cantgetin

Right now, VV is a better price than I can get with any of the brands that have been around for a while, which is consistent with their winning US New award for Best Price. I got an ad from Celebrity yesterday, so for giggles, I priced out the most similar cruise I could find vs my next VV. I could do the lowest price balcony on Celebrity for an almost identical fare to my Sea Terrace on VV, but when I added the "almost all inclusive" package (to mimic the included tips, soft drinks, and wifi that I have on VV), the price almost doubled. And I LOVE the "no kids" policy on VV. I didn't realize how much I'd like it until I was on my first VV cruise. It should also be noted that VV's drinks, spa, etc. are all ultimately lower than the other lines because the "list" price is what you pay. Will VV be able to make up for the differences with crew retention, rebookings, etc? Time will tell. For now, they have the highest repeat cruiser rate (second cruise within 12 months of first). The rate that my TA quotes for his clients is higher than what VV cites. Where VV's numbers will always lag is that most of their cabins hold 2 guests. Royal, Disney, and NCL often quote rates of 108% occupancy (and higher) because most of their cabins hold 3 or 4 and 100% means the number of guests is twice the number of cabins. Will the model hold up? So far VV is steadily increasing their occupancy. Time will tell.

I've only been on Valiant. My friend says the food is better on Scarlet, but she sails on both frequently....11 sailings so far! We were on the WBTA in October. There were special items served each sea day in the burger place, noodle, salad, and taco outlets. They ranged from a different taco or ramen to a chicken sandwich, gnocchi, and chateaubriand at lunch! We didn't eat dinner at The Galley, but there were occasional "off menu" items offered in the restaurants. I figured that with 14 days, they were trying to keep us from getting bored or reporting back that it was "always the same."

When we showed up at the port to check in (after luggage drop), they asked for our room number. Deep Blue showed up on their screen because they commented that we had VIP boarding and gave us the ribbon bracelet for the cocktail party. That bracelet was a pain--it tried to get into food, was nasty when wet, etc, so we cut it off and carried it to the party.

We had a crew member tell us that mentions in the comments could mean anything from an extra hour off on a port day to a change to a more desirable schedule on future cruises to promotions/raises depending on the number of positive comments. And he made a point of saying how important that extra hour off was to him. He also said that it is pretty easy to get promoted on VV "since they are always adding new ships" as long as the sailors and the supervisors like you. He said you can get promoted in your second contract which some other lines require you to work 7 or 8 contracts before promotion. And they don't hire anyone who doesn't have previous experience on another line and have a short list of lines they prefer to see on applications. Again, I can't say that this is true, but was one crew member's info.

They are currently hosting a cruise for their 100 top selling agents this week (along with other sailors), but lots of special activities, etc. for the top 100 and their +1. I imagine that the announcement has been timed to correlate with that.

One thing that does really matter to crew on other lines is mentioning them on the survey. On some lines, this has a lot to do with promotions, time off, etc. Since VV asks the question, we made sure to remember names. An easy way is to shoot a photo of their name tag. We didn't tip anyone extra. We offered it in the spa and were told it was not permitted. I LIKE the VV "almost all inclusive" model--it is one of the best parts of the line. And the things that are included are the things that I would pay extra for on other lines, so it works well for me. FWIW, I got a Celebrity ad so priced a cruise that is similar to our next VV. Base price on Celebrity was just a smidge higher, but when I added the "mostly inclusive" price, it was double what we are paying on VV! No, I didn't book it.

There are ways to use up that bar tab. You can treat your new best friends. You can also purchase a bottle of your favorite to take home--buy it from the bar to get it charged to the bar tab. If you buy it in duty free shop, it will be charged to Loot. I'm still crossing fingers that they extend deep blue again. They certainly messed up my plans with their various manipulations thru October and November!

THe $100 bar tab is a loyalty bonus which is now given in place of the "shake for champagne." We got a $200 loot credit on our first booking, but that was clearly part of the booking...not sure why you got it. No, that isn't part of the loyalty package, but don't knock it! Yes, we did some shopping with our loot on our first trip! Our restaurant reservations magically all "corrected" when we switched to the ship's wifi after boarding....as did our loot. Good luck with yours.

We got a letter in our cabin.

I'm the person who will remove towels from unoccupied chairs. Sorry, if they remain empty for 30 minutes, you are not just making a bathroom run or even getting food and bringing it to the pool area.

You can always ask the person....have the money or envelope in your hand and just ask, "Are you allowed to accept a tip?" If they say no, just say that you'll be sure to mention them in your survey. If they say yes, hand them the tip.

The tax issue depends on where the crew member is from. If they are not a US citizen, there is no US income tax kept. The UK used to exempt "seamen" from tax, and most third world countries don't have income tax. We offered a tip in the spa and were told that they were not allowed to accept tips and that the services included the tip. She also commented that she made three times as much on VV as she did on a previous ship where she was tipped! Other crew members have talked about the "perks" that are part of their salary on VV that they had to pay for on other lines--internet, good crew food, they can eat in the guest restaurants space permitting, free self service laundry, and they get the same toiletries supplied that guests do. One person even laughed about it being a good thing that shampoo and laundry soap is provided, but said that it makes a huge difference in that she doesn't have to shop for it in port and it all adds up. Yes, I would expect that they'd put a cash tip in their pocket...but I honestly don't know. On Disney, if a CM is in a non-tipped position and receives a tip, it must be turned in and is then donated to charity or used for a crew event. Keeping it is an offense that will get the person fired.

