CanaryWharfCruiser

Almost every bar can do almost every classic cocktail, or spirits and mixers etc. The main difference is what the particular bar's specialty is. E.g., I've had Martinis, Manhattans, Margaritas, Last Words, Sidecars, Aviations etc from just about every bar on the ship.

2 hours ago, Chrish2 said:

Unfortunately the booking email from Virgin Voyages don't seem to break down the fare cost sufficiently, unsure if TAs have a more detailed breakdown.

 

 

Yes, the details on the consumer e-mails are quite light - often confusing. In the system used by TAs it's possible to see full details of the various discounts etc, although it can take a while to figure out exactly what's going on, especially if FVCs are used. In any case, the TA should be able to provide a detailed breakdown if required.

1 hour ago, gte732v said:

Dumb question: how do you see add-ons on the website? When I go to my dashboard > upcoming voyages > click on the booking, I barely see any information for a paid-in-full booking. There are no add-ons it even amounts paid. Just basic stuff like sail dates, passenger names, whether we purchased travel insurance.

 

Is there a different place on the site to see add-ons?

For me it's in the "Dashboard" section - if you scroll down your booking should be there with a  line like "Add-ons: Enjoy these onboard this voyage" at the bottom of the booking details with a link to "View Details" which gives the breakdown per sailor

Also, just to highlight - I think the lines now open at 5am EST Mon-Fri (per the hours that show if you use the chat function and then get the phone line details that way). I certainly phoned around 5:30am EST today and got through to someone immediately with no wait.

Yes - as a travel agent I just received this information too.

Details of the various options (full refund, 200% FVC, or 200% FVC + a free voyage) are here: https://www.virginvoyages.com/travel-advisories/resilient-lady-new-launch-dates

The above looks good. I'm considering booking the MSC Virtuosa from Southampton to Barcelona on 14 Sep as there are some good deals, but was worried as the website still says no non-Schengen (with some exceptions, but not for the UK) until the end of September - but looks like that information is out of date now

peteukmcr - thanks for your really detailed review! We were onboard the 3 night from 20 Aug as well and I completely agree with you. I found it absolutely fantastic and really struggled to think of any negatives as well. I actually booked via a travel agent (and have now become a travel agent myself!) to make sure I could choose the exact cabin I wanted - like you, I'm not keen on having the "best" one picked for me!

I was a bit surprised to hear a few, obviously seasoned, cruisers onboard grumbling about various things ("no kettles in the room", "the food is too fancy", "it's not like Marella"!), but I guess they may not be the target demographic? From our perspective it was definitely the best cruise we've been on and we'll struggle to cruise with other lines now.

54 minutes ago, stuart2468 said:

There is an option to walk off the ship, with your own bagage, which i believe you have to notify the Ship a day or so before disembarking. But i've never done this so i dont fully know the protocol. That said, that will certainly be your quickest route off the ship. 

Indeed - when I've done this I've never notified them, just kept my bags in the room and then departed on foot with them whenever I'd like (normally timing it 10 mins before an official group disembarkation time as its often no queue at that time!)

In case it's helpful for some people, here are some of the menus I was able to download on my recent Long Weekend trip on Scarlet Lady.

All of the bars I visited were also very happy to make almost any classic cocktail (so long as they had the ingredients) - and these were priced upwards of $9 (e.g., a basic margarita was $9, a basic sidecar or espresso martini was $10 - prices depended on what spirit base your wanted, e.g., a more premium manhattan was $13). I was really impressed with the quality of the drinks, especially the knowledge of cocktails!

For the restaurants, most of the menus cover what is offered at various times of the day (e.g., The Wake and Razzle Dazzle serve breakfast/brunch as well as dinner).

The Test Kitchen Menu.pdf Atlantic Club Bar.pdf The Loose Cannon Menu (Paper).pdf In Cabin Menu.pdf Razzle Dazzle Menu.pdf Extra Virgin Menu.pdf The Manor Menu.pdf On The Rocks.pdf Grounds Club Menu.pdf The Wake Menu.pdf Galley Menu.pdf Dock house Menu.pdf

43 minutes ago, Quacks the Cruiser said:

what is the process for luggage at the end of the cruise? Do we have to put it out the night before or can we leave with it on the morning with it?! We are booked for 10.45 departure.

In the app onboard the night before it says you can either put your luggage out by 10pm the night before, or you can keep it with you until you leave

I’m onboard at the moment - the attached (hopefully!) is the in-cabin menu which has pictures of the possible bed configurations- hope it’s helpful! 

In Cabin Menu.pdf

13 minutes ago, fubarbloke said:

I also asked about the app. It only shows your next sailing, so it's not possible to use it to book restaurants or shore excursions for the the second sailing. The rep said "it's being worked on" – I think that's safe to say about the app, full stop :-). For now, if I want to book restaurants or shore activities for the second sailing, I have to call customer service and do it over the phone.

I don't know if this works for bookings etc, but in my app I can view future voyages, albeit in a rather hidden place - if I click on the "Me" icon at the bottom, then the settings icon in the top right corner then scroll down there is a button showing "Switch Voyage". When I click on this I get taken to my other voyage and all its details (but mine is a long way in the future so nothing much loaded yet!)

Yes - I noticed exactly the same thing, and they have also disappear from the First Mate/Travel Agent booking site. I wasn't sure if it was a computer problem or whether they have been removed from sale for some reason

On 2/2/2020 at 5:27 AM, garymfreedman said:

https://www.virginvoyages.com/onboard/events-and-gigs

Apologies if I've missed it already being posted, but in the "Seacademy" (the online training courses for Virgin Voyages travel agents) there is further details on pricing (all Tip included). I thought it might be useful for people:

Beer

- "Standard" (Heineken, Amstel Light, Kalik, Narragansett) $6

- "Premium" (Wynwood Brewing, Boulevard Brewing, Lagunitas, Funky Buddha) $7-11

Basic Cocktails

"Standard" (Herradura Plata, Tito's, Tanqueray, Jack Daniels) $9

"Premium" (Ketel One, Hendricks, Patron Silver, Johnnie Walker Black) $11

Hand Crafted Cocktails

"Standard" (Mojito, Margarita, Piña Colada) $10-$13

"Premium" (Manhattan, Stoli Elit Martini, Casamigos Gimlet) $14-18

Wines by the glass

42% <$10, 31% $10-15, 18% $15-20, 9% >$20

I guess a basic cocktail is what those of us in the UK would call a mixed drink! Nothing specific on champagne pricing, although I think some of that may have been mentioned on here previously?