Lustate

8 hours ago, GE65 said:

Hi,

I’ve seen a few posts here about the opportunity to bid for cabin upgrades.

We’re booked into one of the lifeboat restricted view cabins for Valiant in August and might change for a decent deal; when and where does the chance of upgrading appear?

Thanks.

As a heads up, I would not count on getting one no matter what you bid. They have a structure where they work through various matrix first like when you booked, what you paid, if you had any good offers etc and eventually get to us "normal" folk. We bid on more than the going rate for a cabin upgrade last year (as in more than the cabin sells for) as it was sold out but accepting bids. Never got any of them, but people who paid less, bid less, but just struck it lucky got them on the cheap. 

4 hours ago, CruiseeCrazee said:

I'm considering sailing VV for the first time this fall and one of the things I've really appreciated about when I've sailed on other lines is when they organize LGBTQIA+ meetups - inevitably the queer crew turn out to be great, to the point where I'm not positive I'd want to sail a line that doesn't give us this meetup chance. Does anyone know if VV holds LGBT+ meetups on their ships? If so, is it a one-time thing or a daily thing? 

I think they call it "embarkation day" lol The line is SO LGBT+ friendly on all departments and even in the entertainment they should (lesbian love story in one show!) you wont need to worry about a meet up. 

23 hours ago, Chrish2 said:

FYI the sheet is up to date with everything posted up to this point. Been a few pages since I posted but have been updating in the background recently.

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UaItklpqBLClAiCNxN9I32iSRXM4x0rQWND-jUjwGzc/edit#gid=0

 

 

Some observations (sorry, don't think I can call them "fun facts")

* @aqlollipop has the booking the furthest out in May 2024!

* The transatlantic and repositioning trips look like they have multiple codes submitted, expect them to be busy!

* Not many yet with Australian departures. Maybe the reach of CC is more US & UK focused.

Arh you missed poor little me...

Miami to Med: April 21st to 5th of May 2024

14 nights 

Miami • Funchal • Málaga • Palma de Mallorca • Barcelona

https://virg.in/JDmu

3 hours ago, tbmrt said:

We have cruised on most of the mainstream cruiseships and are thinking of trying VV in Caribbean.

 

Would appreciate receiving input from frequent cruisers on how they liked VV Caribbean compared to the usual cruiselines.

 

We are extremely active seniors...Husband is a personal trainer.

 

Thanks!

I'm the total other extreme lol

I went on a voyage with VV, and then have since done or booked another 4. Would we go on another cruise line based on what people tell us? NOPE!

No loud announcements, no "you must eat when we tell you, in this set main dining room or buffet", and no one herding us about the ship.  The idea of not having the freedom to just enjoy what we want, when we want ,would have me diving overboard lol 

1 hour ago, AtSeaWithChris said:

You have to walk the pier to just in front of the ship where you catch a tram to the resort beach. 

Yep 100% take the tram as its a fair old walk. 

18 hours ago, jameslee said:

I see an option in app to make bed and clean room but nothing to change the sheets. Been 4 days and not sure if is is normal in virgin to have the same sheeets or we need to request for it to be changed

I always love this question on any vacation people book. I would say weekly changing them is normal. Ask yourself... "At home, how often do i change all the bedding?" Because people who change every two weeks suddenly think on vacation it should be every day, adding to chemical usage and water usage.

Think of the whales!  

On 1/28/2023 at 8:59 PM, MikeyA53 said:

Would anyone know when the Virgin cruise ship schedule for November/December 2024 for the Caribbean is likely to come out? 

Based on the usual rumours, i would check in March 2023 for stuff related to Brilliant Lady this year (sea trials) and for the rest of the ships for Nov 24 on wards. 

15 hours ago, AtSeaWithChris said:

It looks like as long as it’s from Grounds club it’s included. 

