So, what’s the catch?

[Swells1]

Hi, all! After years of sailing with NCL, I’m considering jumping ship. Spent a little time looking at VV last night, and I’m a little overwhelmed. Let me get this straight, VV offers:

*Kid free sailing 

*No added daily service charge 

*No up charge dining

*Free sparkling water and soda

*Free WiFi 

*at prices equal or less than I’m paying now

 

Where's the downside? What are the cons? This looks too good to be true. 

[CineGraphic]

Try it, you'll like it.

 

[wirralcruisers]

Don't forget that if you have an eligible NCL level of frequent cruiser reward (e.g. 

Norwegian Cruise Line's Latitudes Rewards

Platinum, Sapphire, Diamond, Ambassador)

 

Then you are likely to be eligible to joing the new Virgin version and likely to qualify for some amazing extras!

For our sailing in October 2022, we showed our Disney frequent cruiser status and have had applied these extras...

• Expedited Boarding: A VIP-style dedicated line at embarkation awaits you at the terminal.

• Shake for Champagne: Shake, and cheers, because a bottle of Moet & Chandon is on us.

• Unlimited Premium WiFi (where available): If you can dream it, we can stream with access to our premium wifi.

• Rockstar Agent On Board: For any and all of your needs, you'll have access to a dedicated agent.

• An Exclusive Cocktail Event: A stunningly curated and extra-special cocktail party for those with Deep Blue Extras.

• Laundry Service: Two (2) pressed items, one (1) dry-cleaned item, and one (1) bag of laundry on us.

• $10 Daily Specialty Coffee Credit Per Cabin: Because you deserve to be glamorously caffeinated for everything you've got planned.

AMAZING!!

 

This is the link you need to check https://www.virginvoyages.com/sites/sailing-club

Might help with your decision?

 

[Swells1]

Holy macaroni! I think I’m sold. 😍

[_tacocat_]

the biggest "catch" are that the base fare is higher than other lines.  that said, it is SOOOOO pleasant to not be nickel/dimed for everything aboard.  the other thing is that there's no cruise director telling you what to do every day, so you have to make some of your own fun.

 

the crew is taken care of better than they are on other lines (financially, physically, mentally and emotionally), and that investment in their people is one of the smartest business decisions they could make.  the crew really seem to like their jobs, so you don't have a bunch of disengaged crankypantses running the ship.  that translates into an overall better guest experience.

[CineGraphic]

3 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

the crew is taken care of better than they are on other lines (financially, physically, mentally and emotionally), and that investment in their people is one of the smartest business decisions they could make.  the crew really seem to like their jobs, so you don't have a bunch of disengaged crankypantses running the ship.  that translates into an overall better guest experience

 

Love this!

Two good friends of mine, one an officer, and one in management left our former cruise line of choice, and it wasn't because of the money.

[cantgetin]

If there is a "catch," it is that their "deals" come and go.  For example, the current pricing is good thru October 5.  At that time, the prices may stay the same or may increase.  But they always seem to have some sort of "deal."  Their stated base price is higher than most other lines, but we just waited for a price that we were willing to pay.  I want to book 2 more cruises, but can't book right now.  If they do something "ugly" on Oct. 6, I'll just wait for something I like.

[Swells1]

5 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

the biggest "catch" are that the base fare is higher than other lines.  that said, it is SOOOOO pleasant to not be nickel/dimed for everything aboard.  the other thing is that there's no cruise director telling you what to do every day, so you have to make some of your own fun.

 

the crew is taken care of better than they are on other lines (financially, physically, mentally and emotionally), and that investment in their people is one of the smartest business decisions they could make.  the crew really seem to like their jobs, so you don't have a bunch of disengaged crankypantses running the ship.  that translates into an overall better guest experience.

I did a quick “apples to oranges” comparison just now between Virgin and NCL. 

Same date range, same basic itinerary, both new ships (Brilliant Lady vs Viva), both lowest category balcony cabins. 
Virgin’s end cost was $2145

NCL’s (with no add-ons) was $3268

 

I keep reading about how happy the crew is, and I can only imagine how contagious that must be. 

[_tacocat_]

6 minutes ago, Swells1 said:

I did a quick “apples to oranges” comparison just now between Virgin and NCL. 

Same date range, same basic itinerary, both new ships (Brilliant Lady vs Viva), both lowest category balcony cabins. 
Virgin’s end cost was $2145

NCL’s (with no add-ons) was $3268

 

I keep reading about how happy the crew is, and I can only imagine how contagious that must be. 

