notme2012

39 minutes ago, Tolkmit said:

 

Disney Cruise Line was operating at a significant loss for it's first 5 years, and was propped up by the rest of the company. It then starting managing to break even, but went back to losing money and needed to once again be propped up externally, in order to expand. It wasn't until it had 4 ships running that it actually started gaining traction in the market, and making enough money to expand without needing external help. If there is any lesson from DCL; it's that, if you are going to have ships operating around the size and price range of Virgin; you need to have at least 4 to have hope of growing the company.

I am a stockholder in the Disney Company. Plus I was a travel agent for 30 years. I know plenty about the cruise business.

My point goes was that Virgin thought they knew it all!  VV's original CEO Tom McAlpin was originally from the Disney Cruise Line. VV had the inside knowledge to create a cruise line from scratch. But, McAlpin retired last year. They have a new CEO who may not be up to the job. I know for a fact that they have a funding problem. People think that Richard Branson is the pocketbook behind VV. His funding was about 10%. The rest came from Bain Capital, then Blackrock, and now Ares Management. Who's next to loan VV money?

8 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Then if that's the case, I blame the Aussies. If they can't sustain a cruise company, the cruise company has every right to abandon that market.

Yes and no. How to start a cruise line from scratch was defined by Disney Cruise Lines. Start small, DCL had just 2 ships for years. Stay in a market that you know that your inventory will always sell, DCL sailed just from Port Canaveral for years. Virgin Voyages could have followed that formula and would have been very successful. Just by staying in the Caribbean, they could have been more successful financially, etc.  Instead they ordered all these ships, then Covid, then all the cancelations, etc. Logistically running a cruise line is basically the same. VV just changed the on-board experiences. Like many have said, VV just does not have the logistics to operate worldwide. 

Our cruise from NZ to Sydney was 90%+ full. But many of the other sailings, were less than 50%, even with huge price incentives. Princess does plenty of cruises from Australia, many times they have 3 ships in that area. The market exists in Oceania, but VV just isn't marketing in a way that attracts people to book. 

On 3/27/2024 at 7:47 AM, DCGuy64 said:

What would you have had them say instead? "We lost money on the Aussie market, so we're out of here?" I can't remember the last time a corporation said something like that.

American car companies have stated numerous times that car models were being discontinued because they did not make money on that model. Heck, even Toyota and Honda have done the same. It is generally accepted when a company discontinues a product or service, the rationale is they're not making a profit. Some companies are forward and state the facts, others let media draw the conclusions. 

On 2/26/2024 at 5:42 PM, CruisingWalter said:

 

Honest question for those of you who sailed in Australia.  How full were the ships?  From the little information I was able to glean, it didn't sound like the sailings in Australia were sailing full.  Just curious for those who actually sailed the ships in Australia, were the ships sold our or sailing light? 

Our cruise, March 15th sailing, was 91% full, or 2550 pax. The design of these ships does not work with that many people. Also, most of our 6 sea days, the deck areas were closed because it was raining or windy. 

19 hours ago, MarkWiltonM said:

 

This is interesting and shows how subjective food is. We found the food in the restaurants to be much, much better than in the buffet (called the Galley). The only thing we liked in the Galley was the ramen, which we could have eaten every day, and practically did. The sushi, the sandwiches, the tacos, were meh. And though it was only a five-day cruise, the selections were unvarying in the Galley stations and got old very quick. The food in the restaurants we went to--The Wake, Extra Virgin, and Razzle Dazzle--was very good, and we loved the Mediterranean small plates served in the Dock House as well.  

The quality in the reservation restaurants for us, was mainly food temps. A cold steak, rates a zero for me. Food temps are a safety issue. Some of the dishes were disgustingly cold and coagulated. I am guessing that with exception of Gunbae, Razzle Dazzle, and Test Kitchen, the other restaurants share a main kitchen. 

Yes, the ramen was very good. But so was the breakfast all day, pastries, fruit, made to order salads. I did not care for the bento boxes as they all seemed stale. Did not eat the tacos, as I had low expectations, with them. 

