RC/Celebrity cruiser.....what do I need to know when cruising VV?

[3red7s]

Hello all....we are seasoned cruisers with RC/Celebrity, thinking about doing a 5 day carib on VV.  What will be different for us?  We are D+ with both lines, so we get many perks.  What can I expect to pay additional for on VV?  Is is set up the same way?  Main dining room, or speciality restaurants?  Are the speciality restaurants an additional charge?  Mostly concerned about what a 1st time cruiser on VV will have to pay additional.....thanks all. 

[gumshoe958]

VV do things very differently to any other cruise line. It can take some getting used to.

 

No MDR. Instead, six speciality restaurants which are all included for no extra charge (and are of far better quality than any MDR on Royal or Celebrity) but must be booked in advance on the app.

 

Alcoholic drinks cost extra, either pay as you go or buy a bar tab in advance. No unlimited drinks packages that you may be used to elsewhere.

Basic internet is included but you can pay to upgrade to premium. And you’ll obviously pay additional for the spa, excursions, certain onboard experiences, casino etc. But in general there’s less hard sell than on some lines.

 

Edited March 23 by gumshoe958

[jon81uk]

Almost no announcements on the tannoy, no cruise director, no photographers, no upsells, no drinks packages. 
 

Almost all food included, six different full service restaurants, food court (not a buffet), made to order pizza, hand scooped ice cream, Mediterranean mezze and tapas.

 

Small pool but lots of different spaces to find a seat. 
 

Every bar is its own thing with different menus and styles, often with live music.

 

No broadway style musicals, but circus or dance performance shows and intimate cabaret.

[basenji56]

VV app is absolutely essential. Pizza is great. Ice cream is decent.  Some of the specialty restaurants are "different".  Bathrooms in regular sea terrace rooms are very small.

 

[SteelCityCruiser10]

I did a LIVE with many comparisons to RCI.  Here’s the link if you want to check it out.

 

If you weren’t able to status match ahead of the cruise the no drink package or free diamond drinks will be very different and potentially additional cost depending on your bar tab.  The standard included restaurants in VV are comparable or better than RCI IMO.  

 

Go in with an open mind.  We did and we very much enjoyed our cruise.

 

 

 

Edited March 24 by SteelCityCruiser10

[Giraffes]

11 hours ago, jon81uk said:

Almost no announcements on the tannoy, no cruise director, no photographers, no upsells, no drinks packages. 

Um, NO KIDS!!

[basenji56]

49 minutes ago, Giraffes said:

Um, NO KIDS!!

Except those over 18!  I would prefer a 25 year age limit. LOL.

 

 

[raphael360]

No "Chains by-the-inch" tables in the main hall

No "cheap handbags" for sale everywhere

No photographers everywhere all of the time saying "smile"

No endless ways for the cruise line to pull money out of your pockets.

[jon81uk]

3 hours ago, Giraffes said:

Um, NO KIDS!!

I thought that one is the obvious thing about VV so didn’t see a need to add it to the list!

[cantgetin]

Very little is the same.  If you want Royal only red in color, you won't be happy.  If you want a new experience and don't compare everything to other lines, you may love it.  I'd suggest watching some YouTube videos--Where's Walter Travels are the best I've seen.  He has one on Scarlet Lady in general and one on food. They are a little old, but there have been very few changes....and the ships are essentially the same other than a few decor changes.

A few basics....No nickel and dime spending, no announcements, no cruise director, few queues, no kids, all restaurants included, tips included, shows included, all on board activities except those that include alcohol are included, no go karts, no climbing walls, no "sales" from the shops out in the halls, No KIDS, no beverage packages (there is a bar tab option), gratuities included, wifi included, efficient boarding IF you arrive when scheduled, etc.  There is no main dining room.  There are 6 restaurants where you sit down and are served.  Reservations work best but they take walk ins.  No buffet....they have a food court area called "The Galley.:  

I don't know what you mean by "We are D+ on both lines."  There is no such designation on VV.  IF you mean that you applied for the status match, you have been awarded Sea Rover status on VV, which gives you a perks package called "Deep Blue Extras."  These are NOT the same perks you get on any other line....the "match" doesn't match the perks, it matches the fact that you have loyalty status.  DBE gives you premium wifi (unlimited amount), priority boarding, $100 bar tab complimentary, one bag of laundry washed and a  bit of pressing or dry cleaning, a cocktail party, $10 per day credit in Grounds Club (specialty coffee and tea), and a few other things.

