tbmrt

1 hour ago, leaveitallbehind said:

There is a canopy directly below you that is over the balconies below as they are extended out on the deck from your stateroom.  This would likely impact you direct downward view if that would be of concern.

 

You can contact whomever you booked through and ask to be moved to a different location as available within your assigned C2 category if you want to, and they will move you.

Thanks so much.  Switched to 8141

I was surprised to see that our Concierge cabin has already been assigned for our December 2024 cruise...7181.

Although I understand guarantee cabins are booked that way I came across something saying that this cabin was awful because of the large canvas above the suites below.  Is that correct?

10 hours ago, osborne66 said:

Dropping off luggage in the room when you board has been done for several years now. 

Haven't cruised Celebrity in many years.  I seem to remember that you could not go into the corridor your cabin was in to leave your luggage until they announced cabins were ready.  So go directly to leave your carry on luggage in cabin even though it may not be ready?

If we rebook on nonrefundable fare do we lose the OBC? (Booked w/Chase/points)

12 hours ago, flagmom said:

@tbmrt I didn't notice what time of year you will be sailing, but as it takes several hours for a ship to make its way upriver from the Gulf to New Orleans, a large portion of your journey will likely be before day break, which will limit what you may be able to see. But some of the larger landmarks, like the Pilot Station and pilot boats will be well-lit. My husband wrote the original narrative that Saint Greg referred to in his post. It describes the views from the cruise ship in 2019, and he has an updated version, with photos, that I can send you if you're interested. 

Would love that flagmom!  Thanks so much

On 3/21/2024 at 12:52 AM, jam19872016 said:

There are literally zero people at the night club.  There was one, but they are still doing Latin music so I left.

So different than Virgin Voyages...The night club was packed.

On 3/19/2024 at 9:18 PM, Travelling2Some said:

I told my doctor that what I really like to do is read books, drink things with umbrellas in them and eat fried carbs.  She said, "me too" with a smile.  She is a frequent cruiser too.  BTW, what is with all the whole wheat pasta on Celebrity? 

Can you request regular pasta??

On 3/19/2024 at 10:42 PM, jam19872016 said:

Éclair, blueberry apple turnover, and beggar's purse.

 

I won't admit it, but I actually kinda like Sweet Caroline. Especially after a few drinks. I can't say I know any of his other songs, but maybe I will recognize them when they are performed. My mom is excited for the show, so that's enough to motivate me to attend. Especially since she didn't drag me to Barbie today 🙂

 

There is a standing joke in my family...They know how much I dislike Sweet Caroline song.  I think just too many events and happenings with this playing.  Oh well, one more won't hurt! 

Do  you receive an earlier check in time if  you sign in early on the 45th day?  I just got off a Virgin Voyages cruise and this is how they do it.

On 3/28/2022 at 5:22 PM, sunpuppy said:

I have a Concierge guarantee cabin booked for the April 3 sailing and have not been assigned a cabin yet. It does say when you book the guarantee cabin:

GUARANTEE ROOM

We give you the best available stateroom in this category, based on availability, assigned prior to sailing

 

So, I think that if there are C1 or C  cabins, you should be assigned one. Will let you know what we get when we're assigned one--should be any minute now. LOL There are plenty of  C1's, C2's and C3's left on our ship, too.

Interested in this as well. Tx

On 3/19/2024 at 4:36 PM, cantgetin said:

Well done review.  Sorry you had some mis-information about embarkation.  There is no reason for anyone to show up at the VV terminal prior to 1pm.  Boarding does not start until 1:30.  SO if you have priority status, showing up at 1 is plenty of time to get checked in and be ready to board at 1:30.  We have always been in a normal Sea Terrace with priority boarding as Sea Rovers (the lowest designation of priority) and been in our cabin between 1:45 and 1:50 except one trip where boarding times were changed do to JLo.  If you have a later terminal arrival time, you may well get in before your time, but not ever before 1pm.  VV recommends no more than 30 minutes before your assigned time.  Otherwise, as you noted, you'll get to stand in line outside with no place to sit.

