barbiecruiser27

Which side of the ship is best for WOS out if Barcelona. If you want to face the coast line of Barcelona 

thanks!

Looking into a Barcelona cruise and was curious about being non boosted. Looks like the only port we’d have to test to enter is for France. Has anyone experienced this? Says it’s $55? How does it work do we do it at the port? The night before? Etc

Also I read somewhere about non boosted folks needing an antigen test one day before disembarking. Not sure why as US isn’t requiring testing to fly anymore. Apparently another $55? 
 

Anyone dealt with?

Last night we dined at the wake. Our favorite!! The filet, lamb, clam chowder, and twice baked potatoes can’t be beat!! We plan to dine here night 4 again it’s so amazing. We also dined during sail away and had the best view from our table. We did lunch at the galley upon boarding. Everything was amazing. The food on this ship is no joke!! We spent most of our evening in the casino since we had already seen the untitled dance party on our last cruise. The occupancy on board is 650! Insane feels like we own the ship. 
 

As far as the Walgreens test. I scheduled maybe a week in advance for a Monday test in my town. I did the Rapid NAAT and testing was done at the pharmacy drive thru. Very easy and worth avoiding port testing for sure. 
 

I’ll be sharing a more thorough review once back but wanted to give a brief update!

Our test was hardly looked at lol. We did a rapid NAAT at Walgreens. Much easier than going to the testing tent and sitting waiting with angst. We showed up 12:45. Dropped bags. Went to the Covid test verification table. Got a wrist band and headed inside. Check in took 2 minutes then we did security. Now we are waiting in a seating area (with charger plugs!) to board. We are group 2 but I just noticed a group 4 person walk up (it’s 1:23). Guessing rockstars go first and assuming we start at 2… so early boarding is good to get a first check in group, but now we’re just sitting here (in ac atleast). Hope to be on board soon!! MUCH smoother than our October experience 

We are on the way.  Left Orlando around 8:30 and our eta says 12:30 on the dot. Our check in is 12:30, but I’m not in a dire rush given we most likely can’t board until 2pm or so. Being a remote worker I forget what commuter traffic is like. Orlando was yucky! 
 

Laying in bed too excited to sleep as we head off for Miami tomorrow morning. Man did I over pack for this one. Also- tried packing cubes for a first time… not sure how I feel about them…

Got a 12:30 check in but I believe boarding is around 2pm so we might be sitting around a while- not sure? I do plan to vlog as usual so I am excited to share footage of the new terminal! Hopefully this time around we have less time spent waiting outside in the sun. 
 

Forgot to mention previously, but tomorrow is also my birthday wahoo! First time cruising ON my birthday. I’ve been close but never on.

Going to try and sleep. Stay tuned for more tomorrow!

We’re back!!! Decided to do a second sailing on the beautiful Scarlet Lady. Got such a steal using our Sea Blazers coupons from our 2021 sailing and then the $200 JLO credit- this was too good to pass up. This sailing goes to Nassau and Bimini. We have an excursion booked for Bimini to snorkel with sharks. Eeeek. And then in Nassau  we plan to stay on board- maybe spa day? 
 

We’re 48 hours out and virgin now allows self testing so we went to Walgreens today to get our tests done. Our test was called a Rapid NAAT, which I’m not even sure works…. The Virgin rep said that all that mattered was that it was a laboratory test and not a home diy kit. So we’ll see….

Can’t wait to share our sailing! 
 

Catch our first sailing here: YouTube.com/travelsaltandsea 

We did the glass bottom snorkel in Costa Maya. Video review here:

We're also doing the Bimini shark snorkel on our April sailing in 2 weeks!

Has anyone recently done the cococay water park when Independence and Harmony were both docked. I know this is a common combo and is also the combo we’ll have next weekend. Trying to figure out what crowds will be like on slides. What are typical wait times? 

My bids for 3/11 Independence of the Seas sailing- just booked 2-3 days ago and got email this am (2/17).

Booked 3V interior (literally the only 3 pax room available when we booked)

My Bids:
Spacious Interior: $30/pp ($15 min)

Ocean view: $20/pp ($20 min)

Spacious oceanview: $35/pp ($25 min)

Spacious Panoramic Oceanview: $55/pp ($30 min)

Ultra spacious Oceanview: $55/pp ($35 min)

We didn't bid balcony- was a $75/pp min and not worth IMO for a 3 night cruise 

Will keep posted if we get any of them- fingers crossed we get one of the larger rooms since we will have 3 guests 

How has the water park been crowd wise lately? 

