CruisingWalter

15 hours ago, DarrenM said:

So it's goodbye celebrity and hello Virgin voyages.

 

Should I be worried?

Well first off I'll say we sail many cruise lines and enjoy each for what they offer. It'll be 11 cruise lines for us in June and hopefully at least 12 before the end of this year. All cruise lines bring different things to the table and no cruise line is perfect. They're all awesome at many things and they're all terrible at some things, I personally can't sail one cruise over and over because I get bored of the repetition. As awesome as VV is, it would get old pretty quickly for me if it was the only cruise line I sailed. There are way too many cruise ships and experiences out there for me to limit myself, but that's just me.

Celebrity Cruises has over 20 departures in Summer 2025 in the Med from 9-12 nights, including multiple Edge Class sailings, so they are definitely not limited themselves to 6 nights or less. Looks like at least four ships are doing the longer sailings including 2 new Edge Class ships.

As for VV, you should enjoy how they do things so differently. The biggest positive for me is the lack of photographers and lack of 'package barkers' trying to get you to purchase the wine package, drinks package, dining package, etc... when you board the ship.

The food can be among the best at sea for the mainstream cruise lines. What makes it so enjoyable is the fact that you're not paying anything extra for what would be specialty dining experiences on any other ship. The downside is the restaurants are too small for the amount of passengers so as their popularity has grown, it's become a bit of a challenge to book the restaurants you want on the day and time you want to go. That's where it's a huge advantage to work with a TA because they can go into the booking engine when the reservations open up and secure your reservations quickly. The VV app crashes and burns many Sailors due to the system getting jammed up when reservations open.  VV knows they need to address these issues and are working on some pop up dining ideas to help spread people out.  The 'structured dining' is one complaint we hear from sailors who have become accustomed to 'anytime dining'. On most sailings you can't simply walk up to a restaurant at any time like you would with a Main Dining Room on many cruise lines now. You pretty much have to have all of your dinners planned out for a VV cruise. Razzle Dazzle, Pink Agave and Extra Virgin are the standouts for me along with the Pizza Place, Sun Cafe and Opa Hour at The Dock.

The pools are incredibly weak if you're coming from Celebrity. The Solarium on any Celebrity ship is our jam for any cruise. It's our favorite pool experience so far of any cruise line we've sailed. VV has the tiny lounge pool that's more of a plunge pool with a very small sun deck around it. Plus the oversized 'hot tub pool' that looks like a massive hot tub, but it's cool water. We love nice big pools that we can actually have a swim in the morning, but you won't find that on VV. We give the pools a pass because the overall experience is fun on VV.

Some of the best entertainment on the ship for us is at On The Rocks. VV finds a great selection of artists to play there and many evenings may be spent enjoying the vibe there. Of the Red Room shows, Duel Reality is still my favorite. Anything with a Diva is usually fun. 

The beds in the standard cabins are not particularly comfortable, they are convertible sofas that are more like IKEA furniture than the super comfortable beds you may be used to on Celebrity. The Rockstar Suites have fabulous real beds, but the Sea Terraces on down have the "Ikea furniture."  Again, we give the beds a pass because we do enjoy the overall experience and of course, the hammock is amazing in the Sea Terraces.

For me the very best cabins on any Ladyship are the Cheeky Corner Suites. Those massive wraparound balconies are sublime. We had one for our very first Scarlet Lady sailing and it was amazing. 

What's really fun about VV is that it truly is a 'come as you are' vibe with no pressure, no rules (other than the dinner reservations) and because so much is included, you're not constantly paying for things. It's a great social atmosphere to meet others because there is so much seating everywhere on the ship, you naturally join conversations and meet new people. As one crew member said on our first sailing, "It's like Summer Camp for Adults." That pretty much sums up a VV experience. When you sail VV you should have an amazing time. 

Call Sailor Services to find out if you truly do have until July 18 or you need to make the payment within 24 hours. 

If you are young at heart, love to cruise, enjoy good food and a 'come as you are' attitude, then yes, Virgin Voyages should be on your list of cruise lines to enjoy. 🙂

While we wait for someone from the Sun to answer, here's the original Cruise Critic article from March.  They do point out that the actual Magic Castle in LA enforces formal attire for the dinners. The one thing that's interesting is that originally Spellbound was supposed to have 3 seatings at 5, 7 and 9. But when we booked our reservations for October there are only 2 seatings offered.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/magic-castle-spellbound-sun-princess

Our October 19 sailing had Spellbound come online this past week. A bunch of our Group was able to book the same day and seating. Looking forward to this experience! 

12 hours ago, Worn out mailman said:

I'm thinking the answer is yes but maybe someone here will have insight? 

Thanks everybody

Yep, the first 2 guests in the cabin must have it. Guests 3 and 4 can purchase it separately if you ever have a 3+ cabin. 