Remember to mention them by name in your survey that you'll get on line after arriving home. It goes a long way toward promotions and little bonuses.

If it is the same YouTube guy I saw, he used to work for another cruise line and he never posts anything good about VV....yet somehow he keeps booking additional cruises with them.

The only thing they're really said about the loyalty program they are developing is that it will be based on how much an individual has spent on the combination of cruise fares and on board spending......who knows what they will do? At least they've improved shoreside sailor services!

It looks like every other room when the ottoman is not made into a bed. Most of the extra space in the XL is in the bathroom area. When the ottoman is not opened, you can have the bed for 2 as one large bed or 2 twins.

This DOES connect you in the app. My TA suggested that I remove anyone I was linked with after boarding and after I saw my loot in the app. She said that if I unlinked them before that, it might mess with my loot. People you are linked with in the app can mess with your various reservations. As to giving people your information, what I do is to give them my TA's information and ask that they contact her. She will then call VV for us so the other party will never have my booking number and I will never have their's. However, the linkage in the app will still exist.

Hypothetically, she can take off her wristband and go in with you. We found the bands to be irritating, so often put them in our pockets.

VV is totally confusing. I was going to do a short December cruise just to become a Sea Rover, but at that time they had not announced that sea rovers would get Deep Blue or for how long (they'd only announced champagne thru 2023. The price of my cruise doubled (yikes), so I moved my air...then a week later they dropped the cruise price again. Now they have confirmed that sea rovers will get deep blue at least thru 2023 and extended the status match thru Mar. 31. Still not good enough for my April cruise. And reality, I can pay for all the Deep Blue stuff on my planned 2023 cruises for far less than the cost of that extra cruise. I'm just hoping they extend Deep Blue on the status match program thru April...If not, no big deal. For our October cruise, we both qualified for Deep Blue and got the email. Then they applied it twice to my cabin mate and not at all to me! I called them and was told to not worry about it. Benefits are per cabin, so it didn't matter at that point. However, when I tried to book another cruise under a deal that required me to be Deep Blue, the computer wouldn't take it. The booking agent did make it work by switching the order of the names.

I basically agree with Fogcity. There are some guests who receive black bracelets while not staying in suites, but your daughter would not fall into one of the categories that can get them. I have a friend who had done 11 cruises on VV as of October 2022. She was given a black bracelet based on her number of cruises. People doing publicity for VV as vloggers or whatever are sometimes housed in a sea terrace but given the black bracelet. You could include your daughter when you make dinner reservations before they are available to people in standard cabins. She is welcome in your suite and can drink from your bar. But no, she would not be able to go to Richard's Rooftop with you.

Booking thru VV is OK IF you transfer to a travel agent as soon as you book, but going thru the agent for all is easier. They also have special numbers with better trained people. IMHO, booking insurance thru any cruise line is a mistake. In our case, it costs the same or more than private insurance, the coverage is less, and it will only cover things that you booked thru the cruise line. Booking insurance privately in the US is based on age of the people traveling and the cost of the trip. You can insure your flights as well as the cruise (flights are a lot more likely to be messed up than the cruise), as well as hotels if you come in a day early or whatever. In particular, the medical coverage is a lot better. There are good web sites where you can compare companies, and your agent can recommend one as well. If you buy private insurance and rebook the cruise, the coverage can usually travel with you as it is tied to the first day of the booking; they never ask for my booking number! The other thing is that I book insurance in enough amount to cover the cruise as soon as I book. Then, after I book flights, I can increase the coverage amounts to cover them as well. We aren't allowed to recommend agents here as the site is owned by a travel company. What I will tell you is that any agent allowed to sell VV has to have completed their training and knows the product. It isn't like some other lines where if one agent in the company did training, they are all allowed to advertise as a such and such line specialist or whatever. The shoreside Sailor Services people are a lot better than they were a year ago!!! y best guess is that you'll lose what you paid for the insurance, but I'll hope that I'm wrong. It often depends on who you talk to! Your agent might be helpful in this also. Also, consider joining a social media group for your cruise, especially if it is 15 days long.

You may find yourself standing, not sitting.

I brought my Tervis tumbler to use for ice tea around the ship. I also brought my own re-use straws because I hate paper straws. You will have glass glasses in your room with the water carafes. The only place I saw single use styrofoam cups was in The Grounds Club. Otherwise it was glass tea cups, etc. I've read of people attempting to bring full single use water bottles on board and having them confiscated. I've not seen or heard of anyone having an empty container in their luggage taken. Beer is definitely served on tap AND in glass bottles and aluminum cans. There are several brands in cans in The Pizza Place, for example. Some of these are the same brands that are on tap elsewhere on the ship.

VV can either add your TA at the time of onboard booking (if you have their name and number) or you can add it when you get home. I've seen offers that were basically as good as the onboard booking, but nothing better than.

Agree that the veg are some of the best items. We subbed the mushroom and blue cheese (after a bite of each as server strongly encouraged) for the corresponding veg items...which were much better. In fairness, I declined those items initially, but Oliver wanted me to try them...then as he promised, brought me the gazpacho