conandrob240

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

This. We were so disappointed with the spa on our cruise. Rough water caused Bimini to be cancelled and an extra sea day, so we decided to do the spa.

 

Loud obnoxious people who made if feel like a small pool party.  3 ladies hogging the hot tub for 2 of the 3 hours. Steam room smelled musky and moldy.

 

We will NEVER do the spa again. Thankfully it was extra sailor loot and not real money.

Yes, lots of groups monopolizing the areas. Too many people at once. Towels all over the floors everywhere. No nice changing area with typical spa amenities like nice lotion, etc.

No main area with things like juices, teas, fruit, relaxation zone.
 

The rooms smelled moldy and dirty. The mud room in particular smelled nasty like the whole place needed a deep bleaching clean. The salt room wall to wall with people talking loudly and the salt room had same gross moldy smell. 

We had terrible wifi on our 5 nt to Cozumel three weeks ago. Very slow, often wouldn’t connect at all. And this is with the premium service. I’m really glad I used time off and didn’t plan to work on that trip. Too unreliable. 

11 hours ago, cantgetin said:

You nailed it.  But the question might be "If no one is in the room, why does the AC need to be on?  And, you can't lock the balcony door from the outside, only from in the room.  SO, in order to lock you out, your roomie would have to lock the door and then exit.

SO, you can go out, close the door, and the AC will be shut off.  But you'll have a way back into the room.  Or your roomie can lock the door, keeping the AC on, but locking you outside!  That seems like a bad idea to me.  The room will stay cool for a while without the AC running, especially if the curtains are closed.

Because if the air is off, and you are outside for an hour, then the cabin has gotten uncomfortable while outside and you have to wait again until it gets to a lower temperature. Found this to be annoying. 

Yes, ha! I can assure you, anything I order (especially a salad bar salad) has WAY more modifications than that. High maintenance eater.

8 minutes ago, happy cruzer said:

What about getting reservations for shows or classes?

 

Not getting into events/dining would be a substantial difference IMHO.

 

Thanks for the reports.

I found it fine for initial bookings. Got everything we wanted once connected to ship Wifi on both cruises. It seemed easier on 1/2 full Valiant to walk up or find a new time for dining real time. It seemed a lot harder this time if you wanted to change dining day of.

If you know exactly what you want and you aren’t a “customization” person, it’s fine. The example of the salad bar is perfect though- I’m not going to memorize all the ingredients I want/don’t want, repeat that to a server and then hope it’s the way I want it. 

Scarlet was almost full on 11/5. We sailed 1/2 full on Valiant last year. Didn’t feel any substantial difference. Other than ease of getting/changing dining reservations. It holds capacity well

43 minutes ago, _tacocat_ said:

especially when they did this for the salad bar for a *very* brief period of time... why yes, let me think off the top of my head of every tiny vegetable and protein i'd like on my salad this afternoon that may or may not actually exist on the line... 🙄

Exactly this!

On 11/16/2022 at 8:33 AM, Host Joe said:

An honest review of Virgin Cruises from an avid cruiser. 

 

We did a 5-day on Scarlet Lady out of Miami going to Puerto Plata and Bimini. I have been posting amazing and fun pics and videos highlighting things we have found exciting the last few days thanks to those posting here on Cruise Critic. The ship is very visual and photographs well. We have had a wonderful trip, we always enjoy our travels. That being said, Virgin is trying so hard to be different that they are making vacation hard work in a lot of ways and losing out on some expectations that many have grown to love about cruises. I have always loved cruises because I don’t have to think. We love a lot of what Virgin offers, and will possibly consider it in the future keeping in mind all of the pitfalls, however they are pretty hard stops.  

 

The ship is super cool, modern and hip. It is a gorgeous design and thoughtfully designed to make you feel special. Similar to walking around a high end department store. It is extremely hard to navigate and signage is minimal and hard to figure out. There are no ship diagrams posted in elevator areas like all of the other lines. People wandered around lost all week. The staircase areas are brightly lit and sterile, constantly making me feel like we wandered into an employee area. AGREE. I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY NO MAP ON EACH FLOOR AND/OR WHY THE DIRECTORY ON EQXH FLOOR DOESNT EVEN INDICATE FORWARD OR AFT NEXT TO THE VENUE NAME

 

Everything is on the app. When it works. It crashes constantly. THE APP MOSTLY WORKED OKAY FOR US ALTHOUGH WIFI ITSELF WAS AWFUL PREMIUM

 

