cantgetin

This is the menu we have seen for the last 2 years. The app menu is a small sample. You can also mix any type of pasta and any of the sauces...or a favorite trick is to order the meatball appetizer on top of one of the pastas.

Check in is very quick and easy. And to answer Essie's question, yes VV requires that everyone have a passport. THe help line for people who have not completed the on line process really speeds things up for those who were able to do it as they don't have to wait behind people who need help.

I've used it. It is a separate desk and you can skip the line for the regular desk. There are several positions at Sailor Services; the number of people working the desks depends on the number of sailors in line (they bring people out from the back when the line gets long). I haven't seen it with "hours," but more like staff appears when needed. Gotta admit that it felt good to get out of line and go over to the designated desk. In fairness, you can also contact sailor services thru the app, tablet, or phone so I would only go down if I needed something in person--like app not working, they know all the fixes and it is easier to let them do it than to tell me. Also note, sailor services has nothing to do with dinner reservations. You must go to the place designated for that or to an open restaurant. Don't waste your time standing in Sailor Services line.

You can try anything...we've tried one of us working embarkation to the end and other working end backwards. Most we've ever gotten before PM to TA has been 4 nights. I hate to bother her, but she say that is what se is paid for.

We have gone out of BCN on VV twice....different terminals each time. Glad to hear they are back at WTC. The only difference from the above reports is that we found 2 luggage drop off areas. One was operated by terminal porters, the other by people in VV shirts. Same process either way, The process is the same as at Miami, the order is different. Works well either way. The nice thing about WTC is that if you arrive early, there is a little plaza with some seating and a coffee shop on the other side of the plaza.

The two grog walks have always been the same with different starting locations. The two are just to allow 2 groups. And they always end at the PJ party. In general, prices have changed on each of my cruises....for lots of things. Hate to quote because of that, but about $50 (and if it is $40 you can be pleasantly surprised).

YOU or your TA can link your reservations on the app. Then, when you make reservations, you will just click on the people you are reserving for. This will work for dining and all activities. It is not automatic; you must indicate the people you are including in each reservation. Your TA may not be celebrating, so may be available to help you. Alternatively, you can call shoreside sailor services on the first business day after the app crashes. Sorry--I've had the app crash on each cruise. I generally get in 2-3 nights of reservations and then the crash. It may come back up hours later or may not.... The linking can be done as soon as everyone has reservations. If they have done their on line registration with the selfie, their photo will show in the link.

I've done 4 sailings of 14 or more days on VV and didn't get bored until the last one. Yes, the basic food is the same every day, but at least on the longer cruises, they have nightly specials each evening in The Galley that are listed in the schedule. The restaurants add "sometimes" specials that your servers will tell you about, especially if you ask. They usually have an entree and sweet special, particularly toward the end. At lunch, several of The Galley stations will have specials, usually soups, salads, tacos, burgers, desserts, some sort of casserole, and sometimes sandwiches, Unfortunately the only way to learn what these are is to walk past the outlets and look at the signs as the servers either don't know or don't remember half of them. Getting bored was rather our own fault on the last cruise. The Razzle Dazzle evening menu had changed and eliminated our 3 favorite dishes (sorry for those who like the new menu better). There were nights that Gunbae had no interest, and we don't like the B menu in Test Kitchen. So that's us being picky, but we didn't have a ton of dinner choices. It was the first time we've gotten off VV without another sailing booked--combination of frustration with a cabin issue that had not been repaired despite multiple reportings, a "been there, done that" feeling, really disliking the "come way early, stand in line, and hope you get in" system rather than reservations, and the large price increase. Will we cruise VV again? Probably some day. Will it be in 2024? Not likely, but then who knows what life holds?

We've always had good conversation at Test Kitchen regardless of whether seated at the counters or the tables...maybe it was that we paid attention to what others had chosen as far as pairings or veg vs. regular menu and so heard about all of it... I generally found VV passengers more interesting than Celebrity, but that is a broad generalization as I can remember one fascinating person on Celebrity as well.

In The Galley one noon I saw someone from a previous solo activity sitting alone so asked if you wanted company or preferred to not be disturbed; she said I should sit down. We ended up talking for 2 hours! Restaurants have varied....in some places, people would start conversations, in other situations not. Of course, you can always start a conversation too....."oh, that looks good. What is it?

Can't do it. Bar tab is drinks only (alcoholic or non). You can feel free to treat your new best friends or put the coffee for a crew member in line at Grounds Club on your tab (if crew goes to Grounds Club instead of crew area, they pay the same amount we do, but many don't have time on a break to run back to the crew area). If you see crew at t dining room table, you can also offer to buy them a round, a bottle, or whatever. Same deal--they eat free but pay for drinks in sailor areas.

NOTE: Deep Blue Extras includes priority boarding. Blue Extras (lower tier) does not.

Gunbae is group seating. There is a solo cruiser meet and greet on the first day right before sail away. There is also a solo cruiser dinner at 6:30 the first night in Razzle Dazzle hosted by members of the Happenings Cast. These are great times to get to meet other solo cruisers. Other "singles or cruising solo" activities depend on length of cruise. As to seating, if you go in as a solo, you will be seated alone. However, the tables are close enough to chat with your "neighbors" if they are so inclined. I/we have had great chats with people seated next to us as well as those don't talk at all situations. You will not be placed at a table with others, so no need to feel like you must talk.

