fsdorado

We were able to borrow a steamer a couple of weeks ago on Valiant Lady.  It wasn't in the best shape. Many of the nozzles were clogged with calcium deposits. We were able to use a pin to clear enough of them to make it work.  We just used the Virgin app to make the request and our cabin steward dropped it off less than 10 minutes later.

Frederick

I would agree with what the others have been saying about loud music.  In general, we only really noticed it around the pool during the day (and during Scarlet Night by the pool and the PJ Party in the Athletic Club).  The variety of musicians during our cruise was very good.  We had an excellent blues group playing in the Roundabout area most nights.  On sea days, there was some great acoustic music being played live in the Dock House.

Frederick

We're back from our Virgin Voyages cruise.  I think the most accurate thing I can say in regards to comparing Celebrity and Virgin is that they are "different".  We really enjoyed our Virgin cruise.  We're already looking to book another one. I really think that it's comparing apples and oranges.  We absolutely loved not having kids on the ship.  It made a huge difference in the feel of the cruise.  The overall service was great.  All of the crew was friendly and helpful.  The Happenings Cast made sure everyone was engaged and enjoying themselves.  The food quality in the Galley and in the restaurants was also excellent.  Trying to schedule dining and going to shows was a challenge since you make dining reservations 45 days in advance.  Many of the shows that required reservations had the days/times changed from what was in the app before embarkation, which was kind of frustrating.  It took a little bit to get used to the different terminology (Sea Terrace vs. Veranda, Galley vs. Buffet, Happenings Cast vs. Cruise Director Staff, etc.). Bottom line, we will likely book our next cruise on Virgin rather than Celebrity (unless we find a great deal).  We still love the Celebrity Edge-class ships (especially in the Retreat) but we feel like we still have more to experience on Virgin.

Frederick

We have been big fans of Celebrity, especially the newer Edge-class ships.  We will be going on our first Virgin Voyages cruise on Saturday aboard Valiant Lady.  We are very excited to try something new.  We'll report back in a week or so on the differences.

Frederick

We board Valiant on Saturday...  Any chance this will be implemented by then?  😉

10 minutes ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

It's literally the first thing in Royal Caribbean's Travel Documents FAQ. "The passport must be valid for six months after the day your cruise ends...

I think it's fair to say that all of us are really bad about reading the Cruise Contract, especially those of us who have been on many cruises.  Just check the box and move on.

15 hours ago, lovetotravel06 said:

Yes, I know that. This is a little Caribbean 5 night cruise that most certainly doesn't "require" passports. Cozumel and Bimini. That's why I was so surprised at the notice at the top of my email from VV's "to do" list....I'm quite well traveled and wondered what in the world they were going on about. 

Thanks for the reply.

Yup, you should be good without a passport for that itinerary.  That being said, I would never travel internationally without a passport.  It just makes it easier if something goes wrong.  Have a great cruise!!

Frederick

5 minutes ago, lovetotravel06 said:

Thanks for the reply...as I mentioned, I have a fair amount of experience. I've never heard of the 6 months deal on a passport on a closed loop out of FL, EVER. VV made it the first thing I needed to understand, etc...Way different experience from any of my 35 prior cruises so was surprised...just so happened it was the first time I'd not renewed my PP pretty far in advance, 

It also matters what ports you're stopping in.  For example, for Columbia, you MUST have a password with at least six months left.  This is the law in Columbia, not a cruise line policy.  I think there are one or two other islands in the Caribbean that require passports but most do not.

Frederick

@scubagal44 Safe travels back home!!  Thanks for all of the updates.  We board in three weeks and can't wait!!

Frederick

1 hour ago, scubagal44 said:

Mexican Bingo, but VV style. I've never done it on the ship, but reports are that it's a fabulous time and you may not leave able to walk in a straight line. 🤭😅

 

This is VV's description of the event. 

I'm assuming this is one of the events that requires a reservation once on the ship's wifi...

@scubagal44 What has the temperature at night been outside while at sea?

10 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

Princess ships have a nice library with some books purchased by Princess and several shelves of things left by previous cruisers.  Prior to a cruise, I go to the "friends of the library" bookshelf of my local library and pick up several books that look interesting for $3 each, then swap, share or whatever...and ultimately donate any that are left to the crew library or passenger library when one exists.  You can always leave books at sailor services/guest services on any line and ask that they be donated to the crew library--no need to drag them home if you are finished with them.

When I retired, one of my promises to myself was to use the library more and the bookstore less.  Sorry, I still like a real book more than a Kindle.  Each has advantages, but......

 

A few years ago, I discovered that I could borrow Kindle books from our public library.  Since I can only borrow books for three weeks (and I usually have a couple borrowed), I *have* to read the books quickly!!  This has certainly reduced the money I spend on Kindle books while still reading pretty much whatever I want to read.