Dining must be reserved. There is no buffet or main dining. I am on top of it and reserved dinner each night at a different restaurant. I did this 30 days prior at 3am when it opened after reading about it in a Facebook group. Thank god I did. We witnessed two women all dressed for dinner while we were in line for our dinner reservation unable to find a spot for dinner. The hostess told them all the restaurants were booked. They could get burgers upstairs or pizza after 9. We saw this repeatedly throughout the week, people turned away for not having a reservation. You do not spend thousands on a cruise to be turned away from having dinner.. Not okay. This ship is only half full. Design flaw. There is no buffet or main restaurant. So if you don’t know to plan you are stuck. THIS WAS AN ISSUE ON OUR CRUISE ALSO. THEY DONT SEEM TO BE HOLDING BACK ENOUGH SPOTS FOR WALK UPS. I WAS ESPECIALLY ANNOYED THAT WE COULDNT GET INTO RAZZLE DAZZLE FOR BREAKFAST WITHOUT A RESERVATION 

 

Shows must be reserved. The showroom is tiny (200-ish, and there are 2800 people or so max capacity). Shows are bookable only after you board. We were in group 1, but suites, “rockstars”, board first. We got into one show (that’s all we could find) and it was quite good. That’s all we could get, very disappointed. WE GOT ALL THE SHOWS WE WANTED BUT WE BOARDED RIGHT AFTER ROCKSTARS AND WERE SOMEHOW ABLE TO ACCESS THE SHIPS WIFI FROM THE TERMINAL ABOUT 1:30pm. IM STILL NOT OVERRLY IMPRESSED WITH ENTERTAINMENT. ONE OR TWO SHOWS ARE GOOD TO VERY GOOD. NOTHINGS GREAT. AND TWO SAILINGS WHERE THE RESIDENT/REPEAT MUSICIANS ARENT VERY GOOD. ONE WAS GOOD. THE OTHER TWO SUCKED.  SO LEFT NOT MUCH TO DO

 

Let’s talk air conditioning. This ship is supposed to be eco-friendly. The rooms get cool after some time (if you open your balcony door, give it two hours to cool back down), however most public areas are stuffy. I mean sticky warm. Hallways, staircases and some of the lounge areas are just not comfortable. In the Caribbean this is not welcome after hanging out in the sun all day. CAN I AGREE 100 TIMES!?!?! 

 

Breakfast in your room is booked through the app. Cool, but we learned the hard way it books up and sells out! Our first morning our choice was 5:30am or 10:30am. Now I watch all morning for booking to open for the next day. You should not have to work so hard for vacation. ROOM SERVICE FOOD IS EXCELLENT. YES I REALIZED AFTER FIRST DAY YOU HAD TO ORDER EARLY TO GET BREAKFAST NEXT DAY.

 

Room attendant… we learned the hard way that they service your room once daily. One of my favorite luxuries is coming back after dinner and our bed is all turned down and there are fresh towels and the room is tidy. Not on Virgin. I was quickly scolded by Sailor Services that’s not how they do it. Once daily service. WE RESOLVED THIS ISSUE BY REQUESTING SERVICE IN THE APP. AND REQUESTING RHE BED/SOFA BE MADE UP. IN SUCH TIGHT QUARTERS, THE ROOM NEEDS TO BE SERVED A FEW TIMES A DAY. IF EVEN ONLY TO REPLACE TOWELS. ON TOP OF THE LACK OF SERVICE UNLESS REQUESTED, OUR ATTENDANT WAS NOT PLEASANT. JUST ENOUGH TO NOT BE RUDE BUT NOT FRIENDLY OR HELPFUL EITHER 

 

Dinner in Test Kitchen was a series of 5 tablespoon sized bites. We went for burgers after. 

JUST ASK FOR MORE! ORDER TWO ENTREES!

 

The Wake was super fancy, beautiful dining room and food very good but the server was inefficient and rude. She was only focused on a table of four that upgraded to $125 tomahawk steaks. WE HAD EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE IN ALL DINNER VENUES. THE WAKE WAS SUPERB IN EVERY WAY. THE DINING ROOM MANAGER THERE WAS PROBABLY THE MOST ATTENTIVE IVE EVER HAD ON ANY CRUISE SHIP

 

Dinner at Extra Virgin (Italian) was off the charts good. Service and all was excellent, and the steak was much better than the Wake. YES!

 

Dinners in Pink Agave and Razzle Dazzle were both quite good. PINK AGAVE WAS PROBABLY OUR FAVORITE. FOOD WAS INCREDIBLE

 

There is only one small pool up on top. Also, the area is to lay out and enjoy is small and congested… and no shade to move to. POOL SITUATION IS THE WORST OF ANY CRUISE SHIP IVE EVER BEEN ON. THE WHOLE POOL DECK AREA SUCKS

 

For evening cocktails before dinner despite all the areas on the ship that at first seem amazing, there are only two lounges and they are relatively small. There is no centrum like most ships. It is overall very strange. YES!!!!!LACKING TRUE BARS/LOUNGES!!!!!