Now we had better meals at the beginning of our cruise. By the 8th night, restaurant meals went way down. But here's the thing, after we started complaining, they became even worse. With nothing ever being near the temp that it should be. Which means VV marks your name/cabin as being a complainer. After we figured that out, we dismissed any idea of doing a VV again. Being married to a chef, we know what is good and what is meh. This was my 56th cruise. I never thought any cruise line could have such poor food.   

On 4/7/2024 at 9:51 PM, crusinthrough said:

Isn't the menu and restaurants the same on all cruise lines?  Celebrity may add a new speciality restaurant on a  new build but overall the restaurants and menus are the same.  The S class ships have the same restaurants as well as the E class.  I've been on VV 3x and manage to find something different on the menu at all restaurants.  I no longer rush to make reservations in advance though.  I'm now fine with whatever restaurant is available when I am onboard.  

 

 

Most cruise lines have at least 4 weeks of menus that can be rotated through. That's for mass market and premium lines. Deluxe lines have more because they usually do many longer cruises. From what I have been told on many tours of ship kitchens, the menus are all planned months in advance, due to supply constraints. Everyone seems to think that Virgin Voyages does everything different from other lines. They really don't.

VV has 2 menus for longer cruises. There is an A and B dinner menu for each restaurant. We experienced them on our 12 night cruise. Now are VV A and B menus really different? Not really. Only Razzle Dazzle and Test Kitchen were distinctly different. Matter of fact, Extra Virgin, in which we dined 3 times, the menu never changed.

22 minutes ago, Stewie0353 said:

We were booked to sail Australia this coming December and built a family and friends Christmas around it. Virgin decided to cancel that and are now booking the Resilient Lady for more profitable voyages. To date I have only been refunded the 2nd payment but have no news of where the $1590 deposit is! There will be many thousands of Australian travellers in this boat. Can anyone enlighten me where we stand with the deposit, travel insurance and destroyed plans? I have booked with Princess in May 2025. 

If you have no intentions of rebooking with Virgin, then you need to challenge the charges with your CC company. I sincerely doubt they will provide any help because they did the cancelations almost a year prior to your sailing date.

On 3/24/2024 at 10:10 PM, -The-True-North- said:

Ships are all the same.

Shows are different, but on repeat. Seen them all now and don't plan on seeing them again. Miss behave was amazing the first time... Second was a snooze.

Foods the same

Activities the same

Drinks are the same.

Decor the same

Pool SUCKS!!!!

 

Its Groundhog Day. 4 ships and they are all identical. Brilliant lady hasn't even launched, but it's already going to feel like a 5 years old ship.

 

Thankfully we pick itineraries based on locations, and don't have many cruising days so experience limited time on the ship.

 

If it's your first sailing, you'll have a blast (hopefully). After that each sailing loses it's luster. 

Yeah, I just came off a 12 night Resilient Lady sailing, 91% occupancy, with 2550 pax. We had 6 sea days, the weather was bad. Windy, rainy and sometimes even cold. The indoor public areas were super mobbed. During the day, one could barely find some where to sit and just have a drink. I think many previous VV sailors had cruises that sailed with a lot less passengers. It was so crowded, we met people that never were able to get into a restaurant for dinner. Which I later found out is part of VV plans.

Four almost identical ships was not a good plan. I won't sail with VV for a long time. Just too many hassles. We're one and done. We also were canceled off the Brilliant Lady, so we had to do a VV cruise to get the value from our money sitting at VV for 2 years.

JackE

Thanks for your review. You posted this while I was on Resilient Lady, between New Zealand and Australia. After numerous reviews like yours, we had high expectations for our VV. In many ways, it was the exact opposite of your experience. Our ship was 91% full, average age was 54. The ship could not accommodate this many passengers in the public spaces available. Our sailing had great weather in ports, but terrible weather at sea (with 6 sea days). Cold, wind, and rain almost completely closed the outdoor deck areas. 

