CruisingWalter

24/7 in The Galley, that drip coffee in the back. It's not the best but it's ok. It's got a weird flavor, I can't quite place it. I've thought about bringing my AeroPress with me the next time I'm on a Ladyship with my own coffee grounds. Ironically the coffee that's delivered via room service is much better than the stuff in The Galley so perhaps that your 'go-to' for early morning coffee. The night time coffee spot is Sip Champagne lounge with their amazing hand pulled espresso machines. That's the strongest coffee on the ship. 🙂

I'm so glad the info has been helpful!

Thanks so much for the kind words. I'm so glad the information has been helpful!

It's a glitch, they already turned it off.... 🙂

For some reason our TA can book Rockstar Reservations today, 65 days out from the cruise. Not sure if it's a glitch or VV is trying something new with their dining reservation system? One of our fellow Rockstars noticed that the reservations said they opened up today in the app, but can't actually make the reservations in the app. But our TA can.

More or less, but you do have to have a specific amount of sailings now or Status Match. The coffee benefit changed from $10/day to 2 coffees per day. I was always able to squeeze 3 Macchiatos for $9/day. 🙂

I will say you were lucky. I'm still hearing from Sailors who are spending 3 hours or more trying to get dining reservations. The dining usually comes online around 11:45p ET, though sometimes as early as 11:30. We have had our TA book the reservations for us lately because when the booking engine works (it can be as flaky as the app sometimes) they can get our reservations done in a few minutes. Glad it worked for you, but you are an exception at the moment. 🙂

We've met folks from 18 to 90+ on our sailings. If I were to guess, I would peg the median age at 50 for the four sailings we've taken so far. It skews younger on the 4 nighters and older on the 6 and 8 nighters. VV is for those who are young at heart, age is irrelevant. 🙂

Gamblers always pay more than the rest of us. You don't really think the cruise lines are giving away free cabins do you? 😅 For a time I worked in the marketing department of Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, at the time it was the largest casino in the world. What I learned is that the house always win, there's no such thing as a comped room, there's no such thing as a 'comped' anything. You're paying far and above what non-gamblers do for the 'privilege' of the 'comped' whatever. We just created amazing marketing that made you think you were getting free stuff. Those who simply stayed in the resort and never entered the casino paid far less for their vacations than the gamblers. It's the same with the cruise lines. It always makes me laugh on cruises when I meet someone who says "This is a free cruise for me thanks to a casino comp." Cruise lines and casinos don't give anything away. The power of marketing my friend. I was in that game for over 30 years, we could make you believe almost anything. 😀

Sounds like you're working with a discount cruise site or a big box cruise site. But that happens when you're just 'shopping the field for the best deal.' You're better off sticking to the 'cheap cruise websites' for that. When you say you're shopping for the most onboard credit I assume you're just looking for TAs who have MNVVs to sell. That's not how you build a relationship with a TA. When you work with a really good TA they are there with you from the time you book through the time you return home. And then they start to know you so they can find vacations that might appeal to you on cruise lines and on land. We worked with the same TA for almost 20 years and you build that relationship that pays far more dividends than shopping for the best onboard credit. I know our TA has saved their clients hundreds and thousands of dollars on overall vacations beyond just the cruise and/or onboard credit. And for those who say you should find a local TA, that's not bad, but with today's digital age, our TA is servicing clients all over the US and even some clients abroad. WhatsApp, Zoom, Google Meet all make face to face meetings so easy with the added benefit of screen sharing. You can find a good TA most anywhere today. 🙂

No, actually they don't fully get the loyalty points for future cruises. On Princess specifically you will gain only one point or no points towards your loyalty status if you take a casino comped cruise. This is from guests who have sailed within the past two months and did not gain any points or only got one point for sailing in a Suite when it should have been double points.

Pretty much the same on most cruise lines. When you take a comp or a deeply discounted cruise fare, you can get reduced or no perks from the cruise line. I've seen this on Princess with some of my casino friends who complained they didn't get 'double points' for suite that they barely paid for. 🙂

Absolutely, its one of the best reasons to use a TA. They can also move your cabins around if you booked directly and then transfer your booking to the TA. Additionally TAs can book your dinner reservations so you don't have to deal with the app, and they can book Shore Things for you as well.

The official Sailing Club is now live on the Virgin Voyages website. https://www.virginvoyages.com/sailing-club?item=7c99a8ad-d2cd-4829-9ae2-4241baa210e3#intro

No cruise line rents scooters and no cruise line allows you to park a scooter in the hallway to charge. VV probably refers people to Scootaround or Special Needs Group, both of whom can provide scooter rentals. But they must fit inside your room when not in use, they cannot be left in the hallways, nor can they be left in the elevator lobbies for charging.