cantgetin

I've never heard the term "premium drinks" on VV with a meaning other than things not included in "basic bevvies." I think that means any drink that has a charge. There are a few very expensive drinks that exceed the limit in Mega suites, but there are ways to get around that also. Specifically, the casino bar will do "half pours" which keeps the price within the limit for those people.

I personally was able to cancel and rebook a reservation at more than 120 days when a better price became available. I saved $374 and added a $600 bar tab. My TA said that the only risk was that someone might hypothetically grab my cabin between the time she canceled for me and the time she got the rebooking thru (just a few minutes). The other consideration is that once you have applied a MNVV to a specific date, there is a limit to the number of times you can "move" it, and a cancel and rebook counts as a date change, even though you rebooked the same date. My "First Mate" was ranked as one of the top 10 in VV and seems to know all the ropes! As to the circle, I was able to add her circle after the reservation was made, but I'm not sure on the rules there.....I do have the circle showing up on my reservation.

Totally agree with a great "First Mate" who knows the product well.

We've never had to resubmit anything for DBE. Once we did the application, it was automatically applied to future bookings.

As above, grab dinner reservations 45 days before cruising. Even if you can't get exactly what you want, grab as close as you can get. It is easier to move things around after boarding than to start from scratch. You are allowed to enter the terminal 30 minutes before your scheduled arrival time. We have always been in our cabin by 2pm. If you land at 9, you can take whatever transportation to the terminal and drop your luggage. VV offers a shuttle to Bayside, a shopping/eating area where you can chill out till close to your boarding time. There have been some issues with the return shuttle, but worst case, you grab an uber or lyft. 10:30 is early but Miami is close to the airport. It is possible if you do self disembarkation (you carry all your own luggage) and leave as soon as they open the doors. And this assumes a normal disembarkation--no medical transfers or other issues. Ask yourself what happens if you can't make that flight. Are you on an airline that will allow you to cancel and grab the later flight? Or is it better to book the later one and try to get standby on the earlier flight? There are lots of variables. If you choose a late disembarkation time, you can have a leisurely breakfast and not really worry about being on time to anything.

There is no comparison between Princess and VV. The only reason we'd consider Princess again would be a great itinerary that we couldn't get elsewhere.

I have almost 50 cruises total, 4 on VV. My thoughts are the same as yours--best food I've experienced, although individual dishes on other lines may have been better, particularly in the specialty restaurants. I like the almost all inclusive model--I don't have to decide whether buying a soda package is "worth it" or whether I really need internet. I like being able to eat where and when I want to. THe line treats the crew well, and the crew treats the sailors well. VV definitely has the happiest crew at sea, likely due to their ability to communicate with families at home with free internet and the self expression they are given....comfortable "normal" uniforms, not costumes, and salaries three times higher than some other lines. I was pleased that on our last cruise, we had some new entertainment, both in the "big" shows and the comedians, etc. Some of the entertainment, seating, and activities are not to my taste, but there is enough that is good to keep me coming back. We have 2 more scheduled at this point.

I'm the bad guy from post #43, and reported what was the printed policy on our cruises (most recently disembarked on 5/7/2023) and also happened in reality. We got the benefit only at The Grounds Club, not at Ship Eats or other locations on board. The ad posted in #44 was one I had not seen before the posting here and does not reflect what happened on any of our cruises. To be fair, things on the ship are not always what is posted on the web. For instance, we were told by Sailor Services that the free premium internet applied to only 2 items at a time but could be used on multiple items provided you logged off one before logging onto another. Other users swore it was 3 items. We didn't test it--we put premium on our computers and kept standard on our phones.

It is not typically the day you board, but is often a few days or a week before embarkation. There is a desk at the terminal where you can purchase an upgrade at that time is any are available; I don't know if this desk can be used to switch rooms within a category. If there is a problem with your cabin, it can be changed by Sailor Services on board. Again, I don't know if they will do this just for preference on embarkation day.

I think that their issue is whether or not specialty coffee ordered from Ship Eats is included. It never has been in the past, but this new ad doesn't say "specialty coffee, tea, or hot chocolate in The Grounds Club." BTW, the hot chocolate is made from a powdered envelope of mix.

This is different than the previous list.....We got off the ship on May 7 and the old deal of $10 per cabin per day credit at Grounds Club was in effect then....and that was the list we got as to what the benefits were. If this is good only on specialty coffee, I, as a non-coffee drinker, will not be happy. If it is in effect all over the ship, that's good for those who drink coffee. I'm guessing that they didn't change anything but came up with a new ad.

I'd have to check the logs for exact hours. It is open in the afternoon, closes for a couple hours at dinner, and then re-opens till 1:30 am.

Coffee from The Grounds Club qualifies for the $10 per cabin per day DBE deal. Brewed coffee from Sailor Eats is free, specialty coffee is not free. If you order a specialty coffee from Ship Eats, you'll pay the $5 fee for the coffee and the $7 delivery fee is waived. Same if you order a $5 bottle of beer or a $4 hot chocolate. DBE does NOT include $10 per day in specialty coffee. It includes $10 per day FROM THE GROUNDS CLUB. That can be coffee, tea, or hot chocolate but only from those 2 locations....and it doesn't roll over from one day to the next. It isn't $40 on a 4 day cruise, it is $10 per day. if you spend $5 one day, you still only have $10 for each additional day.

