Just to be clear, VV does not charge for any food at a bar. Their customer service phone lines are awful. Their IT needs serious help. Using a travel agent solves most of those issues. Once on the ship, the system is lovely. YES, there are 2 customer service desks...one on 7 deals mainly with reservations for dining, excursions, etc. and a few little things while the one of 5 can do everything (financial issues, in particular can't be handled on 7). I've heard complaint that people went to 7 and then had to go to 5, but with a very little understanding, there is no issue. By an IT miracle, the app works while on the ship or they know the tweak to fix it.
I can't top the service on VV ON the ship. The crew are friendly and seem happy to be there. Of course, earning 3 times as much as on other lines, free internet, toiletries, more solo cabins for crew, etc. probably contributes to that, but happy crew tends to equate with good service. OK, if you want to gripe, they only clean your room once a day with no "turn down service" or towel animals. But they do have housekeeping personnel assigned to each area for anything you need later in the day or evening. I swear that I have no connection and don't work for them. I've just found my "new favorite" cruise line. And it makes other lines look like "also rans."