bortzct

Remember that the majority of airports have onsite testing. I walked off my flight into Ft Lauderdale and 15 minutes later I had my Rapid Antigen test complete and results in hand for my cruise the next day. It cost $59 and is a great back up for those that can’t get a free test at Walgreens or CVS.

 Are you flying in for your cruise? Many airports offer onsite walk up testing. I just cruises out of Ft Lauderdale last week and got my rapid antigen test done at the airport testing site - in and out in 15 min. This was for a Celebrity cruise. Good luck!

On 10/22/2021 at 8:49 AM, floridatraveler43 said:

Sorry, I meant did the lack of water pose any problems for you during the cruise? Virgin is the first cruise line I know of where you can't get bottled water pre-cruise or from any bar on the ship.

It did not cause me any issue at all. It actually helped get me in the habit of carry my I insulated refillable bottle with me vs going through multiple bottled waters per day. I had no issue getting more water while on the ship - either from the Galley or any of the bars will gladly give you a glass of ice water. I filled my big refillable Bottle and took it to the beach at Bimini and it worked out great. I really thought it would be an issue but it was not.

On 10/22/2021 at 12:03 PM, Ginnyfyr said:

@bortzctOooh, you are in for a treat with that Celebrity cruise! Be careful...once you get into suites, it's hard to go back to regular balconies! Hubby and I usually go in a sky suite but we've splurged on Celebrity suites (the next one up) a couple of times for special occasions. Luminae is absolutely incredible (try the smoked tomato soup at embarkation day lunch - I always have 2 bowls!) and you'll have access to Blu as well (though we find Luminae is so excellent that we don't need to dine elsewhere). 

 

Thanks again for a fantastic review! I'm just taking a break from packing for our sailing on Sunday...best get back to it before I get completely side tracked, lol.

Thanks for the Celebrity tips- looking forward to having the “Suite” experience. Hope you are having a wonderful cruise right now!!!

Glad you all liked my live review and found it helpful for your cruise planning! Especially on a new cruise line or ship, I always search the boards for the latest reviews or chats on it before hand. That way I don't feel so lost that 1st day - I act like I actually know what I'm doing. LOL

On the questions about shaded areas at the beach club, We had no issues finding loungers with umbrellas for shade on the beach. Around the pool area there is not as much shaded areas. We did notice that there were more in umbrellas and loungers available if you went to the left side when you approached the beach, As most people tend to go to the middle or to the right. Once the ship gets full capacity, that could all change. If you go over before 11am, you will have tons of Prime spots to pick from. It did not get hopping until after lunch time.

No, Virgin will not be my next cruise. I already have two Royal Caribbean cruises planned for Dec and February and then a Celebrity cruise planned for January. I am excited for the Celebrity Millennium cruise as we splurged and got a Sky Suite - never done that before.  The Feb cruise will be on Royal's Allure of the Sea which will be my first time doing their mega Oasis class ship. I love the size and design of their Freedom class ships - my most favorite design so far of all the cruise lines I have done so far.  Virgin is my #1 pick for food but feel they need to broaden their entertainment options. All their venues are small so they need more options so people don't rush and book up all the spots for the three shows they do have. It would be nice to have just one sports bar on the ship - their was a ton of folks Lined up on our top deck on Sunday watching the jumbo tron on the Royal Caribbean ship which was playing the Cowboys game as there was nowhere to watch it on the Scarlet lady.  No going to lie, I would have like to see a Comedy Club too but that might not be hip enough.

Virgin does give you a different cruise experience and at 50% capacity, now is a fantastic time to cruise them.

Sorry for the delay but here is the recap from Day 5 (I stayed out too late on our last night to post earlier).

