CanadianCruiser21

Ooof. That’s rough. I do have one booking that is not MNVV. Just annoying that they changed the terms after completing the survey. 

Anyone have any luck getting the $200 credit added to an existing booking this time around? 
I already have 5 upcoming voyages booked and don’t plan to book any more. 

3 hours ago, cantgetin said:

 I DO expect that if they get a "circle" for a given cruise, we will each see the "loot" associated rather than the agent taking a free cabin for themselves,  

The $100 loot for each sea terrace+ booking is in addition to the free cabin they get for every 10 rooms. I think the gold level agencies get to give the $100 loot per cabin automatically though, even if they don’t have 10. 

3 hours ago, -The-True-North- said:

They could save 16+% in commissions if they provided additional loot for those not wanting to use a Travel Agent.

 

I never in my life used a TA until sailing on VV. I would prefer not to, but because a TA will add loot, I'm going to.

 

Seems counter intuitive.

16% plus a free cabin for every 10 cabins booked on that sailing! TA’s also go a long way in promoting and marketing VV though. I am part of groups for other cruise lines and don’t see the same level of cruise pushing or community support. I don’t recall how I came across VV, but it was definitely TA marketing that somehow got me to book 45 nights across 4 sailings. VV really needs the extra marketing, not only because they are new, but because their sticker price can easily turn people off who don’t realize the price includes wifi, gratuities, specialty restaurants, and more. I’ve said this all over Reddit and CC, but VV really feels like a secret for a value for dollar shopper like me. Stacking MNVV, 10% PIF, 10% DBE makes the price on par with other cruise lines (except maybe MSC), but VV is even less than MSC after paying gratuities and wifi, and MSC has a crappy experience. All this to say, once word gets out, VV can increase prices by 20% and still do quite well. 

That makes sense. The issue I’ve seen reported is some sailor services didn’t even process the refund. Did anyone actually get their refund in 7-10 business days? 

I think there is a huge logistical and cost reason why VV, and every other cruise line, does not bring staff on board just to clean the cabins between sailings. Cleaning between sailings isn’t even an issue they currently have. There are over 1000 crew already on board, and it’s common for cruise ships to repurpose crew members to where they are needed most. 
 

A lot of cruise lines focus on making a lot more money off passengers after they board. While VV should not start charging for things that are currently included, they can add more gambling type events, paid activities such as more cooking classes and more excursions. 

3 hours ago, neverendingcruising said:

It’s based on the email address of the second sailor. I’d to provided at booking, when you login to the app you can put in the booking number and link it and then it shows up on the website. 

Thanks! Got it to work! 

Sorry for off topic question: after adding second sailor details, how does that second sailor then see the sailing on their account? 

Whenever I price a cruise on any other line, once I factor in gratuities and wifi and loot, the VV sailings that I have chosen (which admittedly are among the lowest cost per day) always cost way less. Right now, especially with DBE and MNVV, it’s hard to go with another line because VV offers a better product for a lower price. 
 

4 hours ago, musiconthesea said:

Yes, Sea Terrace but not the obstructed view or XL just the regular one.

Sorry for extra post, but you can cancel within 7 days. Hopefully the price hasn’t gone up since yesterday, but you should really rebook. It’s $850 usd difference when you factor in sailor loot. You can ask on Reddit or some of the more popular TA run fb groups for a TA with MNVV. 

Might want to cancel and rebook with another agent that has an MNVV certificate to transfer to you. That gets you an additional $300 off your cruise fare and $700 OBC (if they are a VV gold first mate) instead of $150 OBC, and you still get the 10% off. 

19 minutes ago, musiconthesea said:

I did this yesterday plus they honored my status on Royal and gave us another $100 and I booked through my travel agent and they gave us $150 OBC. With everything included, the price seems very reasonable on the 3/23/24 repo from San Juan to Miami

What cabin type did you book? Sea terrace? 

9 hours ago, BeasleysMom66 said:

 Well here we are at the 20th and there is still not one sign of my $4k+ money.  Of course it is too late to do a charge back or I would start that process.  They have held my money for almost 2 years and then have the audacity to simply hold on to it as long as they want before refunding mit when THEY CANCELLED THE CRUISE not me.  

