Atlantis no longer chartering Virgin Ship

[gkbiiii]

I just got off a 20 night, back to back, to back cruise on Valiant Lady and am not surprised Atlantis Events dropped Virgin.

The ship is seemingly full with even the 1,100 guests aboard my three cruises; there is simply no way that Atlantis could have a fully booked cruise, with all the events and crowds of the other lines.  The ship is poorly designed in all ways, sad but true.

 

http://atlantisevents.com/Virgin-Caribbean-Cruise/air

[andrcan]

What about Prima? Atlantis president was saying, it is designed similar to Virgin ships... 

 

[starri]

Prima is a good deal bigger than the Virgin ships, although it's not huge by any stretch of the imagination.  It's also a bit bigger than Navigator of the Seas that they used on their most recent Halloween cruise.

[andrcan]

3 hours ago, starri said:

Prima is a good deal bigger than the Virgin ships, although it's not huge by any stretch of the imagination.  It's also a bit bigger than Navigator of the Seas that they used on their most recent Halloween cruise.

From the deck plans, it looks like Prima does not seem to have large open air public spaces suitable for massive parties, similarly to Virgin ships. As of the size, it's 7% longer than Virgin ships and has 10% higher passenger capacity so seems to be fair comparison, especially taking into account that a big chunk of its outdoor space is restricted to the Haven guests. That's why I cannot help but compare and wonder if Prima cruise experience is in many aspects similar to the one on Virgin ship.

[starri]

I mean, if they're chartering Oceania Vista, they're not wedded to the idea of the Atlantis experience exclusively being huge deck parties.

[andrcan]

12 hours ago, starri said:

I mean, if they're chartering Oceania Vista, they're not wedded to the idea of the Atlantis experience exclusively being huge deck parties.

Agree. Vista cruises belong to a different segment: luxury, port intensive, destination oriented rather than party driven. It’s a part of Atlantis offers I’m personally looking at with great interest. (My friends who went on Marina this year, however, complained about the party component they felt was just neglected on that cruise) 
Prima is twice the size of the Vista though and its itinerary does not seem to be that exciting for those looking for a destination cruise. And with more days at sea, I would expect more party activities there as well. 

[starri]

I mean, I don't have any experience at all with Atlantis, although I'm booked on the Harmony with a group of friends.  I'm hoping I enjoy it enough to want to do it again, but I couldn't go with my husband if it was a majority deck party, because he'd hate it.

 

We're doing our first (non-Atlantis) VV next summer.  I was hoping if we end up liking the ship, he have wanted to do an Atlantis charter, but I guess not so much now.

[mast3rn8]

On 12/4/2022 at 8:32 PM, andrcan said:

From the deck plans, it looks like Prima does not seem to have large open air public spaces suitable for massive parties, similarly to Virgin ships. 

Having been on the ship, that's correct. None of the indoor venues are all that spacious either, with the exception of the theater that converts into a decent sized night club.

[andrcan]

51 minutes ago, mast3rn8 said:

Having been on the ship, that's correct. None of the indoor venues are all that spacious either, with the exception of the theater that converts into a decent sized night club.

Thanks - I was reading about it in another revievw, it sounds quite impressive. We'd prefer an outdoor venue due to COVID/flu paranoia but this one will sure work well.

[gkbiiii]

On 12/4/2022 at 2:13 PM, andrcan said:

What about Prima? Atlantis president was saying, it is designed similar to Virgin ships...

 

No, I believe that NCL Prima is based (along with Carnival Celebration & Celebrity Edge & others) on the RCCL Quantum of the Seas platform.  

 

 

[days@sea]

On 12/4/2022 at 3:07 AM, gkbiiii said:

I just got off a 20 night, back to back, to back cruise on Valiant Lady and am not surprised Atlantis Events dropped Virgin.

The ship is seemingly full with even the 1,100 guests aboard my three cruises; there is simply no way that Atlantis could have a fully booked cruise, with all the events and crowds of the other lines.  The ship is poorly designed in all ways, sad but true.

 

http://atlantisevents.com/Virgin-Caribbean-Cruise/air

Personally, I don't think the Virgin ships are "poorly designed".  I like the intimate spaces and that you aren't in Shopping Mall of the Seas.  Are there some mistakes like pool sizes, yes.  Are Virgin ships "poorly designed" for circuit parties at sea and drag shows for 2000 attendees?  Yes.  

[starri]

Got off the Atlantis Harmony cruise last Sunday.  They are, in fact, going to be chartering Brilliant Lady for a Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan for either later this year or early next.

 

Personally, I’m itching to book the next big party cruise, but they hadn’t finalized the details by the end of the Harmony week.