Carlos is by far the best Diva.

True, no beverage packages...we like the bar tab structure better for many reasons including lower cost.

Trip cost Celebrity vs. VV depends a lot on when you booked and what cruise you are on.  Our VV cruises have been MUCH lower in cost than our Celebrity and we had lots of perks.  But VV costs have increased a lot recently, so you won't see the great deals any more.

Hi Cantgetin!

Recognized your name from the VV CC board from all the help you gave me.  Check there for my VV reviews if you haven't already.  We enjoyed our 2 cruises in the past year on Scarlet Lady and Valiant Lady, but definitely will wait a few years before doing VV again due to the same restaurants, many of the same shows, etc.  (Plus the cost have risen considerably and the perks lessened...We had $1,050 in loot and a $600 bar tab.

In the meantime, we chose a totally different, easy, relaxing cruise in 12/24 from our home port of Tampa.  We've cruised on Celebrity many times in the past and know the vibe is totally different. 

Never cruised to New Orleans before...Arriving at 9:30 AM...Best side of ship for viewing New Orleans from ship as we approach the city? Any info appreciated.

Getting caught up after getting home from our cruise on March 2nd.  My trip report follows.  Thanks to everyone who helped me plan along the way.

Thanks to all of you for the help and answers  you gave me to my many questions.

We've decided to book a Celebrity cruise from Tampa close to home to New Orleans to Costa Maya and Cozumel in December just to do something quick and easy.   Have to tell you that I posted one thing in the CC boards there and already got a snippy response.  I found this happened with many other forums except for this VV one!  

I hope to sail VV again down the road, but want to wait awhile since we just did two in a year.

Trip Report – Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady 2/24 – 3/2/24

Very long….but I like to keep these reports for future reference.

This trip was originally planned on the Brilliant Lady, but was changed to Valiant Lady.  We had cruised on Scarlet Lady from Miami in June and loved it so we decided to book the VL from San Juan to the Southern Caribbean in February.  We had 3 balcony cabins, 1 for my husband and me, 1 for our friends and 1 for my sister/daughter.

We had gotten a “coupon” onboard so we received $1,050 in loot and a $600 bar tab. Some of the loot was from our travel agent.  We had about $33 left on our bar tab when we disembarked and used the loot for small diamond earrings, t-shirts, etc.  Since this was a port intensive cruise, we weren’t onboard all day so we never completed the $600 bar tab.  (We were surprised at this because we do enjoy our drinks!)  Didn’t bring the 2 bottles of wine onboard and had a total of 3 bottles of Moet since our 3 cabins booked Splash of Romance.

The weather for the whole cruise was sunny and comfortable onboard and at all the ports.  Highest about 82 degrees; coldest about 64.

We have cruised on many cruiselines and thought the Valiant Lady rocked more than the others.  Our friends agreed.  Not a big deal, but you could feel it.

On 2/23 we flew from Tampa to San Juan on Jet Blue.  The only direct flight we could get left at 6AM so we were up very early.  Jet Blue’s seats and wifi were excellent.

The hotels near the Port in SJ were extremely expensive ($500 and up!) so we decided to go with an airbnb in the Rosalina/Carolina section of Puerto Rico, about a 10 min Uber to the ship.  Ubers were numerous and not too expensive.  The airbnb was plain, but had everything we needed and a small pool/courtyard to share with others. Check in time was 4pm, but we could leave our luggage in the office before that.   

We ate at a pizza place near the airbnb and the pizza was the most amazing I’ve ever eaten (I’m originally from NJ so know good pizza!)  Pretty expensive though. 

Had breakfast at Kasalta’s near the airbnb.   What a great place for breakfast.  Everything from pastry to hot breakfasts, puddings, cake, etc.  They had wine, sandwiches, etc as well. The coffee was terrific!

