SkaterJasp

A little video I created to showcase what goes on during a typical Halloween cruise onboard Virgin Voyages. 
 

Scarlet Lady Halloween (via Instagram)

here’s a short little video I made of my experience onboard Scarlet Lady! It was my 4th time on the ship and it was just as amazing as my 1st time. There was only ~750 sailors onboard but that didn’t stop us from having fun!
 

Scarlet Lady Jan 6, 2023 Sailing

Here is a recap of my 101th cruise… it was onboard Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady. 
 

Scarlet Lady

As my 100th cruise embarks in just a couple months, I figure it’s a good time to create a video to reflect on the past 20 years and 95 cruises across 43 ships plus meeting countless number of new friends and creating life time of memories.
 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CiPJuGsvZQG/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

24 minutes ago, codeyell0 said:

Those are nice rooms but only allow for 2 people usually.
I like to lay on the couch and watch tv late at night before bed.  I'm not one who likes to lay on the bed as a coach.   I was curious as the pictures always show a big couch but I don't usually see them

The picture you posted looks most likely a Voyager or Freedom class ship and the angle that the photo is taken make the love seat sofa look bigger than it is… there are some love seats that are slightly longer but it’s not as long as the couch you would get in the spacious oceanview or balcony rooms. Promenade View Interiors has the largest couch / sofa of the interior rooms on Voyager / Freedom class ships….

Oasis and Quantum Class ships do have large / spacious interior rooms with the large couches that you are thinking of that you can lay down on. 

They exist but not every interior cabins have them… if there is a virtual balcony in the room, you for sure won’t have a sofa unless its Quantum Class… generally large interiors will all have a full sofa. Most will have a love seat designed for 2. If seating area is important, I’d go with a promenade view rooms as they have a sofa and additional seating right by the window.  

2 minutes ago, JoeFan said:

So does this go to the server or is it extra revenue for RC?

 

We always get the UDP and the last time the gratuity was not added to the cost of the plan so we tipped very well. My upcoming cruise in July did add 18% so I feel this is a sufficient base if the server does actually get this pooled, if not I would like to know if I need to still tip the same.

 

Where I am at odds is though with the automatic gratuity as we never go to the buffet or MDR.

Does speciality get a share of the automatic? 

From my understanding, the gratuities added to the cover charges, dining packages, and also the prepaid gratuities are all pooled. What isn’t pooled are the additional gratuities that you may put down on the receipts. That goes to who ever name is on the receipt. 

9 minutes ago, erinsmom03 said:

Prepaying gratuities for UDP or beverage packages does not equate to actually tipping your servers. If you got a good deal for your package, you paid a lot less in tips than what you would normally tip. For example, if you purchased the UDP for $150, you paid $27 for tips. That $27 didn't go directly to the servers in the restaurants where you chose to dine. It is pooled among many. For me, if my husband and I eat at 6 restaurants with that UDP, then that would average out to $4.50 per server. I choose to tip more, especially when the service is great.

This right here is why I tip extra. If you don’t have cash, you can always ask for a “Zero Check” with the servers name on it for the additional gratuities if they didn’t provide one already. I really think it’s deceiving that they call it a gratuities when it’s more like a service charge.  

On 6/7/2022 at 12:38 PM, pcur said:

My buddy, Reni, in Izumi's on the Navi got $10 in cash from me every time. 

Reni is amazing. 

44 minutes ago, Fisical1 said:

If everyone is off at 8:30, why can't we still board on time?  I don't understand why boarding needs to be delayed.  I do understand why we need to leave later to allow everyone time to get to the port.

 I’m guessing it’s also a staffing issue, they can’t let us into the terminal if theres not enough people working and something’s going on that’s preventing all the staff from showing up for normal embarkation. Also if they are able to get to work on time, the question is if they can keep them there for several hours longer than normal.