We were at  Bimini from around 9:30am-9:30pm and it was perfect weather for a beach day - no humidity and a light breeze. Right after you walk off the ship, they have free trams waiting to take you over to the Beach Club. I included a pic of the map of the Beach Club so you can see the full layout. We spent all our time on the beach and in the ocean (coming from Kansas, this is my highlight vs the pool area).  We easily found two loungers with an Umbrella.  They do have several round beds with cover but those were snapped up right away.  They have several bungalows that you can reserve for $350 but in my opinion they did not seem that big of a benefit but you do get a $100 bar credit with it.  Several folks tried to snorkel in the beach area but they said it was kind of cloudy and did not really see any fish. The surf was just strong enough to make getting in and out of the ocean a little tricky if you did not time it just right.  I did see a couple of folks get knocked on their butt or have a wardrobe malfunction after a surprise wave. Enjoyed a frozen skinny-pina (yummy but was $14) and a good lunch before heading back to the beach.  We only had to wait around 15 minutes for a tram to head back to the ship - really great and fun day.  We did not head back for the lighting of the fireball on the beach at the evening since we have dinner and show reservations.

Ate at Extra Virgin, the Italian restaurant and have to admit it gave Pink Agava a run for the money as my favorite restaurant. The food was amazing but the interior decor was rather bland when compared to the other venues. I can not stress enough with how Virgin has really taken the food experience to a whole different level compared to other main stream cruise lines. We did swing back by the cabin to set out our big suitcase before 10pm for them to take to the terminal in the morning.

We went to the "Untitled Danceshowpartything" show and kind of had mixed reviews on it. My husband bailed after 10 minutes - just not his kind of thing. I stayed for most of it but was watching up in the balcony and not down on the floor where everyone stands and is encouraged to dance along to the show.  The stage moves around and uses video screens on all the walls to give you a real 360 degree experience.  Again this is a show that will be a love it or leave it. 

We also headed over the Dock area on the Aft for Celestial Storytelling which had the "Hostess" - the same lady that runs the Never Sleep Alone Cabaret show, doing story telling about Greek mythology and the stars while people lounged on the deck beds looking up at the stars.   It was a beautiful night to do it but several folks did leave before it was over (including us).  We did catch some more of the Pop up performers randomly around the ship and saw a great set by the VV Band at the On the Rocks bar.   

While we were at Bimini all day until 9:30pm the shops and casino were all closed.  Several folks still had ship credit on their accounts to spend so they were stressing when the stores had not reopened after sailing.  They did finally open but it was not until 11pm and were still open at midnight when I headed to my cabin. 

Someone asked about the water - I did see some high end brand refillable bottles in the shops so you can buy them there if you want. I brought one with me that worked out great. They have refilling stations on the decks and then you have 2 large bottles that they fill daily for you (plus you can request more water from your in cabin tablet). I really thought I would miss not having bottled water easily available and I did not at all.

Also - within the App you can chat with Guest Services if you have a question and it will save you a trip to stand in line to talk to someone.  Such a handy option.

Day 6 - time to say goodbye and head home (sad face)

The disembarkation this morning was SUPER smooth and nothing like the Embarkation fiasco. We signed up for the 9am time slot and after enjoying one last made to order omelet at the Galley, we headed to deck 7 and literally just walked right off the ship, no lines, no wait.  Picking up our bag and clearing Customs was just as speedy.  We ordered an Uber to head to the Ft Lauderdale airport to catch our Southwest flight only to find out once we got there, our flight was actually out of the Miami airport - UGH!  That will teach me to not play closer attention.  I had booked many trips over the next 4 months and obviously had not booked round trip out of FLL but had done one ways.  So after a frantic Lyft ride back to Miami we made it to our gate just as they where ready to close the doors. Nothing like hearing your names called over the PA as you are running down the concourse - yikes!

We are back home now and ready to go back to the real world of work tomorrow (more sad face).

Thanks for coming along on the ride!!

Just a quick post of some tips/notes while they are fresh in my mind.... 

1) When going ashore at Bimini, you do not need to bring your pool towels from your cabin.  They have beach towels that they will hand out at the end of the gang plank when getting off the ship plus there are towel stations by the pool once at the Beach Club.  You also do not need to bring cash or ID, just your Virgin wrist band.

2) When at the Beach club, there were a lot more available loungers with umbrellas if you go to the left end of the beach - seemed most folks went to the middle or right.