That’s a bummer. With interest rates these days, that would have been $400 in a GIC. Even after the refund, you will have $4k credit on your credit card. Not sure your spending habits but it might take a while to spend that much or you might have to ask for a cheque. 

I booked specialty dining one night and hope it’s not the night that they serve prime rib in the MDR. 

Yes, I’ve seen a few TA’s do this, especially when they are trying to form a circle and are a few cabins short. I wonder what the price will be if it ever does get released again though. From what I’ve seen, TA’s who have a few holds have not been having an issue selling them at all! 

I finally got in after a week of getting Aw Dang.

I think it takes a few days after they process your changes, at least that was the case for me. Stressful week not being 100% sure if my sailings were booked though. 

On 7/29/2023 at 3:18 PM, ExploringTheGlobe said:

What do you mean by alcohol portion?  The drink portion of the fare also includes soda, water, fancy coffee, etc.  It is not just alcohol.  My San Pelegrino consumption alone more than covers the value of it.

Hi, have you ever ordered multiple bottles of San Pelegrino to your cabin at once? 
I have the premier package and drink carbonated water exclusively, so I will need at least 4 bottles a day. Is this also available at any bar? 

I got the rebooking confirmation earlier this week but was finally able to access the website and see the Add-ons. My original booking just had $600 loot from MNVV and $100 bar tab from DBE. The rebooking got an additional $600 loot and $600 bar tab (current promo). 

7 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

 

As an aside, both my husband and I haven't been able to access our Virgin accounts either via the app or website UNTIL the rebooking was just completed. Now access is back for both the app and the website.

 

We are very happy and satisfied! 

 

 

That is an interesting fact! I guess that’s why I cannot access the website. 

I called and was told a lot of people couldn’t access their account so they think it’s a website problem on their end and to give it a few days. I got them to pay my deposit over the phone though. 

I have the same concerns. 
I received the email saying I am rebooked, but it was just the text email so I am unable to see if it’s actually booked and not just a hold. In addition, I have another cruise that I need to pay the deposit for. 
However, I cannot access my account on the website to make the full deposit. My TA put down the MNVV for me, but it’s not quite 20%. 
 

I guess I will call them. 

I have heard that in order to maximize sailor loot, try to buy things while at sea and not while in port to save on taxes. Local taxes are charged on purchases when the ship is in port. 
I hope that VV increases the number of shore things they offer throughout the next year. I think most people have loot from lift and shift and/or MNVV. I like how it’s all inclusive and there isn’t much you have to worry about in terms of cabin charges, but I’m also not interested in overpriced retail that I would need to lug home. 

6 minutes ago, fsdorado said:

 

I'm not sure, but I really hope it's not all or nothing.  We paid in full already.  I did reply to the e-mail this morning, telling them that I did not request a refund and asking if they rescinded the offer to rebook.  I have not received a response yet.  I also let my travel agent know, hoping they'll get more information.  This is the first time we've booked with Virgin Voyages and this is not leaving a pleasant taste in my mouth.

 

 

Frederick

What sailing did you pick? Is your cabin category sold out?

28 minutes ago, Russiamomm said:

No advice on the loot issue except to keep watching it and if it doesn’t straighten out to call them. I’d give them a few days to let the dust settle though.

 

Question for you, though.  When did you submit the form?  And you got confirmation this morning?  I submitted the form on Thursday, got a case number, but still no confirmation of the new booking.

Submitted it around noon on Sept 7. 
I will wait a few days, the sailing is over a year from now anyway 😂 

Edit: found a bunch of posts on FB. It seems to be showing as Bar Tab instead of loot for a lot of people. I’m sure they will sort it out. 

1 minute ago, jon81uk said:

log in and see what add ons actually show for the booking.

The website keeps crashing, but I got in through the app.

It’s showing my $600 MNVV and $600 bar tab (which should be sailor loot). 
 

Question for anyone who has been successfully rebooked with the $600 sailor loot compensation: does it show up on your account yet? I know they are working hard on getting it all sorted out, so I don’t want to contact my busy TA yet.