I think it might also come down to who you get "back of house" clearing the costs. Like most of the VV charges its done manually by someone in the office. They might look at status / cabin and just go "grounds club $9 today, clear that", or they might open the bill and go "booze, leave it on". It does state coffee, and generally its viewed as a hand made drink, so i think booze, cans of stuff and packs of coffee beans etc might be pushing it a little. 

On 1/28/2023 at 5:42 PM, CineGraphic said:

While perusing the terms and conditions, I cam across this additional benefit for Sea Rovers*, a Sea-Rover charm (upon request starting in 2023). 

*Sea Rover: Those who have completed two full-fare (i.e. no free Access Key, or reduced fare) voyages on Scarlet Lady or Valiant Lady between January 1, 2022 - March 31, 2023 (inclusive).

If anyone has one, please share a pic!

I imagine it will be similar or the same as the Sea Blazer one. Its a purple cord band with a gold VV logo on it. What you can do though is when you board your next voyage, open the band you get on board and combine the two so have a nice purple cord with a red (or black) RFID chip. 

There are a whole lot of "Dr A", 5 casts I believe between the two (current) ships. The show looks like it is being replaced by Miss Behaves game show. So really, it will soon be "Never Slept Alone". 

14 minutes ago, rcrabb1513 said:

Topic covers it.  Never cruised VV before, always bought the drink package on other cruise lines. 

 

Depends how much you drink, and what you drink. Tot up the usual drinks you have on a sea day and a port day, and times that by your itinerary, and we can work out the prices and how many "bundles" to buy. 🙂 

24 minutes ago, _tacocat_ said:

i noticed the other day too, but you can fiiiiihiiihiiiinalllllyyy see the add-ons for voyages beyond your next one. click "manage booking" next to whatever voyage you want to see, then click the "my voyage tab" and then you can click the add ons thing and see what you've got. 

 

i was easily able to see that i'm missing $200 in loot from the 2nd leg of my B2B next month, so i'm going to get that fixed now instead of trying to deal with the mess that is shoreside-to-shipboard communications.

Oh on shoreside and shipside not talking.... make sure if you book any voyage offers on board, you take a photo, or keep the offer letter you book under. Some seem to not reach the correct people that we have had in the past, but pull out the letter and they can sort it. 

53 minutes ago, liquix said:

The whole account page got a refresh, you can even see your add-ons now and it correctly shows any Bar Tab, Sailor Loot, and Deep Blue Extras for your sailing. Nice!

I did some digging in the source of the page, here are the other badges that are currently hidden: Foodie, Holiday, MerMaiden, Miami Resident, and Transatlantic. So based on that, I don't think this is the new loyalty program but more so achievements?

There is also another hidden headline at the top of this section called "STATUS: Lifetime Sea-Blazer"

Of them badges i could get MerMaiden (Valiant) and Transatlantic already. lol

Has anyone logged into their account lately? Its got a new look!

I am interested in the "your badges" section as it shows your current status and a possible 5 others to be displayed. Maybe this is a hint at the Sailing Club levels and other perks coming soon!

23 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

It doesn't matter what he personally thinks of the product, it's part of his job description to sell it. You refuse to sell it, you won't be in your job for long. 

Based on his performance, i dont think he will be in the job very long anyway. 

14 hours ago, kwokpot said:

That's how it's done on all the other cruiselines. It isn't done by the spa staff but done by the fitness staff. 

The guy selling it name began with an R so you can work out if its the same guy. He was a PT, on commission and clearly has had training on how to sell the product by the manufacturer without thinking 1) is this all snake oil as clearly no basis in science as a product and 2) should I be the one selling it, given i might mis diagnose and recommend an insole which in fact is going to cause damage to someone? Plus the basic of course that this is nothing to do with posture, as the back was not mentioned once, just how to slide this wedge into your shoe to be perfect lol

13 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

yep, there's also a posture workshop that is essentially a 1 hour pitch for $200 insoles with a "special deal" only available onboard.