Just added part 3 (Costa Maya & Extra Virgin review). Check it out 🙂 

I'm the worst- it is so hard to keep up with posting during the cruise and then afterwards it is just not top of mind....anyways..I've finally gotten around to finishing some youtube vlogs for the cruise. Day 1 & 2 are now live and day 3 is in progress https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=:-i7WvPgNu (this takes you to our VV playlist)

Here are some overall thoughts on the sailing though!!

Cabin: The balcony room was amazing, I think it was because of the hammock. Omg we loveddd the hammock and often fought who got to sit in it. The room itself is very sleek ikea feeling- the lack of storage is so accurate-but I hear Virgin is addressing this? My packable hanging shelf thing (as seen in packing video) was very helpful! My biggest complaint to the storage is that the bed wouldn't fit luggage underneath. This took up tons of space in the already small closet. The bed...here's the thing- I used to travel 10-12x a year for work and have stayed in budget hotels all the way to 5 star....this was the WORST mattress I have ever felt. I am not bedding picky at all- never been one to pack a pillow or care about a mattress etc...this bed was soo soo soo firm. I asked for a 2nd duvet and used it as a pad and this helped alot, but just be aware of this if you prefer soft bedding.  The shower was typical cruise size but the rain shower feature was nice. Also enjoyed the room ipad for curtains/lights/tv. 

Drinks: We did the bar tab for $300 get $400 and I think we ended up at like $398 or something- So close! We also brought 2 bottles of wine on board. Granted- I would say we aren't heavy heavy drinkers. We are usually excited day 1- drink more- then slow the pace the rest of the trip. Drink prices were fair and I loved how the price you read is the price you pay. The paperless part is nice HOWEVER, if you want to add an extra tip for a bartender, you can't. I'd suggest bringing some cash for this because I often felt very guilty not having $1s. The drink selection was odd...There were no hard seltzers and no light beers to enjoy. I love having an ultra, bud light etc by the pool (don't want heavy craft beer in 100 degree weather). I enjoyed the cocktails- they are very craft and not syrupy like some other cruise line cocktails. I think they need to expand their menu for beer or add a light seltzer. Also we drink mainly cabernet or red blends and not every bar even had this....they also ran out of limes at one point towards the end...I'm sure they have figured this out by now...

Sit Down Food: I'd say the food was our favorite part of the cruise. We LOVED the no main dining room concept. Everything felt very fresh, custom etc- versus a normal MDR where it seems very mass produced. Our #1 choice was The Wake. We LOVED this place. The clam chowder, the lamb, and the filet all to die for. I have been to many steak houses on land (Flemings, Ruth Chris, Mortons etc) and I would say this was very parallel to these brands. Show up hungry to all meals for sure! Our other favorite was Extra Virgin. We opted to order  3 pasta dishes between the 2 of us versus 2 pasta and 2 meat entrees. We LOVED the carbonara and the ragu. They also brought us each limoncello at the end- it wasn't charged, so that was neat. We didn't enjoy Razzle Dazzle as much- I used to be a vegetarian as well so it isn't because we are against plant meals. I just didn't find it too exciting compared to the other options. The atmosphere is super cute though. I will add- we did Razzle for departure day brunch and it took 90 minutes. EVERYONE was in there- they were running out of things and it was chaos....Gunbae was such a fun experience and we loved trying everything- the food and entertainment at this one were really really good. They play drinking games and you get a free shot! Pink Agave was good, but almost everything was spicy so just be aware of that. The sea bass though was EXCELLENT as was my guacamole and enchilada. This was still TOP notch dining compared to other lines just wasn't in the top 3. We didn't get to test kitchen but heard it was all very odd food. I'd try it, but Brad is such a picky eater it would be a waste. Overall ranking would be: 1. Wake 2. Extra Virgin 3. GunBae 4. Pink Agave 5. Razzle Dazzle.

Quick Food:  WE LOVED the concept of the galley. There are grab and go items as well as order by QR. They had great options and everything was unique and tasty. This was much better than a normal Windjammer type vibe in my opinion. Service was very quick too. I felt like we didn't have enough time try all of the offerings there was so much variety! The pizza place was the best cruise pizza we've had. It does take a while for them to prepare your pie, but its fresh so it is worth it! The snacks at the aft bar (forget the name- its med themed) were nice little apps for before dinner. The snack bar by the game area was super cute but hardly open, I wanted a hot dog all cruise and never caught one- but I was able to get gummy bears one night and that was a nice treat. The sunrise cafe (or something like this) above the pool serves poke style bowls- their hours are also weird and limited- but if you're able to catch them open- go!