On 5/8/2024 at 10:00 AM, sadiwest said:

Please help me understand what I can and cannot do with AARP gift cards.  I keep avoiding purchasing them because I don't want to be stuck

We've used them often for many cruise lines. Here's how Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Gift Cards work. 

You have to pay the deposit for your stateroom(s) via normal payment methods like a credit card.

You can use the AARP Royal Caribbean Gift Cards to pay for the rest of the balance of the cruise fare. Each Card can only be applied towards ONE reservation. So you can't take a $500 Gift Card and split it $250 each to two reservations. When you get down to those last dollars and cents, you pay the balance with your credit card or other payment method.

There is no limit to how many you can use for your cruise fare. We've had friends use up to 16 of them for multiple staterooms in the Med for example. The only limit is that you can purchase 5 per month, per account from AARP. So if you need more than 5 in a single month, you'll have to purchase them from two different accounts.

They must be redeemed via an email account (this is the stupid part) rather than simply being applied to your booking. It can take up to 10 business days for those cards to be applied so make sure you send in your final cards at least 14 business days before final payment.  Princess, Carnival, Holland allow the agents or TAs to apply the gift cards instantly to your booking. You must now provide a picture of each card when you email them in. You used to be able to just supply the numbers, but now they are requested the image of the card that has been issued.

AARP Royal Caribbean Gift Cards cannot be used onboard the ships. You cannot convert them to OBC, nor can you use them to settle onboard account. They can only be used towards the cruise fare, other than the Deposit. 

When you go to AARP Rewards, simply click on the Royal Caribbean Gift Cards. The Terms and Conditions are actually pretty straightforward. It's that last rule that catches folks on both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. They don't realize the cards are not available for use on the ships. 

On 5/23/2024 at 2:08 PM, deb1835 said:

Thanks! Just tried to call and get the price I am seeing online but it was a no go. I think they are playing more of a game now with the sales and “new bookings”. In the past, if I saw a price reduction I could call and get that price no problem. Kind of disheartening 🙁

Is the price truly cheaper online or are you looking at it without port fees and taxes? Until July 1 they are still advertising the prices without port fees and taxes until you put the cruise into the cart. I see that often where you think the price has gone down by $100 to $500 but the online fare is missing the fees.  If you work with a TA, they can check your rate and make price adjustments on the fly without having to call Royal Caribbean. 

On 5/16/2024 at 2:24 PM, SongsInMyHead said:

Has anyone done a Caribbean cruise on the Valiant Lady? It wasn’t on my radar until my TA suggested it as an option. I don’t need anything special for a “night” life. I was honestly thinking about Holland so now I’m sort of confused and want to learn more. 

We did the 8 night on Valiant for Thanksgiving last year and have done 4 overall VV cruises in the Caribbean. Holland and VV are 180 degrees apart in terms of overall experience. Holland is traditional cruising with proper European style service, Broadway style entertainment, beautiful ships and huge pools. 

VV includes all meals, WiFi, gratuities, soft drinks and exercise classes so the inclusive value is better than most other cruise lines.  No MDR, no Buffet. 6 restaurants and The Galley that is your food hall. Plus the Pizza Place, Sun Cafe poke bowls, Lick Me Till Ice Scream, the Social Club Diner and Opa Hour and more at The Dock.  The Sun Cafe is probably the most overlooked food spot on the ships because it's up on Deck 16 and I think people either never find it or forget that its there. 

VV is a very casual, come as you are, no dress code for anything type of cruise line. So expect to see shorts and T Shirts at dinner at every restaurant. I only say that because 'lack of proper dress for dinner' is a topic that comes up from time to time in the other cruise line boards here. At the same time, expect to see people dressed to impress. 

VV's biggest draw for me is the amazingly chill and relaxed experience onboard. It's summer camp for adults.  The misconception is a 24/7 party ship. It's not. It's a great space to relax, make new friends and enjoy some innovative entertainment and great food.  I did a food review on my first Scarlet Lady sailing and for the most part it still holds true. Though we no longer go to The Wake for dinner. The last 2 times we tried, it was not nearly as good as the first time.  

https://youtu.be/pBolzKvXjMU

All that being said, the 4 night cruise is a younger and more party active crowd than the longer 7 night cruises. That's pretty much true of any 3 or 4 night cruise on any cruise line. It's still a pretty chill ship, but there are more people who are 'here for three or 4 nights and I'm going to get everything I can out of this cruise' than the longer itineraries.  I would go on a 7 night minimum cruise on Valiant (or Resilient or Brilliant) than the 4 nighter for your first VV cruise. 

10 hours ago, KKB said:

But neither of us have eaten at a Korean BBQ place, so I'm not even sure how to explain it to him!!

