Lustate

23 minutes ago, Tatra603 said:

Really? Why on earth would anyone with that political persuasion or a tedious bible basher (usually both) opt for a Virgin cruise? 

Once to us at Test Kitchen we saw a couple get seated along the bar type seats to our side. We heard a bit of chatting (as they were hardly quiet), and they asked to be moved from us as "that couple are putting us off eating here". which is a lovely little bit of homophobia. Lucky for us the waiter moved them to the other side so they did not have to risk "catching the gay". lol

A cheap trip, with little research, can mean people just "chance it" and find they are not the type of people the rest of the virgin sailors would expect to be on board. 

Having followed this thread through, I found it all very interesting.

Prices have gone up, and some of the "once in a lifetime" type voyages have become very high, but generally, for what they are charging on other voyages, all still in a sound "happy point" for me. 

As we have noted before, the people in VV have changed from the 2021/2022 sailings to a different type of sailor. What was (generally) pretty full, happy people up for fun, trying new things and experiences, to now a crowd who often sit stoney-faced in shows, saying it is "not for us" and wanting more drinks for less money. Some people have also been pretty political on their views when, in a show, there may be an LGBT+ kiss or hug. 

Not all lines are meant for all people. If people do not like the pricing, booking the restaurants or not having free booze on demand, just change lines and move on. Life is hard, and so is paying for the good stuff. 

I have to admit, the UK Celebration was a bit of a mixed bag in the end, but I enjoyed it. People who had booked expecting the same boy, George and Sir Richard's presence as per the other celebrations would have been deeply disappointed. On the ship at 6pm, off it by 2am, on an over night port day. Also, if you are a Deep Blue Extras, but NOT in a suite, you can pretty much expect nothing "extra" as a thank you for being a frequent sailor. First-time sailors in suites, travel agents, and 485C (who may have only been on two voyages in 2021 in an insider cabin) all have more events than people on the 30th+ voyage. The amount of "private function" signs around the ship made even the most loyal feel like an outsider. 

The positives through... Nirmal was awesome. For the days he was on board, he brought a smile, a sense of humour, and authenticity to the voyage. Many familiar sailors from other voyages you have been on made it feel like a reunion rather than a holiday. Frank (staff member number six for VV), was amazing at just telling it like it is. None of the usual corp "voice", just a straight up, "We messed that up and would do it differently if we did it again, that's for sure". 

Would we do a celebration voyage again? With lower expectations, and a dose of "expect to be the cash cow for the people of status on this single voyage", yep. but it would be down to the people you travel with or the itinerary over the promise that VV offered. 

Hey, so whos on them? whats happening and what has made the events even better than a standard voyage?

best wishes!

13 hours ago, Hammer61 said:

...alternatively is there much to see/do around the cruise terminal if we do have to wait until 4-30pm, assuming bag drop off won't be an issue.

Gun Wharf Quays is a short taxi away, and it's a shopping outlet centre. You could also go up the Spinnaker Tower.

I would have a look about rather than head straight to ship myself. Plus can get a few steps in and some air.  

7 hours ago, cookmg40 said:

Can the beds n the suites be separated into 2 twin beds?

The main bed cannot be split, but depending on the suite, there is also a sofa bed as well. 

7 hours ago, We_like_to_cruise said:

 

Sometimes lines cannot be avoided. But it seemed excessive on this sailing.

 

 I was also on this voyage (but as a rockstar).

Embarkation day - This is classic of people NOT following simple guidance. Priority is clearly explained that at your BOOKED ARRIVAL time, you should arrive at the terminal, and you will be put into the priority boarding line for your slot. If there is no one there, you literally walk straight on. When people ALL turn up, ignoring booking slots, it ruins it for everyone as you have (or whatever) all claiming they should be first on the ship as a "priority".

App - has been bad for years but is getting better every journey. Something "back of house" happened on this voyage to a lot of peoples bookings, but everyone got to eat in every place they wanted, just maybe not in the first choice of slot. 

Funchal - Yer getting back on the ship was an issue. The technical reason for this was the gangplank. VV explained that due to low tide, they can only have one until the level comes up, as the level 4 entry is below the portside. As soon as the ship was high enough, they deployed the second gang plank and it moved faster. A lot of people also did wait till the very end of the boarding time to head back so we did not help with that issue. 

Disembarkation - This was very much a mess up, half sailor's fault, half VV. A lot of people did not book slots or ignored them. This created a bottle neck to leave the ship. A fair few people also had not cleared the bill on board, so they had to step aside to guest services. This line should not have happened at all, and I am sure VV have apologies for this one-off instance which did not meet their standards.

Rockstars - As a rockstar we could line jump just about anything. Sometimes we did, sometimes we didn't. On the way back to the ship at Funchal we stood and waited with everyone else, as it seemed a bit wrong to be pulled from the line and walked to the front. For some shows people made this drama about them wanting to be over prepaired. If people followed the guidance of turning up 15 minutes before door opening, then the line would not have formed as along. But as soon as someome turns up at 30 minutes to go people stand behind, then the next show does thst 35 mins before and it grows. Madness of crowds.

1 hour ago, Cloud9 Bob said:

It's funny how it infuriates others.

I'm not a fan of it (ie. won't ever be doing it myself), but as long as it does not get in the way, people should have their fun. That said, on the door magnets, do add some sticky felt on the back so it does not scratch the door surface. I think that's when VV have taken them down, as they can see it cutting, scratching or damaging the door surface. 

