CineGraphic

12 hours ago, cantgetin said:

VV has a bit of a bizarre (in my opinion) policy.  A gold Tier travel agent can "hold" a limited number of cabins, including rockstar suites for 30 days while attempting to sell them.

I met one of the top 100 agents for Virgin on our first sailing.

They told me that in order to take advantage of how Virgin handles things, they changed their whole business plan. It's obviously very important to have a steady supply of MNVV deposits available.

You will experience a nice mix of music from very talented musicians from around the world.

The Lee Boys were on our first Virgin sailing. What a welcomed difference from  a string quartet on Princess playing a tired arrangements of "What a Wonderful World", or "My Way".

Our 5 day Caribbean in May has only gone up $300, but our 12 day UK to Spain & Morocco currently has Sea Terraces listed for the same price we paid for a Seriously Aft Suite.

50 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

I don't want to be on the Marta train real late at night, not that I'm afraid, but that's when the real whackos are riding.

Southwest stranded me in Miami on Christmas Eve last year. I took the train from the airport back to Brickell and scored a last minute room at Citizen M for $99.00.

Whoops...just realized your talking about the train in Atlanta.....been here 11 years, never ridden it.

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

This thing says it's 76° in Atlanta. I might be able to get the motorcycle out this week!

Yes, it's a beautiful day here today.

As for over-selling flights, they've been doing it for decades.

Cruise lines do it as well. They always count on a certain % of no-shows or cancellations.

Many times they get it wrong.

They will ask for volunteers, and offer $$$ for folks to take another flight.

A week from today, we'll be boarding the Valiant Lady in Barcelona for her 14 day sailing back to the states.

The Happenings Cast is a new one, and they officially start today.

VV Insider: Valiant Lady’s Sixth Happenings Cast In Rehearsal For 22 October Debut

The ship's schedule is a busy one with lots of guest entertainers.

I've looked a few of them up on Youtube, and I'm excited. There will plenty of good music and comedy on board.

Valiant Lady Daily Program

We will not be sailing full.

Current availability shows a handful of insides,160+ Sea Terraces, and 60+ Central Sea Terraces.

With a huge big soccer match scheduled for the day before departure, we've heard of a few people with long-standing AirB&B reservations in which the hosts have been trying to get them to cancel their bookings so they can re-book the spaces at much higher rates.

We booked our hotel room over a year ago, and the rates sky-rocketed once the soccer match was announced.

Pam & I are heading out on Wednesday, on a flight out of Boston that was half the price of flying out of our hometown, Atlanta.

I can't help it, I love a good bargain.

The airline, Level, is owned by the same group that owns British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling.

Their Premium Economy seats are the same size as US-domestic first class.

Life is too short, and my waistline's too big to spend 7 hours crammed into a basic economy seat. Why be miserable!?

Here's a review of Level's Premium Economy from earlier this year: https://youtu.be/FXLbJhhmh8M

We're looking forward to meeting everyone on board.

Please feel free to contribute to the thread in your downtime.

2 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

The good news is that I finally found a great margarita on the ship. Farouk from Turkey at The Loose Cannon Bar. Don Julio reposado, Cointreau, and fresh lime juice... Just like I make 'em at home!

I have a feeling this is not the last time we'll hear about Farouk

35 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

We passed this cool tree on the way to mile zero...

Looks like a Kapok Tree.

I recently found this picture of my brothers and I on a Kapok Tree in 1967. (Saint John USVI)

Thanks for the update.

We're staying near Sagrada Familia, and planned on taking a taxi anyway.

As long as we get on the ship, I'll be happy.

50 minutes ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

And can you then play a little on the slots and then turn it into cash, or do you have to play the full amount as if it were a promotional credit? I would be pleasantly surprised if they made it that easy to monetize.

You have to play though the whole amount requested, but can cash-out any winnings.

1 hour ago, MisterBill99 said:

Is there any way to use it in the casino as you can on other lines?

Yes, but you need to speak to the casino cashier in the cage.