It's not a 'true Korean BBQ' but a cruise line facsimile of one. The lack of the open flame does change the flavors and what they prepare, but safety on a cruise ship is paramount, so no open flames.

The short ribs are among the best meat items prepared at the table, don't waste your money on the "treat yourself" wagu beef, you won't taste the difference. The items prepared in the kitchen are amazing. To me the best part of the meal. If your husband is a 'meat and potatoes' eater he may or may not enjoy the dinner but should enjoy the overall experience. And if he didn't get enough that he likes at Gunbae, you can head down to the Pizza Place or even another restaurant.  

You can book each restaurant once for dinner and the Wake and Razzle Dazzle once for brunch.  We were not able to book Disembarkation Brunch ahead of the cruise, but some people have reported success with doing so. Honestly we never really needed to book brunch on disembarkation day because we're usually down there by 7:30. 

Virgin Voyages quietly dropped a series of new Brilliant Lady voyages for Winter 2025-2026 with voyages up to 12 nights from Miami. Many of them similar, but most of the itineraries are one-off, with each being slightly different. It's more akin to what I've seen with Oceania with similar, but different itineraries throughout the winter season. I do wish they sent one or two of these itineraries into the same southern caribbean islands as the San Juan itineraries, but I understand why they're not doing it. But for those of you looking for a much longer stay on the Ladyships, Brilliant will have you covered in Winter 2025-2026.

Here's 2 of them. See them all on VVs site or reach out to your TA.

Definitely different than our experiences other than the longer lines for the DBE priority boarding. But once that line opened up we were inside the terminal in minutes. No lines onboard for the 4 cruises we've sailed on VV so far other than the Red Room and for the Diva show.

Fortunately there are a lot of other cruise lines out there for you to explore. 

As others have mentioned, when The Key is close to the daily Internet price, then it can be worth it.

To avoid the crush at embarkation, you can take the more casual route and roll up to the terminal later in the afternoon. If Embarkation starts at 11:30, show up at 1:30 or 2pm so the initial crush has gotten onto the ship. I don't see the ship, but you usually have options besides just the windjammer, such as Park Cafe on an Oasis Class ship. That's usually my embarkation day lunch on those ships to avoid the buffet rush. 

1 minute ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

RCI’s prices are constantly changing. The small delay needed to contact a TA could be enough time for the price to change, like apparently happened in this situation. 

Well I'm glad it works for you this way. Most times it works the other way around with the TA adjusting the price on the fly. Takes about 30 seconds for a TA to adjust a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity room rate, no need to call Royal and wait on hold.  

On 1/14/2024 at 12:44 PM, RCCLNYMETS41 said:

We have never sailed out of Port Canaveral.

Would Orlando be the closest major airport I would want to fly into?

Yep.  My advice is if you are arriving before 4pm, take a shuttle to a Cocoa Beach Hotel so you're out near the port and can have a nice dinner at Zarrella's Wood Fired Italian, Papa Vito's or the famous Fish Lips at the pier. Come in two days early and spend a day at the Kennedy Space Center, it's amazeballs. 

If you arrive after 4pm, depending on how long you've been traveling already, my advice is to grab a hotel in the Orlando airport area, have a nice dinner and then take the 1 hour shuttle in the morning. When it's later, it's nice to just settle in to the hotel and grab dinner than push your day out even further.

I recommend Cocoa Beach Shuttle, they are a family run company, really great folks and they will pick you up from any Orlando hotel, the Orlando airport and deliver you to the Port or any of the Cocoa Beach hotels. 

7 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

A perfect example of why I never use a TA. 

Why?  Royal Caribbean confirmed the price online was not correct. It was most likely displaying without the port fees and taxes. We've cruised almost 20 years, have always used a TA. They have been worth their weight in gold when things go sideways or we have to make changes. Plus we have enjoyed the gifts and added perks they throw in when they can.

7 hours ago, kaysha2004 said:

The MNVV of $300 is a deposit, not applied as a reduction in fare

Actually incorrect.  The $300 you pay for the MNVV goes towards the 20% deposit when you convert it to a cruise. You still have to pay the balance of the 20% deposit.

Plus you get $300 off the cruise fare and up to $600 Sailor Loot. 

To answer the original question, Final Payment is due 120 days prior to the sail date. Up to that date, only the full 20% Deposit is required to confirm your sailing. 

56 minutes ago, Crazy planning mom said:

I live in NY and go to 3-4 Broadway shows a year.  Our next cruise is on the Symphony of the Seas and I have heard they have an excellent production of Hairspray.  Royal's ship on the West Coast is Navigator. It doesn't have a real Broadway style show.  Norwegian does but I don't like their port times in Cabo.

