Travel-and-See

It was the ravioli that I loved. Will be sad if it’s gone. They better still have the Green Tea Cheesecake!!!!!

Well… I’ll have to check out the new razzle dazzle menu on my next cruise! Anyone have photos of the new menu?

Test Kitchen is a really neat experience. I highly recommend you order a drink paring. They have wine, cocktail, and zero proof options. I got the zero proof and it really did add alot to the experience (comes off your bar tab!). Each course is a pretty small portion, I definitely had plenty to eat though. It's a bit gimmicky with the over the top presentations but it's very fun!

When there are 2 shows, I've noticed the later shows are usually much more full. So you might want to plan on going to the early show and then having dinner later. Then if you still want more entertainment there is usually live music at "On the Rocks" or a dance party at "The Manor." And of course "The Ship Show" is a dinner show - and lots of fun, you should definitely go. If for any reason you want to skip a full dinner at a restaurant, the Galley usually has a dinner special. I agree with Walter 100% that Razzle Dazzle has the best food on Virgin. The Pasta at Razzle Dazzle is better than the Pasta at Extra Virgin in my opinion!

I was on Millenium this June and there were definitely more than 9 kids on board - I was very surprised at how many tweens/teens were running around on a Celebrity ship. That hasn't been my experience in the past even in the summer but to be fair June is probably THE MONTH for familiy vacations but I still blame the new Celebrity marketing a bit. I don't mind a few kids on the ship, but when you go to the late-night buffet and you feel like you walked into a school cafeteria / hang out something isn't right (that's only a small exaggeration...). Virgin's no kids policy is really nice though... totally changes the vibe of a cruise experience.

If you're looking for things to do like organized activities - there won't be many options. If you're looking to sit back and relax and feel like you own your very own cruise ship and enjoy the peace and quiet - you will be in heaven! haha.

As much as I enjoy VV and my next cruise will be with them again, there are things I really like about Celebrity too. If you like sailing on Virgin it's probably worth giving another line a try. The Virgin boats are honestly kind of boring compared to other lines, which is nice if you like a chill and relaxed cruise but it can also be fun to have a bit more excitement. I thought it was a big negative to be told a restaurant was full when a group of crew members were in line before me and were seated so I'm glad they made this change. I'll probably get hate for this but I think it looks tacky and unprofessional to have crew members regularly eating in the sit-down restaurants on board. There is a reason other lines generally do not allow that. With the salad sation... the crew member could have always placed his order with one of the servers, I know I've ordered salads that way as a guest.

I can't speak for Princess but it's the same difference between Celebrity and Virgin crew. Celebrity staff doesn't act like servants... they are acting the way they should in a customer service setting. I used to work at a tourist attraction and I smiled and greeted everyone - it wasn't a tipped position and I never felt like a servant. I knew it was my job to greet everyone and make sure they had a great time. Virgin on the other hand you will often see employees leaning against walls chatting with fellow employees, and will often ignore your presence even if you approach them wanting to ask a question. It's clear that the brand wants a group of employees that "look cool" - that's the priority. (This may sound negative but if you see my other posts I'm a huge fan of Virgin - I'm just pointing out my observations)

Including shore excursions, I believe.

If that is the case then you simply write the contract so that it is allowed.

Cancel a sailing? Jump to extremes much? haha. Schedule the change-over to happen over the course of 2 sailings - and have it be store by store so that throughout the cruise only 1 or 2 stores are ever closed at a time.

I was very disappointed with the buffet on Celebrity Millenium this year. The quality of food has really gone down in 1 year and I would gladly take the quality of the galley on Virgin any day. (The Virgin Galley vs. the Celebrity buffet a year ago would have been more of a toss-up for me).

I feel like this is a prime example of how Virgin falls short, they just decide to do something without any thought to the guest experience or how it looks. It should be so obvious, that at an point a manager should say "no we can't do it like this" but yet... that doesn't happen. Just from a visual guest experience, it looks terrible to have all the stores closed and gutted. On top of that there is the guest inconvenience and the argument that part of what you are paying for is not there. (I know people aren't paying to shop on a cruise ship... but they are paying for an experience of which the shopping is an advertised part of). I really like Virgin but this is the type of thing that really should not happen, ever.

thats why most cruise ships provide a good variety of styles. I’ve been very happy with the music on the virgin cruises I’ve taken and felt like the quality is better than other lines but I also feel like they hire more “real” artists so you hear less covers and popular music.

Seems like a great fit for me. I enjoyed my Celebrity cruise in Alaska this summer but I would have probably chosen Virgin if it was an option!

