cantgetin

No, you won't be asked to come back.  You will be standing in a line based on your scheduled arrival time and will be able to board when everyone with a time earlier than your's has been processed.  There is a very good chance that you will check in and board prior to your scheduled time, but not 2 hours earlier. They do ask you to arrive no more than 30 minutes before your scheduled time.....again, worst case, you stand in a line for your time slot.

On our cruises, the first scheduled terminal arrival time has been 1:30.  Most of the time, we have been in our stateroom by 2pm.  

VV does things differently, and there are good and bad aspects to those changes.  First, your cabin will be ready when you board.  You can go there immediately, drop your carry ons. freshen up, and go to lunch.  Secondly, you will not be kicked off the ship at 8am on your last day; the latest disembarkation time is typically 10:30.  This makes for a MUCH nicer morning for those with afternoon flights, and the ability to get off as early as 7:30 is still available to those who want it.

21 minutes ago, bdever said:

Yes the TA felt so old! It was my first TA with VV after experiencing Princess TA I was hoping to get away from the older crowd. The universe played a mean joke on me 🤦🏻‍♀️ I am wondering how many of the sailors were virgins on virgin & if they will be back for the TA on Resilient Lady next year?

Can't address whether people will be back... I've been on all 4 of the TAs that VV has had so far.  On the first 3, the average age was 43-45.  I have no explanation on this one except that 55 was the stat from Sailor Services, along with 2348 sailing.  Maybe the word has gotten out that VV is not just  for 20 somethings who want to party hardy (at least on the long sailings).  That perception scared off a lot of us at the beginning.  Shorter cruises do have a younger crowd.  The other thing is that for those of us who booked early, this was the least expensive of the 4 TAs.....maybe that interested the older crowd.

On the other hand, one way that VV attracts the younger group is/was their excellent wifi. We qualified for free premium, but the price increase for premium might have scared away some who planned to work while cruising.  Standard wouldn't have been good enough for zoom....at least when I tried it.

On 5/8/2024 at 10:24 AM, CruisingWalter said:

 

 

@cantgetin shared my food review and it's still pretty accurate though we don't go to The Wake for dinner any longer. I have found better steaks at Extra Virgin and Pink Agave the last few times we've been on Scarlet and Valiant. The Wake can sometimes be an unnecessarily long meal as well. 

 

If you like Celebrity / Princess you should really enjoy yourself on VV. 🙂  

The Wake was better on the transatlantic just completed.  No more long delays and meals taking forever.  But yes, there are better steaks in other restaurants.

THey say "next day" but on the recent TA it was 2 days.  THursday nite was the last time to send it for Sunday departure.  Same at midpoint--send Saturday, get back Monday.   On previous VV cruises it was next day as long as turned in by noon

We always found Princess "just OK."  Good for Alaska where the attraction was the scenery and wildlife, but the ships themselves were nothing to be excited about.  Good for Japan. Entertainment barely OK except for Japan cruises.  Food....ok...We did upgrade to a suite on one cruise, and that was better dining.

Not sure what you are looking for in demographic.  Typical on VV is average age of 43. On our recent transatlantic we were told it was 55.  It was definitely an older crowd than our provious TAs on virgin.

17 minutes ago, Cloud9 Bob said:

 

I know one of the managers on Scarlet and many a day I've seen him grab a mop to sop up a spill.

That's the way it should be....and we saw a lot more of that on our recent trip....no instances of 3 managers standing around talking while there was work to be done.

We were given lots of "teasers" on the transatlantic, but it is all really a "wait and see."  I suspect the rockstar lounge is a reality.....maybe less so a full restaurant.  The 2 hammock sea terraces was an official announcement.  Totally agree that the suite experience on VV doesn't offer much compared to other lines.

There were issues in getting restaurant reservations even after boarding, which was quite different than our previous cruises.  The ship sailed at 2348 Sailors...the most of any cruise I've been on.  Previously we had no trouble with same day reservations or making changes as long as we were flexible with times.  On this sailing, we got waitlisted a couple of times and had them come thru, but no luck with showing up at 5:45 with fingers crossed (other than waitlist)

The price on the thermal suite keeps increasing also, so that might explain the increase in SOR.  In 18 months it has gone from to $39/59 based on shore day or sea day to $79.

3 hours ago, colesc15 said:

We've always been onboard Royal ships by 11 am or so, but it appears boarding is later for virgin? What's the earliest people generally board? 

