Virgin fires a shot across Celebrity’s bow

[kris4842]

So I did not like Virgin at all bc 

1. service was horrible. We would have a do not disturb sign up and every time we did, the room steward would call our room and wake us up to ask if we needed the room cleaned, no matter what time of the day it was.

2. no Buffett which meant you had to order food from someone and wait for every meal. The worst was breakfast. Sometimes what you want to order comes from three different places and they don’t always open at the same time.

3. whether or not you agree with drink packages, the drinks are not the same. No one could make a martini and I mean no one. They would measure the liquor and only ever fill half the martini glass. So no, not the same drink at half the price.

4. everything is done on your phone through an app and I mean everything! Dinner reservations, shows, activities. But the issue is the Wi-Fi sucked and we paid to upgrade but the app crashes all the time. We never saw one show because the app never worked.

5. it seemed like every worker was brand new like no one ever worked on cruise before.

6. worst casino I have ever seen. If you like slots, which I do this is not the place. Every slot was the same and none were fun

 

sorry for the lengthy review but someone asked. You may like virgin but good luck getting anyone on the phone to help you also. Horrible customer service. We prefer Celebrity and will stick with them.

[hcat]

Sounds more low end..more like Carnival than Celebrity.

 

See you onboard X!

[Spif Barwunkel]

Virgin Voyages certainly offers a specific brand of cruising to the masses, and that is a good thing. There is a cruising niche for everyone and if you find one that fits, enjoy it. I'm not sure that Virgin is firing its advertising guns solely at Celebrity and I know that any crossover passengers from X to V won't even be noticed. The double V's are new to the cruising world and I hope that Branson's latest endeavor does succeed. It will definitely take some time and money to fill those cups. So, to the X boo birds, support your local Virgin and have a good time.       

[rmedistro]

8 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Virgin Voyages certainly offers a specific brand of cruising to the masses, and that is a good thing. There is a cruising niche for everyone and if you find one that fits, enjoy it. I'm not sure that Virgin is firing its advertising guns solely at Celebrity and I know that any crossover passengers from X to V won't even be noticed. The double V's are new to the cruising world and I hope that Branson's latest endeavor does succeed. It will definitely take some time and money to fill those cups. So, to the X boo birds, support your local Virgin and have a good time.       

Most of the X critics here just like to piss on everything. It must be a sad walk of life to endure for sure!

[Shep_Proudfoot]

2 hours ago, deliver42 said:

All of the VLOGS i've seen on You Tube about Virgin have pretty much been the same. Food is excellent everywhere. Drinks are very weak, the beds are very low and hard, request a topper, which the have. The ships are beautiful, but the cabins are very sparse as far as art or anything. The service is very good, and they would all sail Virgin again. These are normal people that shared their experience, not the comped vloggers ot TA's.

Not a Vlogger but having very recently sailed VV I did not find either the food or service to be great, but rather incredibly inconsistent and, in balance, disappointing. I’d rate the service in the bottom half of all of my cruises and the food, while sometimes outstanding and often far superior to any other mainstream cruiselines’ included fare in my experience, to have the most quality issues of ANY cruise ever taken. Also “The Galley” is no match for even the cutback buffet on X. Not sure if I’d sail VV again but definitely it is not better than X overall to me.

 

Bed is hard, cabins sparse/cheaply done and drinks are weak for sure.

[eroller]

33 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Virgin Voyages certainly offers a specific brand of cruising to the masses, and that is a good thing. There is a cruising niche for everyone and if you find one that fits, enjoy it. I'm not sure that Virgin is firing its advertising guns solely at Celebrity and I know that any crossover passengers from X to V won't even be noticed. The double V's are new to the cruising world and I hope that Branson's latest endeavor does succeed. It will definitely take some time and money to fill those cups. So, to the X boo birds, support your local Virgin and have a good time.       

I think the VV ad was aimed at many lines, since pretty much all the major lines are cutting back.  The theme is the same on almost every cruise board.  Paying more and dealing with various cutbacks.  It’s the 2023 theme of cruising for sure.  Pay more and get less.  