You can definitely get virgin drinks at bars. Test Kitchen offers a virgin tasting plan (along with cocktail, beer, and wine). Ballpark, virgin drinks tended to be about $5 less than those with booze. You can get sparkling water free, canned sodas free. Don't know about club soda. Juices from concentrate are free in The Galley. Cold Pressed juices come with a cost.

I like to know that if I show up for dinner, I will be seated at my scheduled time. I've also seen shows where they went down the line and made a separate line for people without reservations. I wouldn't be happy if I had to show up for a given show 3 times hoping to get in each time.

Oh my! Lock it in rates do not qualify for the many perks of a regular sea terrace booking, so I'm hoping that the $600 added some perks. An alternative would have been bidding on an upgrade or crossing fingers for a free upgrade (which actually happens quite often from lock it in rates). But the best is to buy what you want from the beginning and use a good agent when you book.

You can see them on the app when it is time for you to be able to book excursions, They aren't on the web site as far as I know.

Normal hours, which means Razzle Dazzle, The Wake, and THe Galley for lunch, The Dock for small plates in the afternoon. Grounds Club will have pastries and cookies, Social Club will have hot dogs, wings, pretzels, candy, etc. in the afternoon.

Not all sailors get emails. For instance, you will not get one if there are no cabins available above the level you purchased. On our recent cruise, all central sea terrace and above were booked, so if you were in one of those you did not get an email.

The beverage area of The Galley is open 24/7 for soda, juices from concentrate, brewed coffee and tea, as well as ice tea from concentrate. The Grounds Club opens at 7am. On our recent cruise, the closing time varied (or at least seemed to). It was normally about 7, but one evening it was open until 9. Premium brews are available from Ship Eats (room service) after Grounds Club closes, but will not be taken off of your $10 per day credit; the credit applies only to beverages obtained at The Grounds Club.

About 35% of dinner reservations are held back till boarding. That should help if you have an early boarding time. You have a big group--my suggestion would be to book 2 groups of 4 as close in time as you can get in advance. Even if you have to do 4 groups of 2 between 6 and 6:15, that will help; they can put you together at the restaurant. It is always better to have something booked, then to fine tune it after boarding. If you go to the restaurants, they will do everything possible to meet your needs. Eating at 6 should be NO problem; that's a lot earlier than many people want. If you go to a restaurant at 6pm on the first night and they can't seat 8 of you on that night, ask if they can do it on a later night, We never had a problem getting a table without a reservation, but our biggest group was 6. My opinion is that your TA dropped the ball for you. The app didn't work on our first day to be able to book in advance, but my TA used their portal and got everything we wanted! I'm guessing that if the TA couldn't get it, Sailor Services won't be able to help, but it might be worth a phone call to them. If I'm not mistaken, that is a 4 night cruise, so you won't be able to eat in each restaurant. You might look at brunch reservations at The Wake and Razzle Dazzle so you can enjoy those locations as well as the other 4 restaurants at dinner.

There is a $7 delivery charge for "Ship Eat," which is VV talk for room service. This is waived for suites or if you buy something that has a charge. For example, if you buy a specialty coffee for $5, they waive the delivery charge. There is no gratuity, no charge for food....it is a flat delivery fee. How long it takes depends on when you order. We've had it take 15 minutes or 45 minutes. Yes, you can order breakfast the night before.

VV wasn't obligated to give us anything. The fact that they are giving us goodies for the money we have spent sailing on other cruise lines is great! Granted, they are going this to get people to sail with them and to hopefully become repeat sailors, but for now, I'm very happy with these benefits. Virgin already includes a lot that other lines charge for--unlimited soda (cans or fountain,) brewed coffee or tea, regular internet, gratuities, fitness classes, etc. They also offer a great rebooking on board deal. I don't drink coffee and took a while to find a premium tea that I liked (I actually liked the normal stuff!). That's on me. Since we normally do 2 week cruises, I love the free laundry. ($30) ..and the bag is triple the size of most lines! My adult daughter loves the premium wifi. ($10 per day on top of the free wifi) Again, something for each of us to enjoy. We've all spent many thousands of dollars to accrue those loyalty benefits on other lines. I'm delighted with what we are getting for having spent much less with VV.

VV "matches" your status in the sense that you qualify as a Sea Rover. They do NOT give you the same benefits as the program you matched, They give you the Sea Rover benefits package, which is called Deep Blue Extras. It has been continued until 12/31/2023. What you'll get....upon arrival at the terminal, go to the "Sailing Club" desk outside to get a bracelet which gives you priority boarding. You will board after suite guests. You can remove the bracelet after that. On board, you will get a $100 bar tab free (no purchase needed). $100 bonus on any bar tab you purchase (normal is $50 bonus). A huge bag of laundry free, $10 per cabin per day credit in The Grounds Club, an invitation to a cocktail party, premium wifi for the duration of the cruise are included. I may be forgetting some. Apply on line for the status match and the DBE should show up on your on line account within a week. Just scroll down on the VV page till you see "loyalty." to apply.

As above, you don't NEED a water bottle. Water is available in your room and essentially anywhere on the ship. THe workout classes have water available. Any bar, Grounds Club, etc. will give you a glass of water. On the other hand, I carried my Tervis cup with ice tea most of the time. And yes, the Logo Shop on deck 6 had water bottles on our ship. If you don't want to wait till the shops open, try the airport stores.