On Saturday, 2/24 we ubered to the ship to drop off our luggage at 10AM, get checked in and obtain our ship’s bracelet.  Had a few drinks across from the ship and went back at around 12:30…Walked into the terminal and was let on the ship around 1.  My daughter was able to book shows there before getting on the ship.  The rest of us could not do so.  She was able to book everything we wanted.  Had previously booked our dinners at midnight on the 45^th day before our cruise.

Our cabin steward and his assistant were very friendly and cleaned our cabin once a day. We could request towels etc on the tablet that was in the room or by calling Sailor Services on phone or chatting on the app. I found that Sailor Services was definitely the place to chat for anything  you need.

The shower was big enough…Not too much space in the bathroom for cosmetics, etc. though. The bed and pillows were very comfortable. 

Booked the thermal spa that was part of our Splash of Romance package.  While it was very pretty, the one hot tub only fit 2 people, didn’t have jets and water was just warm..not hot at all.  There were 2 cold pools and 1 a bit larger pool with room temperature water.  The  heated seats were lukewarm and not comfortable.  They had 2 steam rooms and a sauna which were nice.  I think paying the $200 for the Splash of Romance helps if you don’t have a very early embarkation time, but we would never do the thermal spa again. The candies they left a few times during the cruise weren’t that good.

We ate at all the restaurants except Test Kitchen.  My husband loved it on Scarlet Lady, but I really disliked it.  So we headed to the Galley for dinner that night…The butter chicken and Beef Wellington were excellent.

The Wake was a big disappointment.  Steaks were very tough, lamp chops dry.  Service was very slow.  Did brunch and same situation.

Love Extra Virgin..food and service was wonderful.Pink Agave was good and Razzle Dazzle was just okay.

Most of our group didn’t care for the food at Gunbae and the server didn’t speak good English so we had no idea what we were eating.  Fun playing the drinking game though.

We ordered Ship Eats twice in the early morning.  Came in about ½ and hour and although food/coffee were excellent, they were cold. 

The PJ Party was changed to The Manor.  We were disappointed that it wasn’t on deck and headed to The Manor…Just overly packed so we didn’t stay long.

Tortola - Went to Jost Van Dyke White Bay on a VV excursion.  Great time with excellent painkiller drinks. 

We stayed on the ship in Guadeloupe.  2 in our group went on a private kayak tour and enjoyed it.

Barbados – Did a catamaran tour with private company…Just 9 people on it.  Food was amazing and service great…We had a wonderful time.

St. Lucia – Did private speedboat excursion to Jalousie Beach.  Absolutely beautiful.On our Sea Day we did Loteria bingo which we love.  Lots of margaritas and fun. Also did slot pull with our FB group.  Got our $ back plus just a bit.

Antigua - Walked around town and came back to enjoy the ship.

Scarlet Night was absolutely amazing...music, dancing, watching acrobats, etc.

Loved Misbehave and Carlos the Diva - best ever.

Left our luggage outside the doors by 10 pm.  Went to brunch the next morning and then easily picked up our luggage in the terminal.  Headed to a Resort Pass hotel, Sheraton Casino Convention Ctr to spend the day.   Fabulous service, good food and drinks. 

Left the resort by Uber about 3:30 pm and headed to airport for our approximate 7:30 flight. USDA and TSA both pretty empty!  Our United flights were fine (4 of us). We received a notice that our Jet Blue flight was delayed an hour.  My sister told me to keep watching our email because often Jet Blue moves the flight back to its original time.  Sure enough we took off just a little after the originally planned time. Got home to Tampa around 11 PM.  Slept the whole flight. 

Here is my trip report from our first VV cruise in June 2023...Last trip in 2/24 will follow.

Trip report Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady

Sorry....I did ask that already.  Had a brain fart and forgot.

I decided to book a guarantee Concierge cabin on the Constellation.  Have not put deposit down yet. 

Any awful guaranteed Concierge cabins?

Tx

I'm trying to decide between a standard balcony and a concierge guaranteed.

Thanks!

18 hours ago, herdfans4 said:

Did she have a different phone then the rest of your party?