Entertainment: So we had mixed opinions on entertainment. The Dual Reality show is a circus style show and was amazing! The untitled dance party was up our alley (we are 29&31) but I think older crowds might disagree. The roaming singers were fun but it was hard to catch them and know when and where they'd be. The Sexologist show was hilarious but go in open minded and maybe a bit tipsy. You can opt for a seat where you  won't be picked on- so make sure you choose wisely! The onstage volunteer tasks are very awkward especially if you have relatives on board with you etc..One thing we really missed was the typical live band cruise music. I guess because Virgin is trying to be different that is why they don't have this, but we felt prior to dinner each night we just kept wandering around looking for things to do. The 6-9pm ish window was always pretty dead. They had a perfect stage area by the atrium bar where they could have had a guitarist playing top hits or something

Theme Nights: I was so excited for PJ night- and it got rained out...which I understand that rain happens, but I feel they advertised this so much they should have had a backup plan. Lots of us were wandering in pjs and felt unsure where to go. The Scarlet night was also a let down. It began indoors and everyone was decked out and ready- the indoors was fun...but then the rain cancelled the outdoor part so the night was very anti climactic. Again- they should have a backup plan and use more indoor spaces if it does rain. It is a shame they advertise these big parties and don't have backup plans. Scarlet night was tons of pop up acts to start (inside) and someone like me had a hard time with this. We kept running around trying to catch it all (huge fomo moments)

Bimini: This was a slight let down for us. The island was nice, but Idk it just felt like a plain beach nothing too exciting. I am a tough judge as I am soo impressed by CocoCay and have high expectations. The food was good, but tricky if you are a picky eater. The bonfire was advertised as the name of our sailing, We thought it would be epic---well we missed it- didn't see anything from the ship and heard from others it was them literally pressing a button to turn a fire on- and no music or anything- again anti climactic. I'm hoping they have improved this by now. 

Costa Maya: We did a VV shore thing in Costa Maya (the snorkel glass bottom tour). There were maybe 15 of us and the guide was very nice. The snorkeling was the best it could be for the reefs in the area. We've snorkeled all over so this wasn't my favorite snorkeling trip, but overall I'd recommend. Not the fault of the excursion, just the lack of vibrancy from the reefs. 

Overall we loved the experience and had a great time. The mild flaws we experienced weren't anything to ruin a trip or cause us to hate VV. We are actually planning to sail again in April for my 30th bday! I  know they are taking feedback seriously (since they are changing the cabin storage setup) so I think that in a year or two they will really be on their game!!

Please let me know if you have any questions and I will try to answer 🙂

Hi there! We are looking to book this itinerary are curious which side of the ship would be best for viewing the glaciers? Or does it not matter?

Pizza and ice cream for lunch. Amazing 

37 minutes ago, drewdawg199 said:

Everyone should remember that hurricane season goes through Nov. 30, weather can be questionable.

Oh yah for sure! Just a bummer there was no backup option since everyone was all dressed and ready 

Another bummer. Pj party didn’t happen. It was raining. Would have been nice in the app to have said. “Hey we’re moving it inside” we’re guessing it was just cancelled? Saw some fellow pj-Ers sad to discover no party 

Wifi didn’t work last night. Hardly working for me today. Haven’t been in the app in 24 hours. Would like to see my bar tab…. Beds not comfy. My back is killing me. I ended up sleeping in top of the duvet. Did I mention there’s no sheet. Very odd. I’d say 50 is the average age. We’re few in 30s. The show last night was very target to our age maybe 20-35.. so the crowd wasn’t feeling it. We were though! I think they need to bring in more 40-50 age groups music to tend to them. I wonder if it’s older now because of the line being new. I wonder if the age will stick. The galley is amazing. I will try pics in another post. Wifi hasn’t been liking that though. 

Soo the app won’t work and sucks hah. We’re exhausted! Todays been great, but we’re so tired. We went to the unnamed dance thing.omg what an experience!! It was so cool but impossible to explain… pink agave was great. Ship is impossible to navigate. Will post more details later 🙂 the free internet also won’t allow me to upload pics here 😞

Ladies bathrooms by galley. So cute 

Eating at the galley!! Seems a bit slower than a normal buffet because you have to wait on a server etc. but food  is great! 

And we’re negative!!!! 

Waiting on test results now… feels like forever so anxious!!