the_fh_mets

I've heard that people booked through certain TAs can sometimes book 60 days out as part of a special offer for the travel consortiums. However, I'm guessing that you booked your own reservations and you would know if your TA *wink wink* had access to those special privileges. 

The best place to find the arrival/departure times is actually on the booking site. Go to the VV homepage, search for your sailing as if you were making a new booking, click on the date, and you should be able to see the details there. Remember that all aboard at each port will be 30 minutes before the time listed in the itinerary. 

1 hour ago, dversaggi said:

. If I'm booked to board at 3, for example, how soon before my time should I show up? I am a fisherman's daughter now living in land locked Atlanta, so if I can hand off my luggage early, I am content to stare at the water in the shade of the Port Blvd bridge for hours. I miss open water so much.

You can drop off your luggage in the morning with a porter starting around 10. Virgin doesn't start boarding until 1:30, but once they start it goes quick. However, you may not be able to get into the terminal much before your boarding time, so if you are boarding at 3, you might be waiting out in the sun for a while, so you might want to consider delaying arriving until 2:15. 

1 hour ago, dversaggi said:

On DCL, I remember running to Palo first for dining reservations then sprinting down to the spa for those reservations. On VV, what would you suggest doing for hard to come by spots? Restaurants then spa to reserve massage and fitness classes? Should I also reserve a show? Is it crazy to even try?

If you are not booked in a suite, you can book your dining in the app starting at midnight 45 days out (reservations for suites open 60 days prior).If you have a TA, they can book on your behalf and may be able to book before the 45 days. You can alternatively call Virgin first thing in the morning the day dining reservations open and they can usually help book on your behalf. As a solo, you may have an easier time booking than larger groups.

The important thing is to get slots booked for each night in advance. Once on board, additional slots open up and you can change the time on your own in the app. Alternatively, you can go to the first day dining reservations help desk, which is usually at Razzle Dazzle (on Deck 5, across the elevator bank from Sailor Services) and they can help you. If you are not happy with the dining times you prebooked (or if you were unable to prebook) I would suggest dealing with dining first. 

Shows and many workout classes are now first come first serve, although there are exceptions. If you are reasonably happy with your dining reservations, I would suggest checking the app when you board to sign up for the few shows and classes that may require reservations. The few workout classes that require reservations tend to fill up quickly. 

Once you handled all of the reservations, then you can go to the spa to sign up for other services. The spa is conveniently also on 5, so you can go right from Razzle Dazzle/Sailor Services to the spa. 

1 hour ago, dversaggi said:

7. What is a normal bar tab for a 5 night? I'm not usually a drinker, but I may need it to be social. It seems pricy to me.

It depends what you drink. Sodas, juices and drip coffee are free If you Google VV bar tab calculator, then you can plug in some various scenarios. The only advantage of buying a bar tab ahead is you get some bonus spend depending on how much you buy. However, the bar tab is non-refundable, so you are taking a risk. If you are a solo sailor who doesn't really drink, it may not be worth the risk. However, VV just expanded (and raised the price) on their on mocktail offerings, if that's of interest to you.

1 hour ago, dversaggi said:

Do they charge for soy milk?

No. There is no upcharge for non-dairy milk and soy, almond and oat are all usually available. 

They suddenly reappeared for me, unfortunately at the same high price I didn't want to pay. So I guess it was just a weird fluke. 

3 hours ago, HesterMofet said:

Can you get a two top in most restaurants? I know probably not in the Test Kitchen but we prefer to sit by ourselves

The default on Virgin, unlike other cruise lines, is that you sit at your own table, like a regular restaurant on land. The only exception is Gunbae, where groups of six sit around a grill.

Test Kitchen has normal tables plus "chef counter" seating, where you will be seated with others at a bar facing the kitchen where they prep a few of the courses. If you have a preference for one over the other, tell the host when you arrive. 

I just went on the website to see if the prices of any of the itineraries had been adjusted with the new promotions, and when I filter for Brilliant Lady, only the Miami sailings show. If I filter for North America, nothing shows. There's even an access point from the homepage to look at the NY Itineraries, but nothing shows when I click it.

Has anyone else noticed this? Almost feels like deja vue...

40 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Often my go to for breakfast is cottage cheese and fruit.  Sometimes eggs with bacon or sausage.  Usually a trial of eggs Benedict once a cruise, depending on how well they are done.  On a ‘bad’ day, is there any place with sticky buns?  EM

The Galley has a pastries counter with rotating breakfast pastries as does the Grounds Club on 7. I can't recall specifically if there were any sticky buns any day, but I'd say there's a pretty decent chance. 

