cantgetin

When the new rates came out, my TA sent info to her clients about 5 or 6 cruises that were significantly lower priced than most others. There are still some unexplained deals out there.

Well, in Jan 2023, VV should have given you $600 USD in bar tab on each leg of 6 nights or longer. If you got MNVV, your TA must have had some and gotten it applied as you didn't have any previous voyages....and no Status Match for DBE is sad, but such is life. For my 14 night in April 2024, I have $600 MNVV from certificates I purchased on previous cruises, $600 bar tab from VV promo, DBE from status match, $100 bar tab as part of DBE, and bottle of bubbly from travel agent because she booked more than 10 cabins on this cruise. I have no explanation of your deal and why.

If caught when you board, it will be confiscated

I just thought of something. Are you in the US? That could be where some of the conflict is if you are converting AUD to USD (perks are in USD). Also, are you in a sea terrace or above cabin? That's where some most of the perks start. January 2023, there was a $600 on sailings of 6 nights or more if you were booked in a sea terrace or above cabin.

There is no way to fully do "apples to apples" because the packages are different on each cruise line....but doing the best I can, VV is now very much in line with other cruise lines whereas before the recent price increases, they were a huge bargain. Still, you've got to look at what you will use. For us, the unlimited internet is a big deal....much better than the limited amounts included by some other lines. VV food is good, but some items are better on some other lines, particularly in their specialty restaurants. On VV, I'll go to exercise classes....I wouldn't pay for them on other lines.

MNVV stands for "my next Virgin Voyage" and the deal is that basically you pay $300 for the certificate and in return get that $300 applied to the trip cost PLUS $300 off cruise fare and $600 in sailor loot (onboard credit). Because the certificates are transferrable, many travel agents buy the max allowed in advance and then sell them to clients as an extra perk. IF this was the case, you should have seen $300 off your cruise fare as well as $600 loot on each leg. I did see that loot was going to be decreasing, but thought that was after Jan 1. VV is currently offering free bar tab of $600 for cruises over 14 nights, decreasing amounts for shorter cruises. If you have any loyalty status on any other line, apply for the status match NOW as that is scheduled to end at midnight tomorrow--don't know if the ending is based on application date or processing date. Apply for both of you. If you qualify, you get another nice package of perks including one complimentary load of laundry (important on your long cruise). I would be questioning your agent as to exactly what you got and why. Loot can be used for anything on board. Bar tab can be used for any beverage that has a cost (alcoholic or not, smoothie, cold pressed juices, specialty coffee and tea, etc) MNVV only applies in Sea Terrace or above cabins

My first suggestion would be to contact your travel agent to make sure you got the current best benefits. I know that the MNVV benefits decreased recently. I'm not sure why the $400 bar tab as the internet shows $600 for cruises over 14 nights...which would apply to Sydney to Singapore, I think (15 nights?). If you haven't already applied for status match, do so TODAY as it reportedly end tomorrow! Don't know if that is application date or processing date, but both of you should apply if you qualify. Sorry that I can't be more help on the details as we'd booked 2024 a year ago, so got the "then in effect" benefits. Your travel agent may have had some MNVV certificates that they were able to use for you, but not sure what the current loot offer is.

That was my first thought....you wouldn't even be able to get into the hammock on a 1 foot deep balcony (or at least I wouldn't, I need my wiggle room)/

Our upcoming 2024 cruse is now selling for 4 times what we paid for it! And yes, the new pricing is one of the reasons for our decision to take a break.

about 15 months ago, I almost booked a cruise in order to have the "2 cruises by the end of " the year. I even got plane tickets on SW because they were cheap and I knew I could cancel them if they didn't work. BUT I really didn't want to book the cruise till after I sailed the first one. Well.....a couple days after I got off Valiant, VV doubled the price of the cruise. I realized that it wasn't worth that kind of money to qualify for Sea Rover, so canceled my flights. A week after that, VV took the price of the cruise back down to what it had been, but by then the air was a lot more....so I didn't book the additional cruise (we already had 3 booked, but not in that calendar year.). And a month or so after all the drama, VV extended the status match and the time to qualify as Sea Rover Bottom line, the benefits are nice. Dealing with some of the nonsense that VV manages thru Shoreside Sailor Services and their web site is not at all nice. That's where a good TA helps, but this nonsense is still ridiculous. We have a repo cruise booked in 2024, and then we are taking a break.

