Yukiie

I would recommend bringing an insulated water bottle on the cruise. I always fill a glass at the buffet with water and dump it into a water bottle for the day (you don't fill the bottle directly to prevent contamination of the water dispenser). And all water is treated on the ship so you can always drink the water from your bathroom tap if desired. There is no reason to buy water bottles unless you simply prefer it.

EU regulations make them post the service fees up front before booking which I really appreciate. Other cruise lines make it more challenging to see the real total cost which is the cruise fare + mandatory service fee (tips) + port and fuel charge. If the cruise misses a port for any reason you will be refunded a portion of the port charges but the other costs are fixed. All 3 combined is your base cost of the cruise. Any specialty dining, alcoholic drinks and such is extra. If you wish to avoid service fees I know Virgin rolls it into the cruise fare but that makes the cruise fare higher. I personally don't mind the separate charge especially when they are upfront about it.

It took me a ridiculous amount of time to find that small print! You would think they would make it obvious how to pay them... But it also doesn't surprise me after booking stuff on Italian websites the last couple of weeks.

I never book tours in Europe directly with the cruise line. I like doing my own thing and touring what interests me. For my upcoming Mediterranean cruise I plan to either take the shuttle provided by the port city (which is either free or you need to pay a couple euros in cash) or a taxi (there is normally a taxi stand within walking distance).

Additional options are available in the cruise personalizer after you book the cruise. I personally chose a wine and water package for 6 bottles of wine and 7 bottles of water for a flat price since we will only really be on the ship at night. It was only 155 Euros. Their cocktails are reasonably priced (8-9 Euros mostly) so if we add a couple spritz's and such it won't add up to much.

Have you looked into 3rd party tours? For my upcoming Costa cruise I booked all the excursions privately. Although at least Costa doesn't charge for the excursions before you board (unlike most other cruise lines).

I appreciate you taking the time to post a review. I believe most cruise lines have switched to once daily post COVID. The 3 Holland cruises (2 in suites) I've taken this year were apologetic but said that they only visited once a day unless you specifically needed something. I think if I cared and was pushy they would have provided a turn down service but I prefer once a day myself. I assume you would get two visits with Virgin if you had them switch the bed to a couch since they have to return it to a bed at night. I'm not sure what the second visit would entail aside from reconfiguration. This is quite frankly bizarre to me. I hope they take this feedback and make some signs to put near elevators. I get turned around easily onboard so I've always relied on signage near elevators to get my bearings. Although I am old enough to remember the days of little fold out maps that you would try to navigate from.

I had to book the cruise BEFORE I could apply for the loyalty match (since you need a booking number on their form). I received both the Deep Blue Perks and the $200 sailor loot automatically via the app (the sailor loot does not state Red Hot Bonus - just that it is loot). When you look under addons on your account in the app it should list everything, including the $300 bar tab bonus they are currently running. If something is missing for more than a day I would give them a call.

No it is not. Each cabin can have one Deep Blue Perks AND the Red Hot Bonus. I applied for the loyalty match and got the email "Congrats Sea Rover" about 4 business days later. It took about 30 minutes for the Deep Blue perks to show up in the app under my name (just one per cabin). It specifically states "Deep Blue Extras: A collection of unrivaled luxuries". Then a bit later I got the $200 Sailor Loot from the Red Hot Bonus. Virgin states exactly what is included on their website.