 

After reading this thread it’s refreshing to see many share my appreciation of trying new things.  I can appreciate what Celebrity offers and enjoy it, while also branching out to new brands like Virgin and enjoying their refreshing approach to cruising.  It’s nice not to be tied to any particular brand and experience the great variety that can be found in this industry.  I think it comes down to appreciating the differences and embracing them instead of attacking them. Seems not everyone has that ability. I see many more Celebrity and Virgin cruises in my future, along with many other brands.  Next up happens to be Celebrity followed by Regent.  Hopefully a short VV cruise before the year is out.  Each will be different but I have no doubt enjoyable.  
 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by eroller

[The_Big_M]

16 hours ago, Baynanno1 said:

 

I enjoy reading your posts, but the comment (although clarified by the words "overall generalization") may be seen as offensive by some of our Pacific neighbours who have practised the art for centuries, depicting such things as initiation, rites of passage, achievement, social status, geneaology and historical information.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tā_moko

 

Saying someone feels uncomfortable is "offensive?"

 

It seems you're saying the poster has to be understanding of that group's cultural background, yet at the same time that other group doesn't have to be understanding of the other cultural backgrounds that the poster was referring to that made them feel uncomfortable.

[Baynanno1]

22 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

My apologies, I should have mentioned cultural exceptions.  I will add I had no idea this existed and therefore have never seen this in person.  The overwhelming majority of the facial tattoos I've seen with my own eyes are connected to violence in one form or another or are tattoo artists themselves

 

Apology not required.

You did clarify with the words "overall generalization"

I absolutely agree with your views on hateful and violent tattoos anywhere on an exposed part of the body and would not like to be face to face with anyone so "adorned!"

[librarylady19]

I chuckled at that email. I have 2 cruises booked on Virgin - the specialty dining w/ no added cost and the no kids policy really appeal to me!

I know some people didn’t make out so well, but when my Virgin TA on Brilliant Lady was cancelled recently they allowed me to pick ANY sailing in same category (of any length) and gave me additional $600 bar tab and $600 sailor loot (OBC). never came close to that w/ either Royal or celebrity that’s for sure. Plus I get deep blue extras die to Celebrity elite  status match. 

Edited September 27, 2023 by librarylady19

[NutsAboutGolf]

14 hours ago, kris4842 said:

So I did not like Virgin at all bc 

1. service was horrible. We would have a do not disturb sign up and every time we did, the room steward would call our room and wake us up to ask if we needed the room cleaned, no matter what time of the day it was.

2. no Buffett which meant you had to order food from someone and wait for every meal. The worst was breakfast. Sometimes what you want to order comes from three different places and they don’t always open at the same time.

3. whether or not you agree with drink packages, the drinks are not the same. No one could make a martini and I mean no one. They would measure the liquor and only ever fill half the martini glass. So no, not the same drink at half the price.

4. everything is done on your phone through an app and I mean everything! Dinner reservations, shows, activities. But the issue is the Wi-Fi sucked and we paid to upgrade but the app crashes all the time. We never saw one show because the app never worked.

5. it seemed like every worker was brand new like no one ever worked on cruise before.

6. worst casino I have ever seen. If you like slots, which I do this is not the place. Every slot was the same and none were fun

 

sorry for the lengthy review but someone asked. You may like virgin but good luck getting anyone on the phone to help you also. Horrible customer service. We prefer Celebrity and will stick with them.

 

I personally love detailed reviews so thank you.  I checked with a friend who recently went on VV and they said the food hall was painful as it took an average of a half hour from when you sat down to when received your food during peak times.  I did hear they have an in-room tablet which some found easier to use than their phone but if the wifi sucks you'd imagine the tablet wouldn't work well either

 

The elephant in the room that rarely gets talked about with VV as it can make the older generations uncomfortable is that they do push an X-rated/"get frisky" vibe.  Did you find this to be the case?

[numnums]

I hear that VV quality all around is very inconsistent and depends on the boat you go on, if you’re reviewing can you please tell us what boat you were on that you found to be excellent and what boat you found to be terrible?

[Baggy178]

On 9/25/2023 at 3:29 AM, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Virgin Voyage has a tattoo parlor and reportedly it's quite popular.  VV also allows their crew to display their tattoos if they wish.  I do not know the specific dress code for X's crew, I see lots of behind-the-counter buffet crew with exposed forearms and sometimes tattoos.  Yet it seems the serving crew are to be in long-sleeve button-downs

 

I have tattoos and not only love seeing them but am always curious about the story behind them yet understand not everyone likes tattoos which doesn't bother me.  However, I do find there are some tattoos that are indeed "wrong".  While it's an overall generalization, hateful, offensive, or having facial tattoos is going to make the majority including myself uncomfortable

 

It matters not to me whether a person wishes to live their lives looking like the cover of an Iron Maiden LP.