If you have multiple bar tabs, you can assign one to each person, but you cannot split a single tab. However, by clicking the "entire room on. one card" box, you can both spend off one bar tab.

It is very easy to look at the app and see what each person has spent...keep a daily record or whatever works for you. But no, VV will not split it for you. In order for you to be able to use either bracelet, you need to check the box that says you are charging everything to the same credit card. If you don't do this, then only the bracelet for the lead sailor will accept charges on loot or bar tab.

The size sounds ridiculous though. The two hammocks must be the selling point they put in as otherwise NO ONE would go for a balcony that small!

VV never seems to know what they are up to...things appear on line or on the app only to be changed a few days later. They'll figure it out eventually.

Generally 8 and 10 or 10:30....but it does vary

While I can see this on most lines, DCL may be a little different than "most." We went thru a phase with kids where we chose DCL. Mine still liked Disney in the teen phase, but I can see other kids preferring the more "exciting" lines like Royal. Then we hit the college phase where, honestly, there wasn't much cruising. And then came a phase where we explored the world to places where Disney doesn't go.....and now that the grandparent phase is nearing, it just doesn't seem right that DCL is going to make us start our "status" all over. I could honestly see a 10 year gap of college and young adult where many people would not be in a DCL frame of mind, particularly when that included 2 years of no one cruising. We basically did 5 years of no vacations between covid and then cancer treatment. But then, status perks are nice, but not the end of the world.

VV keeps extending their status match, giving increasing numbers of sailors "Sea Rover" status even on their first cruise......at the same time, DCL has announced that if you haven't cruised with them in the past 5 years, they "retain the right" to cancel your Castaway Club status.

Not that I'm aware of--I'd suggest that you check with Sailor Services as to whether there might be a room available. As you noted, most other lines provide a room and insert a notification in the daily planner that the room is available for passenger led services on Friday nights and Sunday mornings. I've never seen such a notification on VV.

That may deoend on the particular cruise. We had quite a few of us "older folk" on our 14 and 15 night cruises.

DBE is per cabin....so $10 per day per cabin. But if you have a bar tab on your cruise, anything over the $10 per day wull be charged to your bar tab. And DBE will include a $100 bar tab. That is the way it is written up....but on our last cruise, we each got the $100 bar tab that is part of DBE. In addition to the complimentary bar tab that is part of DBE AND any bar tab that might have been part of your booking, for every $300 bar tab you purchase, you get a $100 bonus (rather than the normal $50 bonus.). However, this has to be added manually, so tell your travel agent or shoreside customer service to be sure it is added. We haven't needed to buy a bar tab on any 2023 or 2024. ruise as there has been so much included in the booking.

That will definitely be a plus for some people

On our last sailing, we had quite a few people "working" on line during the cruise. I doubt that many were really doing a full day of work, but they were still involved at least part time.

We watched one couple from Chicago who did a weekend get away from the Chicogo weather one weeke d per month on DCL...she ultimately becane a TA. Bottom loine, that's how they acrued so many criuses, but they were all short cruises. And much of this was in the era when DL cruises were reasonably price. We take a lot of long cruises, and used to remark on our number of nights vs. others who had more "status." At some point, the value for money on DCL, as well as child issues and mine becoming an adult, made it time to explore other lines. We've stucl to about 2 cruises per year but continue to choose cruises that make that 24 or more nights per year. Ans no, with a move such that we are farther from ports, we'll never see the 100 cruises level on any line, but I've seen how others do it. It doesn't seem right that a 3 night cruise gets the same status credit as a 12-15 night. On the othr hand, depending on line, 7y nights may cost more than 14-15 nights.

VV has talked about loyalty based on number of cruises, number of nights, and number of dollars spent. Obviously, no final decision yet.

The expiration date for status match has changed so many times that I can't even keep track of it.....maybe 5 times....?