When you book, download the app and select a "terminal arrival time."  The earliest available is 1:30.  You are asked to not arrive at the terminal more than 30 minutes in advance of your time--if you do, you'll be waiting outside.  Rockstars will board first, then those with priority boarding.  It goes really quickly.  We have usually been IN our cabin before 2 with a 1:30 time.  The nice thing is that your cabin is ready when you board. You go to your room, drop carry ons, freshen up if you choose, then go to the lunch location of your choice (Galley, Pizza, The Dock, etc.)

If you have a later boarding time, like 3pm, you might want to arrive about an hour early.  You might stand in line for a while, but will likely be checking in and boarding prior to your time.  Do complete all the boarding stuff on the app in advance.  That's what makes boarding go so quickly.  If you haven't, there is a "help" area to get it done without slowing down those who did it in advance.

2 hours ago, Tyler414 said:

 Because you have a non VV excursion, you are actually going to most likely be closer to last off the ship. 

This has not been my experience on VV. It does work that way on other lines.  On all of our VV stops, the ports have been where we can walk off the gangway (no tenders).  As such, there has been no "we take the 200 people in this group first" situation.  Yes, if you want to be off early, get to the gangway as soon as it opens.  The VV excursion people will have been given a time to meet up, but you can beat them!

The DBE status match ended 12/31/2023, then popped up again for a short time.  You can apply after you make your booking and it will take a week or less to process provided it is being offered at the time you sign up.  Like most things Virgin, the rules can change at a moment's notice.  If you do sign up, sign up for each member of your party.  The benefits are per person, not per cabin.

yes...unless the rules have changed. If you use a TA (First Mate), you can also give them credit for your sailing even though you book it with the agent on board.

At other ports, we could disembark about 30 minutes after the ship arrived.  Of course. there can always be exceptions for emergencies.  Yes, if the ship arrives early and all the needed processes are completed, you might be able to get off early, but not likely.  Good luck with talking to Sailor Services shoreside.  They only know what their computers say.

I didn't have a problem with the system for the shows on the TA.  I didn't like it a bit for the VHS or Zumba classes.  I don't want to get up, dressed for the class, line up 30+ minutes early, and maybe not get in.

Normally 7:30 or a bit later.  The earliest sign up time for those NOT self-disembarking is usually 8:00.

The helicopter was Portuguese Coast Guard.

Bottom line, if you will use the thermal suite passes and the moet, it is worth the cost.  Otherwise, the  juices, etc.  can be purchased on their own and won't add up to $250.  We have DBE, which includes priority boarding...so no benefit there.  The cocktail party, is not anything great. The juices be purchased with bar tab...which might be part of your booking.

Yes, 2 spa passes = $158.  Bottle of Moet = $105. Cold pressed juice (from carton) $10-13 each. Munchies (there are lots of others available on the ship) you can't buy these exact ones.  Cocktail party...drinks about $10-13 each and the ones you purchase separately are better.
I wouldn't spend the money, but I don't like the Moet.

1 hour ago, Cloud9 Bob said:

 

 

The nerve of you going to sleep when I want to know something!!!

And you were doing so well with the bacon reports 🤣

Sorry.....those 23 hours days were getting to me.  But I did handle the serious things like bacon and waffles.

Another cruiser posted some photos of the helicopter....we were asleep.

There are many sites that list complete menus, such as the one listed above.  On our cruises, there have been nightly specials in The Galley and often 1-3 special items in the restaurants.  In addition, The Galley has multiple daily specials at lunch--check the different stations.

A hint--if you want the dessert special at dinner, have your server reserve one when you order your main meal.  If you wait till dessert time, it is often "all gone."

1 hour ago, CruisingWalter said:

You don't need lunch when you eat one of these. 🙂  I'll get it sort of early and then go for the salad bar or the poke bowl around 2pm ish.

Or hit The Dock for some munchies.....

The ships are almost identical.  This video will give you an excellent idea what to expect.
NO KIDS, tips included, all dining included other than a few specialty upgrade items clearly listed on the menu (don't bother, the included stuff is great)

While the statement says "coffee," I can attest that specialty teas and hot chocolate continue to be included.
I sent one laundry bag in my name and one in the other name in my cabin....and they each had laundry from both.  You are right they they can't differentiate.  The bag was more than enough for a week, but I loved sending it the last possible day before disembarkation and bringing things home clean.  THat means laundry is not on todays "must do" list.

It is served during breakfast hours.