2 hours ago, cruisingator2 said:

Guest Services just confirmed that our debarkation will now start at 5:30 AM on Friday morning and end at 8:30 AM. 

That sounds like it’s earlier than normal. Normally at 8:30 I’m still having breakfast. 

If you’re going on Navigator of the Seas this upcoming Friday, June 10. Check with your travel agent or email or app for a notification.  Embarkation will be delayed 4 hours and is now starting at 3pm. 
 

This was the email I got:

If you’re on Navigator this weekend, be prepare for significant delays. 

Dear Guest,

We’re excited for your upcoming Navigator of the Seas June 10th, 2022 cruise with us! Before you head to the Port of Los Angeles, we have some important information to share.

There will be significant road closures and heavy traffic in and around the port this coming Friday. As a result, we’re delaying embarkation and sail time, now beginning at 3:00 PM and with all aboard by 7:00 PM. We kindly ask all guests to arrive to the port no earlier than 3:00 PM. If you arrive earlier, you will be asked to return after 3:00 PM.

For smooth check-in, plan to arrive 4 hours after your original check-in time. For example, if you selected 12:00 PM for check-in, arrive at 4:00 PM. Please be sure to arrive only during your new check-in window. Guests who try to arrive earlier will have to wait in their vehicle until the roads reopen and we don't want you to kick off an amazing cruise vacation this way.

Understanding this is a last-minute change impacts and your time onboard, we’re providing you with a $25 Onboard Credit per person that will be added to your onboard SeaPass account to cover lunch on us! This Onboard Credit can be used anywhere onboard. Use it to book an adventurous shore excursion in Ensenada or towards a rejuvenating treatment in the spa!

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation, and we wish you a safe drive to the Port of Los Angeles. See you soon!

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International

Anyone currently on Navigator knows what’s going on? They’ve been making ship wide announcements into the staterooms looking for someone at 1:10am…. Not once, but twice. The second one sounds way more urgent. 

Honestly I don’t think anyone really notice or care that you are cruising solo. Most families are so focus on what’s going on in their own little circle that they rarely noticed who is travel with who… if they’re traveling with anyone at all. 
 

With that said, I’ve sailed solo several times on Disney and there’s plenty of stuff to do for adults from the adults only specialty dining, the clubs and lounges, and the pool area. I’ve never been bored on a Disney cruise. If you want the Disney level of service but a more adult experience, there’s always Virgin Voyages. In fact, a lot of the staff I’ve interacted with on Virgin actually came from Disney Cruise Lines. From experience, Disney and Virgin have more in common than the obvious differences. 

On 2/20/2022 at 2:27 PM, peteukmcr said:

Thanks for your review. So refreshing to read someone who really like the differences VV offers. 

I think it’s more demographic than anything. Although I cruise a lot, I also fall into Virgins target demographic so a lot of what Virgin offer are essentially stuff that I wished other cruise lines offer and what I would of enjoy participating in on a land based trip. Virgin isn’t shy about who their targeted demographic are through their promotional material and social media feed. For those that go on Virgin and expect a traditional cruise experience will be in for a big disappointment and it’s no fault of the cruise line. If someone is dumping thousands of dollars into a cruise vacation, they should at least do some basic research as to what you’re buying into. I mean I never booked a Holland America cruise because I know that I’m not their target demographic and I know I most likely wouldn’t enjoy it. People need to take a bit of time to research what they are purchasing.  

2 hours ago, raphael360 said:

 

I really appreciate this post regarding Gunbae.  I'm scheduled for Gunbae on my upcoming cruse in 4 weeks and I was concerned about the spiciness of there dishes. Most spices trigger my migraines so, if I decide to go to Gunbae, I would gladly pay the up-charge for a plate of unseasoned meats.  Thank you for the comments here 🙂. 

