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Went on the December 9 Panama partial out of Tampa on December 9th.

It is always good to be at sea.  Here are a few things I wish I had known on this cruise.  

PARKING.  It's been a few years (and maybe 40 cruises ago) since we sailed out of Tampa.  Thankfully we were close enough to drive.  Frankly it is a bit confusing because the lots near the ship are not ship parking, they are for the aquarium.   Do not attempt to park near the ship.  The ship parking is a 4 story structure a block or so from the ship.  There is a cheaper outdoor lot but you leave your keys your whole cruise with the people running it, and I did not feel comfortable with that.

This year we were on MSC, NCL, and Virgin.  WiFi calling and texting on Verizon worked perfectly on Verizon.  Not on this ship.  WiFi Calling and texting were blocked.  This was frustrating because to afford all these cruises I had to be reachable.  I tried setting up a VPN and still nothing.  So thankfully for outgoing calls I have a VoIP app (GoTo) from one of my businesses and had to download another messaging app to text.  We made it work, but it took time to figure out and was frustrating.  I know most people go on vacation to get away from the phone, but I am not able to.  I would say the internet seemed good (as far as speed, jitter, and packet loss) for most things people would do.  I tried to get help from both the customer service and Pixel staff (their IT dept) and all they could do help confirm I was online.  We even hotspotted to my wife's iPhone (I have an Android) and her texting worked but not wifi calling.  If their staff would just say yes, you have the internet, it is working, but unlike other cruise lines, our routers or service does block some services or apps.  

Food is subjective but I found it good.  My bathroom scales say I thought the food was really good.  No need to spend extra on a nice restaurant when good food is included and you can spend that $50 or $100 on a nice place when you get home.  I do like how on the free app you can see what the menus are (most ships do that now, in the old days we would go and look at the menu on the wall during the day which helped us determine how big of lunch we wanted).  

The shows were good but again subjective.  We had some rough weather and they could not fully perform, but a few great voices.

The band Boardwalk had a great variety of music for their demographic.  We really enjoyed them.  They knew what a lot of their passengers wanted to hear in my opinion.  Be aware that like many so-called bands of today, they just have a drummer and sing to a soundtrack and fake playing the instruments.  Sorry to reveal that, even so, the songs kept the crowd happy including me.

Even though the ship was recently refurbished, the standard balcony bathroom still had the old green sink.  Oh well, I would take a balcony at sea over a regular hotel room any day.

And the green slide was a must.  Did that while the ship was in the Panama Canal.  Unlike anything I have seen at sea.

A our 4 pm the last day you can select on the app your departure time. Latest is 1030 an which was full when we noticed we could select a time.  The shipped docked about 4 am and was the first one in this morning. Watched others dock after..they come in and turn around by the virgin dock. It's actually an amazing view to see these giant ships come down the waterway and turn around by the virgin voyages dock then go park. 

Considering all basic tips were included we were surprised how extra friendly and persona le the staff was.  Above a beyond.  

At key west we took the free bus around the island. Did the free part of the Truman White House tour then did the shipwreck museum.  Felt the shipwreck museum was very good.  Ring the bell on the tower.  At Bimini it was nice n about a 15 minute tram ride.  We got there in the first hour and got front row shaded seats. They ran out of umbrellas for rows behind us. The food was bizarre.  Curry for an island lunch ?!!where are the burgers? And wow not close to enough chairs by the pool. 

But the beach was top notch. Well maintained

Most the shows were r rater language wise. Except the dinner show which was pg 13.  Very good show. Variety acts. Weird food at least the salads.  Duel reality was rater g and probably the best show at sea.  Outstanding. We liked it better than the diving shows on the oasis and symphony of the seas.  It was that good.  The 70s club music the last night in the manor was mislabeled nliot was not 70s music but mostly modern club music. Nothing wrong with that but they should label it correctly 

Virgin started as record company and we were supposed the lack of music choices.  The main guy was an Irish guitarist playing sometimes his own stuff and unheard of Irish music. Followed by a Latin trio that played about 10 percrnt of what you might hear s house band play. Followed by a 5 piece band that played all over the board including cuban standards..as if anyone was from Cuba.  The brother and sister duo the last day played mostly modern standards and we're good. But there was not a house band that played mainstream standards that you would see on bigger ships.  The pipped in music was all over the board. And it varied from area to area at the same time.  Seriously this was annoying.  I listen to a ton of xm.radio and I called some of the music deep cuts on steroids.  For example by the pool they were playing a bunch of 7nheard 9f songs, and a b side of a record (yes purists do vinyl sometimes ) came on. Serious I had not heard or played that in a decade.  I bet very few people had heard that song and I only did because I own it and listened to the b side.  Why the obscure music most of the time?  The song I referred to never charted...

