Notnewtoit

On 5/30/2021 at 12:27 PM, cusematt4 said:

Hi,

 

I have been looking forward to trying Virgin Voyages but the more I browse and look at pictures the more concerns I have.

 

I like when everything is included and usually buy the drink and dining package on royal Caribbean and Norwegian.  The $100 extra when buying a bar tab equates to a handful of free drinks and is not the same as an open bar.  The lack of drinks on drinks on top of the high pricing is a reason alone I am reluctant to cruise although I want to try Virgin.  Had pricing been cheaper, I would want the option to buy a drinks package but that isn’t even offered

 

For a line that is substantially higher than other lines and claims all is included (which is a little more than NCL with the drinks and wifi), there seem to be a lot of extras.  Aside from drinks, specialty coffee is extra as is one of the dinner shows and the spa.  I really thought the relaxation area in the spa would be open to all based on the excessive pricing.

 

Does anyone know what type or crowd I should expect if I was to cruise around the holidays?  Is it still going to be families, or will families with kids off from school flock to the other lines?  If Virgin isn’t for seniors either, will this mostly be couples and not families?

 

other concerns that I have are related to the outdoor space and entertainment.

 

whole Virgin advertises no traditional Broadway shows, the high quality Broadway shows and comedy have become very well done.  I also enjoy the varied live music on rcl and ncl.  If the shirt gigs and acrobats and dance parties are the entertainment, what else is there to do at night besides a dj?

 

will there be additional entertainment such as piano bars and adult comedians?  What are the shows actually like for anyone who went on a preview cruise?  What kind of live music of any will there be?  I see several djs mentioned but no mention of live music.  Will there be pool games and contests to create a fun atmosphere?

 

The dining looks amazing but I’m concerned that aside from 20 restaurants there is little organized entertainment by day and night, especially without a cruise schedule or cruise director.

 

Lastly I am concerned about the pool.  The one pool and one wading pool seem smaller than what I have in my backyard.  While there are several port stops on shorter cruise and Bimini looks great, I can’t get over how a 4,000 person ship has a pool meant for 5.

 

I really want to try something new and refreshing, but at the very high prices, I am concerned about the drink package, daytime and nighttime entertainment and pool area.

 

As I said the dining looks great but it seems like the ship is focused around 20 restaurants and a large gym when I want to bar hop, listen to live music, see high quality shows and entertainment and relax without having to pay extra.

 

if anyone has any insight i would appreciate it.

No open bar, drink what you want when you want with some accountability for yourself... count me in.

We recently booked for 5 nights in a Rockstar suite in 2022, this gives us access to the private rooftop and a few VIP upsides. Price was $4k give or take. By contrast the same period, similar routing 7 nights in the NCL Haven was over $8k. Adults only and more interesting dining options made VV a no-brainer. Maybe we are the target demographic!

On 5/19/2021 at 3:07 PM, twodjs said:

On Celebrity ships, it is a large air conditioned enclosed area with lounge chairs around a pool with a glass ceiling. The area has a water feature and a quiet ambiance - adults only for much of the day.

Ahh, the Haven courtyard on NCL... not for general consumption!

NCL ships seem to survive in the Caribbean with high load factor so I still don't see the lack holding back VV any more than NCL?

On 5/15/2021 at 9:47 PM, gkbiiii said:

I have used them often, in my eight Transatlantics!

Can you define what you mean by solarium for me?

5 hours ago, B Midged said:

Get a hobby for god sake. Maybe model trains?

...I just went with the 'ignore' button... 🙂

9 minutes ago, At Sea At Peace said:

 

I appreciate your opinion on the information other than the above lead in.  Quite an example of dis- and mis-leading opinion.

 

The platform that had been established in V1, generally referred to as in genomic sequencing, is what enabled the 10-day identification of the viral sequence of SARS-CoV-2 (after reported pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China).

 

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were developed thereafter.

 

The chart was based on information from the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, WHO, CDC and the National Institute of Health.

 

I guess you'll have to take it up with them.

 

I'm vaccinated.

 

You are correct that SARS-CoV-2 specific vaccines were naturally only developed after it was sequenced, the core technology that underpins them has been around for approximately 30 years.