Actually you’re in luck. All the meat in Gunbae, except for the Kalbi (Korean short rib) is plan and unseasoned. The kalbi is marinated in a soy sauce based Korean bbq sauce and it’s more sweet than spicy. You’ll be given a couple sauces to dip the meat in. The upcharge to the Wagyu is completely optional and it’s a pure splurge. It’s a small serving of Wagyu because it is a very expensive meat and it’s authentic A5 Wagyu. The A5 wagyu is extremely tender and will melt in your mouth. 

2 hours ago, raphael360 said:

Can you elaborate on Sea Blazer and the "future cruise booking" onboard credit offered?  Thank you.

Onboard booking offer is $300 off in addition to whatever promo is going on at the time of booking. You can either book onboard and/or use a discount code they email you on embarkation day. The code is valid for 60 days after debarkation.  Discount is valid for sea terrace or higher rooms. 

They accommodate walk ups if you don’t have a reservation. The reservations just guarantee you’ll be seated at whatever time you had reserved it for. You can reserve each venue once for dinner during the cruise but if you want to eat at the same place multiple times for dinner… you can.. you just have to show up and add yourself to the waitlist. 

As a Pinnacle Club with Royal Caribbean, I found Virgin Voyages to be an amazing experience. The key to enjoying a Virgin Voyages is to toss all your cruise expectation out the window. In addition, unlike most cruise lines, if you can’t make a reservation for a restaurant, you can always walk up and join a wait list… just like a restaurant on land. From how it was explained to me, they set aside a set number of seatings aside for reservations and the rest are for walk up…

There are also guest entertainers but they are scattered through out ship and many of the random entertainment acts are only on the ship for a few weeks at a time.

Than there are the production shows, three in total, and all three are very different from each other. The first is promoted as a dance party but it’s essentially a standing room only interactive production show where everything happens all around you. The second is more of a traditional production show with traditional theater seating. The last show is more a cirque type production.

The food, hands down, is the best I’ve tasted on any cruise lines I’ve been on and I’ve been on various cruise lines, not just Royal Caribbean. I found with most large cruise lines, the food is essentially catered to the masses and the menu is dumb down to appeal to the widest audience. Virgin Voyages’ meals are unapologetically authentic or close to authentic they can make it for being on a cruise ship. If you are expecting Americanized Mexican, Asian, or Italian food… you’ll be greatly disappointed. 

Pink Agave is one of the most authentic Mexican food I’ve tasted at sea. Every Mexican food I’ve tasted on other cruise lines feel like it’s a glorified Taco Bell with the exception of Sabor on some Royal Caribbean ship… but even Sabor started to be more Americanized with recent menu changes. Whereas the food I’ve had in Pink Agave is on par in taste and presentation with the food I’ve had in CDMX, Puerto Nuevo, and other parts of Mexico. 

Gunbae is traditional Korean BBQ but with a huge party atmosphere. I really enjoyed the Wagyu up charge.. they legit had real A5 Wagyu from Japan… and the certificate to prove it. It was worth the up charge. The Wagyu melts in your mouth like butter. The quality of the meat and the side dishes are spot on with what you would see in a traditional Korean restaurant. Yes, you’re suppose to dip the meat in the sauce they provided. Downside with Gunbae is they did a poor job in explaining how you’re suppose to eat the meat which lead to some complaints of the meat being flavorless. Theres a reason why they provided you with all the sides and sauces. You’re suppose to eat the meat with them. However, the only downside with gunbae is they use a electric grill so they really have to oil up the cooking surface. As a result, the food takes longer to cook and comes out a bit greasy.

Razzle Dazzle was the big surprise for me. It was the restaurant I didn’t expect to like because I like my meat… however, the breakfast is amazing. During breakfast the scramble egg is cook to perfection. It’s a little runny and not over cooked and dried. The impossible sausages tasted like the real thing. If you must have your meat, the bacon was crispy but not greasy. Also they have a wide assortment of different croissants to pick from every morning, some of which are available elsewhere on the ship.

