Bxc53

We are considering our first Virgin cruise with the April '23 Transatlantic on Valiant Lady.

Lots of good information in this thread, thanks.

This cruise would be to celebrate my 70th birthday, DW is in her early 50's, so we are probably a little older than the typical Virgin Sailor. However, transatlantic itineraries tend to run to an older crowd, so who knows? 

We are wondering what the shipboard activities and entertainment may be for the long stretch of sea days? We like pool and hot tub options, Virgin seems a little lacking there. We also won't be wearing out any of the gym equipment. 😉  

Of course a lot can change in the next year or so, but we'd welcome any thoughts on the anticipated TA experience. 

I had the same question and I 'm pretty sure crzndeb is correct. It seems that a lot of the 'rules' are different in the Asian markets.

1 minute ago, cdraven said:

that is from starting point pier 66

 

I'm pretty sure they will dock at Pier 90, farther north in Magnolia. 4 miles driving, not really walkable. And it will be Friday AM rush hour.

13 minutes ago, Karter said:

Sorry

 

I should have said from the port of Seattle to the AMTRAK station.

Sorry about my earlier incorrect assumption, but it would still be tight.

Ship docks at 6AM, but actual debarkation is of course somewhat later. You are coming in from Victoria, Canada so there will be Customs to clear. So, if you handle your own bags and get one if the early departure times, don't hit any snags in Customs and are able to get a taxi or uber without waiting , you should just make it.. Again, I would have a Plan B if it were me..

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We will be on Quantum to Hawaii in October with lots of sea days. Does Royal have informational presentations, similar to the Celebrity ones? 
I found them a good counterpoint to the more active options, especially on a stretch of sea days. To be clear, I’m not referring to the sales related ones ( “How to buy art, jewelry, etc”). 

Last cruise: Regal Princess in 2015.  Our upcoming Quantum to Hawaii in Oct will be the fifth try to cruise since our May 2020 HNL to VAN  cancelled with 3 others canceled after.  We really hope this one works!

Lots of good specific numbers given so far. I will only add, for us ,

cruising is always a better value than a similar length land vacation when you add up the meals lodging, entertainment etc. And you only have to do the suitcase shuffle once 😉. 
 

Does the RCl Internet (Voom) work for Voip calls?  WiFi calling on my iPhone?

Thanks

Just to put a fine point on what others have said, if you don’t bring appropriate clothing to keep you warm, you risk missing or not enjoying the best parts of an Alaska cruise.

That said, being from the Seattle area, we like to cruise from Florida so we can wear shorts and flip flops the whole time 🙂. 

I confess I haven’t read all 10 pages, so apologies if this is a duplicate.

Are  the pools and hot tubs open as ‘ normal’? Are they salt water?
 

thanks 

I’ve been on a couple spring Alaska cruises, a PNW native and Alaska was part of my work territory until my recent retirement.  First, there are several “Alaskas”. Cruising , you will see South East. In October,  Cool to cold, rainy and fog   most likely but it’s possible to have a clear(ish) day with good visibility.  No way to predict and it can change in minutes. The port stops will be less “ tourist season” so you should get a taste of the Real SE.  Personally, I would plan to enjoy the ship mostly. I’d be the guy  living in the Solarium hot tub 😉. 

We are looking at booking the above cruise. We usually get an ocean view balcony, and did so on our last T/A on the Independence in 2009.

It was nice, but the view didn't change much on the crossing :confused:

So, to also save $, we are thinking of an inside balcony, and leaning to the Central Park zone to have a hopefully quieter experience compared to the Boardwalk with the water slides, etc.

Based on the existing Oasis class ships, any advice on cabin selection in Central Park - Preferences and/or ones to avoid?

Thanks!

I read on this board that some Martini Bartenders will make smaller versions of the drinks on their menu for Classic package holders, (and presumably pay-by-the-drink types too), but I've never seen it myself.

We experienced that on our Solstice cruise earlier this year. When it was not crowded at the Martini bar, they would make a 'small' that was covered by our drink package. During busy times ( pre-dinner, etc) they only offered the full-size Martinis (and charged for them)

So if you are looking at your reservation and the Wave Prom shown up you have the Classic package?

 

All Purchased Activities

 

Beverage Packages

 

• Remove Guest
  
• Cancel
  

Wave Promo - Classic PackageTotal Quantity:2

 

 

Ours finally did, but it took almost a month..

Thanks to all for the reports on the new smoking policy.

As one of the smoke sensitive group, I'm a bit disappointed that Princess seems to be still struggling with the policy implementation. We were looking forward to sailing with Princess once again, but it looks like more time is needed to sort out the changes.

Hopefully, the policy and enforcement can be worked out to best accommodate both smokers and non smokers.

I am leavng for a cruise at the end of the week. Does anyone know where I can find coordinates for caches in ports of call?? I would love to get a few international caces while out and about.

Just use the map tool on geocaching.com or the Google Earth .kml plug in. That worked fine for us on our recent Transatlantic on RCCL. We were able to pick out several good caches in each port.

Good luck!