3) music at the beach club gets noticeably louder in the afternoon - getting folks pumped up I guess

4) the tram from the ship to the Beach club is free and there are 2 big trams running continuously so the wait is not bad at all

5) Our cabin had 6 USB outlets and 4 electrical outlets (by the bed and at the desk)

6) every cabin will have a throw in it for those that don't want to deal with the heavier duvet

7) Leave your boarding luggage tags ON your bags the whole trip.  At the end of the cruise, you will use them again if you are having them take your bag off the ship.

8 ) You have to have your bag outside your cabin door by 10pm the last night of the cruise for them to pick up and have waiting at the port for you in the morning.  They use your luggage tag to help sort it at the Port.

9) They only service your cabin once a day but if you ever want a second service/fresh towels, all you have to do is turn on your blue service cabin light by the door or request it on the in room tablet and it will magically get done right away by the squad of Ninja cabin stewards.

10) move your QR reader app on your phone to be right NEXT to the Virgin App because you will use it at every restaurant.  I actually like the QR menus since you can easily expand the text without having to put on glasses 😎

and finally - 

11) The Social Club has free salt water taffy and gummy bears to your hearts content.

That's it for now - we just finished dinner and off to a show.  I will post pics and share details on the day later tonight. 😎 

Good news! I did find a frozen drink at the Bimini Beach Club!!  They do exist at a couple of the bars but not very many but hey, I need the extra steps to hunt one down!  

Day 4 - only 1 more full day to go (cue sad face & tears)....

Today's was a sea day ending with the main event of the cruise, Scarlet Night.  They put up decorations all around the ship and used red lighting throughout the ship tonight.  It is not required to wear red tonight but I would say about 90% of folks did.  It was a fun atmosphere and people really got into it.

Enjoyed my breakfast in the Galley looking out at the glistening ocean - omg so peaceful!

The exercise classes were all sold out today - so another reminder to book your items early - especially if you want to do the Bunge classes, they only have 12 slots so those all filled up on day 1.

My husband and I hung out at the Loose Cannon bar in the Social Club and played cards (several other folks had the same idea). We got some Pizza to go just around the corner and it made for a fun afternoon.  Checked out the shops, donated more money at the Casino, stopped by the Dock for more grilled shrimp skewers (the waiters see us and automatically know what we want) and then headed back to the cabin to get ready for Scarlet Night and the show.

We went and saw the Duel Reality show which is a must do in my opinion. You do need reservations and you have to show up 20 min early because it fills up fast. They have a stand by line that they let in right before so if you wait until showtime to arrive, you might be out of luck.  Warning, the beginning did catch several folks off guard but I won't spoil it for you.  I included some pics from the show - again highly recommend it.

We missed out on seeing "Never Sleep Alone" their erotic Cabaret show combined with sex advice with Dr A .  I heard it was very popular but a little too graphic for a few folks. All show times for this one sold out quick - again book early!

We have one more show tomorrow night called "Untitled DancesShowPartyThing" - serious that is it's title. It is described as a music video meets dance club scene event and that all attendees participate - this is not a sit down show.  It is held in the Redroom which has a balcony level so me and the hubby might go up there since not sure we would want to be dancing along the whole time but it does sound fun to watch.

Had super late reservations tonight at the Wake, which is their fancy steak restaurant. It was my husband's favorite so far but I still prefer Pink Agave.  We did try the Roasted Bone Marrow starter because I just had to see it. It honestly did not have much taste but the presentation was amazing.  My filet mignon was so tender, not sure I even needed a steak knife to cut it.  

Walked around afterwards and caught one of the "Pop Up" shows were the entertainers from the Duel Reality show were all dressed up and did a circus type performance on the grand staircase.

Played some more in the casino and then called it a night. We are in Bimini tomorrow where I am really looking forward to the private Beach Club.

By the way - I heard from one of the other "sailors" that top sheets just are not a thing on the ship but they do have a soft throw that you can use that would be lighter than the duvet comforter. I did not personally ask my cabin steward (since he is a ninja and cleans my room daily but I never see him). Apparently it is a team of two that are taking care of our cabins but I seriously have never seen them in the halls at all. You just hit your button to clear your cabin or you can send a service request on the in room tablet and it is magically done by the time you get back to your cabin.

