Wildcatllamas

So sorry about your injury. That's going to be really rough.

I know so many folks who either don't get insurance or only get the cruise line insurance and I warn them about things just like this. So glad you got insurance. Heal quickly and thoughts are with you.

I'll be buying MNVV this trip so some new itineraries will be great.

The cruise I have booked for next September is over double what I paid for a Sea Terrace. I haven't even checked the price on the one I leave on this weekend.

17 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

And we're still stuck waiting on the rest of 2025 until the Brilliant Lady is announced. That's getting a little frustrating while other cruise lines are posted into 2026 already.

I'm keep hoping for 2025 to pop up. I will be on Scarlet on the 3rd and was going to buy a couple of MNVV but I want some different choices for cruises.

Wave season last year had some great deals but I'm starting to think that it may not be very spectacular this year. This last little bit has been more about take away rather then what has made them so popular.

Someone said on my first cruise that there was a way to "trick" the lock into thinking it was locked. I will have to look at it this time around if I have issues. I like it cool at night but after the last few days of temps not getting above 10 degrees I may like the warm.

@CruisingWalter that steak looks amazing. Back in 2021 the steak I had in the Wake was very good so in a week I may be trying something different there and getting the excellent rib steak in Pink Agave and trying this steak in Extra Virgin.

The friend who went with me in 2021 loved the meatballs but I'm gluten intolerant so I passed on those. I couldn't pass up the rolls in the Wake though. I actually ate 2 of them - I was so naughty.

I have Starlink for my home and it is surprising to hear that you have had trouble using the internet for wifi calls. Of course my house isn't tossing around like a cork in a tub of water but I have excellent wifi calling on my cell phone. So I wonder if Virgin has something set up to throttle it down. 

I went with Starlink a little over a year ago and was able to stream tv programs while working on my laptop and also placing calls. Prior to then I had Dish and none of that was possible. 

12 hours ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

Since I have not seen this set up for myself, where do you think is the best place to put the camp mattress? I don't plan to use the bed in the L configuration at all, just one queen size? Being that we have our own cabins, and my friend and I are next to each other, we're hoping to open up the divider panel out on the balcony and use that as our hangout space. 

I would figure out if you are a center of the bed sleeper or edge of the bed. For me I'm an edge of the bed and will usually sleep on the wall side so if I have to get up at night I don't have to walk around the bed. On one cruise I had kicked the comforter off and almost tripped on it that night. Then place the mattress where you think you will sleep. In the drawers under the cabinet they usually keep the bedding when doing twins and you can then grab the comforter from there. If that isn't enough ask them to bring you another one so you can build a topper for yourself. I actually had my steward on a Princess cruise bring me lots of extra pillows and used those. 

4 hours ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

Do you guys think a 2-4 inch inflatable camp mattress underneath would help? Did anyone snap a pic of the cover pulled back? I feel like I will sink too far into foam topper, going soon and try to think of inexpensive possibilities... thanks! 

I stripped the bed down and even tried to see if it could be moved since we had the beds in the L configuration. They can't be moved to a normal two twins parallel. I really think the camp mattress might help, especially considering weight. 

I am taking an inflatable camp mattress just to see how it does. It weights 3.3 lbs. Since on this go around the bed will be in a traditional lay out I figured I could snag the extra comforter and put it on the side or even add it to the top.

2 hours ago, Antie_Moe said:

 

I'm such a nerd I teach Excel to lawyers! 😆 Good on ya!

How well do they learn it? I use Excel all the time. One time I had a question at work about something I was trying to do in Excel and our IT folks had no idea what I was talking about. So glad for Google at times.

7 hours ago, cantgetin said:

I got the notification from my TA; I've never heard anything directly from VV on this matter.  although they certainly have no difficulty contacting me to say that I owe 3 cents on a booking that I already have a PIF confirmation for!
I can't address the legality of changing terms on an already made booking--I'd imagine that what they need is somewhere in the fine print,

I had to laugh about the 3 cents because I got notice a week ago that owed $2 on my cruise in 12 days. It just suddenly showed up after being PIF for months. I finally heard from a TA friend that the Florida and Book Early end 12/13 and anyone who has a booking done by midnight tonight will be grandfathered in for the pay early save 10%. This has been just a bit bizarre.

You would think that those of us who have voyages booked would have gotten an email by now if they are to be paid in full by midnight tonight. This is very strange.

I just heard from the shuttle service that I use to get from Fort Lauderdale to POM that I was the only one going at noon so I have the option of going at 11 or finding another way. So if I go at 11 I am thinking I will be at Terminal V by noon. Ugh, because my boarding time is 1:30. So those concrete benches - do you think they would be all taken by noon. I'm content to sit and read but standing for an hour and a half - not so much. 

I have used MJS to go from POM to FLL and next month I have them picking me up at my hotel in FLL and taking me to POM. It is $20 per person one way.

When I was on, back in 2021, even then the concept of sit at a table and order seemed foreign to so many of the folks. 