Wow! That’s actually really awesome- people gripe about how “expensive” VV is and how they’d rather a bare bones experience and pay for whatever, but your data point is totally the opposite!

Nothing written can justify how awesome the crew is. The “happenings cast” essentially serves as hype people, so being engaging is directly part of their job description, but everyone else (room stewards, servers, even the IT and onboard “corporate” staff) goes out of their way to make sure you’re having a good time.  We were on voyages a few weeks apart, and our steward from the first voyage even found us and said hi!

[yarramar]

Another way to compare is to use this handy online tool.

https://cruisespotlight.com/compare/virgin-voyages-scarlet-lady-vs-norwegian-viva/

[jcarter4551]

13 hours ago, Swells1 said:

I did a quick “apples to oranges” comparison just now between Virgin and NCL. 

Same date range, same basic itinerary, both new ships (Brilliant Lady vs Viva), both lowest category balcony cabins. 
Virgin’s end cost was $2145

NCL’s (with no add-ons) was $3268

 

I keep reading about how happy the crew is, and I can only imagine how contagious that must be. 

 

I did the same thing when booking a French Mediterranean cruise next summer. The NCL cost was $4200 for a balcony room (of course free drinks included and some other "freebies") and the cost of VV on the Scarlet Lady was $3300 for central sea terrace. So, we booked the VV of course.

 

Another thing I love about VV is the way they structure port stops. For example, my wife and I did the Greek Isle cruise on NCL last summer and every stop was rushed. Mykonos we could have stayed all day and night and, instead, were there 9-4 or something ridic.

 

I saw that VV goes to Mykonos all day and night.

 

For the French Med cruise they hit Mallorca and Ibiza from 5 p.m. to 4 pm the next day. That lets you experience the party atmosphere and bars both offer and do beaches/sight see some in the day. Perfect!

 

It is a no brainer and still wondering why more aren't booking VV at the price its listed. (save if you have kids). 

[Swells1]

2 hours ago, jcarter4551 said:

 

I did the same thing when booking a French Mediterranean cruise next summer. The NCL cost was $4200 for a balcony room (of course free drinks included and some other "freebies") and the cost of VV on the Scarlet Lady was $3300 for central sea terrace. So, we booked the VV of course.

 

Another thing I love about VV is the way they structure port stops. For example, my wife and I did the Greek Isle cruise on NCL last summer and every stop was rushed. Mykonos we could have stayed all day and night and, instead, were there 9-4 or something ridic.

 

I saw that VV goes to Mykonos all day and night.

 

For the French Med cruise they hit Mallorca and Ibiza from 5 p.m. to 4 pm the next day. That lets you experience the party atmosphere and bars both offer and do beaches/sight see some in the day. Perfect!

 

It is a no brainer and still wondering why more aren't booking VV at the price its listed. (save if you have kids). 

We were watching some YT videos two nights ago, and my partner said, “Book this now. We have to go before everyone finds out about this and ruins it.” 
 

So, I guess we’re sailing in a bit over a year. 

[godzukihop]

23 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

the biggest "catch" are that the base fare is higher than other lines.  that said, it is SOOOOO pleasant to not be nickel/dimed for everything aboard.  the other thing is that there's no cruise director telling you what to do every day, so you have to make some of your own fun.

 

the crew is taken care of better than they are on other lines (financially, physically, mentally and emotionally), and that investment in their people is one of the smartest business decisions they could make.  the crew really seem to like their jobs, so you don't have a bunch of disengaged crankypantses running the ship.  that translates into an overall better guest experience.

Totally agreed on the crew comment. During our sailing we spoke with many crew members because they all seemed so happy. They all said Virgin treats them great compared to other lines and they have no reason to not be happy. A main point was the free wifi for the crew as opposed to having to pay for it on other lines. A plus for me was not constantly taking our picture and trying to sell us a $400 photo package.

[Swells1]

You guys convinced me! I'm booked on the Brilliant Lady for January 2024! You're going to see me around these boards a lot in the meantime! 

[VV2022]

There isn't a catch, right now--I would imagine they might have to make some changes or increase the cost in the future, but right now is definitely golden era Virgin Voyages. 

(Okay, the catch is that their IT department is just as bad as every other cruise line. But that's about it.)

[cantgetin]

1 hour ago, Swells1 said:

You guys convinced me! I'm booked on the Brilliant Lady for January 2024! You're going to see me around these boards a lot in the meantime! 

