Live From Valiant Lady 2/10-2/17

[SteelCityCruiser10]

2 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

We have the premium WiFi via DBE, I’m sure there is a difference but don’t quote me on that. Preliminary speed test looks great!

 

 

Nice we have DBE and contemplating going LIVE for our first VV experience.  Good to see decent wifi.

[SteelCityCruiser10]

I have to ask based on your handle.. are you from Pittsburgh?

[Steelers0854]

43 minutes ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

I have to ask based on your handle.. are you from Pittsburgh?

Nope but family is and I’ve been a lifelong Steelers fan. 

[Steelers0854]

Dinner was at Pink Agave. We figured this would be one of the best places to eat with DWs allergies and we were spot on. She can eat almost the entire menu and only a few items required modification. Here was the menu including a special menu for this cruise.

 

 

The bar mix they bring out is amazing! Spicy. Salty. Warm.

 

 

 

DW got the guacamole and the Chile relleno with the potatoes from the chorizo dish (she couldn’t eat the chorizo). She said the guacamole was excellent. The Chile relleno hit a little flat but the sauce was good. She added the peanuts from the bar mix and said it was good. The potatoes were a hit even plain, she would get them again.

 

 

I grabbed the octopus from the special menu and the aguachile. The octopus was perfectly cooked and had a delicious sauce with it. The aguachile was fresh and had the right amount of acid. This was a hit as well. I got the duck for my main and it was so good. I’m a sucker for good mole and this was very good. Duck was perfectly cooked and they gave you tortillas as well. This dish was a hit.

 

 

 

DW had a little room for dessert and they had a chocolate tamale she could eat with modifications. She said she wanted 4 of them. It was that good. Not sweet, but full of flavor and a great texture.

 

 

 

Dinner took us about an hour flat. After dinner we headed to misbehave. The line didn’t really form til about 30 min before the show. They opened the doors about 15 min before the show.

 

 

The show was a hoot. Ran about an hour in total. Afterwards we walked around the ship for a bit. The waves are pretty high tonight, the ships a moving. We called it an early night and finished unpacking in the room.

 

Random thoughts:

 

-Virgin has the coolest public bathrooms of any ship I’ve been on.

-The ship feels slightly claustrophobic with a lot of spaces but they all seem very segmented and closed off. No big open spaces.

-I don’t love the cabin bathrooms. The shower is big, and that’s nice, but there is a general lack of storage space.

-love the fact that things like fitness classes, sodas, ice cream etc are all included. No things about spending more etc.

-love all of the spaces to sit and relax in, both in doors and outdoors. Huge plus compared to the NCL cruise we just did which was not good.

[CineGraphic]

7 minutes ago, Steelers0854 said:

No things about spending more etc.

 

It's all the "no's" like this that made us fans.

No kids. No announcements. No photographers. No cruise director. No cover charges. No art auctions, etc.......

Glad to see you're enjoying it

[Steelers0854]

It’s a beautiful morning in Tortola BVI

 

Here are the galley menus for today. As well as the activity list for today. 
 

Day 2.pdf
Galley Breakfast Day 2.pdf

Galley Lunch Day 2.pdf

Galley Dinner Day 2.pdf

 

 

[Steelers0854]

Morning Coffee acquired. 

[Steelers0854]

I forgot to share this funny one from the other day at the hotel. Seen everything now. This dude with a metal detector walking around looking for treasure. 
 

[Sherry84]

11 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

 

It's all the "no's" like this that made us fans.

No kids. No announcements. No photographers. No cruise director. No cover charges. No art auctions, etc.......

Glad to see you're enjoying it

Same!

[herdfans4]

18 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

We started our ship exploration. After much discussion we thought we would spend our Sailor Loot on the Thermal Spa for the cruise. It’s not cheap, but we are taking a relaxed approach to this cruise and the space looked amazing. $328pp later and we still have a bit of spending to do but the majority of it atleast is dealt with. Can’t wait to relax down here.

Interested in doing this ourselves.  Does this get you unlimited access to the spa for the entire cruise?  How does this work exactly?  We went for an hour slot on our last cruise and it was nice but I actually enjoy the Carnival and MSC thermal areas much better mostly because of the extremely small 1 person hot tub and cold tubs that VV has in the area.  And the "hot tile area" is just a flat piece of marble that was luke warm at best and very uncomfortable on VV compared to the nice tile lounger on the other lines.  Wish they would correct this space.  

[csr10236]

What does DBE stand for? Never sailed VV. And status match from other cruise lines?

[CineGraphic]

33 minutes ago, csr10236 said:

What does DBE stand for? Never sailed VV. And status match from other cruise lines?

