jon81uk

19 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

That said boarding started at 1:48 for the separate lounge area I’m guessing is for Mega rockstars?  We started boarding at 1:56.

The rockstar boarding area is for all rockstars, but Mega have reserved seating within it.

19 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

Here is the activity list for today. I honestly dont know what they call these things on Virgin, Dailies?

 

Day 1.pdf 3.19 MB · 23 downloads

It’s called “a glance at the day”.

1 hour ago, little britain said:

I am DBE but DH is not. Will he be allowed to board at the same time as me? 

If both in the same cabin then they can board at the same time and come to the drinks party with you.

56 minutes ago, CastleCritic said:

I think thats the reality of the situation, just like the now  "wonderful" Panama Canal cruise that is in reality a repositioning that they needed to do in order to do Alaska.

Although Panama Canal cruise is also a nice trip many people do want to do, so kinda a two in one, repositioning and seeing an interesting sight. Some other cruise lines do Miami to the Panama Canal and back to Miami just to see the locks.

14 minutes ago, Jamesv281117 said:

I think the pricing is outrageous to be honest, there's still value to be had such as for the LA to Vancouver cruise in 2026 but largely getting priced out at this rate. 

Of course the special one-off or once a year type itineraries are priced higher than the ones they offer for months at a time so it may be possible to find cheaper cruises.

2 hours ago, Bluebury said:

know about obstructed view but not about metal balcony, will try to find an image of one of those.

Many of the ones with the solid railing are XL, but not all. There is a list here https://vvinsider.com/cabins/con/metal-balcony

Assuming you have booked a lock it in guarantee rate it will show the cabin number in the in the week before the cruise.

Download the VV app now and do check in, especially the last step to get an arrival time.

7 hours ago, WatermelonSugarHigh said:

Not in San Juan. But I saw people frantically running all over the place, trying to get reservations …which I found to be super annoying that VV created this

Hunger Games: The Restaurant Edit scenario just to eat on their ships.

I’ve never run around to get any reservations, just boarded the ship, sat in the Dock or Galley, ordered food and a maybe a cocktail and sat down making them while waiting for the food to come. Got the week planned out in half hour or so.

2 hours ago, funtastic said:

Cruisemapper shows she will dock across the lake on Whale Island!

Which is a military base so can’t be correct!

57 minutes ago, funtastic said:

From a kind soul on another thread: "you have to board a shuttle bus to get from the terminal to the ship" (one assumes vv as well) seems to suggest Virgin may be docked some distance away to require a shuttle bus to the terminal.

 

Resilient Lady is expected at Portsmouth on Friday 23 Aug from Barcelona, which will probably give an indication exactly where she will dock. Question is to identify where she will dock, and its accessibility. 

 

I need to self-disembark early, and shall be thankful for advice if there will be any taxis or UBER private-hire available from the ship-side. Shuttle bus will not of any help for me in a hurry! 

At Portsmouth in the past (VV cruise in 2021 and 2022) everyone takes a shuttle bus from the ship to the cruise terminal building, because the cruise terminal building is not by the water. Then once through the building you can get taxi or Uber.

Here is the building on Google Maps https://maps.app.goo.gl/V3683aE8g4P6Q45w9?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
 

The berth where the ship docks is here https://maps.app.goo.gl/EbHU9bEt4R8badH68?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy

you can therefore see why a bus is needed through a working port from ship to terminal. You won’t be able to get a taxi until after passing through the terminal building.

I’ve read they opened a new building last year though so I’m not certain if that changed operations or not https://portsmouth-port.co.uk/news/international-port-leads-the-way-as-landmark-sustainable-passenger-terminal-opens/

Espresso martini at Sip is my go to, but the pumpkin spice martini they had for the Seven Seas Sippers in September 2023 was great. The Neptune on the new On the Rocks menu is nice too. But I generally go for fruitier sort of cocktails

6 hours ago, WatermelonSugarHigh said:

Like the bar tab idea, did not like them keeping the money we paid for but didn’t use - it’s not a drink package. If we spend $300 but only use $200, give the money back

But that’s the whole point of pre-paying to get a bonus, use it or lose it, but if you are willing to take the risk they give the bonus. If you don’t expect to spend that much don’t pre-pay, just allow your card to be charged on the last night.

8 minutes ago, Bluebury said:

Do you really have to book or can we just turn up when we feel like it and wait? Also, does each restaurant have a set menu for the whole cruise or do they offer alternatives on some nights?

 

Walk in can be possible but on busy sailings they will put you on a waitlist and send a message via the app if it becomes available. Much better to have a booking, if you can’t make them before the cruise more slots will open up once onboard.

