colesc15

I submitted my Royal status of diamond plus to Virgin. We'll see if that does anything

We've always been onboard Royal ships by 11 am or so, but it appears boarding is later for virgin? What's the earliest people generally board?

Is 8am generally the earliest?

Hi. First time cruising virgin. We normally carry off our luggage on Royal and many times are off the ship and through everything by 7-7:30. Assuming no unusual coastguard delays/clearing the ship, is there a similar process in virgin when we can carry our luggage off and be off the ship by 7-7:30? Thanks.

Hi all. Considering our first virgin cruise. If I book one, and do the status match after the fact using our royal caribbean status, will the status match still work and I'd get the perks for that already booked cruise, or do I have to do the match before booking? Thanks.

Has anyone used Port Canaveral quick shuttle? I found them online and reviews seem decent on Google but not so much on trip advisor. It looks like $40 pp for one way

To piggy back off this since it'll be our first b2b, since we have the same cabin, after doing the quick walk off and back on, even though cabins aren't open, since we have the same one, do we still have access to our cabin throughout the morning even though the hallway doors are closed until 1?

It never fails lol. I hate when the category you're booked in is sold out because then you're at the mercy of what they're telling you vs doing the math. My 4 day was the $60 each and the 3 day, my interior was higher than the Ov balcony so he originally told me I couldn't upgrade unless it was more expensive but I knew that wasn't correct and finally got him to confirm like 3 times that I'll have the same cabin before he starts making changes. I wasn't 100% confident until I got my two invoices showing the 0 balance and same cabin number.

I swear, if you call the casino 4 times for pricing, you'll get 4 different prices and you just have to take the one that you like lol.

Circling back. I called a bit ago to check the upgrade pricing since my interior category is sold out and the only way to check is by calling the casino.. I was able to upgrade to an oceanview balcony midship near the elevator where I picked the cabin number for BOTH the 4 night and 3 night sailing getting the same cabin for a total of $61 a person.. So $122 to go from an interior to oceanview balcony in the same cabin for the full 7 days. I couldn't pass that one up! A week on utopia only paying port fees and taxes and the $122, yes please!

I think unless the price drops enough where we can pick our cabin, which then I can pick the same Ov balcony for both, we'll stay with what we have. If we used the balcony more than a few minutes each day I'd be more pushing for the change but

Yes, it'd be a oceanview balcony. And no obstructed oceanview view balconies on any oasis class ships

Agreed! We found ourselves using the balcony less and less, and loved how dark and cool the interior cabin was. We randomly had the virtual balcony on Wonder last month and that felt like a nice in between because I could at least see what it was like outside at any time instantly.

Decisions decisions. I was shocked my wife and I didn't hate the interior our first time after 20 cruises of balcony or above

I keep going back and forth on it since I didn't mind the interior when I was 100% against it for years until we tried it.

Currently, we're booked in a casino comp b2b in the same cabin. It's a virtual balcony, which we've had before and didn't mind. I can upgrade to an oceanview balcony guarantee for each sailing for about $30 total between the two sailings.. Obvious downside is not having the same cabin and having to change cabins. Would you just keep what I have, or get the oceanview balcony but have to move after day 4? The more we've done interiors/virtual balconies, I don't mind them, it's just so cheap to go to the oceanview balcony that it has me considering it.

Is all the Icon merch that showed up in the cabin in the beginning no longer a thing? Like the Icon hats etc. I'm assuming that stopped after the first few sailings.

Agreed. I noticed that on the transatlantic last fall on Odyssey going back to the US. Many food items & drink items were different than the normal US sailings. Diet coke was "coke light". The hot dogs & sausages at breakfast were completely different, and not in a good way. Not a fan of Italian hot dogs lol. The one major win was the ice cream. The Italian provider ice cream mix they used blew the normal US mix out of the water!

Haven't stepped foot in the mdr in years.

Anyone else with opinions on Empire Supper club and the steak?

Did anyone in your party have the steak? Curious if you liked it since reviews claim that to be the only negative being the steak

Did you do the steak at empire? Curious if you thought it was good since the video reviews seem to say the only negative being the steak

Anyone here done any of the Iconic cuts on icon in chops? Curious if they thought the quality was above the normal steaks at chops

Completely forgot about that being an option with chops on Icon!

We've gone back and forth on trying it. The one thing that's surprised me is many reviews on YouTube talk about how their only disappointment was the steak. Which, I'd be ordering the steak because paying that price for a fish or rabbit seems over the top, so that makes me a little hesitant. A few videos I saw said they thought the filet in chops was better, and I've yet to be wowed by a steak in Chops.