We had numerous mediocre meals, while the "Galley" generally had very good food. Which leads to something that really bugged me. I had dinner reservations for 10 of 12 nights. The others we went to at 545pm, to snag a standby. Two times while sitting at the bar for "Extra Virgin" at 545pm, we observed the restaurant to be totally empty until 7pm. By 745pm, every table was occupied. Which lead me to ask the staff questions. VV plans on roughly 1/3 of the passengers to eat dinner in the Galley. The reservation system is a mess and not an efficient use of open seats for standby diners. We also spoke to at least a dozen other passengers who were never able to get a single restaurant reservation. That in and of itself is not what any cruise line should be doing. Cruising is supposed to make the passenger feel pampered. Cruising is supposed to have good food that one usually does eat in the normal non-vacation life.

While tastes in food do account for lots of opinions, we were served so many entrees that were room temperature. This happened in "The Wake" twice to us, in the same meal. During the 12 nights, so many meals were just disappointing. I can put up with a lot things not going right on a cruise. Because so much of a cruise is uncontrollable-weather, etc. But I do expect meals to be served at the right temperature. 

To me, Virgin Voyages was over hyped. Probably by people who sailed on ships with half the cabins occupied. It'll be years before, I would sail with Virgin Voyages again. This was my 56th cruise. I have sailed with Celebrity 4 times, not once was I disappointed with the food. None of Virgin Voyage's restaurants can shine a candle to the a la carte restaurants on Celebrity ships, let alone the MDR. I suspect that VV doesn't feel their "sailors" have the taste palates for better food. 

On 3/18/2024 at 10:21 PM, Purplsmurf said:

We looked at Virgin, but since we can’t pick the cabin we wanted we knew it wasn’t for us. I like choosing where we will be, not being assigned a cabin by Virgin 

Call Virgin Voyages or have your travel agent pick the cabin you want. Even when booking on-line, you can call Sailor Services and have them change your cabin to one you want. As long as it's in the same category.

Ship: Resilient Lady

Cabin#: 10342Z

Deck #: 10

Cabin Category: XL Sea Terrace

Sleeps: 1, 2, 3  or 4: 2

Cabin Location: (Port,  Starboard, Forward, Aft): Forward Starboard

Terrace/Window/Obstruction: Terrace with obstructions

Noise Issues?: Yes, in rougher seas, the bow hitting waves is very noisy.

Wind Issues?: No

Connecting Cabin? Where Does it Connect?: No

Hammock: Yes /No: Yes

Metal/Glass Terrace: Glass

Advantages/Problems: Sink area, shower and toilet areas are bigger than standard sea terrace cabins. Only 14 inches of room between the foot of bed and the wall.

Would You Book Again?: Maybe

Comments: We found the bed very uncomfortable. Our sailing encountered stormy, rough seas, with lots of noise from the bow hitting waves. 

On 3/30/2024 at 1:11 PM, Hopefulhawkeye said:

Let's talk demographics. Celebrity ships, despite what there marketing may have you believe, skew very old. On the Med cruise there was at least a contingent of Europeans that were in their 30's/40's, but on the Equinox, you could've fit everyone under 40 at one large table. It also struck us that there was a wide gulf between the mobility of European seniors versus Americans. We saw so many canes, walkers, and scooters on the Equinox. To be clear, I love seniors, I'm just not in a rush to be one. Multiple cruisers (and even Celebrity's security staff!) thought my husband was a dancer for the theatre shows. There was a distinct lack of shows/activities on both ships that appeal to a younger demographic. We left this cruise with a strong feeling that we need to try a Virgin cruise next, if only not to be called "younguns" for just one day of the cruise. 

I just came off a 12 night cruise on the VV Resilient Lady. The average age on the ship was 54. Now in the Caribbean, where VV runs 4 and 5 night cruises, the age skews younger, but not as young as Virgin Voyages advertises.

After our cruise, I would not sail Virgin Voyages again. Cabins are smaller than most contemporary ships. Entertainment venues and restaurants are not big enough to accommodate all the passengers on-board. The food was average to mediocre. Most of all, I never felt the pampering that a cruise vacation should offer. Overall, I was very disappointed with VV. If food is a big deal for you, you will hate VV! But there is no selling of restaurant or drink packages.

Virgin Voyages is still trying to find themselves, LOL. Maybe in 5 years, when Royal Caribbean or Carnival buy them, they will improve. Because they seem to think that their version of cruising is "be all, end all". This was my 56th cruise. I did not think that any cruise line could be worse than MSC. Virgin Voyages proved that to be wrong.

