1st Time Virgin possibly!!

[Shrewsbury on Tour]

Good evening,

 

Many thanks in advance for any advice given etc.

 

Have sailed with RC and NCL, and just got off Arvia, well few days ago. 

 

Possibly looking to sail on VV Resilient Lady next September on 12 night cruise.

The price looks good compared to RC & NCL. The included food and $600 bar tab makes it even more appealing.

 

Do prices remain pretty stable with VV, would hate to book and find price falls significantly.

 

A couple of quick questions if I may…

 

Is all food and snacks included, like coffee bar pastries etc

Is the bar tab useable on anything other than drinks…

 

Any other hints tips etc is so appreciated.

 

Cheers

 

 

Edited October 16, 2023 by Shrewsbury on Tour

[sid_9169]

Pretty much all the food on board is included, other than a few upcharge items at a couple of the restaurants. Plenty of free pastries available in The Galley, as well as free soda, coffee, and tea. There is a coffee place on board where you can purchase fresh brewed fancy coffee. 

 

Bar Tab is good for all alcoholic beverages on board, as well as the upgraded coffee and mocktails. 

 

As far as prices go, I've only ever seen them go up closer to sailing.

[rebeccac]

It is very unlikely that prices will go down.  For the most part, they have only been heading up.

 

All food/snacks are included except for a few "treat yourself" items in the sit down restaurants.  There is also a charge for afternoon tea and a few food events such as sushi making.

 

The bar tab can be used for any paid drink not just alcohol, such as specialty coffee, fresh pressed juices, mocktails, etc.  It can only be used for drinks.  You can buy a bottle from a restaurant and take it home with you if you have money left over or just make new friends and buy them drinks.

[cantgetin]

If you book thru a Gold Tier travel agent, they often have MNVV certificates that they will sell you at cost.  The price of the certificate goes toward your down payment.  In addition, you get $300 off the price of the cruise as well as $600 in "loot" (onboard credit).  In addition, Gold Tier agents may have specials available that will give even a bit more loot.  In addition, if you have loyalty status on another likne, be sure that you sign up for the status match on VV.  This will give you a nice package of perks including $10 per day credit in THe Grounds Club, priority boarding, premium wifi, etc.  As above, all snacks and pastries are included as are almost all food items with the exception of a very few restaurant items that have an upcharge. 

Hard to predit fares--we have 2 current bookings--each has nearly doubled in price from what we paid.  In one case, the cost went down; my TA was able to cancel and rebook, getting us a $400 savings plus the now offered $600 bar tab....but since then, the cost has markedly increased.  

To learn more about VV, I'd highly suggest the You Tube videos by "Where's Walter Travels."  He has several--VV in general, food, etc.  Here's a liknk to the generic VV one.  All ships are enough the same to learn what you'll want to know!

 

[WanderingBrit]

And be sure to click the YouTube link in the video so you see the review in the YouTube site, as that way you can read the accompanying notes with each "Where's Walter" video, plenty of extra information about how to get the most from a VV sailing. 😇

[Wildcatllamas]

I booked this cruise last month for a Sea Terrace and the price has doubled since I booked. So I would look at grabbing it.

 

I love all that Virgin offers. I lasted sailed on Scarlet Lady in December of 2021. I had two cruises booked with Princess - one in 2022 and one the first part of this year. With work, that pretty well tapped out my cruise time. After the two sailings on Princess I doubt I will go back. Virgin has better food and overall is way cheaper then Princess with all that Virgin includes.

 

Now it is just finding flights. I will probably pay for R/T what I am paying for the cruise. I could do Economy but will probably opt for Premium Economy since the flights are going to be really long hauls.

[raphael360]

17 hours ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

Have sailed with RC and NCL

A couple of quick comments from a long-time cruiser who has switched to Virgin this year:  First, the price Virgin charges for beer, drinks, and specialty coffees is very fair and in line with what one would pay on shore.  For example, a Latte is $4, so a $600 bar credit goes a long way, IMHO.

 

Second, I have been hunting for last-minute deals on Virgin all summer and can say the prices have only gone up as cruise dates approach.

[cantgetin]

The other thing to consider is that the prices on VV for beverages, spa, etc. already include the tips....so that drink on another line that lists the price at $10 is really charging you $11.80-12, while on VV, the charge is really $10.  The only exception is if the ship is in port or not yet in international waters and the area where it is located has a tax (which they are then obligated to charge sailors),

[Shrewsbury on Tour]

Good evening,

 

Many thanks to all for advice etc.