 

I think that has been only disappointment on any of the four voyages with them. It was clearly a sales pitch by a trainer on commission who has ZERO understanding of the basics on insole products. Not to ruin anything, but he also used a basic carnival trick to show how "powerful" you can become with the insoles. Its a con, and please dont fall for it or his poorly presented magic trick. If you need insoles get them made for each foot, and dont believe that just because one foot has an issue you need to have an identical insert into the other!

48 minutes ago, SMMRLUVN said:

Does Virgin give you the daily newsletter of all the ships activities for that day in the room, or is everything on the app/tablet in the room? I wish I could see an example, like how people post Royal's cruise compass so you can get an idea of happenings on the ship. If it is only on a device, does anyone have a few screenshots of it? Thx

The app is the main way to see whats going on, but if you like a printed copy of things taking place, you can pop to guest services who print them daily, or "Grinds Club" (the two coffee shops) have them as well on the counters to pick up. 

The app is the best way though I think, as if there is something you need to book for (shows etc) you can just click and your booked. 

1 hour ago, SMMRLUVN said:

I thought Scarlet Night was on the first night? Or is every sailing/ship different? We are on Scarlet July 26 and it shows Scarlet Night the first night.

Hiya, on all the voyages so far i have done and from the details online it looks like the last but one night is Scarlet Night. 

On 1/23/2023 at 2:02 AM, kwokpot said:

I'll post some more information tomorrow since we just disembarked the cruise today, but the casino cocktail party invite email came 1 day before embarkation day. The email is identified as just casino, so just be on the lookout. Below is what it will look like. Yes, the invited casino person and guest will get the drink and coffee benefit. 

 

On our Voyage last August we had dinner in Gunbae and as usual got sat with others. Turns out the family we were with one was shoreside crew who runs the casino loyalty programme. She was really nice and I found it amazing that just her and one other person runs the whole scheme together. She was so excited about what she was going to be doing over the next couple of years (but of course gave no spoilers). 

16 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Again, technically 'not true.' Good TAs take the time to go through the training that all cruise lines offer so they can provide insight and helpful information. Those are the people we look for and they are worth their weight in gold.

 

But in terms of actually booking a cruise on Virgin or any other cruise line for that matter, you just need to access their booking engine.

Yep Walter, Its like going to a non-specialist. I mean if your looking to just "book" something, you can go to just about any agent, but if you want specialist knowledge on the ships, inclusions etc, thats what a first mate is for.

Companies do not spend a fortune on in-depth training for agents and sending them to the ships for the sake of it. They do it to manage expectations of sailors and to ensure they get the best experience. I suppose its the difference between watching a hobby video on youtube, and actually having the inside scoop and detailed background when making claims etc. 

Just remember first rule of the PJ Party.... Dont wake the.....

1 hour ago, _tacocat_ said:

this is super annoying, and i've noticed the same (TA and group booking websites show full suite availability, but VV's shows sold out).  i wonder if VV will put a stop to this because a TON of suites in almost every category except massive have become vacant about a week before my last 3-4 voyages. 

 

yeah, they can get ancillary revenue via UG bids that go through, but you'd think they'd want the actual fare for those premium rooms! 

Its really annoying. I have been sat waiting to book a suite as soon as they come on sale to book, and shock horror, they dont show. I think the sales people basically just go book them to hold direct booking people ransom. From a sailor perspective i think we can all agree it sucks BIG time. 

2 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Technically not true. They can book cruises without having completed any training. 

That might be the case, but they are not "First Mates" which is the training courses VV require the agents who they see as "gold standard" to book for you. I would recommend if your not the best at booking travel or knowing what you want to book via a First Mate for your first voyage. It costs you nothing extra....

On 1/21/2023 at 10:43 PM, trish4bruce said:

4 women going on our first Virgin cruise and I want to have some tank tops made for us to wear on board.  Anyone have some witty wording?  Would like to incorporate “virgin”.  Another idea is a checklist.  Just not sure of what the checklist would say.

Virgin on drunk

Virgin on too old

Virgin on married

On the virgin of greatness...