Cloud9 Bob

I have always been an advocate for workers in these types of employment. They should be treated fairly and well compensated in salary as well as health benefits. I never concurred that tipping was one of the ways to get there. To me, it always seemed to benefit the employer and to foster neglect to the backbone of the organization...the "rank and file" so to speak. Just add extra to the final price that is paid by the end consumer. Don't lull me in with a lower price, only to bombard me with add ons later. Many cruise line do as a standard operating procedure. The brilliant end quote to this post sums up my feeling perfectly....Bravo yarramar!

It's currently 51 degrees in Constanza, DR

How about Richie Rich? 😜

I was cruising solo and I'm not a fan of communal dining either, but ate at the Test Kitchen counter twice and it was fine. There is usually a staff member doing something interesting to watch, and even easier for two to blend in. The one time I had a couple next to me they were really just interacting with each other. Gunbae was much more like being assigned to an MDR table where you socialize with other pax.

Apologies if I wasn't totally clear in my original question. I was just looking for passengers personal accounts of rough weather that happened to occur on Virgin ships.

Guess I'm behind the times. Haven't cruised for ages until Scarlet Lady last June. I gave him $2 for a single bag. Not saying it was anything but a coincidence, but my bag never arrived at my room on time. Tag was missing and I got it 4 hours late. Just sayin'... Next time I'm giving $5 🤑 LOL!

Is there a part of the app now that will let passengers know what it says?

Thanks for the excellent review. You were spot on and your review will provide many with an accurate idea of what it would be like to be a sailor on Virgin. Cheers!

I sailed Scarlet Lady last June and the seas were as calm as can be. I'd like to hear from sailors on all VV ships if you have had any really rough seas during your cruise? Where and how long did it last?

Better than those skinny suits all the young guys now wear. Makes 'em look like Pee Wee Herman. 😜

I have to agree. All my experiences with the Galley were with a very low volume of cruising pax, as well as when something had to be brought to me. That said, the entire Galley staff could not have been more pleasant to me. They just seemed overwhelmed with the details of the job and not the volume of pax. Is it possible this is where new employees are placed in order to train and test their skills before moving them on to more upmarket venues on the ship? It really wasn't a problem for me, just something I noticed repeatedly that wasn't as "polished" as most everything else on the ship.

I sailed TSL last June and we were at 1200. Had no lines or problems in any restaurant, but service in the Galley was spotty even then at a low pax count.

Can you? Yes, absolutely. That said, I personally like to bring a long pair of cotton cargo pants with me. I'm a bit old school and I would rather have them for Saturday evening dinner.

What is this thing you speak of called 5:30AM??

As far as I know they don't mail wristbands anymore and they do luggage tags at the curb.

Richard flies coach? 😆

Sailor services was clueless to IT issues. If it weren't that the IT manager happened to be walking through the space, I'd still be wondering why VPN's dont wotk onboard. 😁

Darn! My favorite too.

Ditto with the cabanas at Bimini Beach Club. Pricey and they don't even keep you dry if it should rain.

I kept the basic wifi to see what it could or couldn't do. I was able to text and make video phone calls using WhatsApp on iPhone. Texting no problem at all. Decent quality with a tiny stutter here and there on video chat, but still very usable. Regular surfing and email was good. YouTube was not great, yet certain other sites worked for streaming at standard def resolutions. Download speeds measured by SpeedTest varied between like 3 and 10. Not great at all but surprisingly usable. Biggest disappointment was that the Virgin IT department blocks all VPN's regardless of the level of speed you pay for. Bad move IMHO, because I only wanted to use it to safeguard some banking transactions....which I decided against chancing. VV touts all these innovations, but dropped the ball on that one. I will say that I had very little trouble with the Virgin app though. Just needed to close open programs and the occassional hard restart.

Garage G - 921 North America Way Parking

Too bad! I think you should give up the pickleball for a week and experience this line. 😜

I've said many times that I'm the odd man out having very little trouble with the app....well at least no trouble a reboot of my phone couldn't fix. The thing that really bothered me though was that they don't allow use of private VPN's to safeguard the transmission of data....like when I want to connect to my bank and transfer funds. I spoke to IT and was even willing to upgrade to the faster service, but they said VPN is a "no go" on either service. Still can't figure why??

About an hour up top. There is a smaller version of Christ the Redeemer Statue up there and there is also a path that runs around the rain forest. The guide will explain everything as you walk a path. I forgot the name of the lunch place, but it was a beautiful garden type of small restaurant. The food was very good and they had the best coconut flan I've ever had. There was also a stop at a jewelry store that deals in handmade jewelry from the area. Independence square was fun too. Not only was it historically significant but there were some humorous elements like the man that was riding the donkey....you'll see. 🙂