 

We have taken the plunge with Virgin. Best part of a year to go.

Really looking forward to trying a different cruise line.

 

Cheers

 

[CruisingWalter]

On 10/16/2023 at 3:34 PM, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

Do prices remain pretty stable with VV, would hate to book and find price falls significantly.

 

A couple of quick questions if I may…

 

Is all food and snacks included, like coffee bar pastries etc

Is the bar tab useable on anything other than drinks…

 

Any other hints tips etc is so appreciated.

 

Virgin follows the Disney model. Pricing is the absolute best when itineraries are released and the prices slowly go up each month. Our November cruise was 2.5x the original fare when it finally sold out. 

 

The specialty coffees will come out of your Bar Tab. The Bar Tab is only useable on drinks. If you get Sailor Loot from your TA you can use that on anything. All Gold Certified TAs should be able to offer at least $100 Sailor Loot if you book a Sea Terrace or above. 

 

We did a food tour/review on our first Scarlet Lady sailing that will show what some of the restaurants are like, but some of the menus have changed of late. https://youtu.be/pBolzKvXjMU

 

And our good friends Ben & David have some fantastic ship tours of Scarlet and Valiant on YouTube as well to give you a sense of the overall layout and flow of the ships. Just go to their channel and Search those ship names. 

 

Boarding is much later than most other cruise lines, here in Florida it doesn't start until at least 1:30p. That means your stateroom will be ready so you can drop off your stuff as soon as you're onboard. If you want to make reservations for the shows, do so as soon as your phone is connected to the ship's WiFi.  If you want to make last minute dinner reservations go directly to those restaurants after you drop your stuff off in the cabin.

 

Our 'go-to' after dropping the stuff off in the cabin is to head to The Dock on the back of deck 7. Enjoy some tapas and a good cocktail to start the vacation right. Bingo with the Diva is one of our favorite events on the ship. If loud concerts bother your ears, bring ear plugs for the top deck portion of Scarlet Night. It's LOUD. Really fun but LOUD. A hidden food gem is the Sun Cafe up on Deck 16 for poke bowls. The hours can be sporadic so you'll need to check the daily schedule. Pizza is amazing, we tend to grab one a few hours after our Test Kitchen dinner because that is a light dinner. 

 

And depending on your loyalty on those other cruise lines, you should status match. If you're at a high enough level you'll get Deep Blue Extras. Best perk is guaranteed early boarding, you'll be boarding with the first group no matter what time your check in says. 

 

Edited October 20, 2023 by CruisingWalter

[CruisingWalter]

On 10/16/2023 at 4:57 PM, cantgetin said:

To learn more about VV, I'd highly suggest the You Tube videos by "Where's Walter Travels."  He has several--VV in general, food, etc.  Here's a liknk to the generic VV one.  All ships are enough the same to learn what you'll want to know!

 

Thank you so much for the kind recommendation! 

[babycatsy]

I hope you love Virgin Voyages! Of the three cruise lines I've tried so far (Disney, Virgin, Princess), it has been my favorite for food, cocktails, and coffee. 

 

Typically, booking early is the best time to book. Right now, Virgin has an extra $600 in bar tab (for booze), and with certain travel agencies, you can get extra Sailor Loot (onboard credit used for anything). If you do book early and the price drops, you can always cancel and rebook, but you would need to see if you are losing out on any perks by doing this. 

 

This is one of my latest blog posts about Saving Money on Virgin: Save Money on Virgin Voyages

[Nerdy Lady]

6 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

And our good friends Ben & David have some fantastic ship tours of Scarlet and Valiant on YouTube as well to give you a sense of the overall layout and flow of the ships. Just go to their channel and Search those ship names. 

I came across Ben and David’s videos as a result of a typo, and ended up watching one out of curiosity. After about a week of my husband and I watching one or two more of said videos a night, we booked the upcoming Christmas cruise on Valiant Lady. Our last cruise was roughly five years ago, and we knew VV existed, but that was all we knew. Without Ben and David’s fun videos, I don’t know if Virgin would have been on our radar as a vacation choice. They definitely hooked us!  

 

[CruisingWalter]

16 hours ago, Nerdy Lady said:

Without Ben and David’s fun videos, I don’t know if Virgin would have been on our radar as a vacation choice. They definitely hooked us!  

 

They are two of the nicest people you will ever meet, they really do make cruising so much fun. We're excited to sail with them again in June on the Valiant Lady.