On 3/28/2024 at 4:39 PM, gumshoe958 said:

VV’s USP seems to revolve around partying by night and chilling out by day rather than visiting scenic destinations so I can’t really see them doing Iceland, Alaska or Norway.

VV provides very little to mostly no port information. My cruise went into 3 NZ fjords. There was a small bit of commentary, but that was the only info provided on my 12 night cruise.

2 hours ago, WanderingTravels said:

I meant where besides the Caribbean and Med would you like Virgin to go?  The ships are big so they do have limitations.

At 110,000 gross tons, the Lady ships are not considered "big" compared to ships that have been introduced in the last 10 years. The biggest issue Lady ships have is they cannot transit the Panama Canal. Supposedly the Brilliant Lady was altered to fit the Panama Canal.

In my opinion, VV would not sell well in markets that don't have enough young people to "fit their concept" of cruising. Which is what happened in Oceania. Most Millennials and Gen Z do not have the extra funds to do $3000k cruise plus airfare OR they have kids! 

Which the Americas and Europe probably have the demographics, funds, etc. But they don't have the desire to cruise. Virgin Voyages marketing plan is very flawed. The average age on VV sailings is over age 50.

4 hours ago, Tolkmit said:

 

Virgin hasn't been lying; but they have been making statements open to interpretation. They say the season in Australia was successful. It probably was in the sense that it got better than targeted post-cruise survey ratings. It almost certainly wasn't in a financial sense. People infer them claiming a successful season to mean they were happy with the result, which them cancelling this upcoming season suggests isn't true. But Virgin didn't actually lie.

 

If Applebee's decided they didn't care about making money and dropped their prices by 90%; they'd have amazing reviews and be winning awards from people who were used to eating at McDonalds and Taco Bell. If instead of lowering prices, Applebee's doubled their prices overnight, their reviews would tank from what they currently are. Virgin was amazing when they were charging half of what they charge now and gave you tons of onboard credit to go with it, especially when the ships weren't sailing full. All of that is changing now that they are trying to be a successful company; so referencing reviews from people who paid 12 or 24 months ago prices isn't very relevant. Virgin was amazing for the price. But some of the issues that were excused based on them being new, ignored based on the low price, or minimalized by the low population onboard; are starting to be talked about a lot more. Yes, there are some posters who are hardcore fans who will defend Virgin no matter what. But reviews of start-up prices Virgin is not a good response to reviews of today's prices Virgin.

You hit the nail on the head! Shortcomings are forgivable when weighed against price and conditions. Virgin Voyages is so hyped up now, it is leading to a very hard fall from grace. I was so disappointed with the food quality on our cruise. That alone leads me away from VV!

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

Well, that assumes you believe they're lying. I don't.

I think Virgin Voyages lies and misrepresents in many situations.  VV made an extremely foolish decision to try to be in as many markets as possible. The decision to sail in the Oceania market was made over 2 years ago. Covid restrictions were still in place in many countries. Instead of establishing the brand in the US and Europe, and getting a base of repeat customers, they became overly confident. After my 12 night Virgin Voyage, the utter lack of planning was very apparent. The "Happenings Cast" cannot deal with anything that they have not experienced before. They just do not have the operational experience. Very few staff have ever worked in the cruise industry, either. The best thing for VV is for a bigger cruise company buying them. That will give VV the structure and experience that they so desperately need.

On 2/28/2024 at 9:45 PM, Naomigruis said:

I am a regular cruiser and had already decided this would be out last with VV. The style of having to book restaurant and the shows not lining up with dinner without a major drama is just to much of a hassle for me. I also just think the quality of the food is ok, no better than what I eat at our local Melbourne restaurant and the shows are a seen once and then done. 
 

We just got off the Resilient Lady in Sydney.  After 56 cruises, our first Virgin Voyage, we will not sail with them again. VV is just terribly poor at running a cruise line. The fact that they plan on 800-900 people every night eating in the Galley, is pitiful.  That entertainment venues only accommodate hundreds of people is just poor ship designs and planning. Our sailing was 90% full, 2550 pax. The weather was poor during our cruise.  So the pool deck was hardly used. That means all the pax were on decks 5,6 and 7. Crowded would be an understatement. Food was very mediocre. For every good meal there were 4 bad ones. 12 nights of torture! Did I state how uncomfortable the mattresses are? For us, it was a just a bad cruise, to never be repeated! 