8 hours ago, gkbiiii said:

I guess I was nearly asleep when I wrote this.  What I meant to say was/translation: Without first rate pools and a solarium, the ship will be at a great disadvantage, and likely a loser, in the ultra-competitive Miami-Caribbean market.

I've been sailing the Caribbean for decades and have never used a solarium... there's this thing called the sun outside and on balance shade is preferable. In all that time I have never heard anyone ever mention "I'm off to the solarium", never, not once, honestly I've never even seen mention of a solarium on an NCL ship but I guess it could be there in the spa somewhere. The pool size is odd I agree, quite what they were thinking is beyond me... my only conclusion is they conducted a myriad of focus groups with their target demographic minus kids and the answer came back "pool, nah, not interested much, just gimme somewhere to dangle my feet and sip a cocktail". Having watched cruise pools, again across many decades I've observed them mostly used by kids for extended periods (no surprise) and for brief cool-down dips by adults with occupancy in that respect 10-15 people max at any one time. Simultaneously the hot tubs were full from dawn to dusk. I don't see Virgin having ANY problem with success targeting their niche market in the Caribbean, they are quite good at niche marketing and brand development.

...but, but, but I don't want to get vaccinated or wear a mask and I nonetheless demand to stand on property owned by NCL... rolls eyes 🙂

Great news indeed.

Well there's a thing, the CDC are slowly winding back restrictions as situations improve/stabilize, whodathunkit... Yes its slow, yes it isn't always logical... yes it's like any other government department I ever met. Good news is, it's good news, likelihood is we take two steps forward, one back and so forth; such is the very nature of the human condition.

16 hours ago, CroozFanatic said:

 

Public?

 

 

Good find, TY!

1 hour ago, jperry2011 said:

Your literally gonna sneeze into a mask and wear it around? 🤣🤣🤣

Yes, that is the very point... to protect other people but I see that doesn’t really matter to you. Alternatives that are quite popular among responsible people are Kleenex or subsequently washed hands. 

9 minutes ago, winterbliss said:

Help me understand....if everyone is vaccinated on the ship, why do so many on this board feel that it makes sense to be told to continue wearing masks?

‘An abundance of caution’ I guess but it seems most feel it will become unnecessary if high vaccination rates can be achieved. The breakthrough argument is down in the noise, issue may become more real if we see new variants transmitted that are not currently covered by vaccines... and new variants emerge when you have high levels of transmission which is alas still the case somewhat in the US and certainly in many other parts of the world. Seems to me we’re gonna end up with annual boosters that like the flu shot make an educated guess at what will flare up next. The thing that rears it head here is less concern about illness in vaccinated folks but more what does the ship do if it detects an outbreak... we can’t have whole 3 weeks at sea in lockdown, no port access scenario again. The CDC is behind the curve in many respects but is slowly and cautiously changing its guidances, I’d expect several more changes (hopefully relaxations) to come.

Yep West... we always find it a touch warmer at the time of year and Little French Key is sweet.

On 4/29/2021 at 1:46 PM, les37b said:

Fingers crossed. Easy to miss out. I had paid for premium upgrade on one of my cancellations which vanished into the new booking, which was the exact same cruise, but 14 months later. I lost it. The price increased, but because that booking was also from a cancellation caused by Cuba, it just got messy. Annoyingly, I think I will be going through the same thing again in Jan unless Peru, Equador, Panama, Southern Caribbean and US reopens, which i cant see happening.

 

I rang Virgin today and paid for a ($300 bumped up to $400) package for each of us. Over the course of 4 nights, I'm sure we will manage to reduce the balance to zero. Couldn't do that every day over a 2 week cruise, but a short one, what the hell. They did confirm, I can cancel for a refund up to 24 hours before sailing and also if they cancel the sailing, a full refund will be given. 

Yup, just did the same here so the offer is still alive into May at least.

3 minutes ago, B Midged said:

If you enjoy a stale plate of snacks delivered to your room every night or a small pool where half of the people think it should be a playpen and the other half think it should be a library, than go for it. If not, then maybe not so much....

Well c'mon... the snacks are delivered around 3-4pm like clockwork, how long they then wait for one to eat them is not within the control of the snack. The pool thing does seem to be somewhat calendar dependent... it's always been quiet/mostly empty outside of school holidays for us, YMMV.

