scenes. Seemed "extra" but could be fun for some.

@Analog187 Random question; but are the milkshakes at Dive In an up-charge (or count against your 15 drink limit with Have It All)? Or are they free for everyone?

I found the slots on Scarlet to be incredibly loose. I've done my fair share of slots and never walked away with the winnings I had on Virgin. Might have been a fluke, but I was astonished.

Thanks! So as a Deep Blue Extra, what time would you think it would be reasonable to arrive? 1:00? 1:15? And if you want to carry on your own luggage, is that allowed at this port?

I'm very interested in this, and can't find any info on here about embarkation at Piraeus. I have Deep Blue Extras. But clearly this is a very different port than Terminal V in Miami. I think I read somewhere that it uses Terminal A in Piraeus. @alpencoolcruiser @MeganGC1983 @_tacocat_ Hopefully will report back!

Thanks for this. I didn't realize I was in a "high" verandah room level. What are V and VS rooms? (I think VQ is spa verandah). EDIT: Looks like VS are aft facing verandah rooms.

Honestly not sure; I booked through a casino promotion (from a land based casino). In my account it is showing up as VA61XX (actually have the last two digits but didn't know if posting it here for an upcoming cruise might be iffy). I might just call in and see if they can tell me what my options would be for Club Orange. It looks like there are Veranda Spa rooms available but I have heard those have small balconies. So I don't think I'd be eligible for the onboard credit. The large balcony (which @leerathje posted a video of below) does look quite nice, especially if I could get a lounger out there!. Thanks for this. I've heard recently that there have been long lines to get into Club Orange so I wasn't sure if that would be worth it. What do you think makes Club Orange worth it? I thought it was basically the same as the Main Dining Room just with an extra main course option? I also prefer to have my own table (traveling solo) rather than be put with others. New to HAL so trying to figure this all out and appreciate your input! Very nice! I do like that large balcony. How did you like Deck 4? Any problem with being right above the Promenade Deck? Thanks everyone for their help! I tend to over-research (but that is part of the fun!)

I booked a Verandah Room on the Nieuw Statendam for this July out of Copenhagen. Sailing solo. I'm currently assigned a "VA" level room. I am debating upgrading to Club Orange (it would be a total of $175 as it is just me). Dining in Club Orange would be a benefit, probably not worth the $175. It looks like the Aft Verandah rooms are all sold out. I'm not going to get the thermal spa access pass; so don't really care about having a Spa room. Does anyone know what the best Verandah (non-aft facing) level room I could ask for if I get Club Orange? I have heard some have larger balconies; are there other stateroom upgrades I should consider? I'm new so I don't know if there is something above "VA" I could ask for that would be good for me. Thanks!

$15/day if the cruise is 13+ days.

Thanks for this! I'll be doing a solo cruise on Nieuw Statendam out of Copenhagen in July. I'm 40, first HAL so a little worried about the demographics but I don't cruise with the expectation of making friends so I'm sure I'll be fine. I do really like shows and it sounds like HAL doesn't really do large production shows. Hopefully I'll find something to enjoy.

The only stop I'm not thrilled about is Mykonos. I'm not a big party person. Haven't been to any of the ports before (except Athens). I think there is a train that runs between the airport and the city center. When I was in Greece two years ago I took an Uber from the city to Piraeus and it was pretty cheap. I'm sure you could Uber all the way to the airport; definitely would be the fastest. It looks like the M3 line also goes straight from Piraeus to the airport.

Any favorite Greek Isle stops? Looking at this trip for July. Looks like the cabin is nearly identical (different curtains and lamp?). I'll definitely be requesting a mattress topper -- my bed on Scarlet was so hard.

As someone sailing this ship solo in July through the fjords; do you think Club Orange is worth it? I already have a Veranda and no aft Verandas are available.

My wifi never showed up on Scarlet in April, so I'm thinking it may be fleet-wide. Didn't order coffee so not sure about that.

I assume the boats are identical. I'm leaning towards Resilient as it sounds like there are some new shows that I didn't see when I was on Scarlet.

I'm surprised we haven't seen any reports from the ship yet. I see a few reviews but nothing posted here. I'll be interested to hear if there are any differences. I am deciding between Resilient (Greek Glow) and Valiant (Irresistible Med) for this July. Would lean towards Greek Glow but nervous about new ship hiccups.

When I did this deal in April for Miami I got Deep Blue Extras.

Club Soda/Sparkling Water are free anywhere it is served. They'll deliver it to your room any time you want for free as well (refillable pitcher). The Galley has sparkling water out of the soda machine. I often asked for it at bars (with lemon and lime) with no problem.

Blackjack low limit was $10. Not sure about high limit.

Free water in the casino?

You should be able to book the Flam railroad on your own (or just hop on and pay the conductor once onboard). I took the train on my own a few summers ago (I wasn't on a cruise, just traveling Europe). https://singleflyer.com/2019/06/28/norway-in-a-nutshell-in-one-day/

I read this as a solo traveler only gets one complimentary dining event but can get two meals during that dining event. So, for example: Solo traveler goes to the restaurant on Friday night. They can order two meals at that time on Friday night. They CANNOT go on Friday night and get one meal and return on Saturday night for meal two.