[chrisa2711]

Just to emphasize, tips are included in your fare - sure you can slip a bartender or server a few bucks but many of them will refuse it. The staff is paid much better than typical cruise lines and have much better perks. 

 

So the prices that you see on a bar menu are THE PRICES. No 20% gratuity tacked on. And you can see all of your purchases on the app.

 

And they are no longer (or maybe just currently?) accepting applications for status matches.

[cantgetin]

No more status matches--that ended 12/31/2023.  They are supposedly coming out with their own new loyalty program "soon," but we've heard that for at least 18 months.

And yes, for OP, the "Tips included" means ALL tips, not just the $15-18 per day on other lines.  It means the tips in the spa, the tips at the bar, etc.  You will never sign a slip for anything and there is no way to add a tip other than to offer cash.  As noted, we've had it refused.

One crew member told us that she was earning 3 times as much on VV as she had been on her previous line where she had been in a tipped position.  In addition, crew has free internet (probably the most popular perk as they pay a lot for it on other lines) and depending on how full the ship is, can eat in guest areas, attend shows, etc.  THey have a very cheap crew bar and specialty coffee location, but if they order alcohol or specialty coffee/tea in guest areas, they pay what we do.  However, especially the coffee/tea is sometimes much easier for them to grab at Grounds Club on a break than to go all the way back to crew areas.
That brings up another nice way to show appreciation to crew--if they are in line in front of or behind you at Grounds Club, have the people working charge the crew member's coffee to you.If you have DBE and don't use your entire $10 per day, it will go on that first.  Also, if you see a table of crew in a restaurant, offer to pay for a round of drinks or a bottle of wine.

 

[BodaciousB]

3 hours ago, cantgetin said:

That brings up another nice way to show appreciation to crew--if they are in line in front of or behind you at Grounds Club, have the people working charge the crew member's coffee to you.If you have DBE and don't use your entire $10 per day, it will go on that first.  Also, if you see a table of crew in a restaurant, offer to pay for a round of drinks or a bottle of wine.

Ooh, what a great idea! We're splurging for MRS for our cruise next year and I'd love to do this if we ever get the opportunity! 

[DCGuy64]

On 3/23/2024 at 7:31 PM, basenji56 said:

Bathrooms in regular sea terrace rooms are very small.

Can you define "very small"? I've watched 5-6 videos on YouTube of the ship we're booked on (Resilient Lady) and the bathrooms look fine to me. For context's sake, I'm 5'4" and my wife is just a bit shorter than I. Thanks in advance!

[cantgetin]

2 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Can you define "very small"? I've watched 5-6 videos on YouTube of the ship we're booked on (Resilient Lady) and the bathrooms look fine to me. For context's sake, I'm 5'4" and my wife is just a bit shorter than I. Thanks in advance!

the showers are plenty tall enough.  THe "small" issue is space around the toilet and sink....not a lot of room to move around.  I think the issue is that the bathrooms in the XL are significantly larger.  The standard are not big, but they are enough.

[DCGuy64]

12 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

I think the issue is that the bathrooms in the XL are significantly larger.

And so are the prices, LOL. (I looked at booking an XL but the extra cost didn't seem justified to me. I'm also interested in having the bed made as a sofa during the day, and it appears that can't be done in the XL cabins, from what I've read on here.)

[jon81uk]

10 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

and it appears that can't be done in the XL cabins, from what I've read on here.)

No idea where you read that, the bed is identical in the XL as the standard sea terrace and can be converted on request, we did ask and get it done a few times.

[3red7s]

On 3/23/2024 at 6:37 PM, gumshoe958 said:

VV do things very differently to any other cruise line. It can take some getting used to.

 

No MDR. Instead, six speciality restaurants which are all included for no extra charge (and are of far better quality than any MDR on Royal or Celebrity) but must be booked in advance on the app.

 

Alcoholic drinks cost extra, either pay as you go or buy a bar tab in advance. No unlimited drinks packages that you may be used to elsewhere.

