jon81uk

As the lifeboats are closer in to the ship for the Panama Canal, most of deck 8 now has slightly smaller balconies, it’s those smaller ones that have two hammocks. It’s not clear if they are still limited view like the other ships.

You either need to call or use a travel agent to get a specific cabin. Or can book on the website and then use live chat or call to move.

No sockets in standard cabin bathrooms at all and no shave sockets anywhere.

Virgin haven’t used Portsmouth in two years so there probably won’t be many people to report back. I’ve always got off the ship a bit later so not sure myself, but I wouldn’t expect to get off any earlier than 7.30-8am. They are generally the only cruise line using Portsmouth though, so biggest external delay will be ensuring British immigration is set up if it’s a one way cruise.

You need the band to unlock the cabin door, purchase drinks and get on and off the ship. Once in the room you can remove if you wish. I take it off for showers and sleep.

Honestly I’d use the seating if you order room service and want to sit and eat or have drinks, but if you want to lie down and relax it’s better just to head to deck 16 and find a lounger.

Those aren’t chairs, they are playground swings for swinging in, hence them being next to the see-saws.

The see-saw and swings are some of the best features! Playgrounds are wasted on kids. I’m just annoyed there isn’t a slide as well.

On the Shore Things excursion page in the app it will have the option to book morning tenders if they are needed. But the only ports I know of that need them are Cannes, Santorini and sometimes Mykonos.

I think PJ Party is deliberately on the first night as the “theme” is that you want an early night but decide to party instead. Most people fly in the day before the cruise so the party is busy to midnight at least.

If you see photos of a cabin in sofa mode, the single bed set up is exactly the same just with sheets on.

As above it can’t be used on the food items, but does work for drink pairings including the Sip and Savour menus. The only exception is that bar tab is reported to work for afternoon tea in Sip.

Ah yeah that’s a single stall with a floor to ceiling door and the wash basin outside the stall. So yes gender neutral but it just means you are washing your hands where others might be waiting to go in and use the stall. There are also toilets in the Athletic club area near the stairs to the running track which are similar, but that has two stalls to one sink.

All restaurants except Gunbae have two-tops, but they might only have a few inches from other two top tables. Test Kitchen has some regular seating, some on high stools and a lot of diner-style counter seating facing open kitchens. Even if you are at the diner style counter it’s possible to keep yourselves to yourselves and not interact with others if you wish. The only place you will feel a need to talk to table-mates is Gunbae Korean BBQ. I’ve not had major app issues once airplane mode is on and I’m connected to the ship WiFi. Biggest issue with Shake for Champagne is that it can take 10 minutes to arrive or it can take 45 minutes and you’ve no way of knowing. That in my opinion makes the feature a bit pointless as you might as well go to a bar, but if you get Splash of Romance you have to do it via the app.

The one between Sun Club and Richards Rooftop is a single room accessible toilet.

The Wake serves brunch from 8am to 1pm and Razzle Dazzle has a breakfast/brunch menu, also 8am to 1pm. Both can be reserved but walk up may be possible, especially at Razzle.

Yeah I don’t think it’s worth you switching just to gain two days. Also if you haven’t been on Resilient Lady before it’s worth it as there is different entertainment compared to the other ships.

$500 per cabin towards changing travel arrangements was offered but we didn’t make a claim as don’t have any costs yet. No other incentive other than the fact it’s a longer cruise. We are still in a rockstar suite but changed type as what we had was no longer available.

It’s not luck, most sea terrace cabins have them, but some XL terrace rooms are so far forward there isn’t enough attachment points for them to have hammocks. So if you book regular sea terrace it’s almost certainly going to have one.

Resilient Lady is oversold. We have switched to Scarlet, but we didn’t have flights booked yet so it’s no issue.

Diner & Dash counter (or order from your table) at The Galley food court. See the menu here https://vvinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/the-galley-breakfast-follow-vvinsider.pdf

Even on a port day? I find that if we go off the ship in the daytime, we might have wine or beer with dinner, a cocktail in the evening and then simple mixed drinks in the club. But then I guess that’s still 3-4 drinks each on a port day, and 5-6 on a sea day, but most of them are under $10 a drink. Most of the bands will play covers, but not really a tribute, just a band playing someone else’s songs.

Music on VV may not be bland, but depends on your tastes and which artists they have booked. There is always at least one band and one busker style performer. The band might play blues or funk, or could be rock covers or something else. The busker might do original songs on a solo guitar. For club nights it varies between 90s/00s music at the PJ party, more funky pop/dance at Heartbeat and disco at Studio 72. House/well spirits are $9 and there is no gratuity added, cocktails $13-17 and beer $7-10 if that gives an idea.

Hopefully you’ve considered where you are you flying from and what what happen if your flight is delayed or cancelled of course, flying in the same day even though I’m only in the UK is something I don’t want to risk.

Yes you can drop luggage early, but you might find it easier to ask your hotel to hold it if the hotel is nearer sites you want to see. From what I’ve read they often run early for the later arrival times so you should be fine arriving to the port for around 3pm even with a 4pm slot.