Anyway the pool party did play dance music that was well known and the crowd got into it

But having roots in the record business the music was at times awful..who plays deep deep tracks at times?  Virgin does 

The ship above deck 7 is very narrow. Walk down the a or z halls and you'll notice this by the elevators.  Not good or bad, just an observation.  But things out on deck were lacking in space. 2 small pools and very few chairs.  

The bath has no shelves but it worked. Watch a YouTube video about the cabin. About 80npercent are sea terraces. 

The TV had few live broadcast channels ..2 bnc and 2 ESPN, bit a huge amount of free movies.  Not that we came on a cruise to watch movies but we put one on as we prepared for bed 9ne night 

As you walk up by the porters they ask your cabin number (found on ap) and write it on the tag.  Ours wrote one room wrong and thankfully my spouse saw it and corrected it!  So watch.  A few other things. The app shows your balances..loot, drink credit, ECT and is not on the TV like at some hotels.  

The cabin was different. The hammock is a chair, the deck chairs hard metal, the bath has no shelves, and the bed low. To store suitcases under bed just unzip them and slide them under open.  My wife is brilliant as other a few other posters could not figure that out

Just off..mixed reviews.  Staff was outstanding and most friendly of 50 plus cruises.  If you status match and are deep blue you stand in line with everyone, then as you go upstairs go to the far right line. No signs though They have a print out of those that are deep blue, and will give you a blue wrist band. It was 15 minutes parking lot to cabin. Great! When you get on board just by the premium internet  package and a few hours later as deep blue you will see a credit.  Made meal reservations and had a phenomenal filet the first night at the wake  wow. 

On 7/10/2023 at 3:13 PM, orla56 said:

Hi, can anyone tell me the difference between a king room an an elite king room at this hotel. 

On Hotel.com a king room for 3 nts in April 24 is £526 ( 676$) An elite king is £663 (852$) A king studio suite is £708 (910$) Just wondering if it is worth upgrade.

Those prices are outrageous!  More than I am paying for my entire cruise with a balcony!

1 hour ago, aimee0715 said:

 

OP, this is you right?  This is where you said what I quoted.

They way you parsed it gave the wrong impression in my opinion.  I asked if there were shows that were non-sexual and I was fine if it was there for other people.  Thats all.

33 minutes ago, aimee0715 said:

Yes, and OP said "Anything non- sexual... no drag queens, no sex themed comedy, etc"  There is a resident diva on Scarlet Lady, correct?  Maybe you are not aware that some people in America consider drag to be inherently sexual.  Based on what I quoted, OP appears to be one of those people. I live in a state that is trying to ban any and all drag performances.  It's the latest culture war over here.  In my opinion, any one who has a problem with drag is likely to be out of their comfort zone on VV.

Ummm.... you quoted me: Yes, and OP said "Anything non- sexual... no drag queens, no sex themed comedy, etc"   Where in the world did I say that?

1 minute ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

Not so much sexualized, but if you offended by innuendo, a Diva, the full range of human interaction - VV may not be your line. There are plenty of lines that attempt to offend nobody.

WE are not offended, just want a quite cruise with music, good food, no kids, good resort at Bimni and I think we found it with VV

I wish some posters here would leave their judgements at the door.  this is 2023 afterall

1 minute ago, benjaminnicholas said:

 

Yeah, you picked the wrong boat.  'Shoved' and 'hypersexualized' say it all.

 

Enjoy VV...  You're not their target market and will realize it quickly.

stop judging us.  No room here for extremists.   ya, great food, no kids, good ports, a hammock, we will be just fine.  

Just now, benjaminnicholas said:

 

This.  100%.

 

Why would someone pick a line that is LGBT-friendly and for adults when they clearly aren't comfortable with either?

wow what a myopic judgemental comment.  Are you saying there is no place for a people who just want a cruise with no children without it being hyper sexualized or have alternative lifestyles shoved in our faces?  Thankfully there are enough comments above to ensure we will have a great cruise and be able to enjoy great food, music, and ports.  