Oh one more odd thing to me - they have a TON of bars on this ship but none of them serve frozen drinks - so no Miami Vice or Pina coldas or Strawberry Daiquiris (the foo-foo drinks that light weights like me love). 

Forgot to mention - if you like it cold in your cabin while you sleep, you might want to bring a small 4 or 5 inch mini fan to blow on you.  The beds do not have a top sheet, only a single down duvet which can make it hot sleeping. Even with the AC cranked as low as it goes, the bedding makes it too hot for me without my small travel fan.  I always bring it with me on trips as you never know and I hate being toasty when I am trying to snooze. Total disclaimer - I am a women in her 50's so it might be only a similar target audience that knows where I am coming from on this one.  LOL

On 10/16/2021 at 5:03 PM, garymfreedman said:

I think a good video on many of the food options..

Can't wait to get on board..

 

That is a great video - good find, Gary!  The free restaurants on this ship will completely spoil you when you go back to other common cruise lines.  They really have taken the food up several notches.

Day 3 is done - only 2 more full days left on this beautiful ship.

We were in Costa Maya today and I will be honest, we did not get off the ship. We have been at this port several times before so we decided to take advantage of the empty ship and make it our own Sea Day.  Costa Maya does have a great port area that is worth checking out if you have not been there before.

Thanks to the great wifi on this ship, I was able to live stream my daughter's 4 hours college bowling tournament this morning.

For lunch we went to Razzle Dazzle - I highly recommend everyone go there at least once but I would not use one of your limited Dinner slots but go there for Breakfast or Lunch. There are too many other high end restaurants to go to instead. It is a fun atmosphere and has some very colorful food choices.  I had to try the Fairy Toast since I had seen so many posts about it. It is yummy - like french toast with sprinkles. 

We used our lazy day to hang out at the Dock on 7th aft - and enjoy the sun and views of the port. There may or may not been several orders of their yummy grilled shrimp skewers consumed this afternoon.  The RCCL Independence of the Sea was docked next to us where I realized that some folks think being on their balcony is clothing optional - Yikes!  One lady went out on her balcony in her birthday suit to lay out her swimsuit to dry. LOL

We watched another movie in the cabin and took a short siesta before heading to Salty Trivia.  They don't have a cruise director but they do have one guy called "The Gamer" who runs all the Bingo, Game events, and Trivia on the ship. You are supposed to book in the App to join the Salty Trivia and space it limited but honestly it is first come first serve so show up 20 min early if you want a seat. It is very popular and is a blast to play. We even got to be part of a surprise marriage proposal - that doesn't happen every day!

We went to what is our most favorite (so far) restaurant for dinner tonight, Pink Agave.  It is a fancy Mexican restaurant with great decor and light fixtures - whoever was the interior designer of this ship really knocked it out of this park. The guacamole was fantastic. You order several dishes and then it is put in the middle for everyone at the table to share.  My last pic is of the chocolate taco dessert which was amazing to look at and gobble up. We had 8:30 reservations and it was right before 10pm before we finished. It is a great restaurant so enjoy and don't rush.

We wrapped the night up with some more time playing free games in the Social Club and donating more money in the casino (somehow we keep hoping it will actually pay us). 

There was a huge line for the 11pm dance party in the Nightclub but that is not really our scene.

Overall I can honestly say, this cruise line can appeal to all ages of Adults.  The guest rooms are super quiet - have not had any issue with noise so if you want to hit the hay at 10pm or stay out to 3am and sleep till noon, no problem.

I know this cruise line is a little more expensive but it is nice to have almost everything included so you don't feel you are being nickeled and dimed like you are on other lines. If you are a heavy drinker. that is the only thing I would worry about ending your cruise with a huge bar tab.  The staff have all been very friendly and attentive. I even had a very concerned restaurant manager come to my table at Razzle Dazzle because he saw that I had not ate all my meal. 

Day 4 tomorrow is our last sea day - which means I am sleeping in!!!!

