Valiant Lady LIVE Feb. 10-17, 2024

[LatinaInTexas]

How did the Virgin newbies in your group feel about the cruise? Loved it?Anything that turned them off about it?

Trying to talk my never cruised before daughter to try it for her first cruise. Being a teacher I think a no kids vacation would be the perfect fit😁

[shark Fan]

Fun read.  Thanks!

[lazydayz]

Another great live.  Thanks so much, and stay warm!

[Cscomedygrl]

Thanks for the review Megan. Looking forward to the recap. How did you feel managing this large of a group onboard with you? 

[MeganGC1983]

2 hours ago, LatinaInTexas said:

How did the Virgin newbies in your group feel about the cruise? Loved it?Anything that turned them off about it?

Trying to talk my never cruised before daughter to try it for her first cruise. Being a teacher I think a no kids vacation would be the perfect fit😁

The majority of the whole group bought MNVV vouchers with half of those even all ready picking their next sail date and voyage. The new cruisers thought it was a fantastic way to see new places with a fun vibe, and Out of the whole group, only my aunt and her boyfriend (they are “loyal to Royal”) thought negatively of the experience. They sailed Princess in June and hated it. Some people just have differing opinions. 

[mommio]

On 2/9/2024 at 10:46 AM, canes20 said:

not a rap but

 

I love this!  Thank you for sending me down this fantastic rabbit hole 😆

[mommio]

2 minutes ago, mommio said:

I love this!  Thank you for sending me down this fantastic rabbit hole 😆

FYI, this is not for the weak hearted!  But I laughed and tears came 🤣

[MeganGC1983]

17 minutes ago, Cscomedygrl said:

Thanks for the review Megan. Looking forward to the recap. How did you feel managing this large of a group onboard with you? 

The large group wasn’t that easy to manage, but I knew that going in. Everyone has different expectations and no matter how you try to manage expectations, things can fall short… might be an off night at a restaurant or waves are rough so a show gets cancelled. All in all, I feel like it went well. Most were pretty laid back and went with the flow. The hardest part was when the ones that didn't care to plan ahead woke up on the trip and realized “hey we are missing out because we didn’t pay attention”. One couple actually said they had muted the chat until a week before we left… that’s great and all until excursions are sold out and you have no clue what is going on when. They actually had an embarkation flight changed from 1pm to 10am. We had all talked about it in November and how to take care of it, but they didn’t even realize until checking in the day before on the app. 

[bluetardis]

@MeganGC1983…thank you for a great week on VV..It was fantastic!

[MeganGC1983]

Recap:

-Sailings from San Juan are my favorite. Those islands are just magical, beautiful and different in so many ways. I probably could have done without Guadeloupe, but I will probably give it another chance but not without an excursion. 
-This being my fourth VV, some things are growing a bit old. The pj party could use an update. Scarlet night is still a blast but I can see it becoming redundant soon for me. Duel Reality is amazing but doesn’t have the impact the second or third time you see it. I appreciate they are coming out with new things like comedy and different guest bands. They are changing the menus and things too, so I like that. Adding the chicken at the Dock House, Valentines specialty menu, etc. I still love Loteria. And the ship is holding up well. 
-I really appreciate The Happenings Cast and the crew! Ali (stewart) was fantastic and we really didn’t have any problems with service anywhere. 
-With a big group, you really have to be flexible and go with the flow. I’m still mad that the excursion in Antigua was canceled due to boat engine issues, but that sort of thing happens, I guess. 
What’s next?

Next sailing is with the kids in May on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. 
Thank you all again so much for following along. Any questions, ask away. Really appreciate all of your comments, as always. Thanks again. 

[MeganGC1983]

And now the season finale of the HBO original series, True Detective Night Country. 
 

I may or may not have slept in the truck on the way home so I could watch episode 5 after the kids went to sleep last night. WOW! Also, probably why I had crazy dreams. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[LatinaInTexas]

1 hour ago, MeganGC1983 said:

The majority of the whole group bought MNVV vouchers with half of those even all ready picking their next sail date and voyage. The new cruisers thought it was a fantastic way to see new places with a fun vibe, and Out of the whole group, only my aunt and her boyfriend (they are “loyal to Royal”) thought negatively of the experience. They sailed Princess in June and hated it. Some people just have differing opinions. 

