MarkWiltonM

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/11/oceania-marina-to-undergo-big-refurbishment-in-may-2024/ Apologies if this was already posted. More details and confirmation of Marina's spring 2024 refit.

We booked a late 2025 cruise on Allura when it first opened for booking. I see that the fares have not increased as of today, and we're going on Vista next week. I was wondering if we would save money by canceling Allura now and rebooking while on Vista. I think we would lose $250pp if we cancel, so the additional savings onboard would have to exceed that.

Apologies if this was already posted. Details and confirmation of Marina's refit next spring. https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/11/oceania-marina-to-undergo-big-refurbishment-in-may-2024/

Can I use onboard credit for gratuities?

I also read on this board a couple of weeks ago that when they refurbish Marina they are going to install an Aquamar Kitchen, currently found only on Vista. I hope they eventually do this for every ship.

Uber or Lyft is definitely less expensive than a taxi.

I had the so-called lobster thermidor once on Oceania. Never again. I'm not a food snob (well, maybe I am), but slathering a thick mushroom cream sauce on fairly small pieces of lobster makes me suspect they are afraid the lobster can't stand on its own. Or it's just cheaper. Or they have no palate. I've also never had a crab cake on a cruise ship that wasn't more breading than crab, and I've heard the lobster roll in Ember is mostly a mayonnaise roll with lobster (totally overpowered by the mayonnaise). I'm not a lobster fanatic and rarely eat it anymore, but lobster has a delicate flavor that can be easily overwhelmed. A little drawn butter is the ticket, IMO.

Interesting. There are only four entrees at dinner on these old and historic menus, plus two "chilled entrees" meaning dinner-size salads. Maybe it was a case of quality over quantity, but who knows? I've heard the food was very good when Michel Roux was in charge of cuisine, but things so often seem better in retrospect.

This is exactly what we did based on the thread on CC. We booked a five-night cruise on VV Scarlet Lady last month. As it turned out, it's not the cruise line for us for many reasons primarily relating to comfort overall, the veranda staterooms' shortcomings, and the ship's exterior spaces (which are dreadfully designed compared to the often stunning interiors), but the food in the restaurants (and room service) gives the lie to those who believe cruise ship food can never be as good as the food in land-based restaurants. The food (and service!) was really excellent, and the first time I've wanted recipes while on a cruise ship. That said, the Gallery, Virgin Voyages' name for the buffet-they-refuse-to-call-a-buffet, was somewhat disappointing. Very good ramen if you like that (we do!) but everything else became quite repetitive; there are small, limited set menus for each station that are unvarying throughout the cruise. The only concession to a buffet experience is that they have one or two dishes (Indian curry, etc.) at dinner in the Galley that rotate. I wonder if they even had that at the beginning.

Thank you! Very informative and appreciate the menus and food pics especially.

We just took our first VV cruise, on Scarlet Lady, a couple of weeks ago. Loved the inclusiveness of the guests and cruise. It was very multiracial and lots of LGBTQ+. That was a huge plus. We thought the food in the restaurants was the best of any cruise line we've been on with the exception of Crystal, and right up there with Crystal. Better than Oceania. Way better than Celebrity and HAL. However, we got bored quickly of the food in the Galley with the exception of the ramen. Tacos were meh. Sandwiches okay. Burgers okay. Nothing special. Didn't like the pizza either in the pizza place. Loved loved loved loved loved the Mediterranean food at the Dock and Dockhouse. Really: very good. And room service menu/food/service: stellar. That said, we won't cruise VV again because while the interiors were gorgeous the exterior decks were hideous and there was nowhere comfortable for us to sit outside, except on the "promenade" on Deck 7, outside The Grounds Club, which seemed like an afterthought. We felt trapped inside. Also far too much of the seating even indoors was very low. Good for slouching but terrible for posture. Food served at low "coffee tables" in some places. We're in our 60s so this would probably not be as much a problem for younger folk, and the average age on our cruise was probably 35-40. The room was also uncomfortable. Low bed with hard mattress and the pillows were too thick and very lumpy. The towels in the itty-bitty bathroom were worn and hospital-quality. No body lotion supplied in the stateroom (confirmed with Sailor Services) and the necessities shop was sold out, of course. Had to buy a $28 bottle of L'Occitane de Provence body lotion from another shop. But the food and service in The Wake, Extra Virgin, Razzle Dazzle, and Pink Agave (listed in order of preference) were phenomenal. We'll miss that. Wish other cruise lines would get their food act together.

