cantgetin

Honestly, I think it is time to end the status match and award Sea Rover with DBE to people who have completed 2 cruises (which was the requirement) or whatever increased level they set. Alternatively, have a different set of perks that does not include priority boarding for those who status match rather than previous cruisers.

Agreed--there are many people who have multiple cruises already sailed. Status match made sense early on, but at this stage they should either eliminate the status match or give a different set of perks than those who have multiple sailings get.

I generally do the same as you when looking for last minute stuff. If it is something special, we book 18 months or so out.....and generally get at least decent rates then. However, I'm not sure there are good rates out there any more.

The Rockstar agents try to be helpful and can usually make reservations for the group associated with people in a suite. However, you will likely not hear about whether or not that person got the upgrade until nearly boarding day (a week or less in advance)....you'll want to make your own reservations at 45 days! If you have trouble getting reservations or the app doesn't work, your travel agent can do it thru their portal.

My status took a week, my adult daughter's took 3 days, other people have reported one day to get the email. Fingers crossed that yours comes thru before boarding. Once you get the email, make a screen shot and take it with you so you can prove it if it isn't on the ship's records (they do make mistakes, even when timing is not tight.)

As above, shows without dinner service are right at an hour or a few minutes less.

If you qualify for with loyalty status thru the status match, you get DBE even if it is your first VV cruise! But no, you can only be booked in one cabin.

No, you cannot do it on the phone. You submit on line. On the VV web site, scroll down to "Loyalty" and you'll find the application there. Your acceptance will be confirmed by email within a week. You can do the status match and get the benefits on your first VV cruise. If you complete 2 sailings, this will roll over t (supposedly) to whatever their new program is. The release of the new program has been delayed several times....

The biggest difference I can see is that the Megas have the "red glove" service prior to boarding to arrange your transportation from airport to cruise (or home to cruise if you live close enough). You can book dinners at 60 days, but you can also call red glove or your TA and have them book dinners for you. If, by any chance, you are charged for something on board in error, they can fix that. Hint--drinks are covered around the ship up to $25. There are some high end items that are more than the $25...but the bar in the casino serves half pours. You can go to the casino bar and get two half pours at no charge or go to other bars and be charged because a full pour exceeds the $25! Same with high end wines--sometimes a bottle exceeds the limit but you can buy it by the glass as no charge. Not sure what there is to comp--thermal suite is included with the suite. You can get any dinner time/location you want including food from restaurants sent to your suite (there are limited hours and ordering times on this)...tickets to virtually any event. They can't get you into bungee class if it is full as there are only 6 slots...but they can book you into it as soon as you board before anyone else has access. You will be escorted to the entrance for anything--no standing in line ever. Any alcohol you want at the bar in your suite, just let them know what you want. Bottom line, you'll board first and anything they couldn't do in advance can be done as soon as you board.

Big red desk is on deck 7 right by the roundabout--so yes very near where you enter the ship.

On the one hand, I can see how charters benefit the cruise line. On the other, charters should NOT be available after a cruise has opened for booking.

It is all going to be supply and demand. If VV can't fill ships at the newer price points, they will come down. I'm not a bit sure the demand is there for the industry expansion expected in 2025. Many lines have new ships coming out and I'm sensing that the demand that built up during the pandemic has been satisfied or nearly so. The "I can't wait for a vacation" feeling is gone. Disney is basing a new ship in Asia, so I think they'll be full with that, but not a bit sure about other lines.

Booking--first you need to link your account to the others in your group. After that, you can book for everyone. This applies to dinners, shows, activities, etc. Excursions booked in advance must be paid in advance. If you book for a group, you'll need to pay for all of them and square up with them later by whatever means you choose. You can't use loot for bookings prior to boarding; you must put it on your credit card. Booking after boarding, my experience is that it comes from the account of the cabin of the person that does the booking. I know they can shuffle charges within a cabin if you don't all have the same pay source, but I've not heard of being able to move loot from one cabin to another or swapping charges among cabins. My suggestion on excursions would be to go to the big red desk after boarding and let them handle the whole group. THat way, you can be sure enough spots are available, etc. before you get into the booking details and let them handle taking it out of the loot.

Yes--there is a corkscrew in your room and you are welcome to open it there and carry a glass to a restaurant. But if you carry a bottle to a restaurant, you will be charged a corkage fee. On Valiuant, it was $25 or $30 USD. If you do choose to open it in your room, you can get appropriate classes from your cabin host or any bartender.

On our sailings, there was a solo dinner in Razzle Dazzle at 6:30 on the first night, hosted by a Happenings Cast member. There was at least one solo activity on each sea day which was listed on the paper schedule....I'm not sure if it appeared on the app or where it might have been hidden. Walter gave you a great list of hang out and meet people areas above. At The Dock, there are tables for 6 or 8--feel free to take any empty seat and meet other cruisers. There are lots of places that I wouldn't consider hang outs where I met people....show up 10 minutes early to the VHS work out class. There is a lounge area outside of Sip where people can gather who don't want the HighTea but the entertainers often come over. We ended up with a lovely group there one afternoon. Make your own fun--join a FB group or other social media prior to the cruise. We had several sub-groups, one of which was solo or cruising solo...and planned our own activities.