Good to hear the majority were happy! 

[Sherry84]

43 minutes ago, MeganGC1983 said:

And now the season finale of the HBO original series, True Detective Night Country. 
 

I may or may not have slept in the truck on the way home so I could watch episode 5 after the kids went to sleep last night. WOW! Also, probably why I had crazy dreams. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Yasss! 

[tbmrt]

Thanks again for all your valuable info.  Since you said you didn't mind questions, would like your advice on managing group bookings on embarkation day?  We have SOR so will be on early (3 cabins).  Most of us are looking at the same shows and daily events on same days, times.  A few prefer doing a few different things. We have our restaurant resos made, but as of now (2/19...We sail 2/24) have to move 2 around.

 

Is it better for one person to handle all restaurant changes, show and daily event bookings to avoid confusion?  Any hints appreciated.

 

Will be looking for your future cruise posts on CC.  We cruise pretty often and the 2/24 will be our 2nd VV cruise, but like you, I think we're done with VV until the menus and shows change considerably.  

[maggieq]

11 hours ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Recap:

-Sailings from San Juan are my favorite. Those islands are just magical, beautiful and different in so many ways. I probably could have done without Guadeloupe, but I will probably give it another chance but not without an excursion. 
-This being my fourth VV, some things are growing a bit old. The pj party could use an update. Scarlet night is still a blast but I can see it becoming redundant soon for me. Duel Reality is amazing but doesn’t have the impact the second or third time you see it. I appreciate they are coming out with new things like comedy and different guest bands. They are changing the menus and things too, so I like that. Adding the chicken at the Dock House, Valentines specialty menu, etc. I still love Loteria. And the ship is holding up well. 
-I really appreciate The Happenings Cast and the crew! Ali (stewart) was fantastic and we really didn’t have any problems with service anywhere. 
-With a big group, you really have to be flexible and go with the flow. I’m still mad that the excursion in Antigua was canceled due to boat engine issues, but that sort of thing happens, I guess. 
What’s next?

Next sailing is with the kids in May on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. 
Thank you all again so much for following along. Any questions, ask away. Really appreciate all of your comments, as always. Thanks again. 

@MeganGC1983  thanks again for taking us along.  We have sailed quite a few times out of San Juan and love the itineraries for sure.  Have you looked at the new ncl viva?  We are looking at trying next feb mar.  A port everyday and ncl docks in havensight so there’s a plus.  

[Sadebud]

Another great Live, Megan! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy cruise to take us along!

[MeganGC1983]

6 hours ago, tbmrt said:

Thanks again for all your valuable info.  Since you said you didn't mind questions, would like your advice on managing group bookings on embarkation day?  We have SOR so will be on early (3 cabins).  Most of us are looking at the same shows and daily events on same days, times.  A few prefer doing a few different things. We have our restaurant resos made, but as of now (2/19...We sail 2/24) have to move 2 around.

 

Is it better for one person to handle all restaurant changes, show and daily event bookings to avoid confusion?  Any hints appreciated.

 

Will be looking for your future cruise posts on CC.  We cruise pretty often and the 2/24 will be our 2nd VV cruise, but like you, I think we're done with VV until the menus and shows change considerably.  

Yes, I would divide and conquer, but know you are at the mercy of the app. We had DBE, yet my sister sitting in the terminal got on faster than we could get it working. She booked our priority things (Grog Walk & Loteria) for us so we had to pay her back. 

[MeganGC1983]

3 hours ago, maggieq said:

@MeganGC1983  thanks again for taking us along.  We have sailed quite a few times out of San Juan and love the itineraries for sure.  Have you looked at the new ncl viva?  We are looking at trying next feb mar.  A port everyday and ncl docks in havensight so there’s a plus.  

I have. I just haven’t really booked myself on anything that far out other than sailings with other people. Currently, we have 4 cruises booked: Allure (May 2024), Scarlet Lady (Aug 2024), Jubilee (Feb. 2025-group), & Valiant Lady (Sept. 2025- group). I’m sure I’ll fill in the gaps at some point. NCL is definitely an option. 