Frederick

11 minutes ago, WatermelonSugarHigh said:

I can confirm this. Several crew members told us there was a small library area near the board games but there was no book area.
 

My husband forgot his books and was looking to buy or borrow a book. The selections we found in San Juan were in Spanish and at Walgreens and CVS they were almost all kids books or romance novels. He declined my offer to read the three Oprah magazine quarterly Editions I brought, which I thought was quite generous. I read cookbooks like novels, so he was not interested in any of those three that I brought either. 
We loved the Library on the Caribbean Princess.  Every sailing we went on her for years, I was able to borrow The Sopranos Family Cookbook. It became a tradition for me. I left a copy of Entertaining With The Sopranos one year because I had two copies. I wonder if they’re still in there. 

This is why I read books on the Kindle app.  As long as I have an Internet connection, I will never run out of things to read.  Plus, it keeps our house less clutters since I average a book a week.  And I think it was very generous of you to offer your Oprah magazines!!

Frederick

17 minutes ago, dmet0225 said:

HEY!  I know you.  Our kids played hockey together as squirts at Plano house league.  I was last minute coach, you were assistant, and we weaseled our way to the championship game, even though we had no business being there.  Dan

LOL, small world!!  I remember that team.  Alex went on to play travel hockey, Varsity High School hockey and Club hockey in college.  He's a captain in the Army now (and doesn't have a lot of opportunity to play hockey).

Frederick

33 minutes ago, scubagal44 said:

 

We have to try to be little careful, cause we have Shot for Shot on the ship at 3pm. 😆

Clearly, you're just training for Shot for Shot...

Just now, scubagal44 said:

Because we're tipsy, here's your only picture of us in this thread. 😝 plus my fav view. 

 

Sailaway party now, even though we don't sail until 8! 

 

What time is the sail away party?  We have a dinner reservation at 6PM.

Frederick

@scubagal44 My DW is trying to figure out how to pack for the weather, specifically while at sea.  We know that the average high in the southern Caribbean is around 80 in March and the low is around 70 on the islands but she's worried about getting chilly at night on deck.  We know that on other cruises, they keep the inside temperature around 70.  Happy Anniversary!!  Have a great cruise!!  Bon Voyage!!

Frederick

Definitely following along!!  We're on the same itinerary on March 2nd!!  Glad you made it to San Juan safely!!  I'm curious about how embarkation is...  The first one was a cluster, from what I've seen.  I'm hoping they get it figured out before we board.

Frederick

Note to Self - Do not book with American Airlines Cruises unless you're getting at least $25 worth of extra AAdvantage miles.

8 hours ago, roppi said:

Happened to me, too. Received that Tuesday, replied immediatly but still waiting. I donˋt want a refund, i want to travel. Hopefully that works out again…

Virgin was able to straighten this out for us.  Our Travel Agent waited on hold for two hours to talk to someone.  They claimed that, on the form, we requested both a refund AND a rebooking.  On the form, it's a drop down where you can only pick one.  We finally got the rebooking confirmation yesterday.  We submitted the rebooking request on 9/7.  I would check the sailing you're wanting to switch to and make sure that there are available staterooms in your category.  If they're running out, I would put one on hold and contact Virgin (or your TA) to let them know you want to move the booking to the stateroom on hold.  I did this for an XL Sea Terrace.  VV originally put us in a regular Sea Terrace and they were able to transfer us to the XL.

Frederick

FYI, after much time on hold (by our Travel Agent, not us thank goodness), VV was able to switch our booking from a refund to a rebooking.

Frederick

1 hour ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

Most likely your sailing was not available so they simply offered a refund. If you are working with a TA, they might be able to work with their VV rep to get that switched back to the offer, but you need to act quickly. 

The sailing is definitely available, including the same stateroom category.  I was able to place a hold for the same stateroom category and there were still plenty of available staterooms.  I've already replied to the refund e-mail and let our TA know.  As of this morning, I have not received a reply.

9 hours ago, CanadianCruiser21 said:

What sailing did you pick? Is your cabin category sold out?

I was able to put a hold on the same category on the replacement sailing without an issue.

47 minutes ago, Yinster said:

Do you think it is because your rebooking was unsuccessful and that's how they are dealing with them. Instead of asking if you like a second choice, it's all or nothing?

I'm not sure, but I really hope it's not all or nothing.  We paid in full already.  I did reply to the e-mail this morning, telling them that I did not request a refund and asking if they rescinded the offer to rebook.  I have not received a response yet.  I also let my travel agent know, hoping they'll get more information.  This is the first time we've booked with Virgin Voyages and this is not leaving a pleasant taste in my mouth.

Frederick

We just received an e-mail from Virgin Voyages that they have issued a refund for our cancelled sailing even though we submitted a request to rebook.  Did this happen to anyone else?

Frederick