 

The staff are hit and miss nice or don’t give a darn. Super weird! Since there is no tipping, there is no motivation for the staff to service you. I cannot count how many times we had to seek out our own drinks while staff mill around and are chatting with each other. That is not okay. MOSTLY AGREE. EXCEPT FOR DINNER WAIT STAFF. ALL THE DINING ROOM WAITSTAFF IN EVERY RESTAURANT WAS FANTASTIC

 

The food everywhere is mostly good. And during the day it is everywhere, although it gets stale with no changes or variety. There are lots of fun and quirky places to hang out. FOOD IS GREAT. I THINK MORE PLACES SHOULD BE OPEN IN THE GALLEY FOR DINNER AND THEY SHOULD

HAVE MORE DAILY SPECIALS THERE

 

Drinks are good but expensive. $13-$17 each. There are no drink packages. We found that vodka sodas are $7 so that’s better. We loved the shake for champagne where you shake your phone and a few minutes later they show up with a bottle of Moët on ice! For $100. We had a credit for a bottle and enjoyed it thoroughly. I DONT THINK THE PRICES WERE TOO AWFUL BUT I ALSO DONT THINK THE DRINKS WERE WORTH IT. GREAT WINE LISTS BUT THE COCKTAIL MENUS SORT OF UNINSPIRED AND INCONSISTENCY OF DRINKS BETWEEN BARTENDERS

 

The wifi is very unreliable. We upgraded to the Premium and I was unable to make consistent wifi calls at any point on the cruise. They were all broken up when I could get through. On all other lines this is never an issue. This is a deal breaker for me as I have to work while traveling. YUP!!!

 

Information, including signage and availability of what is going on is limited. There is no cruise director, no cruise director staff and no daily paper. Info on the app is very limited and it feels like a secret club where people bump around and find their way. There is no daily paper either digital or printed either. 

 

Breakfast… on the last day you cannot order room service, which is fine. So we went to the galley for breakfast (only option). Picture a buffet area where you sit down and wait for a server to get you your food from one of the surrounding buffet areas (you cannot walk up and get your own). We ordered omelettes and they were rubbery and had clearly been sitting on a steam table for a long time. Not a yummy breakfast. This is also your lunch area. It’s not a buffet, it is worse. You have a few options, which don’t change, and while you can see the food sitting out you have to wait for a server to bring it to you. 

 

Ports… 

 

in Puerto Plata they have a nice built area with swimming pools, bars and a restaurant that were all very overpriced. We headed back to the ship after walking around the small town and taking some pics and buying local art. The taxi drivers are very aggressive about taking you to the beach. We finally relented and went for an hour with another couple, it was $20 per couple and a ten minute drive. Very few services at the beach, except for very expensive beach food ($20-$40 sandwiches etc). We took a dip in the ocean and went back to the port and onto the ship to enjoy lunch etc there. WELL ITS THE DR. IT IS WHAT IT IS. WE STAY ON SHIP IN PORTS LIKE THIS

 

In Bimini they have a private club. Very little to no information… as always with Virgin. They were pushing expensive shore excursions. We took the tram to their beach club and had a lovely day. We swam, ate, and did a Long Beach walk collecting shells. They then took our shells and threw them in the trash upon boarding, saying they “could” have live animals in them. SHELLS ARE NEVER ALLOWED THROUGH CUSTOMS. WE THOUGHT THE BIMINI BEACH CLUB WAS FANTASTIC. GORGEOUS BEACH, FUN POOL AND THE FOOD WAS IMPROVED FROM OUT VISIT LAST YEAR. 

 

In summary, the ship is very “trendy”, and we believe it is aimed at people who have not cruised before. They do not know what you should typically expect, so it’s an easy target. Most of those we met onboard who have cruised on other lines seemed to feel like us, not too impressed overall (other than the ship is beautiful) and full of question marks. Those who had not cruised before were mixed, some were impressed and thought this is just how it is, others decided cruising is not for them them, which makes me sad. 

 

This cruise was a lot of “work” and low on the enjoyment and relaxation factor. 

 

We will be sailing on with our favorites… Celebrity and Royal. 

See my thoughts following each of yours in bold for others to get a second opinion. We sailed Nov 5. (And last NYE on Valiant)

I HATE the server concept and I’m glad it’s gone. We greatly prefer going up to the various counters, seeing what’s there and placing any customizations right with that window. Walking around, having to remember where you wanted a little of this as a little of that, then telling it to a server was a pain. Glad it changed!!!

29 minutes ago, tbmrt said:

Reading that they get really messy and there is no need to wear them except for the juices.  True?  