Spend some time on YouTube...there is a lot of good info there.  Also, you can see most of the menus at https://eatsleepcruise.com/virgin-voyages-restaurant-guide-with-menus/  There have been a few minor changes since this was posted, but it is overall accurate.

[gkbiiii]

I should mention, I just added a back to back cruise, for my voyage in November.

**November Promo, Comped $300 Bar-Tab!**

[CroozFanatic]

The catch is that your deposit/payment is not FDIC insured.

[CruisingWalter]

On 9/7/2022 at 1:48 PM, Swells1 said:

Hi, all! After years of sailing with NCL, I’m considering jumping ship. Spent a little time looking at VV last night, and I’m a little overwhelmed. Let me get this straight, VV offers:

*Kid free sailing 

*No added daily service charge 

*No up charge dining

*Free sparkling water and soda

*Free WiFi 

*at prices equal or less than I’m paying now

 

Where's the downside? What are the cons? This looks too good to be true. 

 

No catch. I a 6 episode playlist on YouTube that should help with your research including a full food tour, cabin tour (Cheeky Corner Suite) and overall review. I hope this is helpful. VV was MUCH better than we expected it to be.

 

We're also doing an live AMA (Ask Me Anything) tonight at 6pm EST if you want to join us and ask questions there too. 🙂

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by WheresWalter

[RNPJN]

On 9/7/2022 at 1:48 PM, Swells1 said:

Hi, all! After years of sailing with NCL, I’m considering jumping ship. Spent a little time looking at VV last night, and I’m a little overwhelmed. Let me get this straight, VV offers:

*Kid free sailing 

*No added daily service charge 

*No up charge dining

*Free sparkling water and soda

*Free WiFi 

*at prices equal or less than I’m paying now

 

Where's the downside? What are the cons? This looks too good to be true. 

26+NCL cruises  jumped ship going in Oct I see no downside even matched my tier status from NCL  Have a great time we are in a suite aft  paid less then a reg balacony on Prima 

Edited September 14, 2022 by RNPJN

[jon81uk]

On 9/9/2022 at 2:09 PM, VV2022 said:

There isn't a catch, right now--I would imagine they might have to make some changes or increase the cost in the future, but right now is definitely golden era Virgin Voyages. 

(Okay, the catch is that their IT department is just as bad as every other cruise line. But that's about it.)

onboard IT is great, the managed to resolve issues we had on Valiant Lady. 
 

only catch I think is some of the customer service before boarding, the wait times are crazy and if something does go wrong it can be hard to speak to someone.

[_tacocat_]

4 hours ago, jon81uk said:

only catch I think is some of the customer service before boarding, the wait times are crazy and if something does go wrong it can be hard to speak to someone.

it seems to have gotten better - i had an issue, called around 11:15am PT and got a call back in about an hour the other day.

[thrifty99]

If you can get a good deal on a Virgin Cruise it is hard to beat the price. 
 

We sailed back in May on Virgin and booked 2 future cruises while on board. 
 

Here is how it compares to an upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise we booked while on board. I’m deducting the OBC offered from the cruise price for each. For Royal I’m adding in the cost of soda and Internet since it is included on Virgin ($20 per day per person is what we typically pay). I also added in the gratuities for Royal and the Unlimited Dining as their included restaurants are the equivalent of Royal’s Specialty Restaurants. 
 

On a per night basis Virgin comes out ahead. I’m not sure if Virgin prices have changed much since we booked these in May. 
 

Virgin:  5-night Scarlet Lady $1750 cruise price. 

Sea Terrace (ocean view balcony)

$300 OBC

$1450 total  / 5 nights = $290 per night. 

Other Virgin booking is $1959 - $300 OBC = $1659 / 5 = $332 per night

 

 

Royal Caribbean:  6-night Odyssey of Seas.  $2,020 with prepaid gratuities 

Ocean View Balcony

$100 OBC

Unlimited Dining $300

Internet & soda for 2 = $240

$2460 total / 6 nights = $410 per night.  

$2160 without Unlimited Dining = $360 per night. 

[cantgetin]

Virgin has been running some amazing specials recently.  We have 3 upcoming bookings, each in a Sea Terrace, with a significantly lower "per day" price than you quoted.  My advice is to watch the specials and do rebooking on board whenever possible.  I love that what's included with VV is exactly what I want.  We are not heavy drinkers, so the alcohol packages on other lines never made sense.