CruisingWalter

No official word from Virgin Voyages on Brilliant Lady. On the Deployment Grid she is shown in Q4 2025 with "Coming Soon."  We are expecting some new announcements from VV in May. I would say stay tuned for that release. 

I don't know how they do it, but they find THE BEST musicians and acts for all of their venues, especially On The Rocks. Probably the only way to find out who will be onboard is to ask Jeremy Larochelle on LinkedIn. He's the head of Music Strategy for Virgin Voyages and hopefully will be coming on my YouTube live show one Thursday evening to specifically talk acts on VV. He posts a LOT of stuff about VV music on the platform and you can probably drop him a DM.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremylarochelle/

It's no different than any other GTY room.  You pay a price, VV decides later which stateroom you get. Personally I would never do a GTY room on any ship, especially the Rockstars on VV. Remember that there are suites directly below both sides of the Gym. I actively avoid those suites when recommending cabins for folks. They are also the suites I usually see still available on the decks plans shortly before the ladyships sail... 🙂 

The Galley will be open when you get back onboard, it's 24 hours and Dine and Dash at the very least will be open. It's possible Razzle Dazzle or The Wake will be open for turnaround lunch. You'll get a notice in your stateroom on how the process will work and don't expect to necessarily get right back onboard. There could be a delay of up to an hour depending on the Coast Guard inspection. They have to clear the ship before anyone is let back on. Usually it only takes a few minutes of paperwork, but it can take longer if there are any specific areas they need to see. 

3 hours ago, Cloud9 Bob said:

Has anyone successfully used a VPN while on the ships WiFi?

I have tried on 5 different cruise lines and it was blocked on all 5 including both Scarlet and Valiant Ladies.  Without the VPN, service was fine.

Contact your TA if you have an MNVV. VV is offering an extra $300 off a selection of repositioning and a few Caribbean cruises with the MNVV. 

So the deal will be $600 off the cruise fare, plus the $300 you already paid to purchase the MNVV and your $300 or $600 Sailor Loot. It a very limited selection of cruises, but reach out to your TA today if you have an MNVV available for 2024 or 2025. The promotion ends in May. Happy Sailing! 

I know a bunch of folks who have gone through the process, successfully and not. I have heard that MSC has been removed from the status match in this latest round. That was from an MSC executive who was planning to see what the cruise line was all about. 🙂 

On 4/19/2024 at 8:02 PM, Cloud9 Bob said:

I'm having the same experience. Have they blocked booking the last day or is it their way of telling us brunch is full??

If you mean Debarkation Day, you can only make that reservation while onboard, not in advance. Once you're on the Ship WiFi you can make brunch reservations for debarkation day. 

On 4/17/2024 at 11:39 PM, Cloud9 Bob said:

On my cruise last year brunch @ The Wake was a walk up thing. Now the information says "Brunch is available daily - please book onboard." Do they mean as soon as you arrive onboard and using the app or go directly to the restauraant (may not be open yet) and see someone at the podium, or Sailor Services or Razzle Dazzle? Anyone actually do this yet and can shed some light? Thanks!

You can make brunch reservations in advance through a TA. We do that all the time. In general walk up is not that difficult, but there are some days, especially sea days, where the wait can be a long one without a reservation. Same with Razzle Dazzle.  

On 4/14/2024 at 5:23 AM, MayB5 said:

Has anyone had a similar experience?
Is it possible this was a rogue quote and I should call again?

Anyone care to hazard a guess as to VV pricing strategy?

The pricing on the website includes promotion for a new booking. When you want to 'upgrade' your stateroom, you are not given the benefits of the promotions.  You're being charged closer to the 'brochure rate' rather than the promotion rate.  All the cruise lines do this process differently. As others have mentioned, you can try to get the cabin through the bidding process. Or work with a TA in the future who can sometimes find ways around that weird policy. 🙂

24/7 in The Galley, that drip coffee in the back. It's not the best but it's ok. It's got a weird flavor, I can't quite place it. I've thought about bringing my AeroPress with me the next time I'm on a Ladyship with my own coffee grounds. 

Ironically the coffee that's delivered via room service is much better than the stuff in The Galley so perhaps that your 'go-to' for early morning coffee.  The night time coffee spot is Sip Champagne lounge with their amazing hand pulled espresso machines. That's the strongest coffee on the ship. 🙂

On 4/8/2024 at 12:32 PM, DaMom said:

Thanks, Walter! I watched one of your videos and that was quite helpful as well!

I'm so glad the info has been helpful! 

On 4/8/2024 at 11:58 AM, lesters said:

CruisingWalter thanks for all the great information you have provided here and on your channel.

Thanks so much for the kind words. I'm so glad the information has been helpful!

It's a glitch, they already turned it off.... 🙂

For some reason our TA can book Rockstar Reservations today, 65 days out from the cruise.  Not sure if it's a glitch or VV is trying something new with their dining reservation system?  One of our fellow Rockstars noticed that the reservations said they opened up today in the app, but can't actually make the reservations in the app. But our TA can.  

27 minutes ago, raphael360 said:

It looks like it's pretty much the same DBE's we've been getting for the past 2 years, if I'm reading it right...

