CineGraphic

As many of you know, Pam and I have been disappointed with the current Princess product, so we cancelled our much anticipated two week sailing aboard the Caribbean Princess and booked two short back to backs on Virgin's Scarlet Lady instead. Many of you have asked me to let you know how things go, and I think that it's easier for all if I break it up, versus one long post. So, here's the first installment, The Pre-Cruise Experience. We booked what they call a "Lock It In Rate Ltd View Sea Terrace" for both sailings, and they were priced less than an inside, making it the most affordable option. We normally book aft-insides with Princess, but the idea of having a hammock on our balcony for less than the price of an inside is impossible to turn down. Booking directly with Princess on the phone was fast & easy. The rep was cheerful and wanted to make sure that she could, "make ship happen" for us, and she succeeded. The fare includes all gratuities, all dining venues, basic drinks (coffee, soda, juices), workout classes and more. They do not sell drink packages, but they do sell bar tabs, which can only be bought pre-cruise. The current deal is $300 for a bar tab, with a $100 bonus. The tabs are for one sailing only, and are non-refundable. Our cabins were assigned 2-3 weeks before sailing (we sail 10/19-28) and as it currently stands we will move to a cabin 2 doors away for the second sailing, however, I'm told that I should ask about this at check-in or with guest services once on board. We also may end up bidding for a better cabin category for the 2nd cruise once we're on board for the first, just to get a better idea of what they have to offer. At this point, Virgin does not have an air or hotel booking program in place, but I've heard that they are working on it. We were able to book some great, affordable fares directly with Southwest, and our hotel in Miami. Like all cruise lines, they have an app which is used to book everything from dinner and show reservations to excursions. Our experience with the Virgin app was a thousand times better than the Princess app. Everything was completed for both sailings in just a few minutes. No glitches, no frozen screens, no lost info. Zero frustration. Instead of a medallion, you get a bracelet/wristband. They used to mail them, but now you pick them up at the port. Shortly after booking, Virgin introduced a status match program for most of the major lines. Anyone with Platinum or elite status simply need to fill out an online form and supply a screen shot of your status. The process was quick and efficient. Here's the current deal for 2022 bookings: Free bottle of Moet White Star Champagne, Unlimited Premium Wifi (where available), Expedited Boarding: a dedicated embarkation queue, concierge support while onboard, Private Cocktail Event, Laundry Service (2 pressed items, 1 Dry cleaned item, bag of laundry), $10 daily credit for Specialty Coffee. An additional benefit is a $100 bar tab bonus when purchasing a Bar Tab for future sailings through December 31, 2024. One big difference I've noticed is that Virgin Roll Calls here on CC, are not at all as popular as they are with Princess cruisers. Nobody seems to care about meet & greets, spreadsheets, slot pulls and the like. Currently, the average roll call has just a handful of replies at most. That may change as folks become aware of CC, but there are already several active Virgin Voyages groups and roll calls on several other major social websites. I'm sure I've missed plenty, so feel free to post any questions you may have.

More like 7 weeks

You will quickly find out that the older ships are favored by many of us. Our faves are Coral, Caribbean, and Ruby.

yes!

We pre-order on their app, and have our Uber stop there on the way to the ship. It takes less than a minute to pop in, get your wine, and back in your car.

I read somewhere that VOIP calls can only be made with the premium streaming wifi, not the basic wifi.

That'll never happen. They'd much rather apologize after-the-fact, with hopes that nobody will have the gall to ask for a partial refund.

When boarding early at FLL, they usually aren't set-up yet, so we just walk on.

That's good to know. Someone currently on the Ruby stated that they still don't have both venues open. I believe that it's been that way since at least April.

They really dumbed-down the wine list when they added the premier package. When selecting wines for an entire fleet, availability should be one of the main concerns. Years ago I grew tired of ordering wines that are out of stock and have been bringing our own wines ever since. I just started packing for our Virgin Voyages sailing last night.

They're still understaffed, with specialty dining venues closed every other night, but hey...we're filming a new TV show with a fake cruise director, and fake bartender.

Here's the Princess Boy Wonder in what looks like his Batcave talking about the new Sun Princess and the new Love Boat show .https://youtu.be/7bTIZDN4z5Q?t=90

We're doing a short B2B for a total of 9 days: Miami Key West Private resort on Bimini Miami Costa May Bimini Miami

We loved how small the Coral felt during our 10 Panama Canal sailing.

I'm not sure about a live thread this time around, but I certainly plan on posting a complete comparison post-cruise.

Slot machines are electronic devices!

SCORE! Enjoy your cruise(s)!

We sail with Virgin Voyages in 9 days, and the pre-cruise treatment has been so nice, that we're already planning on purchasing some future cruise credits from them. The current deal is a $300 deposit per cabin, and they give you $600 OBC. They've already matched our status with Princess by giving us free premium wifi, a bottle of Moet, VIP boarding, a concierge, $10 per day for specialty coffees, a private sail-away party, and some laundry.

I misread the numbers. My bad. Thanks for catching my mistake.

As long as they're not charging you MORE, I wouldn't worry. If you like the price, book it.

It's a shame that they've made the pre-cruise experience difficult for those who have cruised for decades without any such difficulties. Enjoy your cruise with HAL!

It's almost as bad as the 60s when jug wine was simply labeled Chablis, Burgundy and Rose. Commonly referred to as "plonk"

We were met with the same generosity several years ago when we took the Skytrain from the airport to our pre-cruise hotel. Someone saw us trying to figure which exit to use at our final station and they walked us all the way to our hotel. We love Vancouver!

The casino department sent out an email yesterday for this sailing. Very cheap, but we passed.

I've heard many people state as such. Our favorite cabin on older Princess ships is the last aft inside on the Riviera deck. Just a few steps away is a doorway that leads us to the aft pool and wake-view bar where we'd spend most of our time. We simply LOVE aft views, but not the price of aft view cabins.