All the main restaurants only have the menu. Occasionally there might be a special (especially on long sailings like transatlantic) but not normally. The Galley food court however will have specials everyday often including some kind of carved meat or similar for dinner.

19 minutes ago, kad56 said:

Is the entertainment schedule also available 45 days out? Or do you have to book random dining times, and then try to change them to go to shows you want? Also, do any of the restaurants have bar seating for meals? 

there will be an outline schedule at 45 days but it changes in the last week before when a lot more stuff is added. 
Can generally assume there will be a show at 7 or 8pm and again at 10pm most nights. 
It will show at 45days what night Scarlet night is and that starts at 9pm with smaller events and pop-ups on deck 7, pool party at 10.45pm.

Extra Virgin has bar seating you can eat at and Pink Agave has one small high top (plus some low bar/lounge seating). Razzle Dazzle has a seperate bar, but I’m not sure if you can eat there.

1 hour ago, jame_g said:

It would be nice to have another restaurant available at those times, or even grab and go (breakfast) sandwiches, pastries, and coffee/juice at the dockhouse, for example.

There are pastries at the grounds club of course, but need to pay for coffee there.
 

You can use the seating in Gunbae if The Galley is completely full though. I’ve never had an issue finding space for lunch, but breakfast on some days is harder to get a seat.

15 hours ago, kaysha2004 said:

Razzle Dazzle was launched as a 100% vegan/vegetarian restaurant and it was empty most of the time, so they incorporated non-plant-based food, I think in 2022 or 2023.  It's still not popular for dinner, however, the breakfast/brunch is really good, and the restaurant tends to be very full during those hours.

It was never 100% vegan/vegetarian. This is the original dinner menu with the naughty section of meat dishes https://eatsleepcruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Razzle-Dazzle-Dinner-Menu.pdf There was also a “secret” steak and later butter chicken curry too.

The change to the new after dark menu didn’t significantly change the ratio of meat/vege dishes there was already five meat/fish main dishes and if you take into account the old “secret” specials it was seven. The new appetisers have one more meat item compared to old though.

It was as much about trying to alter the ambiance for dinner too, make it feel less like a canteen.

It presented its self as vege-forward on that old menu when actually there was plenty of meat dishes!

10 minutes ago, kad56 said:

That's great. I can focus on getting a rez at Extra Virgin, and I should probably be good winging some thing. How does test kitchen work? Is it like a regular restaurant, or do they only do one seating? Online, it's not listed with the restaurants, it's listed with other stuff like ice cream... so that's confusing.

It’s like all the other restaurants, you get a table for your party size at a reservation time. They will show you the six ingredients that make up the courses but then explain the dish in full once it’s in front of you.

2 minutes ago, kad56 said:

Thank you! So I've heard that dining reservations can be tricky to get. Which restaraunts are the most popular? I'd like to book those as early as possible. I'm probably not interested in the wake... looks all meat with a few side dishes, so I won't be competing with omnivores for that one.

The Wake and Extra Virgin are generally most popular with Razzle Dazzle and Test Kitchen less popular. So if you are avoiding The Wake anyway you should be fine as Extra Virgin will be the harder reservation.

Test Kitchen will change the menu part-way through the week so if you plan to do it twice ask at the host stand when it will switch.

5 minutes ago, kad56 said:

Thank you! I did just find the menus online and I'm actually kinda dissappointed there are non-veg options at Razzle Dazzle. I was hoping to have the place all to myself. Thanks for responding. 

The original Razzle Dazzle menu was a bit more forward in being plant-based and labelled all the meat/fish dishes as “naughty” but a year ago the dinner menu was re-done to be  New American cuisine and although still heavy on the vegetarian dishes, it removed the “naughty” branding from the dinner menu to make it feel more accessible. The brunch menu still has the “naughty” section.

They also dimmed the lights and tried to improve the ambience when the new dinner menu came in a year ago.

32 minutes ago, kad56 said:

So I just booked a voyage I'm super excited about, and I'm excited to try out virgin. I know I'll need to reserve dinner every night and that people have issues getting the dining they want last minute. How early can I book dinner? The trip is about 150 days out, so I should have time. Also, I'm vegetarian, and I've heard that theres a vegan/plant-forward restaurant on board (Razzle Dazzle?). I get the sense that's not where the omnivores want to go for dinner, but it's what I'm interested in.... 

Also, how early should I book the shows? I heard there's a drag show and I really want to go to that.

Thanks for all your pointers. I'm excited but pretty clueless.