Day 2 is done - full day so crashing a little early for a movie in the cabin (they have a ton of movies to pick from ).  

We explored the ship more this morning and then stopped by the hilarious 80s Aerobics class held in the Manor nightclub.  Next to Bingo in the Red Room theatre. Be sure to go to the Bingo - it is unlike any other BIngo you have done before. They have mini games in between the bingo games where they pick people from the audience to participate. Fun to watch even if you are not playing.

We had lunch in the Galley - instead of traditional buffet, you sit down and scan the QR code to bring up the menus from the diff food venues in the Galley. A waiter comes and enters your order into their cell phone and then someone else brings it out to you.  The only downside to this is that sometimes I like to see the food before I order as I ordered some Pork Ramen Noodles today that if I would have seen it first, I never would have ordered it.  

After my fail on the Ramen, I did find some AMAZING grilled shrimp at the Dock on 7 Aft - amazing views and food with fantastic seating to chill out - be sure to check it out. 

I did get to meet one of my favorite YouTubers, Lucy, from Cruising as Crew. She works on the Ship in the shops. Her videos give a great behind the scenes view of the Scarlet Lady.

My Hubby and I have decided that the only slot machines that payout are in the very hard to find hidden Smoking Lounge. Scarlet Lady is really big on having different venues tucked away everywhere.  See the picture of the very non-descript door - I guarantee most people would walk right past it.

We went to dinner at the Test Kitchen tonight - it was 6 small courses that all are combinations of food you would not normally think to combine but taste fantastic.  Plan on 2 hrs plus for this meal - we made the mistake of booking an 8pm show after our 6:15 dinner and we missed it. Luckily I was able to rebook the show for later in the cruise.

Tomorrow is Costa Maya!

Correction - There WAS a PJ party last night but the app had the wrong deck listed - I was looking for it on 15 but it was actually on deck 16.

On the wifi upgrade, it is for 2 devices per cabin, so both guests in the cabin can use the upgrade. I believe you have to go to Customer Service to change devices,

The show booking is done all through the app so once you are on Board, you can book them - just don't be pokey like me and miss out.  The app will let you select everyone in your cabin plus it has where you can add others to the same reservation.

Sorry for the late night post - my phone won't let me post pictures so I had to wait until I headed back to the cabin for the night so I could post from my laptop.

Oh where to start on describing the day.... First the BAD, Ugly, and overall not ideal start to the cruise - Embarkation.

Definitely pack your patience when you come to the port.  We got to the port at 1:45 which was the time Virgin told us,  They had the red signs for the diff boarding groups but it was still chaotic with a lines wrapping every which way. Note that on your app it will say you have to fill out a Health form the day of your cruise. The form is not in your app but instead it is a QR code that you will scan at the port which you complete and then it lets you book your test appt. The employees trying to control the lines will have a placard with the QR code for you to sign (again not the most efficient method). It took an hour just to get into the building where the testing was done,  The test itself was pretty quick and thank god it was not the version where the cram the swab to your brain, After the test then you walk to another terminal to wait for your results. This is where things went really bad, Test results were taking a crazy amount of time to come back, I heard that the system went down so emails were not getting sent,  After another hour my results came in (Negative!) but my husbands did not so we had to wait another 45 minutes for his to show up. There were a lot of unhappy people stuck in the holding room not knowing what was going on. Once we got both results then we got to go to another line were we officially checked in. This is where they give you your bands and check your passport and vaccination card,  Then we got to officially board the boat at 5:15! There were still a bunch of people waiting so I was not surprised when we were not able to depart until 7:30. The ship is supposedly only at 50% capacity right now - I can not imagine the chaos it would have been, Virgin really needs to continue to fine tune their processes,  Luckily it did not rain on all the people waiting outside.

We had 6pm reservations at Gunbae so we had enough time to drop some stuff off at the cabin and head there. Our wrist bands did not work to open the cabin door so we had to have Security let us in and then after dinner we had to go get new bands. The meal at Gunbae was fantastic and highly recommend. The two waiters/cooks were fantastic and we had fun tablemates. We played a drinking game with shots that did not take me long to lose - but I lasted longer than the hubby, so that is a win in my book!