On 2/28/2024 at 10:45 AM, CineGraphic said:

 

Is that why they keep winning so many awards?

First, media and influencers who received free cruises are not reliable at rating cruises.  2nd, VV ships prior to June 2023, sailed with far less passengers, than most VV sailings now have.

@luckybecky

We are in the same situation as you. We had a TransAtlantic cruise canceled by Virgin Voyages. We were allowed to pick any sailing to replace. The best choice was another similar length cruise. We always wanted to do a road trip in New Zealand, as that's the best way to see the country. 

Virgin Voyages charges double what local tour companies charge, ie markup. I suggest Viator, Shore Excursions Group, Venture Ashore, or Bookatour.co.nz. Keep in mind that these companies use the same tour suppliers as VV. 

We are making the best of it. 

6 minutes ago, Alegeeter said:

I'm in the US and am able to see and mock-book BL sailings Jan-Apr. 

 

I am able to see them on and off for the last 30 minutes. There is obviously something going on. 

5 minutes ago, DrSch said:

 

does anyone know how long it was before they canceled the cruises on the Resilient?

 

Those sailings were being offered for at least 6 months.

2 hours ago, aviators99 said:

That's what this thread is about.

@aviators99 @Libarary Lady----Hello, in the US, the VV website is not showing any Brilliant Lady cruises with the exception of the Dec 24, 2023 sailing. I have been on this thread since it started back in April. I generally check at least once, to multiple times a week. There have always been Caribbean sailings of the Brilliant Lady for sale, but now there is just one sailing. I am also booked on the trans-Atlantic. But now this really worries me.

Has anyone noticed that the Brilliant Lady cruises are not on the VV website beyond the 2 Mermaiden voyages? That really makes me nervous....

8 hours ago, FFMilesJunkie said:

By your logic Celebrity should redeploy the Ascent or maybe it's a sign the ship should be delayed. 

 

On the other hand, suites are sold out on the Brilliant Lady for almost all her sailings out of SJ and on a few of her sailings all that are left are a handful of insides and Central Sea Terraces. XL & Standard Sea Terraces are almost sold out on some sailings. 

First I was writing my comment late at night. Second, don't put words in my mouth. I didn't mention anything changing the Ascent's itineraries. Third, VV had Brilliant Lady selling at firesale prices prior to 1/1/23. Fourth, we should not have to speculate how or what VV will do with our sailing, period!

You cannot compare the Ascent to the Brilliant Lady or Celebrity to Virgin Voyages. It is apples to oranges. Cruise lines are still having significant difficulties post-Covid. Again why are you putting words in my mouth?

I will go back to what I have posted here since April. Virgin Voyages is still struggling to market their cruises. As recently as 4 months ago, VV ships were not sailing at full capacity or even close to full capacity. It worries me immensely that VV has not posted the BL schedule post April 20th. That date is only 8 months away. No other cruise line waits this long to post their schedules. 

I recently booked my flights and hotels in both SJU and Europe. But I think it is all for naught. I gave the T-ATL sailing less than 50% chance that it will sail. I don't trust Virgin Voyages! I think that VV is doing itself a great disservice by not keeping us informed. Plus, we cannot cancel without losing our deposits. Believe me if I had known that VV would be acting this way, I would not have booked this cruise.

4 hours ago, cantgetin said:

Tom McAlpin has spent most of his career in at least 3 cruise lines.  He has worked for Royal, was CFO at Disney Cruise Lines, and then worked for Residence or World (a line where you buy your cabin, sort of like a condo) before coming to VV.  I don't know who else is supposedly "running things."

Bain Capital and BlackRock are controlling the purse strings. That is what I meant about who are controlling/managing VV.

As far as McAlpin, why is not still at Disney? His reputation is for starting up cruise lines, but his tenure at DCL, was shuffled a couple times. McAlpin is not the person to solve VV's problems with getting people under 35 to book VV cruise.