CruisingWalter

5 minutes ago, chefchick said:

Can you expand on that a little more?  Living in Seattle, I would love to take advantage of that.

Basically you're going to put down a 'placeholder' deposit to go to the front of the line when the Seattle itinerary goes on sale this summer. You can purchase the Placeholder starting on May 8 according to the information released by Virgin Voyages. 

We know the first 3 MerMaiden dates. 

Sept 5-10, 2025 from NYC

Oct 17-25, 2025 from Miami

April 7-12, 2026 from Los Angeles

Seattle is May 2026 TBD. 

Did anyone have a full Alaska Season on their bingo card?  I certainly didn't. I figured a few trips to Alaska but never a full season. That's going to be wild.

16 hours ago, George C said:

I believe there is a charter filled with broadway artist , lots of music charters we annually do a 70’s music charter on celebrity. It sells our really quick did it last 6 years.

Yep the Broadway Cruise, one of the many Sixthman Charter cruises. That company is owned by NCL hence every sailing is on one of their ships. They have a charter cruise for pretty much every musical taste. 

16 hours ago, island lady said:

Keep in mind Tic Tock may not be a reliable source.  😉 

TikTok is an excellent source of information if you follow the right people. And if you follow the Cruise Spotter you'll have FOMO daily.  🙂 

12 hours ago, nelblu said:

And the best Mamma Mia on Allure.

For us it's Hairspray. But all great shows. 🙂 

1 hour ago, deltahog said:

1) Are there cruises that have MORE than one Broadway show?  Different shows on different nights?  If so, what ships, and how do I find those?

Many RCCL ships have one Broadway show and up to 2 more Original Shows that are Broadway style and often Broadway caliber. You can usually find which show is on which ship by simply going to the ship's page on their website. I know Hairspray has been on Symphony, Cats on Oasis, Grease on Harmony.  

On 4/23/2024 at 9:22 AM, cantgetin said:

You can buy it on board in another person's name (you'll need all their info, credit card number, etc.).

To my knowledge you cannot do this any longer. When they first started they allowed TAs to do this, but on the slide. It was never allowed, they just looked the other way for a long time. But last year when I purchased a bunch they told me it had to be the Sailor's credit card who was sitting there making the purchases. 

On 4/28/2024 at 4:00 PM, Oren said:

Looks like the cruise lines hold the port terminal position and then that gives them flexibility to finalize their itinerary 2-3 years in advance which makes sense. 

That's exactly how it works Port slots are negotiated and purchased up to 5 years in advance, sometimes more. It's big money for the ports. Cruise lines can change the ships listed so long as they are a size that the port can support, but buying those slots is big business. I would never want that job. 

14 hours ago, AandBmom said:

This is all very helpful so far everyone. What is the crowd like? I just got off a bliss Cruise where I found everybody to be very outgoing and social but that's a very unique demographic. Are people like that on virgin?

I find the VV crowd to be very social. The entire ship is set up for socialization in the sense that there are literally chairs and loungers almost everywhere on the ship.  It's a very chill ship during the day where you can hang with folks out by the (very tiny) pool. Or partake in the activities during the day.

One Sailor said it was like being in Summer Camp for Adults on our first voyage featured in the video link above from @cantgetin. That's kind of how it feels. Without the constraints of kids running around and 'being careful of conversation' around the little ones, there's a sense of freedom to just be you and have fun. 

The biggest differences from the other lines are the mega-yacht feel of the ship, many inclusions so you're not having pay for a ton of extras, nobody upselling a drinks/dinner package, no photographers. Because all of the decks are essentially single story, the ship feels a lot smaller than it really is. You don't have that sense of scale with the multi story atrium or promenade or central feature of so many cruise ships that's more akin to a mall or Las Vegas resort. The ladyships are quite intimate and I think that leads to more social interaction. 

Food is always subjective and since I produced that original video, The Wake is now a brunch only meal for us. We went to dinner there twice since we did that original video and it was underwhelming. Razzle Dazzle and Pink Agave are our two tops picks now and on a good night, Extra Virgin is amazing.  We've really enjoyed Dine and Dash special dinner items the last few times we've been on the ships such as the butter chicken. 

I have met folks from 18 to 80+ on the ships. If you are young at heart, you should really give VV a go. 

My wife does multiple times during every VV cruise. Very comfortable. 

3 hours ago, DrSea said:

I heard from the shiplife YouTuber that the owners of Virgin Voyages is trying to sell off the cruise line. I tried to Google it but didn't come up with anything. Anyone have any info on this? Thanks

Did they cite specific articles, specific sources? If not, then it's just rumor.  All cruise lines are potentially for sale to the right buyer and the right price. Unless something comes out in the official trades, it'll just be rumor and great clickbait to get views. 

19 hours ago, Sonic2012 said:

It is not, from what I heard this morning. In room WiFi was bad, that’s probably why you have people walking around staring at their screens. They’re searching for a stronger signal…

Based on previous folks who posted about running cabling in the hallways, that might have been the start of new Internet infrastructure. With miles and miles of cables to run, and repeaters to install, that may be something that's going to be rolled out over the next few months. Especially if they're working around passengers on revenue sailings. 