30 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I wonder what the new terminal will be like. I've never had too negative an experience boarding in Miami. Usually get there fairly early, get through security, and then just end up sitting for a long time after checking in.

The Haven should relieve you of that waiting part... they seem to turn those cabins first, our experience has been check-in, escorted walk on, Haven lounge, class of champagne, folks try and help you with reservations as mentioned, if you have them already (*guessing you will), they run you a quick summary print out, concierge says hi (say hi back, that relationship is invaluable) and staff (often butler) walk you direct to your cabin and show you how the coffee maker works. In my experience, once through port security it's ~15 minutes to popping first champagne cork in cabin, walking out on balcony and going "ahhhhhhhhh" while casually watching the bedlam below and wondering about refilling your glass before it's half empty or when it's only half full.

17 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

 

I read every single comment.  You asked, "Sell me on the Haven".  You did not ask, if the Haven is the least expensive option.  To some, you can go on three cruise to one in the Haven.  To others like me, my time is to valuable to not have the very best food, drink, service and amenities on a big ship when I cruise.  You do you.

This post nails it 100%. I'm gonna observe though that stressing about busting a suitably scaled drinks tab on Virgin in comparison to the overall cost of the Haven (or a Rockstar Suite for that matter), is rather down in the noise. If you've ever been to Disneylandworld and been handed the bill at the end... you just have to kinda shrug and enjoy ... if you're in the lucky position of not having to count every $... which for many I fully understand is not optional, been there too.

(To your point about the question not being  "least expensive").

Just be careful folks... once you go Haven... you probably don't wanna go back to life 'before'. We couldn't go back to no private shady sundeck cabana, no priority embarkation/disembarkation at ports and no private  breakfast/lunch in Moderna/Cagneys or whatever. It's a drug 😉

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I literally just ordered this shirt two days ago....

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/752043788/funny-cruise-shirts-shut-up-liver-i

You NEEEEEEEED to do The Haven JaimieLogical, there just ain't no two ways about it. If Virgin sucks we'll see you there in 2023 if not before.

6 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

But even with the tab option, I still have to keep some sort of mental tally of where I am at. And I feel like I would have to spend the whole amount to make it feel worth it, but also not want to spend more than my tab.... Way more stress and math than I need to be dealing with on vacation.

Fair point, reality is I treasure my liver more than my bank balance; so it keeps me outta trouble with my bank manager but we all have different financial situations (and livers).

...and for $4k less I can drink the ship, put myself in an ICU bed and still save money.

7 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Unfortunately, Virgin lost me when they announced they would have no drink packages.

But... they do effectively... just buy a tab. We just got $200obc and they are currently selling a $300 tab for $200 iirc ... and the drinks aren't ridiculously overpriced so pay as you go may work out cheaper anyway. It doesn't have to be called a drinks package to be a drinks package. Having seen the way some folks with drinks packages choose to behave I actually see it as a plus.

We've sailed on all the Jewels as they are our ship of choice, really based on passenger numbers and space. There are a LOT of people on board but they never feel crowded, you can walk into an empty bar at 8pm. The larger ships have a few extra features and many of these are particularly great for kids, we're a no kids couple and the Jewels have everything we need with a more intimate feel. We love them and they are one of the reasons we've been so loyal to NCL over the years. Different things are important to different people of course so YMMV.

15 hours ago, Trimone said:

The main problem with the Haven is price, I have a Haven room booked for September at the older pricing, looking now at the latest prices, I would have to consider going for a more luxurious brand of cruise line.

Agreed, we've sailed in the Haven multiple times and are just getting our post COVID groove back... but... Just booked Virgin instead of Haven because the price for a large Virgin suite was literally half the price of the Haven on a cruise that is only two days shorter on a similar routing. We LOVE the Haven, but I wasn't about to drop >$4k for two days. We'll see if Virgin floats our boat... on the face of it it's the right DNA for us.

If as you post may imply, you can afford a balcony on Jewel but perhaps not on Bliss I would say Jewel... because a balcony is a real treat, especially for a honeymoon and watching Alaska slide by from a balcony is hard to beat, you're likely to spot whales and other wildlife, not too mention the scenery. (Take binoculars).

Saving some cash there and adding some adventurous excursions, maybe a scenic flight... no brainer.

Yup a big thank you from me!!! Will be on this cruise in August 🙂