Cloud9 Bob

What she said ^

For me it’s a no brainer, definitely VV. First off, no kids. I cannot speak highly enough about this perk. Better food. Better ports. I won’t even get off the ship in Nassau anymore. I’d rather enjoy the lack of crowds on the ship. Definitely see Bimini and try to make it to the Dolphin House. Mr Saunders is a unique, eccentric man and when he’s gone, the world will have lost a unique artist. That’s my .02 cents.

Sort of like allowing us to change the day we'll get screwed. 🤑

So many companies these days have focus groups from hell. Where do they get these concepts? I consider myself a good barometer for people in my age group (mid 60's but young thinking). Why penalize the solo traveler? I will not allow myself to be ripped off. I was recently in a focus group for Apple and I spouted how the new 15 Pro had the most boring colors of any year I can recall. Why do they assume people that buy the Pro version want boring colors? I told them I thought that if they had a few colors like the Corvettes Atomic Orange (beautiful burned orange) or the Nassau Blue of the 1960's that IMHO they would sell like gangbusters. I relate that story because I believe that others think like me. If the cruise lines dedicated 25% of their occupancy to affordable solo cabins they would sell out. I would actually book two when traveling, as my wife can't sleep well through my snoring and a vacation should not mean sleep deprivation. LOL! I'll step off the soap box now 😝

I checked it out today with a smile on my face and a zip in my step...quickly became a fall in the mud and I skinned my knee. 😲

No kids, decent food, friendly staff, all inclusive. Didn’t like small pool, no quiet area (except cabin), the color red everywhere.

I have Sea Rover status now. I get DBE on my 3rd cruise (if it takes place in 2024). If I book 2 cabins myself, would I get DBE on the second cabin also? I think not, but figured it couldn't hurt to ask. 😇

I think VV isn’t always the best at projecting what a cruise consumer really wants. In the last two years I have seen some real blunders as far back as the postage sized swimming pool and the “”all we need are Millennials to trot into the future with,” mindset …and my pet peeve…blocking VPN use onboard. But that aside, I really DO like the line a lot. I love the adults only rule, but I won’t be held hostage wallet wise. If they get too greedy, they will erode their present loyal customer base (like me) and I will go elsewhere for my vacations even if that means no cruising for awhile. Who will replace us as the new customer base? Ultra high end cruisers? Don’t think so. Their current ships don’t seem like they are set up for that, both structurally and design wise. To change those two things would be very costly. I hope VV treads wisely. There are many potholes out there for them.

I only have experience on Scarlet Lady. I tried to use my VPN for banking unsuccessfully a few times. Wound up going to sailor services. As I was there an IT manager walked through and the agent asked about VPN's and he said "they're blocked." That was the beginning and end of my VPN questions.

Or you can just climb over to the balcony next to yours and knock on their sliding door. I'm sure they won't mind you passing through their cabin to let yourself out and back into yours. 🤣 Sorry, in a very silly mood today.

Two cruises on Scarlet....how did I miss this????!!!!!! I love French Toast

I've also seen excursions on Scarlet Lady sell out and a few weeks later have a duplicate added. I'd call the customer service line or speak to your TA.

It's really what you make of it. I took it and really enjoyed it. I didn't want to rent an expensive golf cart and I hate driving on the left side of the road anyway. It was an easy way to get a taste of Bimini while sitting back and relaxing. I learned some interesting things....like the entire islands electricity comes from a few diesel generators that run constantly, there is no hospital and gas is nearly $7 gallon. I'm a people person and had many amazing conversations with locals that day. The people of Bimini are friendly and proud of their island and won't hesitate to let you know. BTW, it's way to hot there to walk any significant distance...at least for me.

I'm all for a VV upgrade to an expert and laser pointer. They may just spark a new love for someone. I remember going to University of Miami in the late 1970's. Some local born and raised Floridian friends of mine took me out to the edge of the everglades. There was zero light pollution there. I said "funny how there are clouds rolling in, maybe we're in for some bad weather. He laughed and said "those aren't clouds Bob....it's the Milky Way! "

On my first Scarlet Lady cruise a few years ago, I arrived at Port of Miami and watched the porter fill out a paper tag and stick it to my roller case. On it went into the porters giant rolling cage for bags. It never arrived at my cabin! Somehow the paper tag got completely sheared off and I guess I was lucky it even made it onto the ship. After I notified everyone (and their brother) and gave a good description of it, the bag arrived at my cabin 5 hours after I embarked. On my second cruise on Scarlet, I repeated the process with the same bag, but this time I added a leather handle tag with my name and cell number on it as well as an Apple Airtag sewn into the inner lining. No problems this time. Live and learn I guess. 🙂

I did, I don’t think they really care no matter what the instructions say. It’s just for internal use.

Yes, they have moved mountains but can't seem to improve their underperforming wifi.

Here's what I had.

I love the vegetarian menu coconut dessert, but the one I remember was cut in a wedge.

I've been on 14, but what's the deal with 8?

Sorry. You are correct. I sailed June of 2022 and again in June 2023. 😔

My experience on two VV cruises were very different. The first one was in June of 2021. I did the Dominican Daze itinerary. There were only about 1200 pax sailing. The experience was excellent. Sure the pool was too small and the entertainment sort of one sided, but I went into it knowing all that and had a fantastic time. The basic internet was more than adequate and the Wake was not as "slow" as they say it is now. The energy from the crew was new and bright and you could feel it. Second cruise was in June of 2022. Pax load was near max at 2450 and I feel it made a difference. Itinerary was also shorter by a day (Key West) which may have played a part. Food was good, but not "as good'. Same with the service. Wake was much slower and the waitstaff made a lot of small mistakes. Not dealbreakers, but just not the same experience. I noticed the Scarlet night pool party was rowdier and noticed a lot more drunks. Security was there, but never controlled any of the out of hand types that push the envelope. I saw one fellow fall flat on his face on the hard section surrounding the pool and security just watched. His friends tended to him. I also noticed my cabin was a bit "shopworn" with stains on the rug and a faulty shower door. I don't mean to paint a terrible picture, I still had a nice time...it just wasn't the same. I wrote about all this in my questionnaire, but never heard a thing from VV about it.

Lo and behold I login to email today and get a note from VV Sailor Services informing me that I now have Sea Rover status added to my profile. Yay!

So I just tried calling VV sailor services (yet again) to inquire about Sea Rover status on my account. Connection was poor and agent confirmed they were not in Florida, but Guatemala. Went through my spiel again and got the same 5 minute loud hold. Agent came back (after a 2nd five minute loud music hold) and said they "were not sure" if I had it or not. They said they would put in a request to tech services to find out and they would "let me know". Somehow I don't have a lot of confidence in the process so far and will not be holding my breath. 😂 Shouldn't this be computer automated...check date, check amount of cruises....if YES, post Sea Rover Status on account? You'd think I was asking for the eye color of every fourth VV crew member that had visited Epcot Center in the last five years.

Well, I called the VV customer service help line a few minutes ago to confirm my Sea Rover status. Seems simple enough...right? Agent was cluless and put me on hold. After at least five minutes of overly loud techno hold music I hung up. Oh well, there's always tomorrow. 🤣