[jcarter4551]

15 hours ago, MeganGC1983 said:

-This being my fourth VV, some things are growing a bit old. The pj party could use an update. Scarlet night is still a blast but I can see it becoming redundant soon for me

I feel this 100%. In fact, my wife and I just completed our 4th VV sailing in December and we didn't even make it to Scarlet Night pool party even though we dressed up in scarlet. It was like, meh, I am more interested in the after party anyway. I like the PJ party because it is different and usually a good party. However, the same old Diva and happenings cast show gets old.

 

Additionally, as much as the happenings cast was kind of cool the first sailing, I found them to be somewhat annoying in the dance club at night. They would come out at the time when the club started hopping and would totally kill the vibe the rest of the night.

 

Thus, I agree that VV will need to do some different things to get repeat cruisers.  The only reason I have some additional sailings on VV booked is due to the casino comps making it "free." 

 

Thanks for your reviews! 

[MeganGC1983]

1 hour ago, jcarter4551 said:

I feel this 100%. In fact, my wife and I just completed our 4th VV sailing in December and we didn't even make it to Scarlet Night pool party even though we dressed up in scarlet. It was like, meh, I am more interested in the after party anyway. I like the PJ party because it is different and usually a good party. However, the same old Diva and happenings cast show gets old.

 

Additionally, as much as the happenings cast was kind of cool the first sailing, I found them to be somewhat annoying in the dance club at night. They would come out at the time when the club started hopping and would totally kill the vibe the rest of the night.

 

Thus, I agree that VV will need to do some different things to get repeat cruisers.  The only reason I have some additional sailings on VV booked is due to the casino comps making it "free." 

 

Thanks for your reviews! 

When I first started to do my recap, I completely agreed with this 100%. Then I started to compare other cruise lines. You don’t always have an amazing Fun Squad every Carnival sailing. My Celebrity (whatever they call them) wasn’t anything to write home about. Most cruise lines have the same shows throughout the fleet… I think that’s why the variety matters so much. Virgin has stepped it up by offer comedy now. They have different jugglers, magicians, and music acts coming in and out. I appreciate that they are trying. With only 3 ships, them constantly rolling out new shows or variants isn’t ideal. I think that needs to be factored in as well. 

[vanislandcruisers]

16 hours ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Recap:

-Sailings from San Juan are my favorite. Those islands are just magical, beautiful and different in so many ways. I probably could have done without Guadeloupe, but I will probably give it another chance but not without an excursion. 
-This being my fourth VV, some things are growing a bit old. The pj party could use an update. Scarlet night is still a blast but I can see it becoming redundant soon for me. Duel Reality is amazing but doesn’t have the impact the second or third time you see it. I appreciate they are coming out with new things like comedy and different guest bands. They are changing the menus and things too, so I like that. Adding the chicken at the Dock House, Valentines specialty menu, etc. I still love Loteria. And the ship is holding up well. 
-I really appreciate The Happenings Cast and the crew! Ali (stewart) was fantastic and we really didn’t have any problems with service anywhere. 
-With a big group, you really have to be flexible and go with the flow. I’m still mad that the excursion in Antigua was canceled due to boat engine issues, but that sort of thing happens, I guess. 
What’s next?

Next sailing is with the kids in May on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. 
Thank you all again so much for following along. Any questions, ask away. Really appreciate all of your comments, as always. Thanks again. 

Thanks again for taking us along!!!!

[carolinagalcruise2011]

Thank you for a great review! I need to check out VV cruises in the future. Something different!

[MeganGC1983]

Update on the voodoo “curse”… my brother in law that was also smacked in the head by the one legged man on the bicycle in Guadeloupe, drove to get dinner last night and ended up popping two tires and cracking a rim on a railroad track. He believes it was connected. I’m still Leary for my shoe to drop. 

[MeganGC1983]

Finally weight gain is 4 lbs. Not too shabby. 

[tbmrt]

Did anyone take the White Beach/Jost Van Dyke excursion?  Wondering where we meet the tour guide and what "adult beverages" are included.