The room is on the smaller end but the whole point of being on Virgin Voyages is to spend time around the ship. There was always something going on and I was rarely in my room. I was traveling by myself so I had a Solo Sea View cabin. On paper it is on a smaller side but the room is so extremely well laid out that it actually felt larger than most other solo stateroom I’ve stayed in on other cruise lines. 

I went into Virgin Voyages just to try it and expected as a once and done type of experience. One of those things that I can say I’ve tried. However, after the cruise, I ended up with 2 more bookings and look forward in cruising on Scarlet Lady in the near future… and even more sailings as they expand their schedule. 

On my sailing I’ve met several cruiser that are on their 4th - 9th sailing with the ship and that says a lot about Virgin Voyages and the experience. It’s a breath of fresh air to see a cruise line where the repeat cruisers are simply there because they want to be there and they truly like being on the ship and not because they are there chasing points trying to reach the next tier or for the freebies. 

Honestly, with everything that is included with a Virgin Voyages sailing, I doubt they even need a loyalty program… there isn’t much they can offer in terms of perks.

On 2/10/2022 at 2:14 PM, tde1969 said:

We have an afternoon flight the day we get back to Miami.  I've seen some reference to being able to stay on the ship later the morning of disembark.  Has anyone done this?  How late are we talking?  What exactly was there to do?  

I can confirm that the latest time is around 10:30 - 10:45 am… they start strongly encouraging people to leave the ship at around 10:45 am. I was on there for the back to back sailing and once the restaurants are done serving breakfast.. there isn’t much to do till embarkation starts. The gym is the only thing thats really open. Everything else is closed.

On 12/28/2021 at 8:02 AM, annabethlogan said:

I am considering waiting until we are on board to purchase specialty dining at Izumi and Giovanni’s. Right now Izumi is $45.99 and Giovanni’s is $39.99 in the cruise planner. Will I save any money by waiting until we are on the ship for either of these? The packages are sold out on the cruise planner.

We are going on a 3 Night on Freedom of the Seas- January 14-17, 2022

 

 

Given that the dining packages are sold out, the odds of getting a discount or any special incentive to dine at a specialty dining restaurant onboard are slim to none and the $39.99 for Giovanni’s is probably the best deal you are going to find for dinner. As for Izumi… the $45.99 is most likely for a set menu where you get a set number of courses like a couple small plates, a sushi roll, and dessert for one price… if the ship offer “a la carte” menu, most of them do, you can save money by ordering what you want… but you’re only saving in the sense you are eating less food thus spending less money there… but not saving money in term of value for how much you’re getting vs how much you’re actually paying.

Didn’t see it on Navigator of the Seas’ Dinner menu… but they did have “watermelon smoothie” at the windjammer in the morning… taste similar to the watermelon soup… just it was in a glass. 

Ship - Navigator of the Seas

Deck - 8

Stateroom # - 8640

Stateroom Category – Balcony

Starboard or Port Side - Port Side

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Yes

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – 

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - 

Was wind a problem? - Standard Balcony

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A

Any specific problems with this cabin? - None

Any other comments? - Nope

1 hour ago, swdke said:

Yes it does have a seal and a sleeve stating not to open.

You should be fine than. That’s the real difference between the teledoc version and the over the counter one you would find in stores. Really important you don’t open it until they tell you to in the teledoc session. Everything you need to start the visit is on the box. 

48 minutes ago, swdke said:

Thanks for the image.  My boxes definitely do not have.  Perhaps I should be concerned, but I purchased from the link on the Royal Caribbean website.  I think the link took me to the Optimum website to purchase.  The package even included a letter with a Royal Caribbean heading.  Also the boxes and enclosed information do indicate that a live online proctor is required.  All this testing stuff is definitely confusing, yet many people do seem to be working it out and cruising every week seemingly without issues.  Thank you for sharing.

Does it have a seal with a QR code on the box or sleeve that says do not open? If so, you should still be good.