Even if they're serving me a dry martini on a cruise ship.

I just happen to think anyone who adorns their body with visible tatts or piercings suffers from low self-esteem and a desperate need for attention.

Facial tattoos are particularly ugly whether they're on a prison gangbanger or a Pacific islander.

But it's middle-aged and older people covered in visible tatts I feel particularly sorry for.

You can forgive indiscretions of youth often under the influence of something or when facing peer pressure.

But at their age they really should know better.

Like an old biddy getting her bits out while sunbathing on a topless beach you just want to say " put them away love, you're fooling no-one."

Or wanting to look like David Beckham and Messi. I mean they're very successful but neither of them are the sharpest knife in the drawer.

 

 

Edited September 27, 2023 by Baggy178

[rmedistro]

3 hours ago, Baggy178 said:

 

It matters not to me whether a person wishes to live their lives looking like the cover of an Iron Maiden LP.

Even if they're serving me a dry martini on a cruise ship.

I just happen to think anyone who adorns their body with visible tatts or piercings suffers from low self-esteem and a desperate need for attention.

Facial tattoos are particularly ugly whether they're on a prison gangbanger or a Pacific islander.

But it's middle-aged and older people covered in visible tatts I feel particularly sorry for.

You can forgive indiscretions of youth often under the influence of something or when facing peer pressure.

But at their age they really should know better.

Like an old biddy getting her bits out while sunbathing on a topless beach you just want to say " put them away love, you're fooling no-one."

Or wanting to look like David Beckham and Messi. I mean they're very successful but neither of them are the sharpest knife in the drawer.

 

 

You do realize tatts are kind of a permanent thing, and they stick with you into middle age and older? 🙂

Depends how those bits are holding up also!

[Baggy178]

6 minutes ago, rmedistro said:

You do realize tatts are kind of a permanent thing, and they stick with you into middle age and older? 🙂

 

 

 

That's what I told my teenage kids when they angling for one.

Now in their mid-20s and ascending the greasy pole of employment they appreciate the advice.

Listen, it's a free world and anyone can define their personality how they like.

But there's a reason why my doctor, dentist, lawyer and accountant don't have tatts yet the fellers who empty my bins are all covered in them.

 

[rmedistro]

2 minutes ago, Baggy178 said:

 

 

That's what I told my teenage kids when they angling for one.

Now in their mid-20s and ascending the greasy pole of employment they appreciate the advice.

Listen, it's a free world and anyone can define their personality how they like.

But there's a reason why my doctor, dentist, lawyer and accountant don't have tatts yet the fellers who empty my bins are all covered in them.

 

Maybe the Doctor, Dentist, and Lawyer have them, just better planning at a young age on placement 🙂

[Baggy178]

4 minutes ago, rmedistro said:

Maybe the Doctor, Dentist, and Lawyer have them, just better planning at a young age on placement 🙂

 

 

Accountants have secret lives too ! 😅

[mat5664]

I've booked Virgin for my 60th birthday cruise next year.  Very much looking forward to trying something different.  As well as my other half, we are taking my 87 year old mother along, who is more comfortable on Cunard!  Not sure how she will feel about it but she's willing to give it a go.  

 

One of the reasons we changed from Celebrity is the cost from Southampton next year, especially as we need a single cabin for my mother.  Ended up paying £2200 for a sea terrace for my mother, which includes $600 bar tab and another $600 sailor loot.  Some of the Apex sailings next year were more than that for an Inside for one person.  Got flights to Barcelona on air miles and saving a few $1000 in all across both cabins.

[CruisinShips]

It's funny, we took a cruise on Virgin this March, and our experience was unlike what I read here in the latter part of this thread.  I thought the food was very good for the most part...that said we travel in suites usually on most lines and have stopped going to the MDR almost altogether.  So the variety of included restaurants on Virgin was solid.  The galley was good for us for breakfast...only one time did we have a wait that was too long, but typically it was pretty good. 

 

The staff was amongst the happiest and friendliest group of people we have ever encountered on a cruise ship...they were allowed the freedom of individuality and that seemed to really positively impact their overall demeanors.  I can understand how some who may be uncomfortable around, or less accepting of, people who didn't hide or contain their own orientations would have an issue, but for us, we saw happy young people who were comfortable in their own skin.