On our first visit to the Galley one of the servers came by and told us to go have a seat and she would be right over. We were like wow!!! We became friends with her over the 9 days. She said that servers were trying to tell folks that they could sit and order from the menu with a server or look around and if they saw something then just let their server know. Some folks jumped on it and others looked at them like they were crazy and still stood in line. She even knew that when we set down for breakfast she would put in an order for two mochas and a bowl of oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon. My friend would always switch around breakfast but I am a creature of habit. We loved the idea and it is why on my last two cruises, when I did Princess, going to the buffet was just not something I could do. And the one time I did, it was after lunch, and food looked dried up and unappealing.

Are they there at the port or do you have to call them?

It's hard to say about the Super Bowl but I know how responsive VV was back in 2021 about American football. I was doing a B2B in December on Scarlet and many were upset that there wasn't any football on. By the end of that cruise and before our second half they had a game on the cabin tvs and it was either Monday night or a Thursday night game. By the second half of the cruise they were already planning on convert this one bar into their idea of a sports bar that would have football games on. So when I am on in December I will let them know folks are wanting Super Bowl happenings. 

So here is something I was told many years ago by a very seasoned traveler. Check in online and then when you get to the airport do the kiosk or what ever is available to check in and print that boarding pass. This now lets them know that you are in the airport. So if it is getting close to shutting the plane doors they will also page you. Maybe not if you just did online check in. Then a few years ago I saw this on a Johnny Jet stream. So I do it all the time. A back up is always nice.

@jcarter4551thank you. 

6 minutes ago, Tyler414 said:

The 12:30 is very doable.  I flew out at 1:30 this summer and was a bit worried, I spent over 2 hours bored at the airport...

Thank you so much! I wouldn't mind spending another day in London but would really like to get back home. I don't trust my cats to not have wild parties and max out my credit card while I am gone.

The "My Next Virgin Voyage" special is pay $300, which when you are ready to book it will be added toward your deposit. On my cruise next September I only had to pay about $148 on the deposit because the $300 was there. Then $300 is reduced from the full price of your cabin. On top of that you now have the $600 Sailor Loot for that new cruise. So it is a real deal all the way around. And if you watch the promotions there are ones that will give you money for your Bar Tab.

Good morning everyone!!!

I just got an email from Virgin to bid for an upgrade on my December 3 Scarlet cruise. One of the offers was for a Seriously Suite for $500. Very tempting, but I know there are only Mega Rock Star Suites left, and other then the bed, I am happy with my Terrace since it was the same cabin I had in 2021. If I were to bid for this are there any drawbacks to any of those cabins that I would regret if my bid was accepted?

My other question is there is a flight out of Barcelona next October on British Air that goes out at 12:30 pm. Is that doable. It is the first time I have seen a multi-city that was cheaper then flying back to London and doing R/T to Denver to London.

1 minute ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

 

Bummer 🤔  I guess I'll be ordering that mattress topper (delivered to my pre cruise hotel) and checking my bag on the flight for my pillow. A really bad night could mess up my entire cruise, and with only five nights, I don't want to take a chance. I'll give the mattress topper to my room attendant after I'm done, there are some very inexpensive ones that might save the day. Oceania has the best beds I have ever slept in, no problem settling in. I think that the sofa idea didn't really pan out as well as they had hoped, I wonder what percentage of people actually use them that way? Maybe they'll revisit in the future. I considered upgrading to a suite, but I didn’t know what I would do with all that alcohol, LOL 

I've thought about having a topper delivered to my hotel as well. I'm taking a shuttle from Fort Lauderdale to Miami so if it isn't to bulky that will work. 

But I just found this one on Amazon and it's light enough and small enough to pack. https://www.amazon.com/ZOOOBELIVES-Inflatable-Comfortable-Backpacking-Lightweight/dp/B07RP81NJW/ref=sr_1_38?hvadid=417003790495&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9028980&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=667942160746347879&hvtargid=kwd-872012788770&hydadcr=6225_9590139&keywords=portable%2Bmattress%2Btopper%2Bfor%2Btravel&qid=1699286366&sr=8-38&th=1

Just now, AlyssaJames said:

 

Ah, I think I might be the opposite. When the craze was (and maybe still is?) for beds to have 12" of memory foam on top, I used to regularly wake up with my back out. 🙂 Maybe it was just too much of a good thing. 

Memory foam is good but in moderation and it can't be to soft. It should support and cushion. They use to denote it as in so many pounds. A 2 lb memory foam was super soft and a 5 lb was very firm. I don't know if they still do that. I was good with a 4 lb one.

14 minutes ago, AlyssaJames said:

What makes the mattresses in the regular cabins 'bad' for some people? I've bounced back and forth between balconies and suites quite a bit, and I guess the difference isn't registering for me. Are they too firm for some people or something? 

I have joint issues and there is no cushioning in the couch cushion. Even with two extra comforters on the bed and it was still hard. But to put it in perspective I cruised in an upgraded mini suite on Princess a year ago. It was supposed to have their wonderful, luxurious beds and bedding. It was worse then Virgins. By the second night I had the steward bring me lots of pillows and I slept on them.