 

Deep Blue Extras. Currently the status match program is on hold, but here's a link with more info.

https://www.virginvoyages.com/sailing-club

 

[Steelers0854]

1 hour ago, herdfans4 said:

Interested in doing this ourselves.  Does this get you unlimited access to the spa for the entire cruise?  How does this work exactly?  We went for an hour slot on our last cruise and it was nice but I actually enjoy the Carnival and MSC thermal areas much better mostly because of the extremely small 1 person hot tub and cold tubs that VV has in the area.  And the "hot tile area" is just a flat piece of marble that was luke warm at best and very uncomfortable on VV compared to the nice tile lounger on the other lines.  Wish they would correct this space.  

it’s funny because I was just discussing with DW the exact same thoughts you just had. Here is my take on it:

 

The thermal spa is $50 for a 3 hour block or $328 for unlimited access from 6am-12am (not a typo) each day of the cruise.

 

I love the different rooms they have, sauna, steam room, salt room and a mud room. They have 2 cold plunge pools that are big enough for 1 person, and at an awkward angle because they are shallow. I don’t mind this for the cold plunge pools but they also have a hot pool that is setup the same. It’s too bad they don’t have a hot tub for more than 1 person.

 

The small swimming pool is lukewarm but a nice touch to relax in. The chairs are soft and comfortable. The heated benches are prolific across the space and I wish they had the heated tile loungers most other ships have. It’s not comfortable IMO to lay flat on them but they do have some that are more like a typical chair.

 

Overall it’s a great quiet space. Granted it’s a port day but there was only 1 other person in there with us the hour we were there. Is it worth it?  Can’t tell you til day 7. But it’s a mixed bag at the moment.

 

[Steelers0854]

Day 2 Tortola BVI

 

We got up and headed to the galley to get the obligatory coffee. DW picked up a chia seed pudding that she could eat, it had blueberries and blueberry jam. She said it was good but a little too sweet. The galley was in buffet mode, just line up at a station and order your food. I love that people don’t serve themselves, so gross having everyone grab tongs and what not, so I love the way Virgin does it.

 

I also love the grab and go section and really appreciate them marking the allergens on each of the items. DW checked and while they don’t use specifically gluten free oats she can eat the oatmeal because she isn’t celiac thankfully. So she grabbed a date power bar and oatmeal as well. She said they were both very good.

 

 

I slept like a rock last night. The beds are good, a little firm for me. Princess IMO has the most comfortable beds.

 

We are just exploring the port and town today. Even though this is our first trip here and we typically try and do something when we first come to a new place we are just taking a chill approach this trip.

 

The weather is beautiful today with highs in the high 70s and a stiff breeze today.

 

We swung into the cabin on our way off the ship and our ninja cabin steward had already come through and made the room beautiful again.

 

The port area is small and there isn’t much around. I would recommend you do some kind of excursion, tour or get to a beach. This isn’t a St Thomas type of port. We got our steps in and headed back to the ship for a trip to the thermal spa and then lunch.

 

 

 

See above for my thoughts on the thermal spa, it’s TBD if it’s worth the expense, so we shall see.

 

We headed to lunch around 12:30. It was decently busy. Same setup as yesterday you go up to each station and order what you want. But I did see some waitstaff taking orders at the tables and delivering them, so it looks like both is an option but most people were ordering themselves.

 

DW got a hamburger which she said was delicious. They made hers in the back to be safe. The fries have a flour on them but it’s GF so I’m guessing it’s rice flour. Warning to those with celiac, they aren’t truly GF as they are cooked in the same fryer as other items, so there is cross contamination. Luckily DW can do some cross contamination so she was ok. These fries are delicious. DW said it was one of the best burgers she has had.

 

 

I got the special today, a fried chicken sandwich and it was excellent. The buns are amazing!  I also grabbed todays special salad, a Cobb with red wine vinaigrette.

 

 

 

The dessert section was the same as yesterday so we held off for maybe some ice cream a little later.

[Steelers0854]

No shot. Richard Branson on board!!!

 

[Sherry84]

2 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

No shot. Richard Branson on board!!!

 

Holy moly, that’s awesome! 

[WanderingBrit]

22 hours ago, Sherry84 said:

Question @Steelers0854 so you go and order from each individual station in the galley as opposed to sitting at a table and a server taking your order? This is different than what I've experienced so I'm curious. Also same situation for me with the test kitchen as I would also have a hard time dining there due to my food allergies. 

On embarkation day we sat down in the galley and were waited on.

[neverendingcruising]

You can do either in the Galley. If you sit and raise the flag someone will come to you and take your order. 

[Steelers0854]

Dinner tonight was at the Wake.  We had a great table with a perfect view.  The benefits of just being the 2 of us and liking to eat early, the restaurant was pretty empty when we showed up.  Wow their bread service is amazing, warm and buttery, I had to have them take it after i ate 3 of them or i would have finished the whole thing.  DW got her bread and olive oil which she loved.

