Vaccinated and Booked for May! Who's Rolling the Dice with Us?

[70KToM]

So we both got vaccinated and decided we'd like to roll the dice on one of the mid May journeys. Anyone else who's booked for May 14-19? 

[1025cruise]

Did you check your roll call? That's where you will find your fellow cruisers.

[garymfreedman]

I have already had my 1st Modern shot-100% side effect free. Buddies that had it had sore shoulders, but that was it.  I expect you will not be able to fly at some point if not vaccinated.....I am sailing at the end of June, so hopefully things are much more settled by then.

[rebeccac]

We are booked in July.  I just hope we are even able to get vaccinated.  We are at the bottom of the list, so who knows when it will be possible.  

[garymfreedman]

13 hours ago, rebeccac said:

We are booked in July.  I just hope we are even able to get vaccinated.  We are at the bottom of the list, so who knows when it will be possible.  

I expect,based on the Biden Administration, you will be able to be vaccinated by July. I would also think, the cruise industry could not require a vaccine, unless everyone was able to get one..

[CroozFanatic]

Why is may 14-19 more (slightly) expensive than may 9-14 or may 23 - 28...all 5 day cruises,?

[being_there]

53 minutes ago, CroozFanatic said:

Why is may 14-19 more (slightly) expensive than may 9-14 or may 23 - 28...all 5 day cruises,?

I believe the pricing difference (among voyages of similar duration) is due to varying landing costs at different ports of call. After following this closely for a while, it seems the Mexico itineraries are less expensive for this reason, while other Caribbean destinations (especially the ones furthest East) are higher. 

Edited January 27, 2021 by being_there

[CroozFanatic]

The reason I asked is that "Richard's Birthday Bash" (7/14-7/18) cruise is also slightly more expensive. I figure they are going to do some special sh*t, so I booked that. Saw the similar dynamic on May 14-19 and thought something interesting might be going on.

[Hotrod1961]

On 1/22/2021 at 5:00 AM, 70KToM said:

So we both got vaccinated and decided we'd like to roll the dice on one of the mid May journeys. Anyone else who's booked for May 14-19? 

We are on the same cruise

[being_there]

I am booked for May 9 -14, which is the first cruise currently scheduled. 

[chloe173]

So, May folks - can any of you all post your shore excursion and/or entertainment booking options? I'm booked for July and my reservation window for shore excursions opens in March, so would love to know what's available.

[garymfreedman]

1 hour ago, chloe173 said:

So, May folks - can any of you all post your shore excursion and/or entertainment booking options? I'm booked for July and my reservation window for shore excursions opens in March, so would love to know what's available.

Are your ports not listed?   https://www.virginvoyages.com/shore-excursions  My First Mate is booking mine for my June voyage on Feb 5th..

[chloe173]

27 minutes ago, garymfreedman said:

Are your ports not listed?   https://www.virginvoyages.com/shore-excursions  My First Mate is booking mine for my June voyage on Feb 5th..

Thanks, Gary! I hadn't seen that page, so that's helpful. But I would still love to know price info too, not to mention the entertainment options - are things like the drag brunch bookable in the app for you guys at this point?

[being_there]

8 hours ago, chloe173 said:

- are things like the drag brunch bookable in the app for you guys at this point?

Stuff like that won't begin to become available until 45 days out, which is when VV says they send out materials for your cruise.

 

I've been wondering about dinner reservations also. While all the restaurants look lovely, it just seems like certain spots like The Wake are going to have massive demand which will make it harder to get in. Is it first come first served? Can a person make more than one reservation there if they want to, or will they limit you to one visit only to make availability for others? 

 

RockStar cabins seem to have earlier booking privileges than Sailors in standard cabins, but we are still waiting for clarification on what this time difference is or how it works. Also, there are Mega Rockstars who have even greater perks than basic Rockstars. So is this a two tier reservation system [sailors/rockstars] or a three tier system [sailors/rockstars/megarockstars]? And as long as reservations are based on cabin class, you could also ask if someone booked in a cheap single Insider cabin has less reservation clout than, say, a sailor booked in a more expensive Sea Terrace? 

 

There are a lot of questions like these that remain unanswered. It seems like a lot will continue to be in flux until time of sailing.

 

Your best bet will be to wait and hear reports back from those who are on the first successful cruises. I have downloaded the app for previous voyages (that were cancelled) but nothing was active in it besides being able to enter my required travel info, photo & passport info, and booking my embarkation time (you are given a time window ahead of time when it's your turn to board the ship).

 

I wouldn't be too concerned about being able to book your favorite reservations; they will probably be sailing at a maximum of half-capacity as part of the Covid compliance, so there will be a lot less competition to get into restaurants, etc. 

 

It's frustrating that there are so many questions with how all of this is going to work (especially if you're a first time cruiser like me), but this part of the adventure! At least that's what I keep telling myself. 

[70KToM]

At current rates, we can have 70% of the population vaccinated within 4.5 months. Since a good number won't want vaccines, and children are not currently approved, and some may refuse because they've already had covid, I think 70% is a realistic estimate of how many vaccines we need. Since vaccine production is actually ramping up and additional vaccines are being approved, there's a good chance we'll reach 70% by late April. So I fully support re-opening cruises in May and requiring vaccines. However, easy 'home tests' are due to be available by then as well, so cruise lines could conduct tests on the spot quite easily with immediate results. That might be a perfectly good alternative for those who can't/won't be vaccinated, if not even better, since there may still be some chance of transmission with a vaccine.

 

Hotrod, I started up a roll call, hope to see you there! I was also hoping to hear from others cruising around this date in this thread, so I wanted to get a discussion going here.

 

Chloe, we are looking to book the Chocolate, Rum, and Rancho Don Fernando Tour, which is 6 hours and only $55/person. There's also stuff like horseback riding and kayaking (combined) for 7 hours for $85, and a "boat party at sea" when you go on a powerboat and can swim and snorkel for 4 hours for $65. All seems much more affordable than RCL for example. We normally never book cruise line excursions, we just arrange our own independently, but at these prices, I will actually do the cruise excursions.

 

As being_there pointed out, stuff like the drag brunch and tattoo appointments are not yet showing up for booking. Not sure about diner reservations, but they may be sailing at reduced capacity, which should make all that stuff super easy.

 

Being_there, our cruise will be directly after yours, but it would certainly be wonderful to hear updates from yours, assuming any of these cruises will in fact set sail.

 

 

[CroozFanatic]

being_there - I did see an interview (or article) where Virgin mentioned that dinners would be limited to once per restaurant, with excess available to the public.

 

There just aren't enough Rock Stars to crowd out the plebs like us, in my opinion. They will sail reduced capacity to start...CDC guidelines, but I also read that in another interview.

 

I'm rolling with Virgin because of the way I have been treated as a customer since the pandemic started. I'm an NCL regular - because they have been the most friendly to solo travellers, but...so far...the customer experience with Virgin is superior.

[poidog81]

We've been booked for end of May sailing for over a year for a milestone birthday celebration.  However, don't hold your breath about going.  Even if you're vaccinated, I can't imagine the Bahamas opening back up for cruise visitors by May.  I'm expecting another round of cancelations and I'll be taking the FCC to rebook for the following year birthday week, plus another cruise with the extra credit.

[logan25]

Sorry to say Virgin Voyages has extended their pause through June.  So a May 2021 sailing will not happen.

 

https://www.virginvoyages.com/travel-advisories/stories/inaugural-season-update-mar-2021

[being_there]

Bummer.