 

 

 

 

I don’t know what “messy” means. It’s a bracelet. Have them put it on so loose that you can take it in and off. Mostly useless as the perks are connected to your account. Never needed to show it for anything.

52 minutes ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

One of the reasons we walk off by 7:30 - 8am. Yes it's nice to be able to stay onboard longer, but we'd rather get out of Miami before the day really gets started. 🙂 

We had only done it once before and it was breeze. That parking lot was completely full two weeks ago. And they did a terrible job getting people out/paid.

14 hours ago, tbmrt said:

I read this today, but didn't realize this was necessary:

 

You’ll easily be able to book all your additional dining, shows and classes as long as everyone in your cabin has watched the entire safety video for the app to unlock the ability to book. Many just proceed to the dock house or Galley and miss the safety video and by 5 pm everything will be booked up.

Not true. You can do it before the safety video. In fact, while on line for deep blue extras last week, right around 1:30pm, in the terminal, I was blue to connect to the ships wifi and do it all. And after boarding as well.

On 11/5/2023 at 5:47 PM, raphael360 said:

Can you confirm if you are able to order via the in room device? It didn’t work for me in May when I was having issues ordering from the app. 

Both worked for us last week 

On 11/13/2023 at 7:46 PM, evelyn.sav said:

We have an embarkation time on Virgin at 4:15 pm on 12/2. Will we have difficulty finding a parking space in Garage G at that time?

 

Possibly. We arrived at noon two weeks ago on a Sunday departure and it was very, very crowded already. Had to go up a few levels.

another warning- it took us. 45 minutes to exit the parking lot at around 10:30ish. The line of cars was so long!

I would highly doubt they’d do such an elaborate special menu

16 hours ago, hammo said:

OMG , this will no-doubt be a one and only cruise for us if that is true about the bed . We are seasoned cruisers  just in a balcony room this trip to see what Virgin is all about , but if our bed is couch quality it is a total deal breaker for us . Beds on Celebrity , RCCL , NCL , Princess have been fine - proper beds.- 4 inches of foam does not a bed make ., 

Yes fine on other lines because they are beds. These are couches. Fairly comfortable for a couch. Definitely not for a bed

2. We are not into group dining and have lots of allergy issues. We requested a table for 2 at Gunbae and they were happy to oblige.

Yes but only on 2 small TVs in the Social Club. 

On Scarlet now- very disappointed in the spa. Overcrowded, loud and not clean

Two thumbs down for the spa! Looked forward to a “day” pass today (which is really only 3 hrs). It was loud, crowded and filthy. Walked right back out after 10 minutes. Ick!

So rest of cruise:

Food remains exceptional. No fall off from our first cruise. Haven’t rotated all the way around yet but favorites so far: chowder and bone marrow at the Wake, everything from Pink Agave, the ramen from the Galley. All the food is wonderful. I LOVE that you now order at the various counters on your own rather than sitting and finding a server- we didn’t love that last time and this works much, much better. Room service food is incredible! The bolognese is some of the best ever!

other than the bed, the room is very good. I was worried about storage space- there’s plenty. They hammock is awesome (we bought two after we can back from our last cruise!). The bathroom is small but the rain shower head is great. Love the water decanters. Our room person is fine- not particularly friendly but mostly does what is asked and does it efficiently. 
 

entertainment is mixed. Two of the three bands/ solos we’ve seen around the ship are just so- so. One is really good (flute loops). We saw Ships in the Night last night and the lead was a great singer. Many great dancers. Weak story line. We have a magician/ comedian tonight and it’s Scarlet night which was fun last cruise. 

17 minutes ago, rebeccac said:

 

I don't know of many people who bother with the daily conversion from bed to couch, but maybe I just haven't run into them.  

Ah, we are those people! Guess that explains the less than happy face of the room steward.

4 hours ago, rebeccac said:

If it makes you feel any better, almost nobody bothers to have the bed converted to a couch during the day.  However, I absolutely agree with you that the "mattresses" need to change.

Really? Why? It’s so much nicer having the space during the day! If this is true though, then it’s extra stupid to even have the couch concept

34 minutes ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

 

Thanks for the heads up, the mattress comfort is important to me 😴 I'm not a kid anymore, and all those little insults to your body add up, LOL, plus, I have nerve damage on one side. Do you think that the mattresses could be placed one on top of the other? I'll be in my cabin solo, so was thinking that could be an option? Do you think a foam topper might make it worse?

In my opinion, toppers always make it worse. They make it jiggly and too soft. It always slides around a bit. I’m not a fan of any kind of topper. No to on top of each other. Each has an attached  wooden frame around the side and bottom.