Hairspray is AWESOME!  We saw it last year along with Wizard of Oz this year on Icon. Royal Caribbean has some of the best entertainment at sea. I grew up in the Hudson Valley and saw so many shows growing up with my family. My brother in law was Mr Mistofelles in the original production of Cats 30+ years ago. 🙂

As for VV, absolutely 100% you should sail on VV.  If you are young at heart and really enjoy meeting others onboard, then you should 100% try VV. You're going to love the lack of nickel and diming, nobody pushing a drink/dining package, not having to take your card out every time you want something.

For a meat and potatoes eater there is a ton of steak, potatoes, hamburgers, tacos, sandwiches and the like for him.  For restaurants go to The Wake, Razzle Dazzle, Extra Virgin and Pink Agave. He will enjoy all of those. He might like Gunbae too.  In The Galley you have sandwiches, tacos, the burger bar. On The Dock in the back you have tapas that include meat and shrimp.  All the ice cream and pizza you can eat at those locations.  And really good bars.

You don't have to party to be on VV, it's a very chill ship during the day and even in the evenings, you can be totally chill at On The Rocks to enjoy some really great music. The shows in the Red Room will be hit or miss for you guys.  Around the World in 80 minutes is a silly kitschy show with the Diva that we really enjoy, especially when A Woman Name Carlos is the diva. 

The beds in the standard rooms are generally not as comfortable as those you may be used to on other cruise lines, but the suites have amazing beds plus the fully stocked bar.  Work with a TA who is a Gold Certified First Mate and you'll get some extra onboard credit plus their knowledge of the ships and cabin locations.

Most of all, go have fun!!!

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

Wasn't the problem that it actually wasn't finished? There was significant delays on multiple aspects. If I am not mistaken, it was only finished 100 earlier this year. 

They originally chalked it up to supply chain delays, but we don't know that for sure. We do know that after the latest round of investments, that's when they finally took delivery of the ship from Fincantieri. We believe the ship is fully fit out and ready to sail, but there is no confirmation from VV that the inside is 100% completed. 

21 hours ago, iluvncl said:

I know this offer is new(ish) and none have actually set sail yet, so I don't know how successful/profitable they will be for Virgin

the original Summer Pass in Europe sold out in less than 2 weeks. That's when they extended it to the second ship, and now they've brought it here. I just wish the itineraries were a little more varied and I agree that winter in the Caribbean would be a much more tempting offer than summer. 🙂

3 hours ago, TYCruise said:

This is the best footage I've seen of the Brilliant Lady so far.

It's remarkable to me that it's 'good business sense' to let a fully completed ship sit there for well over a year vs. putting her into service sooner. It costs money, a lot of money, to maintain a ship even when she's sitting still. Yes it costs more money to send her out with a full crew but holding that ship back all the way through September 2025 when she's clearly ready to sail is kind of nutty to me. 

I will miss those 'porches' mid-ship as those are my favorite places to hang out but we all knew they had to go for the Panama Canal. 

On 5/16/2024 at 2:05 AM, Cloud9 Bob said:

 

Walter, I'm thinking that should tell us all we need to know 🤣

If I had any more knowledge or photos I would share. VV is staying very tight lipped on Brilliant at the moment. Some meetings are planned in the near future between TAs and execs so hopefully some information will be released at that time. 

Number one get rid of the Ikea sofas and install real twin beds that form queens like all the other cruise lines. Those split sofa beds are the worst of any cruise line we sail. We still go because we love the cruise line, but they really need to improve those beds when you're pushing $5k for a 7 night cruise. 

Get rid of the net and reconfigure it like The Haven pool on the Prima class ships. That would require a complete re-engineering of the aft of the ship though, but what a wasted space in prime territory. Could have a beautiful pool with that big bar and a stage / bandstand for evening performances under the stars. 

The restaurants are too small for 2700+ guests and they close too many stations at night in The Galley.  Ramen closed at night? Seriously? That's a late night staple. That has never made sense to me, nor closing the Taco station at night. 

It's probably going to get an indoor Rockstar lounge of some sort to ease the complaints of so many who come from other cruise lines and wonder where their private lounge and restaurant are. Richard's Rooftop needs some serious reconfiguration to cut the wind like every other cruise line. They forgot to the put the high angled glass or they just didn't care. Far too windy to use when the ship is under way. 

I'm really curious to see just how small those new 'smaller' balconies are on those sea terraces net to the lifeboats. They've not shown us any real pictures of them even though the ship is sitting there ready to go. 

3 hours ago, KKB said:

Embarkation starts at 2PM. (SOOOO much later than other lines!!)

Our time when we checked in says 345.

If we come at 2 will we be asked to come back at 345?

Thanks!

No, you'll just be put into the 3:45 line.  VV lines up everyone into 'corrals' based on your embarkation time and you wait outside.  Embarkation starts later because VV doesn't clear their ship until 11am.  

I wouldn't show up much earlier than 3pm unless you're happy waiting outside in the heat for a couple of hours.