On 7/8/2023 at 5:38 AM, CruisingWalter said:

 

That's pretty much it right there. All the musical entertainment throughout the ship is great.  Duel Reality is the most 'safe' show along with Untitled Dance Party Thing. The Diva shows are so much fun, but if you want to avoid sexual innuendo stay away from those. 

Awesome

18 minutes ago, chefchick said:

To the OP- I’m not trying to put words in your mouth (so please don’t take this the wrong way if I’m reading your question incorrectly) but if you will be at all uncomfortable with drag queens, sexual innuendo and/or sexual fluidity/other possible adult behavior PERHAPS Virgin Voyages is not the cruise line for you?  Yes, you could avoid certain entertainment options but the whole vibe of the crew and some of your fellow passengers could bleed over into territory you MIGHT not be comfortable with?  Again, to each their own, but one of things I love about VV is the adult vibe and the fact that everyone, including the crew are allowed to just be themselves.  But again, I also believe strongly that vacations are for being comfortable and not every line is for every one…thank goodness.  Whatever you decide, hope you have a wonderful time. 🥂

We are very much aware of what an 18 plus cruise is with no kids... but like all cruises there are things for each group of people.  We are looking for things that fit us, and it appears that there will be lots of things that fit us.  We are heading to a real good time... just like pg over r rated stuff ourselves... heck, up at 5 and in bed by 9 pm might be right up our alley... nothing like a sunrise at sea.

5 minutes ago, jon81uk said:

There is a drag show with the sort of innuendo you’d expect in a silly drag show. But nothing sexual.

Ships in the Night does feature some scantily clad dancers but it’s not a sexual show. But if males wearing traditionally female style clothing bothers you then that show and a few other times on the voyage might not be for you. During Scarlet Night you may see dancers and circus performers not wearing much or wearing non-gender confirming outfits that reflect their personality.

 

Duel Reality is a circus show loosely based on Romeo and Juliet and has the leads in lingerie at the climax to the show, but it’s romantic not sexual. Probably the most “traditional” show onboard.

 

The festival stage guest comedy or magic acts rotate so can’t say, but the comedy might be a little adult. 
 

VHS (videos/headbands/Simmons) 80s themed workout has a lot of silly innuendo gags.

 

With Never Sleep Alone not performing there is probably nothing too sexual onboard now, it’s a lot more innuendo.
 

On Resilient Lady though Lola’s Library does feature some suggestive dancing and burlesque style outfits. But that ships in Athens.

perfect  this is the info I was looking for... just facts, no judgement.

Anything non- sexual... no drag queens, no sex themed comedy, etc... just regular stuff you would see on a regular ship?  Again, to each there own... I am looking for some regular shows.

Hey to each there own, we just like to avoid R rated entertainment, and just need to know what shows are more on the PG 13 side, on the Miami, Key West, Beach Club 4 day cruise on the Scarlet Lady.  What shows would fit this bill?  TIA!

So wife and I are going to book soon a short cruise on the  Scarlet Lady for July or August.

Should we just use VV website?  I heard VV status matches- do I book and then email or call VV?  Or is that better to do by calling and then booking after status match is worked out?  

In the past sometimes I have seen travel agents or aggregators offer credits or gifts for using them instead of directly with the line.  Does that work well with VV?

Thanks in Advance.

What is the MnVV and sea rover you speak of>

14 hours ago, Longstockingpippi1 said:

Sad part is that we ended up there ourselves and taken to the hospital. Missed the Panama Canal transit, 🥺🥺. Here is a snippet from the email I received two days ago. Maybe it will help 

Norwegian Jewel

Medical Department

HP 9865 

mednr21@ncl.com

First I am soooo sorry!

I had a bad allergic reaction to something, hives over 80% of my body, and when I went they loaded me with steroids and IV, and it was at 2 am, and it was over $2000.  My regular insurance covered it after deductibles, but they rejected a bunch of it (about 1500) because the bill did not use accepted billing codes!  So I am trying to get the codes to match up!  So this works.  I missed costa rica, and had to watch the canal from my room

I hope you are recovering!

2 hours ago, Longstockingpippi1 said:

This is what the medical unit handed me. 

Thank you so much for helping me!  I have tried this form, and to no avail, but will try again.  I really really appreciate you taking time from your cruise to help a stranger! 

On 3/1/2023 at 12:58 PM, quillwercruisers said:

I added it to my calendar, and will try my best to get it for you.

Hope your cruise is going well.  Hope you can get me that email address.  Thanks!