CrazyTrain2

Barcelona has put in a partial ban on Cruise ships utilizing its Northern Docks starting in October. I'm not sure which of the docks VV's ladies use, but I have concerns since I'm on a cruise in October from Barcelona. If anyone has the deets, please share. If it does affect my cruise, it will be the SECOND cruise I have had affected by port bans. How did I upset the Cruise Gods??

Unfortunately the major cruise lines are in a debt hole. It is going to take 5-7 years of over charging customers to get back to where it kind of was. Currently, the accountants are running the show to keep them out of bankruptcy (maybe). They will have about 18 more months of post pandemic fervor and after that people will be evaluating whether cruising is the value the industry is purporting. Eventually, the Product managers will be back in charge and things may improve. But there is a breath of fresh air - Virgin Voyages. Truly a cruise line that will do things differently and also knows how to fail relatively fast. Just knowing little Sally is not dropping a deuce in the pool is worth a significant uplift in the cruise pricing. And let's not even get started with the hygiene habits of those who's heads don't make it to the sneeze guard. Adults acting like Adults - who could ask for more? I'll be sheparding the VL from Barcelona to Miami in a few weeks and I cannot wait.

Ever wonder how those less than ideal (under the pool, under a restaurant, next to the theater) cabins get booked - Bid for an upgrade and find out. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes......

My favorite part - "Trust Us". Somehow betraying your customers by changing the rules after they have paid is not grounds for Trust. It IS grounds for cancellation.

I'm on Valiant Lady for Halloween and I am THRILLED. My hope is VV does come to their senses and moves the Fright Night activities to one of our transatlantic sea days. VL will be doing an overnighter in Malaga Spain on October 31st and I was hoping to experience Halloween in town. If not, I would need to make a choice between Halloween on the ship or in town - A great choice no doubt, but why not have BOTH . It's a phenomenal added perk to our sailing and I am hoping we will get to have both October 31st in Malaga AND Fright Night during our crossing. #VirginVoyages

When Don (the ultimate Canadian and Princess Fan) gets upset, you know Princess has upset their core customer base. Betrayal is Dante's 7th circle of hell for a reason. Princess has committed Brand Betrayal.

I would book a refundable fare now and then use that as a maximum price for the trip. If another carrier or fare sale makes it cheaper just cancel. Times are strange for airfares, but there seems to be increasing oil prices that can influence prices. I booked my flights for BCN almost a years ago and boy I am I glad I did. I thought I was getting robbed back then, but now I feel like a genius.

See you on that sailing.

All served with a side of insulin.

I have to wonder if Alaska can handle more ships. Between the ever increasing ship size, limited months and increasing number of ships, I'm expecting there to be rush hour ship pile up on the Inner Passage. I'm booked on the Discovery Princess in May 2024 in Alaska. I'd Jump ship in a minute if VV sailed there.

I think the main angst is that Princess positions itself as a "Premium" line. When you compare it to inclusive lines like Virgin Voyages suddenly Princess starts looking like the run of the mill "nickle and dime", extra for everything lines. While VV does not offer a drink package per se, it gives fairly large OBC credits that you may spend as you like. What torques me off is I already booked with Princess, the packages were not going to be a benefit to me, Princess changes the math to the point where I would only get to dine in the communal buffets without incurring additional charges. Feels a little bait and switch to me and certainly nor "Premium". I just think it goes against the brand positioning.

I usually remember the adventure, the laughs and the friends more than the 12th cocktail of the day. I prefer to sail without packages, buy things as might want and not fret too much about "Not getting my money's worth." I could easily afford an upgraded room or a deluxe inclusive package, but in the end I don't find value in those things.

Eh, Curtis isn't that good.

Does anyone have a "a la carte" pricing for the benefits contained in Princess Plus and Princess Premier upgrade packages? I know Princess has been moving previously included in base fare benefits to the bundle packages and then slapping charges on folks that choose not purchase a bundle. I'm waiting for "air conditioning" and "fresh water" to be moved to a bundled package. Elevator Fee next?

Can I add "No Fights", "No belligerent drink package maximizers"?

In general RFID technology (Medallion) should be more secure than cruise cards (magnetic strips) but either system can be defeated and useless if they are only using room number and name for purchases. Step 1 for ALL Passengers should be to remove your name from your room. RFID is pretty simple technology - A radio signal is sent out in a short area. The radio signal powers the RFID chip and the chip sends back a number. That number is linked to your Folio. RFIDs are much harder to copy/duplicate than a magnetic strip. Also the RFID system tracks your movements throughout the ship for tracking how often you pass through high revenue areas of the ship - casino, shopping, etc. Traffic location data feeds into algorithms that helps maximize sailor spend through better ship design and product merchandising. Now you know why certain events are placed in certain parts of the ship - to drive traffic to high revenue areas. Other lines use facial recognition from the ships cameras to get similar data, but RFID is more accurate and cheaper in the long run. Keep in mind the RFID and your folio are synched with PERFECT demographic data - the line knows age, gender, address (zipcode), previous sailing history and now your exact movements on the ship. After a few cruises, the line may know more about you than you do. Imagine if you received a mailer or video clip completely customized to you. A picture of your favorite bartender Marco (AI generated) handing you your favorite drink (AI Generated). "Marco has a Mai Tai waiting for you on board". Heck, I can even have the AI Generate voice so AI Marco can look and sound like "Mrs. {insert your name here}, I have a cold, refreshing Mai Tai waiting on Deck 11 for you, won't you join me?"

They should just 3D print more ships. 🙂

Would the same clip accessory for an AirTag work on the Medallion?

It was intentional.

Hello, We will be taking our first Medallion class cruise next year. I'm pretty versed with lanyards and holders for cruise cards, but I'm curious what accessories you enjoyed or disliked for the Ocean Medallion? Did you find getting your Medallion early (mailed to you) a benefit? Does it come with any Medallion SWAG, or do you need to go to the grift shop to get holders, etc. I'm looking forward to using this RFID technology. Thanks in Advance.

Not so much sexualized, but if you offended by innuendo, a Diva, the full range of human interaction - VV may not be your line. There are plenty of lines that attempt to offend nobody. If dancing on the floor with men dancing together or women dancing together or people of all orientations sharing PDA, then VV may notbe your line. All are welcome, all are included but if you are going to blush at the slightest adult topic VV might not be your line.

This may not be your cruise line. Again to each their own, but this is ADULTS ONLY. There is no accommodation for tender ears or eyes. Many people are drawn to ADULTS only but the entertainment is going to be geared to ADULTS. Again you may be more comfortable on a different line.

Here's where the Starlink Sats are RIGHT NOW. https://satellitemap.space/

I'm surprised they released it. Good companies learn to fail fast. VV tried something new - great, innovative, but when it fails you kill it quick. And you certainly kill it before it adversely affect the Brand. VV has gotten a reputation for a completely glitchy website (pre-boarding). Instead of putting resources into fixing their obvious shortcoming they go for this insanity. It's a very poor judgement call by management.

Time to put Jenny down in the box.