The sail away from Miami at nighttime is fantastic - we watched from the outside on 15 Aft.  I also did pay the $50 to upgrade to the premium wifi which covers 2 devices. It is the best wifi I have ever had on a cruise ship before.

Be sure to book your shows as soon as you come on board. In the rush to get to dinner on time, when I tried to book the "Untitled Dance Show Partything", it was already sold out.  Instead we went to the casino to try our luck until the PJ deck party at 11pm. The Casino is really small in my opinion and only has traditional penny machines. I did find the 4 video poker games hidden away in the smoking room which also had a wall of some really fun games that they don't have in the main casino. The machines are very tight and they have lowered the line payouts so it really is a disappointment. I will take my big casinos on NCL or Royal any day over this, They did have some table games but overall was not very busy, The casino did give me a little purple tassle that lets the bar staff to know that my hubby and I get free drinks in the casino, which is very nice, I will be sure to make use of that on my way to shows or dinner.

The PJ party was scheduled at 11pm, and I got up there at 11;30 and there was NO ONE there, Kind of a bummer, not sure what happened - maybe no one showed up?

The crew have all been very friendly and what little food I have tried has been great. My last picture is a little food porn to end this post on,

Sea day tomorrow!

We made it to Ft Lauderdale!!  Good ol'Southwest was back to business as normal and got us here on time and no lost luggage (thank goodness).  Trust me you would not want to see me after a week in the same clothes and no make up - yikes!

We are staying at my fav pre-cruise hotel in Dania Beach, Springhill Suites.  It is my go to hotel anytime we cruise out of FLL or Miami.  We use their airport shuttle and then just Uber to the port.

Our check in time tomorrow is 2:45 and were told to be at the port 1 hr prior for testing.   They even sent an email today telling us to not show up early as we will not get on the ship any faster.  So basically - cool your jets and accept that if you show up early you better have some sunscreen as you will be standing out in the Florida sun in the terminal parking lot.   Since I melt easily - I will be a good Sailor and show up when I am supposed.   

Buckle up Buttercup - it is cruise time tomorrow!!

Our bags are packed, got our cool personalized Virgin wristbands, and fly out tomorrow!

We are flying S West so that could be a little dicey but that is why we always fly in the night before just in case….

As 50 something’s, not sure we are hip enough to be the target audience for Virgin but we are young at heart and in DESPERATE need of a cruise getaway. We live in Kansas so it is a bit of a hike for us to get to the ocean.

Thought I would live share some of our experiences on the Scarlet Lady. We are more Foodies and late night Casino players then night club partying types. We were offered a comped Sea Terrace room by their Casino program so we jumped at the chance to check out this new cruise line.

Let me know if you have any questions or want me to check something specific on the ship!

On 10/2/2021 at 10:45 AM, garymfreedman said:

I asked where my band was, since the WEBSITE says they ship it 45 days in advance.

Here is the reply:

Thank you for your communication. You are correct typically we are striving to send the band 45 days prior to sailing as we are just ramping up Virgin Voyages bands are going out a bit closer to sailing at 5 -10 days prior to sailing at this time. Fear not however if you do not receive your band in time they will also be available for pick up at the port.  

They haven no clue what they are doing...

 

Just to let you know I am on the Oct 15th sailing and my personalized bands arrived Oct 9th along with luggage tags.  It does come in a cool box with the Virgin logo on top.

3 hours ago, travelgals said:

Thanks Bortzct, congratulations, like your strategy, glad it worked for you!

Were all your final bids just above poor range or just the one you ended up with? 

Thanks! My final round of bids were high Poor on the $40 Oceanview, lowest Fair on the $140 Balcony, and one third of the way up the Fair range for the Spa Balcony. 

I just got my Upgrade offer acceptance email today (34 days out) for my Dec 15th cruise on the new Encore!   My bid of $140pp to go from an Inside cabin to a Mid Ship Balcony.