A very sketchy listing appears along with the dinner res, but it is subject to change and is nowhere near complete--at least that's been my experience

DCL cruises started as very expensive, became reasonable, then went thru the roof. And product quality has had better and worse periods but the character experience has always been amazing. However, at the point where we had no children involved and frankly, some of the newer stage shows were just bad, there was nothing to justify those prices any more. We started branching out. We've had some great experiences on other lines, mostly due to itineraries. VV was another of those "branch out and try it" situations. Unfortunately, some of my favorite activities have either been seriously diluted or ended. Food quality, while generally good, has not been uniformly so. Disembarkation issues have been just plain bad each time with their handicap assist situation. I understand some of the issues, but if Princess, Celebrity, Disney, etc. can master them, why can't VV? It has been a good product at a good price. It is not a product that justifies a a 300% increase. So we will enjoy 2024 as booked, then take a break while the industry straightens out as new ships are launched. There going to be a LOT of competition out there.

We've been there at least 4 times (multiple cruises). We never had this experience. The server always provided dipping sauces to each pair or solo and served each of us separately from the grill. NOTHING was ever passed around as a "take what you want and pass it on" deal.We never were served or ate anything that had been touched by anyone else. Not my favorite restaurant, but not for any of the reasons you experienced.

For first timers, the servers asks whether they want to order off the menu or have him/her supply "the favorites." We know what we want, so order off the menu. It is all grilled at about the same time. The non-grill items all come together. Another vote for the Kalbi.

When I do the best "apples to apples" comparison I can come up with, VV with the new prices is comparable to what I'm seeing on most other lines.....which means we're taking a break from cruising after our previously booked 2024 sailings. Part of that is "cruise fatigue" as we've done quite a bit recently and the rest is that I can't justify the costs I'm seeing.

OK...we have always had small wash cloths in the cabin. Most recently, we have had bar soap; a few cruises ago it was supplied when we asked for it. As my travel companion required an HA cabin, we always have one. Yes, they are bigger and have features that people with mobility impairment need (roll in shower with shower seat, curtain on shower, not door, ramp to balcony), bars at toilet and shower, emergency notification buttons. They are also missing some features that standard cabins have--there is no shelf under the sink so that a wheelchair can have space to pull up to the sink, for example. We've certainly never found our assigned cabin to be dirty, but I've read of this happening to others, whether it was an HA or regular cabin. No explanation for why, but in each case the individual was moved to a clean and ready cabin.

Yeah, you explained it better than I did. Exactly what I was trying to convey--that they don't work for VV and (in my experience) don't know what they are doing when working VV in Miami. Barcelona has been much better each time, even when it was the first use of the A terminal rather than WTC.

I would suggest you watch a bunch of YouTube videos about VV. The ones by "Where's Walter Travels" are particularly good--detailed and accurate. Smoking--one room off the casino and one area of the pool deck only, policy is enforced. Food--6 sit down restaurants included in fare. You can make reservations in advance or after boarding. The Galley is a food court where you can go to the location you wish and order or you can be seated and a server will take your order and bring your food....or a combination of the two. For instance, we would sometimes go to the salad station and get a custom made salad, then sit down and order hot food thru a server. Other places are usually rather quick. Food at The Dock is excellent but not always quick. Pizza is made to order, takes about 10-15 minutes from order till in your hands. It can be served to eat there or to go. Crowds...yeah, pool deck on a sea day can be full, but if you go up one deck there are plenty of chairs. It depends on where you want to be. Overall, best food I've had on any ship, BUT individual dishes on some lines have been better. Service--as good as any and better than most. Crew attitude--excellent. Seem happy with their jobs and glad to be there. They get better pay and way better perks than on most lines.

On each of our cruises, The Galley offered a dinner special that changed each night. That day's special was listed in the paper version of the daily activities; I don't know if it was on the app (I never saw it there). The Beef Wellington rivaled any restaurant I've ever eaten at. I can't say that we tried a lot of the specials, but I was never disappointed in them. These were totally different and separate from the lunch specials. I don't know if this is common practice on VV as each of our cruises has been 8 nights or longer. It may only happen on long cruises. As to the comment about Razzle (above). I have to agree. RD went from being one of our favorite dinner restaurants to being "won't go there again" on our last cruise based on food quality and the new menu. It is funny to see the restaurant quality change between cruises. The Wake: Cruise 1 steak dry, other selections just OK. Cruise 2--food much improved but service awful. Cruise 3--they finally got it together with good food and good service. Extra Virgin Cruise 2--food was poorly seasoned and served COLD to the point that we got up and left when it happened the second time. Service was good. We went over to RD! Last cruise, RD was meh What I've learned for our 14-15 night cruises is to try each restaurant once ON THAT CRUISE, and change reservations for the remaining nights as needed based on the first experience. It doesn't work to try to compare to the previous cruise on the same ship.

Wow, that's quite awful. THe Galley is good, especially ir your cruise has the nightly dinner specials, but a week of eating there would get old.