Agreed. So glad you saw this show and enjoyed it - it's definitely the best show I've ever seen on a cruise ship. If you ever take a vacation to San Francisco the same company (7 Fingers) has a show called "Dear San Francisco" which is all about the city.. same type of show though with the same type of circus acts and the same kind of vibe. My experience with the music on Virgin ships has been different than yours, I've always found some really incredible musicians on each cruise but it could be that you had a weird mix. Virgin seems to rotate musicians around a lot. If MORF ever comes back on a Miami-based cruise I'd probably book another cruise just for him! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I can't wait for my next cruise on the Scarlet Lady and glad to hear she's got a good crew currently!

A couple of things that may help in your planning. - The regular crew from Razzle Dazzle works at the Beach Club so don't go for Brunch at Razzle Dazzle on a Bimini Beach Club day as the food and service was a huge step down. - There are 2 food stations at the Beach Club that serve the same menu but in my experience can be very different in quality. One of the stations may have a few more selections if the other station is out as well. - The food is overall OK... in my experience, The grilled fish was very good, the rum cake was good, the curry was average, and the salad with the fruit was terrible. I only tried it once, and now I make sure to have lunch on the ship before heading to the club. - The beach club is very nice for what it is but I only need to stay for an hour or 2 tops. After my first Virgin cruise where I hurried off to the beach club with everyone else, my normal routine now is to enjoy the quiet of the mostly empty ship and chill until lunch time. I have lunch at the Galley, and then head off for an afternoon at the Beach Club.

I've always booked direct with Virgin - super easy. I'm sure others will know agents to recommend but I'm not sure what the benefit is. You'll have a great time!

The Brightline Train station is extremely close to the Miami cruise ports - Brightline serves Fort Lauderdale and West Palm and both stations are close to the airports. Starting September 1, Brightline will run all the way to Orlando and the Orlando station will be at the airport. I much prefer flying in and out of FLL and West Palm vs. Miami so that may help in your planning.

I'm in that 25% so it definitely checks out for me! One of the great things about Virgin is the design of the ship separates the loud parties. Most happen on the pool deck, or in the club next to the casino. There is live music presented at "On the Rocks" but the stage is over to the side so it's not LOUD unless you are within the bar and close to the stage. On other ships the music / parties seems to fill entire areas of the ship. So yes, Virgin is a great ship if you want to party, but it's also great if you like peace and quiet.

I do not. On my last cruise on the Millenium, I didn't buy a package. I had a $200 OBC and even after daily gratuities came out of it I still had plenty to buy a couple of drinks per day. That was plenty for me. If you are visiting ports, you are on and off the ship most days and will likely be purchasing drinks on land. A drink or 2 each night is not going to add up to the cost of a beverage package. I enjoy buying a drink when in the lounges and listening to the live music, but other than that I'm good with the standard offerings. Yes, the "Premium Teas" are the upscale tea brand and espresso-based coffee drinks. At the Ocean View Cafe and at the Spa Cafe you can get standard drip coffee as well as a large selection of teas for free. The cafes are well stocked with milk, cream, sugar, honey, etc., and ice machines are also available so it's easy to make iced coffee and iced tea if you like. The espresso drinks are not particularly good on Celebrity - they pre-pour the espresso shots and leave them sit so they can make the drinks faster (I've seen this on multiple celebrity ships) so the shots have likely expired when they make your drink.

I sailed on the Celebrity Millenium in June and I thought the MDR quality was better than my cruise on the Celebrity Solstice last year. I thought the Ocean View Cafe (buffet) quality was worse though. I've only sailed on Royal Caribbean once and that was several years ago but I don't remember a drastic difference between Royal and Celebrity MDR quality.

On my recent cruise on the Millennium it seemed the majority of guests in the MDR were following the dress code. I much prefer the Virgin “we don’t care as long as it’s not a swimsuit” attitude but I’ll take off my hat for the MDR if that’s what people care about on celebrity.

Comparing Cruise Ship prices is difficult because each line has its own types of discounts. But let me look right now and see... (prices on both lines before taxes and fees) Virgin - 4 Night Key West and Bimini in November 2023 on Scarlet Lady. for Inside Cabin for 2 - $1188 for Balcony for 2 - $1520 (Cheapest Solo price is $998) These prices include basic Wi-Fi, all basic drinks including sodas, all on-board restaurants, and on-board gratuities plus a $300 per person drink credit to be used for any upcharge drinks (no restrictions. Coffee, Juice, Mocktails, Cocktails, expensive wines, whatever you want to spend it on as long as you can drink it). Celebrity - 4 Night Key West and Bahamas in November 2023 on Silhouette $656 for Inside Cabin for 2. $912 for Balcony for 2. (Cheapest Solo price is $694) These are the "Cruise Only" prices. Same cruise but with "All-Included" Inside Cabin for 2 - $1272. Balcony for 2 - $1,716 That includes basic wi-fi, "Classic" beverage package, and on-board gratuities.

And let’s remember that on Virgin they brag about paying employees 2-3x more than other lines so that the guests do not have to tip. So it can be done.