cantgetin

I'd go VV for a zillion reasons. But in fairness, I've only done long cruises on VV and understand that shorter cruises are more "party atmosphere." I'm quite conservative. That's not a problem on VV if you are not going to be offended by others. Frankly, I've never seen any PDA or clothing on VV that I haven't seen on Disney Cruise Line. I have memories of formal night on Disney when my daughter at about age 10 said, "Mom, you can see her (fill in blank). Sure, you'll see hand holding and a peck on the cheek on VV, but people know when to take it to the cabin. The Diva entertainment can be a lot of fun, somewhat depending on who the Diva is. We are fine in a Sea Terrace, and the hammock is amazing--we bought one for home! My only concern for you is length of cruise, and I have the same concern for my sister and BIL. Shorter = more rowdy crowd. VV costs have increased way too much. But the MSC you are considering sounds awful to me!

There is entertainment all evening, so you will miss something even if it is not a main show. THe nice thing about the TA is that most shows repeat and there is little difficulty moving around dinner res after boarding. First, what time do you like to eat dinner? We've done the three TAs between Barcelona and Miami on Valiant; the first time we scheduled dinners too early thinking we'd be able to catch early shows. We could catch the shows, but we didn't like eating that early. If you schedule dinner by 8 or 8:15, you 'll be out by the late show. If you eat at 6 or 6:30, you'll be out by early show...or you can do the early show and be out by 9 for a late dinner. Your call.

Most lines separate refundable and non-refundable onboard credit. I haven't seen that clearly spelled out from VV, so don't depends on a refund for an excursion canceled on board, VV seems to have a lot of "policies" that are almost at the whim of the crew member you are speaking with....sort of like whether or not unopened wine bottles can be purchased at restaurants. I was told no, but was able to purchase from room service. Others report no problem in purchasing.....

Sorry that my hopeful post became a dud for VV sailors. The cruise lines have the numbers for onboard spends stratified in every way possible--age, number ov previous cruises on their line, often whether or not we've cruised other lines, solo vs. couple vs. larger group, etc. So Celebrity, which is trying to get rid of its image as an older line has decided to try to recoup some of the on board spend money because their numbers show that solo cruisers spend less than couples. Their right to do so...but solo cruisers will vote with their feet. Most of the time, when I sail solo, I'm already paying for the ghost who isn't occupying the second bed. I'm not willing to pay for the excursions he isn't taking. They can sell their cabin to someone else. Since Royal owns Celebrity, it makes sense that Royal is "considering" the same move. Solo cruisers will be supporting lines that offer solo cabins, particularly those that offer choices in cabin types!

Not an agent......50+ cruises on all lines, 43 nights on VV so far, and one of those irritating people who does a lot of homework before booking. I can only share my experience. FWIW, it was The Wake that denied me an unopened bottle of wine.

The ability to purchase an unopened bottle of wine at a restaurant seems to be very mixed. In November 2023, we were told we could not but we were able to get an unopened bottle from Sailor Eats (room service). I agree that you can buy a coffee or other for a crew member at Grounds Club. The crew has the equivalent of Grounds Club in the crew area where they are charged about 20% of what Grounds Club costs, but many choose to come up to passenger areas for shorter lines and closer access to their work position.

You can do it feet to feet if you wish

Ditto to the above. Your words for the guy were kinder than mine would have been.

Nov 23 was much improved from the dog fooe (tartar) and chicken in October 22

Watch the video on the app or in your room on the TV. You indicate on the app/tablet that you watched it. Then at the appointed time, go to your muster station for about 5 minutes. NO ONE has to watch a video together or any such nonsense. There is a 90 minute period where you go to your station for a quick life vest demo; it takes maybe 5 minutes unless your dude decides that he is a comedian. You can show up any time during that 90 minute window.

My last 2 VV cruises I had premium and had not problems. On my first cruise, Premium was not available and the regular was poor. But this was before Starlink......

Exactly as above--the key is linking your reservations. You can do this NOW in the app or by calling VV; that way it will be done when you start to make reservations. When you make your reservations, it will show everyone that is linked--select the 4 of you and you'll have a table for 4 reservation, Just be aware that if you are linked, the people you are linked with can "mess" with your reservations for dining, activities, etc. For instance, someone could try to cancel himself and accidentally cancel all of you. Just advise them to be careful.

Thanks....We did it on a ship tour, but it took a boat to the ferry landing, then a ferry, then a bus. Looks like friends will be best doing if thru the cruise line.

The cruise lines have the trip, but was wondering about private vendors. My searching hasn;t turned up anything.

To answer one of your questions--most lines prohibit tattoos that can be seen while wearing uniforms.

reservation

Ladies cut was $99 on our first VV sailing and went up to $139 on our second....but was well done. Didn't get it done on the more recent cruises as it would have been a different person .

I'm not a TA and I know nothing more than what I copied and posted above (other than my agent's contact info). All I can suggest is that you contact your travel agent today or call VV tomorrowl Tootles,

Where's my Solo Sailors? Starting tomorrow and for a limited time, Virgin Voyages is offering an exclusive opportunity for Sailors who love exploring on their own terms (and yes, I’m looking at you). Embrace the chance to make new friends and create unforgettable memories with up to 40% off select voyages in the Caribbean or the Med and score $300 in free drinks. But hurry, this offer ends on Jan. 31st. Applicable Voyages: - Scarlet Lady sailings from May 5 - October 6, 2024 - Valiant Lady sailings from January 27 - March 23, 2024 This was posted by my TA. I deleted the contact info as that is not allowed.

There's not much to spend on when you board....drinks, but most people have a complimentary bar tab. You can book spa, and excursions, but that's about it. Shops are closed, on Scarlet and Valiant, all dinners are included. We've had priority boarding and basically we order lunch then divide on conquer (one does any dinner changes while the other does activities on the app). Watch muster video, unpack and settle in, do muster check in, get some complimentary ice cream......Squid ink reservations don't start till 7,

Ouch! Well, if that's true, it has increased since November 2023 on Valiant. But then, it has always been a lot more reasonable than other lines.

Language, topics

CineGraphic basically answered it. In addition to those mentioned, there were a couple of game shows hosted by the DIva; the description in the app said "Diva." These were the coffee and the smoothie game shows (sorry don't remember the real names). Sometimes another cast member will do one of the shows, in which case the name will change to "Bingo with the Hostess" or "Bingo with the Happenings Cast". The show will be very similar but without the Diva, so no drag.

Should be able to with premium wifi (usual cost is $10 per day). Of course no one can guarantee it will be good on a ship, but we had no problem

You can purchase premium on board. Cost on all cruises I've seen was $10 per night of cruise. No purchase in advance.