 

thanks for the review

No.  We all had Samsung Galaxy Android

Getting caught up after getting home from our cruise on March 2nd.  My trip report follows.  Thanks to everyone who helped me plan along the way.  

Trip Report – Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady 2/24 – 3/2/24

Very long….but I like to keep these reports for future reference.

This trip was originally planned on the Brilliant Lady, but was changed to Valiant Lady.  We had cruised on Scarlet Lady from Miami in June and loved it so we decided to book the VL from San Juan to the Southern Caribbean in February.  We had 3 balcony cabins, 1 for my husband and me, 1 for our friends and 1 for my sister/daughter.

We had gotten a “coupon” onboard so we received $1,050 in loot and a $600 bar tab. Some of the loot was from our travel agent.  We had about $33 left on our bar tab when we disembarked and used the loot for small diamond earrings, t-shirts, etc.  Since this was a port intensive cruise, we weren’t onboard all day so we never completed the $600 bar tab.  (We were surprised at this because we do enjoy our drinks!)  Didn’t bring the 2 bottles of wine onboard and had a total of 3 bottles of Moet since our 3 cabins booked Splash of Romance.

The weather for the whole cruise was sunny and comfortable onboard and at all the ports.  Highest about 82 degrees; coldest about 64.

We have cruised on many cruiselines and thought the Valiant Lady rocked more than the others.  Our friends agreed.  Not a big deal, but you could feel it.

On 2/23 we flew from Tampa to San Juan on Jet Blue.  The only direct flight we could get left at 6AM so we were up very early.  Jet Blue’s seats and wifi were excellent.

The hotels near the Port in SJ were extremely expensive ($500 and up!) so we decided to go with an airbnb in the Rosalina/Carolina section of Puerto Rico, about a 10 min Uber to the ship.  Ubers were numerous and not too expensive.  The airbnb was plain, but had everything we needed and a small pool/courtyard to share with others. Check in time was 4pm, but we could leave our luggage in the office before that.   

We ate at a pizza place near the airbnb and the pizza was the most amazing I’ve ever eaten (I’m originally from NJ so know good pizza!)  Pretty expensive though. 

Had breakfast at Kasalta’s near the airbnb.   What a great place for breakfast.  Everything from pastry to hot breakfasts, puddings, cake, etc.  They had wine, sandwiches, etc as well. The coffee was terrific!

On Saturday, 2/24 we ubered to the ship to drop off our luggage at 10AM, get checked in and obtain our ship’s bracelet.  Had a few drinks across from the ship and went back at around 12:30…Walked into the terminal and was let on the ship around 1.  My daughter was able to book shows there before getting on the ship.  The rest of us could not do so.  She was able to book everything we wanted.  Had previously booked our dinners at midnight on the 45^th day before our cruise.

Our cabin steward and his assistant were very friendly and cleaned our cabin once a day. We could request towels etc on the tablet that was in the room or by calling Sailor Services on phone or chatting on the app. I found that Sailor Services was definitely the place to chat for anything  you need.

The shower was big enough…Not too much space in the bathroom for cosmetics, etc. though. The bed and pillows were very comfortable. 

Booked the thermal spa that was part of our Splash of Romance package.  While it was very pretty, the one hot tub only fit 2 people, didn’t have jets and water was just warm..not hot at all.  There were 2 cold pools and 1 a bit larger pool with room temperature water.  The  heated seats were lukewarm and not comfortable.  They had 2 steam rooms and a sauna which were nice.  I think paying the $200 for the Splash of Romance helps if you don’t have a very early embarkation time, but we would never do the thermal spa again. The candies they left a few times during the cruise weren’t that good.

We ate at all the restaurants except Test Kitchen.  My husband loved it on Scarlet Lady, but I really disliked it.  So we headed to the Galley for dinner that night…The butter chicken and Beef Wellington were excellent.

The Wake was a big disappointment.  Steaks were very tough, lamp chops dry.  Service was very slow.  Did brunch and same situation.

Love Extra Virgin..food and service was wonderful.Pink Agave was good and Razzle Dazzle was just okay.

