Cloud9 Bob

I’m not allergic to red or black pepper but I find almost all restaurants overdo it as far as my taste is concerned. I can enjoy a little, but more is definitely not better. If I really notice it in a  dish, that’s too much for me.

That's why they make vanilla and chocolate. Neither perfect, but both necessary.

51 minutes ago, periodic itinerant said:

Pro tip: You can ask for both!

I actually may just do that!

I'm sorry,

18 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

The next time, we were with a person who shared my daughter's hobby and they hit it off great.

I'm sorry, but I have to ask now....what is your daughters hobby? 😸

Choice of Shrimp or Lamb. What should I try? What did you try? How was it?

Is it very peppery?

You may book the Wake only once for dinner (5 day or less cruises), but can book it every day for brunch if you like...except for the last day (Disembarkation)...that you must do once onboard.

I find that Virgin Voyages has some major differences over other lines that keep me coming back:

1) No Children

2) Excellent Food, freshly prepared

3) Content staff

4) All inclusive

No photographers, no hard sells, no art gallery sales, no needless PA announcements are all honorable mentions. If you don't try it, you'll never know...so go!

I'm pretty much in the same boat ay you (pun definitely intended). The best way I can explain it is (at least on Scarlet in the Caribbean) is it's loud, active and seemed to be a younger crowd. You can have a great time there. Nobody will even notice you. Nobody will judge you etc. It's just not my thing. I'd rather be elsewhere on the ship. Bring foam earplugs for that and Scarlet Night. You can thank me later 🙂

7 hours ago, KKB said:

Does one seem to work better than the other?

I've had good luck doing the meal reservations on the VV App. Just make sure you begin at midnight 45 or 60 days prior. You'll need the app anyway to submit your photo, passport and credit card info.

2 hours ago, cantgetin said:

NOT standing in line had previously been one of the best things about VV.

I hope that VV is just trying different things and maybe the pendulum will swing to a more middle of the road solution when all is said and done.

At least there were no screaming kids 😇

I think the glitch in my brain about this for all this time was I never realized that the MNVV discounts the cruise fare by $300 in addition to the $300 you initially pay for it.

💡<----------Lightbulb going off!

1 hour ago, Well-Traveled-Eric said:

You pay the the extra $40 at the time of booking.

And am I correct to assume there is no other payment due until you hit the exact 120 day before sailing mark?

Actually 20% of $1700 is $340. Would you at some point have to kick in an extra $40? When?

My last 2 VV cruises I paid off in full when I booked, but I was always curious about the statement below which I grabbed somewhere on the VV website:

VIRGIN VOYAGES SAYS:

"Deposits are 20% of your voyage fare (ticket price only, not taxes and fees), and they are due at the time of booking. However, if you're booking less than 120 days prior to your voyage start date, full voyage fare would be required."

So, say your ticket price for a fare is $2000. You are more than 120 days from sail date. You use an MNVV voucher as your $300 deposit. Now you owe $1700. Can you leave that entire balance until you get to the 120 day from sailing point and then just pay the $1700 (plus taxes/fees) off in full?

9 minutes ago, Tralfaz1138 said:

The juices themselves were in bags they poured them out from, so they pre made at some point.

Do you think they procure theme elsewhere and they are not even pressed on the ship?

47 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

 Late booking on a stolen card, booking expensive extras…anticipating cash refunds for cancellation

I was surprised that any company would give a cash refund when the original payment was through a credit card. I thought it unheard of. Is this even possible on a cruise ship? I recently had an excursion cancelled by Virgin and it was credited back to the original card. Do/did they have a practice of giving a passenger on the ship a cash refund for a canceled excursion??

I went back and watched it for a second time. There are just too many inconsistencies in her story for me to believe that she is an innocent victim. When the female officer asked her how much she initially put down as a deposit she said "couple of hundred" then she confirmed "two hundred" then when the female officer said something about it being a non-realistic number, it immediately became "five hundred." Then she said all she had to do is "pay for her flight." Her demeanor was also too calm. If you really had been scammed and were losing your money and cruise, you'd be upset. The lies continued, Her Grandfather suddenly became her Uncle. I think she was acting as an accomplice to a scammer who wanted to get a charge back for a cabana ($500) and later Para Sailing. They also picked a very short cruise, so they can get her in and out. Notice the KW cop said that this happens to Virgin all the time. I assume they have a system in place now to prevent this. 

Virgin Voyages has something for everyone. It is by no means for the young only. I am in my 60's and have been cruising them exclusively lately. They will love it and I'll bet you will love it. Music is definitely geared for a younger crowd but you can see blues bands in one particular bar area so I'm fine with that. Food is very good. My first cruise was a gift from my in laws. I was twenty something and remember it (and them) fondly. Go for it.

4 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

They've not shown us any real pictures of them even though the ship is sitting there ready to go. 

Walter, I'm thinking that should tell us all we need to know 🤣

1 hour ago, kaysha2004 said:

What's with the ducks?  Is it a game?  On one of my Virgin cruises, there were ducks here and there.

It started years ago on Disney ships. It's just a fun thing some people enjoy doing.They usually put a tag on it with the ships name and their name and a QR code to one of the websites that are dedicated to hiding them. It's to post a selfie with the duck if you'd like to. You can either keep it or re-hide it. It's just done to make someone smile. It's funny how it infuriates others.

There is a FB page totally devoted to hiding ducks on VV ships. 🦆 🦆 🦆

When I saw your title my knuckles twinged from the  times the nuns would rap them 🤣

On 9/29/2023 at 2:17 PM, cantgetin said:

For instance, in RD, we often saw the lead person at the podium step away to clear or wipe tables, leaving only one at the podium.

I know one of the managers on Scarlet and many a day I've seen him grab a mop to sop up a spill.