Basic internet is included but you can pay to upgrade to premium. And you’ll obviously pay additional for the spa, excursions, certain onboard experiences, casino etc. But in general there’s less hard sell than on some lines.

 

all excellent and helpful info.....thank you 

[cantgetin]

 

[DCGuy64]

16 hours ago, jon81uk said:

No idea where you read that, the bed is identical in the XL as the standard sea terrace and can be converted on request, we did ask and get it done a few times.

It was from a thread on here, posted February 2 by another CC poster.

In the first paragraph, @WatermelonSugarHigh writes "The suitcases fit under the bed nicely, and there is a large storage drawer under the small sofa that converts to a single bed. Our cabin steward informed us that this configuration for three pax can not be converted back to sofa seating during the day."

That's what led me to believe that the beds in the XL Sea Terraces can't be converted to/from a sofa.

[jon81uk]

8 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

It was from a thread on here, posted February 2 by another CC poster.

In the first paragraph, @WatermelonSugarHigh writes "The suitcases fit under the bed nicely, and there is a large storage drawer under the small sofa that converts to a single bed. Our cabin steward informed us that this configuration for three pax can not be converted back to sofa seating during the day."

That's what led me to believe that the beds in the XL Sea Terraces can't be converted to/from a sofa.

Im assuming the issue is they were using the three person room for three people, as the third bed would need to be packed away to be able to swing the other bed to sofa. 
We were in a room that could sleep three, but there was just two of us and therefore the third bed remained as an ottoman cube thing, we were still able to get the bed converted to a sofa

Also not all XL rooms sleep three, only some have the extra bed and some three person have pull-down instead.

[cantgetin]

8 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

It was from a thread on here, posted February 2 by another CC poster.

In the first paragraph, @WatermelonSugarHigh writes "The suitcases fit under the bed nicely, and there is a large storage drawer under the small sofa that converts to a single bed. Our cabin steward informed us that this configuration for three pax can not be converted back to sofa seating during the day."

That's what led me to believe that the beds in the XL Sea Terraces can't be converted to/from a sofa.

Interesting....there is the large drawer available when the beds are in the double configuration; it is under one bed in the L configuration...but had nothing to do with 3 pax.  The arrangement for 3 is usually a fold out ottoman (at least in some cabins).  In my limited experience, the beds in XL are the same as in Sea Terrace and can do the L.

[DCGuy64]

3 minutes ago, jon81uk said:

Im assuming the issue is they were using the three person room for three people, as the third bed would need to be packed away to be able to swing the other bed to sofa. 
We were in a room that could sleep three, but there was just two of us and therefore the third bed remained as an ottoman cube thing, we were still able to get the bed converted to a sofa

Also not all XL rooms sleep three, only some have the extra bed and some three person have pull-down instead.

Hi, and thanks so much for your reply. Your answer is very reassuring. I took the earlier post to mean that beds in the XL cabins couldn't be converted at all. Now it seems it's only if there's a 3rd person in the cabin. It should just be the two of us, although I am trying to convince my sister and BIL to join us on the cruise, they will have their own cabin. I hope you can see that my confusion was due to an honest misunderstanding about that, I wasn't trying to be argumentative or challenge your view. Thanks again.

Edited March 27 by DCGuy64

[jon81uk]

26 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

Interesting....there is the large drawer available when the beds are in the double configuration; it is under one bed in the L configuration...but had nothing to do with 3 pax.  The arrangement for 3 is usually a fold out ottoman (at least in some cabins).  In my limited experience, the beds in XL are the same as in Sea Terrace and can do the L.

The fold out ottoman extends onto the drawer that the bed swings onto, so you can’t have the main bed in sofa mode and the ottoman unfolded at the same time. I think that’s what caused the confusion.

[Daruma]

On 3/24/2024 at 7:44 AM, basenji56 said:

Except those over 18!  I would prefer a 25 year age limit. LOL.

 

 

 

I'm right there with ya. 

 

Just because the government, (like they're a creditable entity 🤦), says they are adults doesn't mean they are. 

 

My hierarchy of "adults" is:

 

18/19 if you're serving in the military, (you grow up FAST there). 

 

23/24 if you're married WITH kids. 

 

27/28 married but no kids. 

 

30+ if you're single.

 

NEVER if you're a Male under any circumstances at any age... at least that's what my wife tells me, lol 🤣