On the last voyage we had a couple a few doors along with a balloon on the door. Was a nice little bread crumb to follow on a late night back from the Manor lol

Not the only change coming with them either. Not valid with circles for the bonus loot either. Going forward could mean much fewer group bookings for TA. 

I mean the perk for having a circle and setting them up is basically not there. 

16 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

Other than the items in the cabin and Richard's Rooftop (when you can actually use it) there is not a lot separating the "Rockstars" from the "Sailors." They're looking for an indoor lounge and possibly a separate restaurant. 

Maybe a lounge at the front by combining the spaces at the front of deck 13 below the bridge? Looking at the current layouts its just empty space (maybe storage). So option one could be to use that space better. Of course the IV bar never opened, so the other option could be there, but in real terms would people want that space, as its so low in the ship its far from the other rockstar facilities?

7 minutes ago, CruisingWalter said:

Richard's Rooftop is near useless when it's windy and besides that there's not a whole lot of incentive for Rockstars. 

100% back this view up on the rooftop. As soon as a breeze picks up (something the rest of the ship would not even notice) the rooftop becomes a wind tunnel. Two simple "I bar" steels and awnings, and they could have a covered frontage and more wind defence right around to the "bouncy" type beds.

Our rockstar agent was amazing (hi Mel if you read this!), and her, the sunset hour, and the in room bar are the only suite things I want. If i could buy an XL and an "upgrade" to a "rockstar on tour" etc we would drop another £250 a night on a standard Xl without thinking. 

12 minutes ago, TYCruise said:

 

What gives? Could they really have all been booked that fast, even though all the other suites categories are still available?

 

Wondering if I should wait to book...🤔

It has been rumoured for a while now that a new suite type is coming out so maybe they have not released them yet, and will be more coming down the line when they confirm them on scarlet after the dry dock and on brilliant?

The other options is less favourable, and I really think VV should be stepping in on this. 
 

Sadly some agents go in and hold as many suites as they can. This blocks people who want to book direct getting suites, and forces people to book via an agent who will gain 16% commission per cabin or suite. 

1 hour ago, -The-True-North- said:

All I can say is... Virgin is Tripping!

 

And thats if you COULD buy them. We tried to buy a suite, and in less than ten minutes, all sold out in every cabin type. Turns out agents had early access and had them before people at home who wanted to buy them directly could even open the site. 

On 5/3/2024 at 2:03 AM, -The-True-North- said:

Virgin is already cutting back and doubling the price...

Not that I could see. In fact (and I know I sound a bit snobby), upping the prices and reducing some of the offers has made the voyages more enjoyable. Some people were doing a "try it for the price" and not the people you would expect on a VV, ie They were pretty closed-minded, refused even to consider eating anything other than steak, chicken, and fries, and thought the entertainment was too "liberal." 

Since the price hike, the numbers on board have been stable, people who want and like the product have come on board, and there are fewer party animals, with very, very few people drinking to excess. Quality has not dropped at all from what I can see. 

The app back in 2021, before the first sailings, was really bad, but they have tried and made both the pre-sailing and onboard app much better. Yes there are issues when people try and all bounce to book dining at the same time, but that is just like when people all try and book concert tickets at the same time. stuff goes down and its just a fact of life.

Its also worth noting a bookings types wont qualify...

1 minute ago, Wildcatllamas said:

On the alcohol, I guess she shouldn't have asked the agent. 

In the Massive suite, i dont think an agent would DARE say no to taking a bottle off the ship at the end of the voyage lol, I will try in 2025 and report back lol

12 hours ago, Back to school said:

 

Sea you on board!

18 hours ago, cantgetin said:

On another line, it was free to people who had the top loyalty level.  

Rockstars have an arranged tour of the bridge, which is generally offered to them on VV. Megas also get a few things on top, such as blowing the horn on departure from a port I have saw offered to people in the Massive Suite.

Hi all, 

Anyone on board or recently been on the ship tour behind the scenes?

How much was it, and where did you go?

Also booked the San Juan to Barcelona. I mean the prices were much better than we had booked on the Miami to Med just a few weeks later. Back to living the Suite Life lol

Could it be a move to San Diago or Long Beach? 

Just now, Weekendworriers said:

Question: Did any of the ladies wear sexy lingerie on JP night? Don't want to be of of place if I do.

No one on the six voyages we have done wore sexy. Its more "fun sleep over" type vibe and cheesy pop music rather than anything more. 

6 hours ago, WatermelonSugarHigh said:

We are three in an XL sea terrace and the room is very thoughtfully designed…….

except they forgot to install a BATHROOM DOOR for the bathroom.  Very weird oversight. 

You mean you want ANOTHER door between the room and the WC and Shower? it would be like running through one of them hall of mirrors lol

Nah on a serious note, the sinks are tucked away behind a wall and from that you do have doors into the WC and Shower so its not like they are "open to the room" really. 

1 hour ago, WatermelonSugarHigh said:

Especially on an island-heavy itinerary, you want some good food and a cool cocktail after a day on the beach. 

Thats when i get back on board, swoosh along to the Dock, and order some nibbles, and a nice cocktail, then along the deck to get an ice cream and sit outside late afternoon resting my feet.