Interesting. In May 2024 we had 2 moscatos available. We tried the "Honey Bubbles" once and didn't like it; it was $40 per bottle then. We liked the regular moscato that was $8 per glass/$35 per bottle.

If you end up with a night where you don't have a reservation, go to the restaurant of your choice right at opening (5:45-6:00) and ask to be waitlisted. It usually works. If nothing shows up prior to boarding, you can call VV sailor services shoreside or your TA and see if they can get anything thru their portal. You can keep checking the app as nice people do cancel. And you can book thru the app as soon as you connect to the ship's wifi. It is the one that is called "mermaid" something. Sometimes it can be accessed from the terminal, other times not until you actually board.

Jojo loose tea at Grounds Club in 5 or 6 varieties. The Galley has Lipton black tea and Twinnings in a variety of choices....all the normals and a few herbals. Most soft drinks are fountain service at bars or THe Galley but Sip, room service, and occasionally other bars have cans. There is never a charge. THey are a range of coke products. If you are a tea person, DO NOT order it from room service. The tea or hot water (we've had it done both ways) will come in a thermos that has been previously used for coffee. It will smell bad and taste worse. At least that has been my experience. The premium teas used to come in the brewing pot so I could get hot water at The Galley or Grounds Club (getting premium tea will waive the delivery charge), but I guess that too many of the brewing pots were being lost or broken. Now it comes pre-brewed in those nasty thermos things.

Ah for the days of no single supplement....I love my hammock on VV. I'm convinced that there is no demographic on VV, certainly not the one they were originally marketing to. On our last cruise, the average age was 53, but the typical average is mid 40s. Longer cruises tend to run a bit older. At 70, I wan't one of the "young ones," but certainly wasn't anywhere near the oldest. Enjoy your cruise.

The only benefit to purchasing a bar tab is the small bonus you get for purchasing in advance (usually $50 on a $300 tab, but can vary with specials). The downside is that the bar tab is a "use it or lose it" deal...so if you purchase $300, you'll get $350 but if you only spend $275 you're losing money. Drinks are billed first to your bar tab, then to any "loot" you might have, then to the onboard folio which is charged to your credit card at the end of the cruise. Cost of the drinks is the same regardless of pay source and the gratuity is included in the posted price.

THey hold about 35% of reservations till after boarding and that's on top of the ones held for rockstars. We work it 2 ways--yes, I try to do the midnight reservations, but I send my TA a list of what I'd like in advance and when the app crashes, I shoot her a PM and she does it thru her portal. After boarding, you should be able to make reservations on the ship's wifi or by going to the restaurant that is open for assistance--usually Razzle Dazzle, but on our last cruise it was held in Pink Agave. The more full your cruise is, the less flexible dining becomes, but last minute changes are sometimes available as are same night "wait lists." If you got to the restaurant at 5:45 or 6, you can ask to be places on a waitlist and they will send you a notification when they have a no show or a cancelation. We used this when we wanted to change our plans/ Also, don't discount The Galley dinner specials. On our 14 night cruises, they provide a nice break--good food, still served to you (or you can go to the station). We had Beef Wellington with all the trimmings one night and a "all the toppings you can think of" potato bar another night. The specials are listed in the daily schedule. There are also non-announced specials at lunch.

I was literally scanning my bracelet to board on one cruise when security decided they didn't like my photo. One man took his tablet and snapped a picture and I was on my way in about 10 seconds. Seriously, by the time I figured out what was happening, it was finished.

Thanks...even after reading your post, I tried to run thru the April/May cruise personnel...Yes, October 2023 was the one with Carlos.

Good luck--I've had great and not so great casts. I don't know these people.

VV prices have definitely increased A LOT. I'm quite sure that the days of the pricing I got on our 4 transatlantics will never been seen again. Yes, you can get the sofa option by asking. Your host may not be happy as it is work, but they are paid and trained to do it upon request. At least this was accurate as of May 2024

The answer is a great big "it depends." We had no trouble getting moscoto at any restaurant on VV. If it wasn't on the menu, we just asked. In addition, if you buy a bottle and have some left, they will seal and save it for you. The next night your restaurant will retrieve it for you. It is definitely stocked at THe Wake, Extra Virgin, and Pink Agave. Other places may have been fetching it for us. Mixed drinks are a different issue. It becomes an issue of what ingredients are at each bar. The open deck bars are the only ones with blenders, thus the only ones that do the crushed ice drinks. We did hit a couple situations of which bars carry which mixed ingredients. They will make you something if they have the stuff, and some of the bar tenders will even offer "off menu" things, but it is totally a matter of what is where. Same for wine outside of restaurants; limited variety. Under most circumstances, they will not allow you to leave a restaurant with an unopened bottle of wine to take to your room, but room service will provide an unopened bottle from their limited menu Also, be aware that you are permitted to bring 2 bottles of wine per cabin on board, and most people have had no trouble with 2 bottles per person as long as they were in different bags. Your room steward will happily supply glasses, and there is a corkscrew in the room.

Dislikes--dinner reservations can be hard to change if your sailing is more full. Our earlier sailings were not crowded and last minute changes worked fine. Agree with staff looking at devices...but then, I need to look at my device if I am using it. Cabin layouts. We had the same cabin number on Scarlet and Valiant (by request) yet found that the layout was different. No explanation. Some things just wasted space, didn't work, etc. But as above, plenty of really good things. We got off our first VV with 3 more booked