Book dining 45 days out (unless in a a suite when it’s 60 days). Over half the time slots can only be booked onboard though so if you don’t find what you want then book something and move it once onboard.

Razzle Dazzle has more vegetarian/vegan dishes than the other restaurants but half the menu is still meat & fish. See menus here  https://vvinsider.com/restaurant-menus/

Shows are no longer booked, its first come, doors open in the main Red Room theatre half hour before and 15 minutes before at the Manor (which is also the nightclub). The main drag show is Around the World in 80 minutes and will be done a few times, often including a sea day afternoon.

Fitness classes, paid-for activities and the dinner show can be booked once onboard.

5 minutes ago, CastleCritic said:

yikes, I was going to look into the Iceland eclipse cruise, that looks like a no.....

 

I dont even want to think about what they would have put on the Panama Canal cruise (though I guess looking now gives some indication, normal sea terrace is $10,500, thats $4k over what Im into it for.)

Panama Canal has been on sale for three months or so already. We booked in the first few days and the price shot up after we booked.

22 minutes ago, HesterMofet said:

Embarcation Time: I know I go by my 4pm time but someone wrote "I saw an earlier time on the app and grabbed it." Will that show up on the front page of the app or where is that located?

Go back into the check in steps and do step six again, it will ask if you are sure but if there are no better times available just press back and you keep what you already have. 
 

53 minutes ago, HesterMofet said:

Cups: I also read someone saying there are no single use plastics and you need to bring a water bottle. Is that really true? Can't I just take a glass with me? Or does it just end up easier that way?

In your room will be two carafes of water, you can request sparking from the cabin attendant if you like and are free to keep them in the mini fridge. There are two glasses. The Galley food court has plastic cups for water/juice/soda and bars generally have water on the counter to help yourself to (and can ask the bar staff for free soda or sparkling water). So you don’t need a bottle unless you want to take water off the ship or maybe for the gym. Some people also like having a bottle at their sun lounger instead of going to the bar for a cup.

56 minutes ago, HesterMofet said:

Port Of Miami: We just plan on doing a ride share from the hotel. Any reason not to?

We’ve always used Lyft to the port with no major issues.

56 minutes ago, HesterMofet said:

Drinks: Do any/all of the bars make frozen drinks? Does the bar on Bimini?

All the pool and sundeck bars do frozen drinks on the ship and at the Bimini beach club. No indoor bar does frozen drinks.

58 minutes ago, HesterMofet said:

The Pool: Are there any places to lay in the shade? 

Not many, but there are some sort of sofa things to the side of the pool under the deck 16 overhang. Also depending on the time of day some loungers near the round jacuzzi pool may be in shade. On deck 7 promenade it is likely one side of the ship will be in shade.

59 minutes ago, HesterMofet said:

Parties: PJ Party, Scarlet Party or both. 

Both, they are on separate nights. PJ party is first night around 10.30pm.

Scarlet night will be the night before a sea day, kicks off at 9pm with bits and pieces across deck 7. Then pool party at 10.45pm and the after party at midnight. 
 

Both are fun with different playlists of music and surprises.

1 hour ago, HesterMofet said:

WiFi: Is the upgrade package worth it? 

Depends if you want to stream YouTube/Netflix and make Zoom calls. Otherwise standard is fine for messaging and internet.

35 minutes ago, Cloud9 Bob said:

I really enjoy the pour overs compared to the free coffee in the Galley. On Valiant Lady in June, they only had one type of bean for Pour Overs…Ethiopian. It was good but a choice would have been stellar. Was expecting a coffee filter over a cup for the pour. Took this video for the next time it was mentioned. Guess VV plans to sell a lot of them. Is this cool or what?

 

 

 

 

 

I used to use the cones that hold the filter paper all the time at home before buying a bean to cup machine.

2 hours ago, GlitterFemme said:

Which ones are the good ones?

Sometimes they have an apple and caramel cookie that is fantastic 

7 hours ago, Travel-and-See said:

It would just be a nice service for the guests 🙂 - I'm also surprised they don't offer a single origin or specialty blend drip (for $) at the coffee bars.  I remember a guest asking for a Red Eye and the Barista arguing with him (argue is a strong word... but it was an odd conversation) that they make a red eye with Cappucino and water.  That's of course not a red eye. haha. I guess he could get the coffee from the buffet and make it himself... deconstructed red eye! haha

I’ve noticed they do have pour over on the menu now.

2 hours ago, creef1014 said:

The definitely need late night cookies and ice cream availability.

 

The whole late night snack scene is really disappointing IMO

They did have cookies in the Galley until midnight on our last trip which was a welcome change compared to the sweet and pastry counters previously closing at 10pm.