kwokpot

I actually like waffles that are crispy. To me, waffles should have a bit of crunch on the outside.

The onboard vendor for all the shops somewhat recently changed from when VV debuted. When we sailed on the Valiant Lady in January '23 with the original shops my husband accumulated enough casino comps from playing onboard that we had over $700 to spend in the shops. We bought a boatload 😉 of stuff with a mix of logo gifts (the packable mini backpack is my favorite) and designer clothes from top brands.

I really, really wish they would change the name of that entree.

That's the way to do it on EVERY cruiseline. We almost always never had extra onboard charges (yes,we are THOSE kind of cruisers) other than gratuities and casino slot charges. So there would be no charges that a casino host could 'wipeout',which technically they could do without notifying you. That's when,like you,on the last day we asked if we gambled enough for us to get some spending money to buy some souvenirs from the onboard shops. The casino hosts,on every cruiseline,will give us the exact amount we can spend,and then we go to the shops and buy stuff. A couple of years ago on a family Christmas cruise my husband,on the last day of the cruise had accumulated enough comps that he gave everyone in our family, 9 of us, $70 each to spend in the shops. It was a happy surprise to everyone in the family!

Haven't noticed this being offered. Maybe specific to certain itineraries?

Yes I would say that on Virgin the two sailings we were on the crowd was outgoing and looking to have fun. The employees on VV are allowed and encouraged to interact with guests in a more personal manner and less as 'service ' personnel. This also helps to encourage a more fun and social aspect on the ship. It should also be noted that although cruising in general attracts the LGBTQ community VV is even more open to this demographic. As part of this community I feel VV allows our community to be themselves moreso than other cruiselines (I mean each ship has a resident Drag queen) which means LGBTQ passengers, especially younger ones, will seem more visible and evident than on other cruiselines.

Thank you for the post drydock review. Are we to assume all the cabin showers had the curtains replaced with glass doors and not just those in Aquaclass?

That's too bad. We actually saw the show when it was in las Vegas at Bally's and then on the Valiant lady. It lost nothing in translation. The key to the show is participating as much as you can . It's not giving anything away but it's not a traditional 'show' but more like a bar game.

The other main difference is in the design of the ships. The guiding principles of VV ships is that it's meant to feel like you're on a yacht rather than a large, mass market cruiseship. As such the public venues are designed to be smaller, more intimate venues. Public venues are also designed to be separate, independent experiences. This means that in some areas there isn't a natural flow from one venue to another, and many venues are hidden. The pizza and ice cream areas are one such design example. They are tucked away in a corner and unless you're purposely seeking them out they're not in an obvious high traffic location. Many people remark that there's no signature dramatic focal point such as a huge main atrium or centerpiece cocktail bar. Again this is on purpose. People will also complain that the venues will seen crowded. Again this is on purpose.

Was it a REAL NY Strip steak or was it a slice of beef from a whole roast?

Another alternative, which we are doing, is to use Turo. They will meet us at the Courtyard hotel which is right at the foot of the tender pier. We will return the car there also. $103 all in.

That makes more sense as there's less liability than having passengers grill a steak at the same grills at the Lawn Club Grill.

Maybe the additional passengers vs smaller ships causes more bottlenecks?

As others have said Celebrity doesn't have theme nights - it's not that type of cruiseline.

I assume there were individual burners (induction?) set-up?