You will need to specify an amount and whether you want to use it in the slots or table games.

As for the excursions, I'm not really sure.

They gave the same survey 3 or 4 weeks ago to members of the "inner circle".

No offer for "loot", only "points".

https://innercircle.virgin.com

1 hour ago, Back to school said:

Sorry, when the new date for the Brilliant Lady MerMaiden voyage is announced.  

I don't think she'll sail until 2025

1 hour ago, Back to school said:

Brilliant Lady MerMaiden voyage is announced,

Where?

Can you share a link?

7 minutes ago, -The-True-North- said:

Correct, which is the point I was trying to make. VV pretty much forces people to book with a TA because a TA will give you an extra $100 or $200 in loot for no cost.

 

If VV also let those who book online with no TA get the same offer, you'd have less people booking with a TA.

 

I never use on on any trips, except for VV, because why would I screw myself out of a hundo or 2.

The only difference between VV and the other lines in this situation is the commission rate.

16 hours ago, -The-True-North- said:

They could save 16+% in commissions if they provided additional loot for those not wanting to use a Travel Agent.

They already save 16% when people book directly with them vs with an agent.

On 9/27/2023 at 8:34 AM, raphael360 said:

. I have begged other members here to tell me the name of their TA but, due to the rules of this website, any posts mentioning TAs are removed.

If you are on the Valiant TA later this month, I'll give you the info for my agent. They are not only one of  the top 100 VV agents, but also members of the super-secret Club 485C which is limited to 99 members, with Sir Richard being the 100th. https://vvinsider.com/guides-and-faqs/guide/sailing-club/club-485c/

22 minutes ago, jon81uk said:

We did have one caberet show cancelled as only four of us turned up to see the singer.

We attended one cabaret performance where more crew were in attendance than sailors, but it was a mid-afternoon show. Something to keep the non-pool folks like us happy.

28 minutes ago, sfspider said:

there are still hundreds of balcony cabins available at prices way below what Virgin normally charges but they do not seem to be filling up. 

Repositioning sailings like this one have historically been priced lower rate per day than your average Caribbean sailing. I wouldn't worry. Why would they cut back on activities when the crew that run these things are on the ship whether it's full or not.

I don't think there's any money to be made with transfers. One can already get from the ship to the airport in Miami for next to nothing. The ships hold less than 3,000 passengers, all disembarking ar different times. How many buses would they need to contract in order to keep people from waiting for the buses to fill up and get to the airport in a timely manner? Why would anyone want to sit on a bus waiting, while they could be on the their way in a taxi?

The surveys, and crew chat feature are taken very seriously.

One day the Dock was completely crowded and they only had 1 or 2 servers, and we had already waited 15-20 minutes to order something. When I sent a message that they were overwhelmed, they sent an entire "emergency response team" of servers to help out.

Other lines pay attention too. On our very first HAL sailing, we dined at their specialty steakhouse.

The service was bad, and the food "meh" so I cancelled our remaining reservations for that sailing. The next day the F&B manager tracked us down to find out what was wrong. I hadn't even complained, just cancelled.

3 hours ago, MarkWiltonM said:

Wha?

Deep Blue Extras

https://www.virginvoyages.com/sailing-club

My Next Virgin Voyage

https://www.virginvoyages.com/my-next-virgin-voyage

If you are referring to the transatlantic, here it is:

https://spark-aws.virginvoyages.com/api/v1/ext/ddp/618f05232eaf6a1a16e17505/2023-10-29#events

Another dining reservation tidbit I've heard floating around: Prior to  boarding, they only open up 40% availability.

On embarkation day, they open up the remaining 60%.

15 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

I don't expect a lot of changes.

When I read something like this, I instinctively foresee changes/cuts coming.

"Early on when we were a startup, we focused less on profitability and what that meant. Now that we have the new funding in place, and the product established, we’re focused more on performance-based metrics like profitability, cost structure, and EBITDA. We talked a lot about what it meant for the business to be profitable."