We were on Scarlet Lady a couple of weeks ago and we ordered everything, including ramen, from the stations. I didn't see anyone ordering from their table. I would be afraid I might have to wait a long time for some to see I have that flag up. But not sure. (The ramen was by far our favorite thing in the galley.)

Thank you for your review. We will be on Vista Dec. 1. A couple of questions if you know the answers: (1) We have a reservation for Ember for dinner but I believe it's supposed to be open for lunch as well. Is this true and do you need a reservation? (2) How was Toscana? We have not enjoyed it on two other ships and I know the menu is the same so not sure we should try it again or not. But maybe "third time's the charm"... (The Italian restaurant on Virgin Voyages is excellent, as are most of the VV restaurants, but we don't find those ships the least bit comfortable overall.)

I assume this would be true even if you are using a Bar Tab for your paid-for coffee? Correct? How about the Sea-Rover $10 per day credit for specialty coffee? If you order food via room service and add on an espresso beverage, will the room service charge be waived even if you aren't technically paying for the coffee?

Honestly, just curious how many passengers I can expect on my Scarlet Lady cruise on Sunday. But it's not a big deal. I'll find out soon enough.

Can anyone recommend a website or type of website that allows you to see how many cabins are available on VV (and other lines)?

I have a Marina cruise booked for November 2024 but we have an alternate cruise booked on another line as a backup in case the refit doesn't happen. Penalties start on 05/31/2024 so I should know if the refit happened before then. I do like the itinerary on the Marina cruise and we also really enjoyed Riviera after its upgrade, especially the redesigned bathrooms in veranda cabins. I had not sailed on Riviera or Marina before Riviera's refurb, so I'm not sure if Marina without refurb would be enjoyable or not.

Totally agree. I think they are going to be doing some 6- or 7-night Miami-Miami RT cruises, as well as a Miami cruise that ends in Puerto Rico (not as interested in that as the former). But maybe that's when they have two ships here. I ordinarily wouldn't bother with a cruise of less than 7 nights but am going on a 5-day VV cruise next week to check the line out.

Wha?

Does anyone know the seating capacities of the restaurants that require reservations? The Wake, Extra Virgin, Pink Agave, Razzle Dazzle, Gunbae, The Test Kitchen. I'm curious about the total number of guests who can be accommodated in a seating, for example.

I found Laura Hodges Bethge to be charming. Especially for a marketing type (sorry to all of you in marketing). We have migrated to Oceania and Virgin Voyages lately but still have Celebrity bookings. We don't like infinite verandas so we only book Edge-class ships if we can snag a Sunset Veranda, and you have to book those very soon after the itineraries open. We have been lucky with those but because they are so far out (up to two years) we have always gotten refundable deposits in case we change our minds. Now that RDs have become so much more expensive, not sure what we'll do re future Celebrity bookings.

Thank you. I did set up our booking so that I'm paying with my credit card for my spouse's purchases. I was hoping this would take care of this issue and I appreciate the confirmation. I also inquired further with VV by email and they responded that for this particular promotion the $300 Bar Tab is attached to Sailor 1's folio by default but that once we are on board we can have this split between the two of us so that each gets $150. We can do that as well just in case.

I called VV because I could not find a way to link my Bar Tab in the app to my spouse/cabinmate. The representative told me that my promotional $300 Bar Tab that was a perk of booking cannot be shared with him and referred me to the terms and conditions that state "It may also not be transferred to another user (though one may purchase drinks for another Sailor)." https://www.virginvoyages.com/cruise-deals/bar-tab-offer/?item=f44de49e-6b50-4559-bb22-52ef3d510b7f I explained that I don't want to "transfer" the Bar Tab to someone else -- I just want both of the people on the booking to have access to it. For example, I don't want my spouse to have to pay for a smoothie after the gym because I'm on a shore excursion or something, but she said that is what will happen unless I'm with him and I personally order the drink. On the other hand, the $100 Bar Tab we get for being Sea-Rovers (due to VV matching our Celebrity loyalty status) is for our "cabin" and we both have access to it. Does this sound right?

How about if you're a non-drinker and a vegetarian?

Do I need to do anything to share my Bar Tab with my spouse in the same stateroom? For example, if he orders a drink and I'm not with him, will it automatically be deducted from my Bar Tab or will they charge him for it?