 

The other passengers aspect was a mixed bag...but frankly I don't think I have been on many cruises where that wasn't the case.  While the ship's theme seems to suggest it's geared towards 20-30 year olds, and while there were plenty in that range, the average age was certainly older.   The no kids was great for us lol.  That being said, the day at their private club in the Bahamas was a different story...it was a pool party that felt more like a day at the pool on a Carnival weekend cruise.

 

We did the Mega Rockstar suite thing, and that was fantastic...our butler/Rockstar Agent was everpresent, the bar in our suite was always restocked and we had all of our reservations handled for us (which I understand made our overall experience much less stressful than having to make our own reservations on the app, which we know was difficult for some).

 

Overall, we thought the ship was very good, the food was very good, the service and staff was good, and the fellow passengers were not our cup of tea for the most part.

 

Would we cruise VV again? Living in South Florida it's possible if we want a shorter cruise that's more upscale than Carnival or RC.  But I am not rushing back mainly because of the younger vibe.

 

 

Edited September 27, 2023 by CruisinShips

[MamaFej]

10 hours ago, numnums said:

I hear that VV quality all around is very inconsistent and depends on the boat you go on, if you’re reviewing can you please tell us what boat you were on that you found to be excellent and what boat you found to be terrible?

That would probably be helpful. I have two rather conservative friends in their 50s who had a great time on VV earlier this year, but I don't remember which ship.

 

 

On another note, both electrophysiologists who implanted my ICD in July, one of the anesthetists, and a couple of the other myriad medical professionals had visible tats. I'm still alive. 

[CruisinShips]

My VV cruise (reviewed above) was on the Scarlet Lady.

[cgolf1]

22 minutes ago, CruisinShips said:

My VV cruise (reviewed above) was on the Scarlet Lady.

 

I am curious, if you think this cruise would fit our style. We generally eat MDR, because my wife isn't very adventurous with her food choices, like the stage shows and comedians, will do an activity or two during the day, and the rest we just love to chill out and play cards or read a book and watch the ocean go past. Mid to late 40's and somewhat boring people lol.

 

My thoughts are VV may be too something, not sure what the right word to put here is, for us. We have sailed RCCL and Disney and did enjoy those when we sailed.

Edited September 27, 2023 by cgolf1

[CruisinShips]

2 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

 

I am curious, if you think this cruise would fit our style. We generally eat MDR, because my wife isn't very adventurous with her food choices, like the stage shows and comedians, will do an activity or two during the day, and the rest we just love to chill out and play cards or read a book and watch the ocean go past. Mid to late 40's and somewhat boring people lol.

 

My thoughts are VV may be too something, not sure what the right word to put here is, for us. We have sailed RCCL and Disney and did enjoy those when we sailed.

"Too something" is an astute way to put it.  We saw a couple of shows that we enjoyed, and they have "pop-up" musicians that play at different times in different locales around the ship throughout the days.  They have activities like drink making classes that were fun.  As for the food choices, they have NO MDR, all "specialty" restaurants are included and my wife is a pretty basic eater and they accommodated her nicely.

 

We are older than you...young early 60s...the ship is fine for doing what you described, but there absolutely is vibe that makes it feel like it's geared towards those who party more.  No one is forcing you to do anything, so that was just about the vibe and nothing else.

 

I'd say if the dates, itinerary and pricing meet your needs better than other choices...you'll have a good time.

[happy cruzer]

We tried Valiant Lady in Nov.  and really enjoyed the cruise but then we typically enjoy all the different cruise lines.  The biggest difference to Celebrity is the ship and entertainment.  The spaces on Virgin are smaller and starker.  The entertainment is louder and more modern.  That's a generalization; this thread has more detail:

 

 

[upwarduk]

On 9/19/2023 at 11:08 PM, wrk2cruise said:

Plus they will status match Captains Club

 

3. Match and Sea More Program
And finally with our Match and Sea More Program through December 31, 2023, we're inviting Sailors enrolled in other select rewards programs to come aboard our lady ships and we'll match your current loyalty status — while giving you more luxurious perks on top of that. But no need to wait, you'll automatically become a Sea-Rover and get Deep Blue Extras on your very first voyage sailing through December 31, 2024. Just submit your proof here, book a voyage, and VIP status is automatically unlocked.

 

Now, question is, do they sail from UK?

[Showingthatgame]

29 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Now, question is, do they sail from UK?

They are starting Southampton sailings the same time Apex moves to Southampton. I believe it will be valiant lady.