 

 

 

 

DW went with the Filet and the Polenta as a side dish for her dinner.  She said the filet was good, not top 5 or anything like that, but a solid steak that was well cooked.  She also loved the roasted garlic that came with it, delicious.  The size of the filet was a little small, especially compared to some of the other diners dishes we saw, but the best part about a cruise is you just order a second one!  She was surprised how much she enjoyed the polenta though, she said it was perfectly seasoned, and had a great crunch on the exterior.  She was a fan of the “crème fraiche” that came with it.

 

 

 

For me, I went with the wedge salad, hamachi, lamb, creamed spinach and twice baked potatoes.  The wedge salad was amazing, one of the best I’ve had.  The hamachi fell flat for me, it was fine but it lacked flavor and was generally forgettable.  The lamb was great, it was a little over cooked, but I don’t expect perfect temperatures on a cruise ship TBH.  The creamed spinach and potatoes were exactly what I wanted and both were hits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For dessert DW went with the coconut panna cotta.  I had to talk her into trying it, she has some PTSD from Panna Cotta on princess, which is basically like a jello, which she is NOT a fan of.  But she said this was great, more of a yogurt consistency and she said it was a hit.

 

 

 

Based on the servers recommendation I went with the baked Alaska.  It was the perfect end to the dinner, and a different take on what i have come to expect from cruisehsip baked Alaska.

 

 

Pink agave still holds the top spot for us thus far, that mean was exceptional, but this was still  better than almost every other MDR dinner we have had over the years.  Virgin has the food portion down pat.

 

After dinner we just went up to the room to watch the Super Bowl (well I could watch the game and DW could read).  They have it on in 3 locations across the ship: the Red Room, Social Club and Athletic Club.  But I can imagine those places will be packed given the number of jerseys I was seeing on board, and since its on our cabin TV’s im all in on relaxing and watching the game.

 

[CineGraphic]

34 minutes ago, Steelers0854 said:

Virgin has the food portion down pat.

 

Pam and I have said many times, "We've never had anything this good on Princess"

Glad to see that you're enjoying everything.

[WanderingBrit]

The Lamb Shank in Razzle Dazzle was exceptional, if you’re a fan of lamb.

 

How was service in The Wake? We’re not planning to go there for dinner and I’m debating our brunch reservation for today.

[Steelers0854]

49 minutes ago, WanderingBrit said:

The Lamb Shank in Razzle Dazzle was exceptional, if you’re a fan of lamb.

 

How was service in The Wake? We’re not planning to go there for dinner and I’m debating our brunch reservation for today.

we had great service. Everything was timely, our second filet we ordered came out in like 5 minutes. No complaints at all. 

[tbmrt]

On 2/10/2024 at 1:33 PM, Steelers0854 said:

Luggage drop off was just fine, took all of 5 minutes at 1:10pm. There is both a CVS and a Walgreens very close to the port in case anyone forgot anything and needed to pickup something. They were plenty of gatekeepers checking for Suites, DBE etc at the entrance and we were asked to show prof no less than 4 times before we entered the priority checkin waiting area. Half the room is setup for those that have already checked in, my guess is those are suites. They said at 1:45 those people would begin boarding and then we would get priority checkin behind them. So if you have priority checkin you get this nice air conditioned am waiting area

If you drop luggage off earlier in the morning do you get checked in then or when you return (and enter airconditioned building? (Splash of Romance)?

 

[Steelers0854]

1 minute ago, tbmrt said:

If you drop luggage off earlier in the morning do you get checked in then or when you return (and enter airconditioned building? (Splash of Romance)?

 

Luggage drop off is just that, dropping your bags. If you have some kind of priority boarding (DBE, SOR, I’m assuming rockstar etc) they will let you into the terminal early. How early, can’t say but it was no issue when we got there at 1pm. 
 

when we arrived there was a group of people that were already checked in. My guess is those were megarockstars etc. we waited on the other side of the room and just before 1:45 we were the first in line to check in and then board the ship. 
 

Hope that helps!

[tbmrt]

On 2/11/2024 at 8:01 AM, Steelers0854 said:

It’s a beautiful morning in Tortola BVI

 

Here are the galley menus for today. As well as the activity list for today. 
 

Day 2.pdf 3.83 MB · 12 downloads
Galley Breakfast Day 2.pdf 2.2 MB · 13 downloads

Galley Lunch Day 2.pdf 2.14 MB · 15 downloads

Galley Dinner Day 2.pdf 1.78 MB · 18 downloads

 

 

THANKS SO MUCH for posting these!