More or less, but you do have to have a specific amount of sailings now or Status Match. The coffee benefit changed from $10/day to 2 coffees per day. I was always able to squeeze 3 Macchiatos for $9/day. 🙂 

I will say you were lucky. I'm still hearing from Sailors who are spending 3 hours or more trying to get dining reservations.  The dining usually comes online around 11:45p ET, though sometimes as early as 11:30. 

We have had our TA book the reservations for us lately because when the booking engine works (it can be as flaky as the app sometimes) they can get our reservations done in a few minutes. Glad it worked for you, but you are an exception at the moment. 🙂

On 4/5/2024 at 7:57 PM, DaMom said:

Thinking about a VV cruise next year with our son and his gf (late 20s). We are mid-60s/early 70s. Will we be the oldest people on the ship 😉 what's the actual age range on VV (as opposed to what they advertise to)? 

We've met folks from 18 to 90+ on our sailings. If I were to guess, I would peg the median age at 50 for the four sailings we've taken so far. It skews younger on the 4 nighters and older on the 6 and 8 nighters. VV is for those who are young at heart, age is irrelevant. 🙂

On 4/3/2024 at 9:22 AM, garycarla said:

After all, in the end, many gamblers pay more than others - LOL!

Gamblers always pay more than the rest of us. You don't really think the cruise lines are giving away free cabins do you? 😅

For a time I worked in the marketing department of Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, at the time it was the largest casino in the world. What I learned is that the house always win, there's no such thing as a comped room, there's no such thing as a 'comped' anything. You're paying far and above what non-gamblers do for the 'privilege' of the 'comped' whatever. We just created amazing marketing that made you think you were getting free stuff. Those who simply stayed in the resort and never entered the casino paid far less for their vacations than the gamblers. It's the same with the cruise lines.

It always makes me laugh on cruises when I meet someone who says "This is a free cruise for me thanks to a casino comp." Cruise lines and casinos don't give anything away. The power of marketing my friend. I was in that game for over 30 years, we could make you believe almost anything. 😀

On 4/4/2024 at 7:30 AM, kiefaber455 said:

it has worked so far, but what I have found is that once you book a reservation, you very rarely speak with that TA again,

Sounds like you're working with a discount cruise site or a big box cruise site. But that happens when you're just 'shopping the field for the best deal.' You're better off sticking to the 'cheap cruise websites' for that. When you say you're shopping for the most onboard credit I assume you're just looking for TAs who have MNVVs to sell. That's not how you build a relationship with a TA.

When you work with a really good TA they are there with you from the time you book through the time you return home. And then they start to know you so they can find vacations that might appeal to you on cruise lines and on land.  We worked with the same TA for almost 20 years and you build that relationship that pays far more dividends than shopping for the best onboard credit. I know our TA has saved their clients hundreds and thousands of dollars on overall vacations beyond just the cruise and/or onboard credit. 

And for those who say you should find a local TA, that's not bad, but with today's digital age, our TA is servicing clients all over the US and even some clients abroad. WhatsApp, Zoom, Google Meet all make face to face meetings so easy with the added benefit of screen sharing. You can find a good TA most anywhere today. 🙂

On 4/5/2024 at 12:07 PM, kwokpot said:

On the cruiselines mentioned, 100% yes. Even on Princess complementary cruises count towards your loyalty status. I

No, actually they don't fully get the loyalty points for future cruises. On Princess specifically you will gain only one point or no points towards your loyalty status if you take a casino comped cruise. This is from guests who have sailed within the past two months and did not gain any points or only got one point  for sailing in a Suite when it should have been double points. 

30 minutes ago, Lustate said:

Its also worth noting a bookings types wont qualify...

Pretty much the same on most cruise lines. When you take a comp or a deeply discounted cruise fare, you can get reduced or no perks from the cruise line. I've seen this on Princess with some of my casino friends who complained they didn't get 'double points' for suite that they barely paid for. 🙂

On 4/2/2024 at 7:54 AM, raphael360 said:

TA question:  Can TAs log into their First Mate portal to see and select from any of the rooms available in specific categories?

Absolutely, its one of the best reasons to use a TA.  They can also move your cabins around if you booked directly and then transfer your booking to the TA.  

Additionally TAs can book your dinner reservations so you don't have to deal with the app, and they can book Shore Things for you as well. 

The official Sailing Club is now live on the Virgin Voyages website.

https://www.virginvoyages.com/sailing-club?item=7c99a8ad-d2cd-4829-9ae2-4241baa210e3#intro

16 hours ago, Carol Loves to Cruise said:

Gee….im not sure where I read it but I read a post somewhere recently that says Virgin can arrange rental of scooters and there’s room in the hallways to park/charge the scooter.  I was so happy about it, but now I think someone posted incorrect info.  

No cruise line rents scooters and no cruise line allows you to park a scooter in the hallway to charge. VV probably refers people to Scootaround or Special Needs Group, both of whom can provide scooter rentals. But they must fit inside your room when not in use, they cannot be left in the hallways, nor can they be left in the elevator lobbies for charging.