CruisingWalter

100% capacity is 2770 at double occupancy. 2860 is totally fun with 3rd and 4th guests. I guess Cruise Mapper is going by the absolute full capacity number.

No clue to be honest. We've never sailed for Easter. BUT if this chart from Cruise Mapper is correct, it is going to be a VERY busy day in Miami tomorrow. 7 big ships and the Seabourn in or leaving port tomorrow. I don't think I've ever seen 7 big ships leaving Miami on a single day. And those numbers next to the cruise ships are maximum capacity, not how many guests are actually booked. So we don't know exactly how many are booked on the ship.

Balcony on Symphony. We just sailed her in December and had a fantastic time. More dining choices would lean me to Symphony every time. Freedom is a nice ship, but after having spent a lot of time relaxing in Central Park, I would take the Oasis class ship.

As others have noted, the schedule will continually change. I honestly don't know why VV has such an issue with scheduling. All the other cruise lines we sail have no problem getting their schedule about 90% nailed down before we get onboard. But VV is constantly shuffling things, even after you get onboard. So keep a sharp eye on the schedule every single day of the cruise, other than the main shows in the Red Room, everything else can shift in time and even day. We'll see you onboard! Easter on Scarlet Lady, I'm looking forward to this. 🙂

Trivia, arts and crafts, sports tournaments and the like, but not nearly as much as you'll find on other cruise lines. It's definitely more chill. I like to relax on Deck 7 during the day, not back at the Dock but those midship 'patios.' Afternoon tea is worth the extra cost in Sip.

You could never check in early. You can drop your checked bags with the porter and take a shuttle to Bayside marketplace. If you have carry on luggage that needs to go with you. When it's time to get on the ship, you check in at the appointed time. Note that while the shuttle is supposed to run a continuous loop until at least 3:30pm, that didn't happen for us last July. We were basically stranded at Bayside around 1:30pm. Ended up taking a Lyft back to the port around 2:30 when the shuttle never came back.

Nobody attracts more first time cruisers than Carnival and Royal Caribbean. But VV is a great cruise line for first timers. Though they will be spoiled by having so much included in the cruise fare vs. the other lines. As for the funding round, normal course of business. Always need to have cash in reserve and if there are any plans for ships 5 and 6, they'll need a starting point. My hope is they use some of the cash for a proper ordering system in The Galley. Just lift exactly what NCL has been doing for years first in Food Republic and now their Indulge Food Hall with the iPad ordering system. Or move the ordering to an app. And that NCL Indulge Food Hall looks like The Galley 2.0 based on the food offerings and reviews I've seen in a few of the video vlogs I follow. Good Indian food for one would be a welcome addition anywhere.

Provided the shuttle actually keeps running. When we sailed Scarlet last July we were waiting at the appointed location, after just missing the previous shuttle at 1;45p and the shuttle never came back. At 2:30 we ended up calling in a Lyft with another couple that was also stranded at Bayside. VV reps apologized and gave us onboard credit to make up for Lyft payment. 🙂

As with any cruise line, VV is open to meeting your dining requests if they can fulfill it. Most everything is made to order so leaving out a sauce or making a substitution if they have it, is no problem. Grilled chicken with no sauce should be no problem at all for example. Basic rule, as with any cruise line, just ask. And I would approach one of the dining captains when you first get on board to talk through what they can and cannot do.

1000%. I was talking to one of the sound techs in On The Rocks and he said they had real concert and theater designers work on all the music spaces. You can tell because it just sounds so good in every single venue.

Nope, the ship is rather chill during the day. Especially if you hang out by the Dock or most anywhere on the ship during the day. The DJ does a set or two near the pool but that's no different than any other ship that has a live band or DJ out by the pool during the day. I actually did a review about this on YouTube and my biggest surprise was how much VV felt like the Celebrity Cruises vibe. Chill and laid back. If you want it to be a loud party you can have that. If you want a totally chill experience, you can have that. Even at night, the Dock and Dock House tend to be pretty chill, On the Rocks usually has a trio or a singer in the evenings. Really the only "loud night" is Scarlet Night which is a full ship party. But even there, you can avoid that party easily by just hanging out in the very back of Deck 16 or down in The Dock on deck 7. Here's my review if you're interested. https://youtu.be/-R0imB73ajg

That's what I do on every ship. The bartenders are always the best folks to ask how many people are really on the ship. Our very first cruise back from the pandemic we had only 1800 on the NCL Escape, a ship built for over 4000 pax. It was glorious. 🙂

Standard procedure in any death on a cruise ship.

Thanks for sharing your insight.

Yep, people do not simply 'fall overboard' or 'fall off a balcony.' Those railings are 42 - 52" high on the ships so you have to work at it to go over. It's a terrible, terrible thing, but this is a completely avoidable situation. Never sit on the railings. Never climb on anything on the balcony near the railings. Never lean out over the railings. There is literally zero margin for error. I've done multiple TikToks and YouTube videos about this.

They passed away. https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/video/virgin-voyages-passenger-died-after-going-over-balcony/

Truly sad situation. Future cruise credit means nothing to those impacted directly. Such a terrible situation.

Princess Gratuities are $15.50/day pp Princess Medallion WiFi is $15/day pp You're going to pay the gratuities and you said you both want WiFi. So with Princess Plus at $60/day pp including those two items above, your drinks package will be $29.50/day pp. That's about as low of a cost for a drinks package as you can get in cruising today. Keep in mind that includes your specialty coffees, mocktails, wine, and cocktails, up to $15 each. For many folks, $29.50 per day in coffee and cocktails works out. If you don't think you'll drink $29.50 in coffee and cocktails per day, on average, over the course of the cruise, then go ala carte for the drinks and just order the WiFi package.

I wouldn't hold my breath given how slowly that app has improved. It would be nice though.

Those terms were most definitely somewhere in the FCC offer. Either large or small print. It's not on the cruise line to remind you to use any FCC. It's up to you to use it or lose it.

Its so interesting to hear you guys saying that when I was told the MNVV would not include the Bar Tab due to the $600 OBC already included with MNVV. I guess they've changed their policies of late.

I've been told multiple times by the folks on the phone that it did not apply to MNVV offers because of the $600 Sailor Loot already given in the MNVV.

It's kind of bizarre if you look at any of the ipads that are at the bars or other locations. You can see yourself just pop up on the screen when you get close. We were having a conversation with the Future Cruise Desk when I noticed myself and my friend were on his screen. Then some other folks walked in and they popped up on the screen. They all know exactly who you are before you even say anything. In a way it's bizarre, but in another way, it's nice because they know exactly who you are before you even walk up.

Yes, but not much happened with the ship during that time, other than basic maintenance to keep her running. All ships have to go into dry dock at least every 5 years from what I've read on other maritime sites. "Cruise Industry News" is a great website for all things drydock and new ship construction. 🙂

It's in the Piazza, actually a terrible location because it's a causeway. Our friends really enjoyed dinner there last month, but the way it's set up, you don't really get that 'high end experience.' Some staff mentioned something about a pub type of setting to replace it which would work better in that loud, high traffic area.