Most of our group didn’t care for the food at Gunbae and the server didn’t speak good English so we had no idea what we were eating.  Fun playing the drinking game though.

We ordered Ship Eats twice in the early morning.  Came in about ½ and hour and although food/coffee were excellent, they were cold. 

The PJ Party was changed to The Manor.  We were disappointed that it wasn’t on deck and headed to The Manor…Just overly packed so we didn’t stay long.

Scarlet Night was absolutely amazing...music, dancing, watching acrobats, etc.

Loved Misbehave and Carlos the Diva - best ever.

Tortola - Went to Jost Van Dyke White Bay on a VV excursion.  Great time with excellent painkiller drinks. 

We stayed on the ship in Guadeloupe.  2 in our group went on a private kayak tour and enjoyed it.

Barbados – Did a catamaran tour with private company…Just 9 people on it.  Food was amazing and service great…We had a wonderful time.

St. Lucia – Did private speedboat excursion to Jalousie Beach.  Absolutely beautiful.On our Sea Day we did Loteria bingo which we love.  Lots of margaritas and fun. Also did slot pull with our FB group.  Got our $ back plus just a bit.

Antigua - Walked around town and came back to enjoy the ship.

Left our luggage outside the doors by 10 pm.  Went to brunch the next morning and then easily picked up our luggage in the terminal.  Headed to a Resort Pass hotel to spend the day.   Fabulous service, good food and drinks. 

Left the resort by Uber about 3:30 pm and headed to airport for our approximate 7:30 flight. USDA and TSA both pretty empty!  Our United flights were fine (2 of us). We received a notice that our Jet Blue flight was delayed an hour.  My sister told me to keep watching our email because often Jet Blue moves the flight back to its original time.  Sure enough we took off just a little after the originally planned time. Got home to Tampa around 11 PM.  Slept the whole flight. 

Although I thought most things on Valiant Lady were fine, I don’t think we will cruise with VV for awhile due to same restaurants and most shows.

We enjoyed our past cruises on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, NCL and Windsurf but think we’ll stick to land vacations for awhile.  We had gone to Ecuador and the Amazon a few years ago and it was wonderful.

Trip report will follow, but in the meantime, thanks to everyone who was so helpful to me on this site.  Thanks to  you all, things went very smoothly.  I would never have known so many pertinent things if it was not for your input.

I passed along info from you to other cruisers who had no idea what to do in several circumstances so you helped others besides me.

4 hours ago, cantgetin said:

On various cruises, I've seen bids from $75 to $500.  I think they cut it off at $500.  As above, 6 horses are auctioned off at the first session.  You then get a decorating session with "the artist," and then a "spin the wheel" game race.  Winner gets 90% of the pot of bids, house keeps 10%.  Payout is in cash, not loot.  And you keep your seahorse.

Is the decorating session done the same day/time as the bidding?  

So just 1 date/time  for bidding/decorating and the second date for the race itself?

8 hours ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

Wifi and Bluetooth on 🙂 

 

Have a great time! 

Airplane mode on also?  I read that was always something you do when you enter ship?  Tx!

I see the day it takes place on a Sunday and Friday.  When would we sign up?  

Galaxy Note 10 plus android.  

Last time we cruised on VV, I set my phone to airplane mode and roaming automatically shut off.  However, when I signed onto VV's wifi, I couldn't start booking.  Had to see a Happenings Cast member who immediately fixed my problem.  He was too busy for me to ask, but since I'm going again tomorrow, I'd like to know what I had set incorrectly.  Perhaps my problem was bluetooth?  Should I leave that on or off? 

My husband has bluetooth enabled Phonak hearing aids so I'm hoping he could leave Bluetooth on so his hearing aids will work (Phonak) without charges.

Sorry I'm technically challenged I guess.

Like to take a minute to thank everyone for all their help with this cruise.

Did anyone take the White Beach/Jost Van Dyke excursion?  Wondering where we meet the tour guide and what "adult beverages" are included.