As others mentioned, Diner and Dash in the Galley has made to order eggs and breakfast meats 24 hours/day. The taco counter in the Galley usually has 1 or 2 daily rotating benedict specials during breakfast hours. 

Razzle Dazzle has a few different egg dishes on the menu and can prepare eggs any style you want.  As a word of warning, avoid the frittata; I thought it was pretty bad when I had it and after my sailing I got drinks with a friend who had sailed a few weeks prior and she, unprompted, mentioned the frittata at Razzle Dazzle was the worst thing she ate. 

YMMV, but the itineraries departing Puerto Rico had very late sail away times and I was never charged additional sales tax on drinks. (San Juan has an 11.5% tax on alcohol so it was a pleasant surprise.) I would assume that Virgin just ate the cost. 

Outside of the US, prices are typically inclusive of taxes, but I don't know what Virgin usually does about that. I know that depending on local laws, some cruise lines have different menus for different regions to account for needing to include tax and gratuities in the up front cost. 

I'm trying to remember the specific brands, but Valiant has several different options (a Louisiana style, a Sriracha style, and a Mexican style) in the Galley at the condiment station across from the burger bar and also either Tabasco or Cholula either already on the tables or in the condiment stations that were set up for the servers to be able to easily bring condiment to the tables upon request. 

Outside the Galley, the only restaurant that I know for a fact has hot sauce is Gunbae, but my guess is all of them can provide it upon request.

The pizza place has chili flakes, but I don't recall seeing hot sauce. 

I would assume Scarlet Lady is the same. 

1 hour ago, Daruma said:

Hiya, folks. 

 

I don't drink alcohol, but do enjoy the occasional "Mocktail," Milk Shake, maybe a Specialty Coffee or Tea... maybe. 

 

First, in all the reviews and YouTube videos I've watched... I don't think I've seen mention of Milk Shakes... though given there's an ice cream shop, there must be Milk Shakes, right? 

 

Can anyone tell me roughly the cost of Mocktails & Milk Shakes please? 

 

I know of some bars that charge the same price for virgin cocktails as they do alcoholic ones, and some places that reduce the price. 

 

I'm just wondering, based on approximate price, if I'd drink $300 worth of those items over the course of 5 & 6 days, (the length of my two different VV  cruises). 

 

Thank you for your help. 

Most mocktails are $5 (mojitos, daqueries, bloody marys, etc.) The exceptions are the ones that contain non-alcoholic spirits, such as Seedlip, which are $7-12, depending on the drink. (Some of these 'spirits' retail in stores for more than the alcoholic equivalents, so this makes sense). I believe the non-alcoholic sparkling wine is $7. The agua frescas at Pink Agave are $3. 

Social Club has alcoholic milkshakes, which can be made non-alcoholic, but I don't know the price. 

14 hours ago, Flafun888 said:

thank you. That's great to know and quite different from what some reviewers described. Perhaps they tweaked things recently. I'm a mellower yacht rock gal - or hardcore rock....or trop rock or really ANY music genre other than hip hop or EDM.

I'm very uncool, I guess. 😅

One complaint that I heard recently from fellow passengers about the music is that they don't play music in the pool area that some people would "expect" to hear on a cruise, like reggae and yacht rock and the beach boys, etc. (I assume what is being played on other cruise lines).  Instead, the music by the pool is more club music, ala trendy Miami and Vegas beach/pool clubs. I think when you hear the complaints about the music, this is specifically what they are referring to. The way one person phrased it is that the music lacks the "context" of where you are. 

I suspect this feeling is what's behind the music complaints you've read. 

Top 3 things for me on Virgin:

- On average, I found the food is very good and fresh, featuring a wide variety of fresh produce, not even factoring in the volume of people they are feeding on a given day (Emphasis on the 'on average' part. There is some no-so-great food sometimes but it seems like the exception, rather than the rule). 

- The service I've personally experienced ranges from great to outstanding. Servers everywhere are all happy to accommodate dietary restrictions and can easily and quickly lookup ingredients and make substitutions, and they don't act like you are bothering them. Bartenders are happy to make complex off menu cocktails and put their own spin on them. The shore excursions folks genuinely want to ensure you will have a good time. Room attendants are responsive to requests.

- The featured entertainment is not just jukebox musicals. 

After starting this thread, I looked at Celebrity and Princess more and I do wonder if they can be truly comparable on these metrics.  