According to the Royal Caribbean FAQ, you can only purchase the drinks package up to 72 hours in advance of your cruise or on the first day of your cruise. Sounds like after Day One, no more offers for the drinks package. 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/beverage-package-cancellation-policy

11 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

But if a stateroom category is indeed sold out then there would no longer be any fare reduction within that category, and therefore would no longer be an opportunity to get a fare adjustment.

That depends on whether the category is officially Closed by Royal Caribbean or Waitlisted.

If the category is closed, there won't be any additional fare reductions.  If it is Waitlisted, we've never see the cruise fare reduce. The Waitlist price is usually significantly higher than anyone who has already booked. 

If you're working with a TA, it's super easy for them to price check your stateroom and if there is a price reduction, they can re-fare you cabin without the need to call Royal Caribbean (or Celebrity).

15 hours ago, dunrobbin said:

So they very possibly have hundreds of rooms, but are just showing a few so you think you better grab one quick smart?  Very sneaky....

Travel Agencies may also be holding blocks of cabins, those won't be released until they are either released by the travel agencies or final payment date.  All cruise lines will hold back at least a few categories, especially for cruises that are on sale a year or more out. As categories start to fill in, more will open up. 

Junior Suites are part of the Sea Class of Royal Suites.

• Dinner at Coastal Kitchen, based upon availability*.
• All Day Access** to Silver Dining for guests onboard Spectrum of the Seas^®
• Royal Caribbean Plush Bathrobes for Use Onboard
• Luxury Pillow Top Mattress
• Luxury Bathroom Amenities
• Lavazza Espresso Coffee Machine

*Reservations are required for dinner at Coastal Kitchen (upon availability). Beverages are not included.
**Silver Dining has specific opening hours for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Reservations are not required.
-Complimentary gratuities are not included for Sea guests

The list of benefits for each class of Royal Suite is here

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-are-the-benefits-of-royal-suite-class

The endless parade of 'flash sales' is confusing in themselves. VV is kind of becoming MSC in that regard, MSC runs a flash sale about every other week.  It is interesting that VV tightened the Status Match options when they re-released the program. You cannot match from most every cruise line like you could before.  

12 hours ago, soccersharon said:

Any clue as to a timeline?  Fingers crossed for 2026, but most likely 2025

Everyone at VV is very tight lipped on this one. The deployment grid we have shows Brilliant Lady in Q4 2025 with "Coming Soon." No specific dates or locations. May 1, 12 noon ET we find out together. 

17 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

I feel like VV could really capitalise on West Coast Summer sailings by NOT offering Alaska - it would be so great to have options for Hawaii and Coastals that are not just beginning and end of season repositioning cruises....

That's why I'm most interested in the Seattle sailings. Will they do something other than the expected Alaska itineraries. Seattle to Hawaii would be cool. Seattle to Mexico would be interesting. 

10 hours ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

Panama Canal sounds awesome, always wanted to do full passage through 🙂 

 

 

 

It IS awesome. We did the partial transit on Princess but then took an excursion boat all the way through to the Pacific. I think everyone should do a transit that way as well. With such a small boat, 250 pax, we were coming in to the very bottom of the locks with the walls about 15 feet or so over our heads. When you're on a cruise ship, you're basically on a skyscraper going through. It's still amazing, but experiencing it from the waterline is pretty dang cool too. 

Yep, get ready West Coast.  My guess is she comes across the pond to NYC. Does a few sailings there.  Comes down to Miami, does a few sailings there. Then Panama Canal Crossing to LA.  And then Seattle for some Alaska itineraries?  That'll be interesting. I'm really hoping Hawaii is at least one of the itineraries.

After working in marketing for 2 years for one of the largest casinos in the world I learned that the house always wins. There's no such thing as a free cruise or a free suite in a casino. The vast majority of 'casino comp' guests pay far more than the average guest who is simply paid for their cruise or resort stay. It's brilliant marketing and I was a big part of that to make sure you felt like you were getting something for free and the company was really glad to have you there. The numbers don't like and those numbers were honestly staggering so I see why the cruise lines keep offering "casino comps" to keep folks coming back.

It's the same with the loyalty programs that reward repeat cruisers "free perks" such as WiFi or maybe a few drinks when you hit a certain level. WiFi might cost $200 per cruise but you paid well north of $200k to keep sailing that same cruise line over and over and over and over to get that 'free perk.'  

Brilliant marketing all around. 🙂

On 4/22/2024 at 10:24 PM, Cloud9 Bob said:

I was wondering if anyone has done this without the assistance of a TA. What did you do? How did it go?

It's easier with a TA, but you just have to call Sailor Services to have it transferred. Keep in mind you are only allowed one transfer. If that person decides they cannot go on the cruise and has to cancel, the benefits of the MNVV are lost, it cannot be transferred to anyone else. 

@cantgetin we have a bunch of guests onboard your sailing!  If you meet Bethany, Bill & Jill and Barbara and Don, say hello for us!  Also Paul Thornton from Joy of Cruising Podcast is on your sailing too. He's a super cool guy, I was a featured guest on the podcast last month.  

Have an amazing voyage!