I put in my initial bid and then have been lowering my bids as we got closer based on the fact that the cruise appeared to still have plenty of availability.

Here is my bid history:

Oct 4th offered $55pp Oceanview / $205 Balcony / $280 Spa Balcony

Oct 9th lowered to $45 Oceanview / $180 Balcony / $255 Spa Balcony

Oct 22nd lowered to $40 Oceanview / $140 Balcony(just above the poor range) / $210 Spa Balcony 

My inside cabin was comped by CAS (Casinos at Sea) or their version of comped which comes with a $140pp admin fee.  To pay for an upgrade with CAS from an Inside to a Balcony, they would have charged me another $500 pp which no way I was going to pay.   Well worth taking my chances on the Upgrade bid.

I had only won an upgrade one other time and that was not awarded until just 48 hours before the sailing date.  Surprised that they are already upgrading more than 30 days out.  They must be trying to free up insides.

So excited to sail on this new mega ship!

Hello All -

I have been on 6 NCL cruises and have had the option to bid on an upgrade on all of them.  I never had a bid accepted until my last Labor Day cruise to Bermuda.  It was supposed to be a sold out ship so I was surprised 48 hrs before sailing to get the email that they accepted my $210 per person(just below Fair range) bid to move from an Interior to a Balcony.  

I am sailing on the new Encore on Dec 15th and got the upgrade bid offer email last week.   I have put bids in at $45pp for Oceanview (min is $25), then $165pp for Balcony (mid Fair), and $255 for Spa Balcony (mid Fair).    Currently this cruise still shows a lot of availability so I am hopeful that one of my Balcony offers gets accepted.

I am a Casino Comp so if my offers get accepted, it will still be significantly cheaper than if I had paid the flat $500pp to upgrade to a Balcony through the Casino.

Fingers crossed!!

Hello all my fellow Casino Players out there - just curious if anyone has gotten anything with the 2018 Casinos at Seas promotion sailings?? Last year they had already sent out their calendar by now - seems kind of late. :confused:

Is it able to walk around Atlantis property without going to pool area if it is raining?

We took the cheap water taxi from the port over to Atlantis. It is then about a 15 min walk through the marina area (lots of nice shops and places to eat) then we entered the Atlantis main building and was able to walk around the indoor shopping area and go into the Casino. You can also go into the Lobby area which has some great views. We could not go any further without being a guest but for us the was plenty to see and do.

I have only been on one NCL cruise (last March) and since then I have given 4 or 5 separate free cruise offers either by postcard or email. One offer was for a 7 night Bermuda cruise in a basic Balcony, which I booked. I got 2 free at sea packages with it. They do still charge a "Fee" for the comp but it is minimal compared to what I would have paid as a regular cruiser. I did upgrade to an extended Balcony and my total charge came to $830 for a family of 4. That includes all fees, taxes, and 3rd/4th passenger charges. I also called the CAS directly on a non-promoted cruise that I wanted to do with a friend. I gave them the date and they said they could give me a free interior. I paid for an upgrade to an AFT Balcony cabin and was given 2 free at see packages. With fees, port taxes, upgrades that came to $500. I wish I was retired so that I had the free time to take full advantages of all these free offers. I am amazed that my level of play would get me all these offers. I only played slots late at night after going to shows but did win several nice jackpots that I would play back in. My winnings basically covered all my nightly play and I got to Hot level which earned me a $250 OBC added to my account at the end of the cruise. If they continue to give free offers like this, it would be worth going on your first cruise and play slots heavy so that you can more than get that money back by earning more free future cruises. They re-rate the players once a year so I have no idea if I will continue to get these offers, but I plan to make the most of it as long as I can! I previously cruised on Royal and Carnival but I am now NCL all the way.

I just got back last week from the LOS where we had the biggest E1 Balcony ever!!! Cabin 7408 is amazing!! It has 2 loungers, 2 chairs, and a table with plenty of room to spare. The balcony has both shaded and sun areas so it meets everyones needs. I will attach some pics.

The corner aft balconies on Deck 9 are too small for loungers but I believe deck 8 corner aft 8410 had loungers also.