20 minutes ago, Flafun888 said:

Can you share any insights re: the music? I was so close to booking this past week, but then dove into the reviews and read some that said music volume was pounding loud everywhere on the ship and mostly hip hop, EDM and Latin. Did you find that, as well?

 

Did they offer any other music genres on a daily basis? Traditional rock, 80s-00s Top 40; country, blues, jazz, standards - anything? If I'm stuck hearing nothing but hip hop and EDM for most of the trip, that would be pure torture for me - and a deal-breaker, sadly. 😞

The only music that I found that was too loud and not my style was anytime the DJ was playing, which is generally:

- In the atrium on boarding day (mostly avoidable, unless you want ice cream or that's where you're mustering)

- In the pool area in the afternoons, when the pool is most crowded anyway.

If you don't like the volume at the pool and you aren't actively in the pool, which would be full and loud at that time anyway, I found you can generally go up one deck (to the sundeck level) and there are lots of options for areas to lounge facing the water and the two bars on that deck serve the same drinks as the pool, and the sound didn't really carry. It's also more relaxing in general because there are fewer people around. 

The volume of the live music is much more tolerable, however, if you don't like the volume or the genre, there's always a more quiet area. For example, if you hate the band playing at On The Rocks one evening, you can just go up the stairs to Sip and it's much quieter. 

The live bands play all sorts of genres, from pop to soul to country to Latin, depending on the band. 

Other than the DJ, the non-live music is typically mostly 90s and 00s pop played at an appropriate volume for background music.

Sound doesn't seem to carry, so if you aren't in the immediate area of where music is playing, you really don't hear it, so you can pretty much always escape music you don't like. 

Most bars can make pretty much any classic cocktail, and even some you might not think of, such as chocolate martinis. If you're ordering something less common off menu that a server may not be familiar with, it might be better to order directly from the bar, but the bar tenders are generally skilled enough to make pretty creative off-menu cocktails and the servers are pretty knowledgeable as well. 

In terms of non-alcoholic options, many bars have both Seedlip and a non-alcoholic sparkling wine, even if neither is listed on the menu, and can turn many drinks on their menu into non-alcoholic options, and pretty much universally can make non-alcoholic mojitos and bloody marys.

Sometimes they show up early but say they are  sold out, so if you see them all sold out on the first evening, don't freak out.

I think it's pretty rare for any of them to sell out the first day (although not unheard of). They also sometimes add more options closer to the cruise. 

Thanks everyone! Really insightful.

This may actually all be moot now that it sounds like Resilient is heading to San Juan...

3 hours ago, Travel-and-See said:

 any-time dining, no reservations for shows and events

The reservations (and the pressure I put on myself surrounding them) may be my least favorite part about Virgin. That and the pool. 

How does the included food on Celebrity compare to VV? One thing I like about VV is that all of the food is plated nicely and seems to be cooked fresh, and can be customized on the spot to meet dietary restrictions, compared to other cruise lines where the MDR, at least in pictures, seems to be "banquet food", for lack of a better term. 

Virgin's currently available US itineraries for 2025 aren't particularly exciting (a downside of only having three ships and a contractual commitment to Port of Miami). For those who have cruised with Virgin and other lines, which line do you sail when you can't sail Virgin? Why?

On 2/12/2024 at 7:39 PM, Steelers0854 said:

Also, it appears the coffee shop on 7 may have cold brew, the one on 15 doesn’t for sure. I’ll confirm tomorrow for my fellow cold brew fans.

Did you manage to find any cold brew?

I've seen other mentions of shore excursions issues for the sailings leaving San Juan. It's not really acceptable, but it sort of makes sense because they're a newish company that's only been going to these ports for a few weeks now, and is only visiting each port a handful of times, so it's probably difficult to vet providers and maintain relationships. 

I'm a little concerned about a specific shore thing I have booked in Curacao that only seems to exist through Virgin, with no private providers I can find conducting similar tours that go to the same places, but fingers crossed that I'm wrong.

2 hours ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Still waiting. 🤦🏼‍♀️

In your experience on Virgin and other lines, how common are immigration delays at ports? Should they be a factor in booking excursions outside of the cruise line or are they relatively rare?

15 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

DW got the bait and switch. As you see below this really shouldn’t be called eggplant parm as it really doesn’t resemble it at all.

Out of curiosity, Is the "Eggplant Parm" a secret menu item available upon request or is it an accommodation for allergies? Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think I've seen it on a menu nor do I recall anyone else mentioning it. Also thinking about potential accomodations for my own special dietary needs.