cantgetin

I actually met my TA when I happened to be making a trip to her location for a totally unrelated purpose, and then later we were on the same cruise. Yes, an in person meeting is great...but I also used a previous TA (she retired) for probably 10 years and we never met in person.

The only part I don't agree with it having an agent "near me." The agent I love is in Huntsville, 5 hours away from me by car. These days, it doesn't matter as everything is done on line anyhow. We can connect thru any number of platforms. I'm not sure what the requirements for being a Gold tier agent are....all VV agents must complete their training--not just one agent in the office, but each agent. I look for one who has cruised whatever line I'm interested in, preferably recently. I know my agent placed in the top 10 only because she got a special cruise free due to her placement. Tootles,

Exactly as above. On VV's site, scroll down to "Loyalty" and click on that. They system is explained along with t chart of what will match and the application. You either match or you don't, and if you do, you get temporary Sea Rover status which gives you the Deep Blue Extras package. You don't get a better package on VV if your level is higher on the other line. Basically, they match some of the higher levels on most lines...but check. I've seen people post things like "Well, I get XYZ on Royal and VV didn't give me that." No, VV doesn't "match" what another line gives you. THey "match" that you do or do not qualify for their loyalty program. If you qualify, you get DBE....which may be more or less than you'd get on the other line.

If you watch videos of VV on YouTube, you might get some ideas. Some of the people who do videos are also on cruise critic....like Walter. You might also get a sense as to whether any are people you want to deal with. I don't know what you are using in your search, but you might try placing the word "travels" after your search. I'm really sorry that I can't make suggestions here, but that is strictly against Cruise Critic policy. I lave my TA, but I can't violate CC policy. Tootles

THe steak at The Dock is really good.

I'm guessing that the reason for the post is that someone thought it was "per cabin" like DBE and found otherwise if they were not sharing expenses. We've never had a problem, but I put my credit card for both of us and that I'd be responsible for all expenses.

If you haven't tried The Dock, that's another "worth a try" spot.

This was just posted on another board. The individual who posted is a TA and is currently on Scarlet Lady, so I consider it accurate. It seems it does not affect your cabin IF you have one credit card taking responsibility for all people in the cabin. (lead sailor checked the box saying she was responsible for the whole cabin's expenses.) There seems to be a new policy regarding splitting Loot and Bar Tab between sailors on board when each sailor is paying for themselves with their own credit card. Of course this is subject to change and may vary from ship to ship.

The hammock is a chair hammock. Basically, sit your bottom in the middle of it. Use your feet to stretch out the part of it under the feet, so they are supported rather than dangling. Then reach back and pull up the part behind you so it is under your head. You should now be in a semi-reclining position. To get out of it, use your feet to slide back the part under your feet (this puts them down in a dangling position.) Then, if you are old and awkward like I am, grab the balcony railing for support and stand up.

On our cruises, there was a dinner special served in The Galley each night; we did it once when the meat special was Beef Wellington (with all the trimmings). While the atmosphere isn't great, the food was. My cruise partner ordered a second serving of the vegetables which were cooked and seasoned to perfection! I considered a second order of the Wellington, but decided to be reasonable. There was no wait as it was almost empty. The special for each night was listed in the paper directory that was available at 4 locations around the ship. I understand that you didn't book the cruise to eat dinner at The Galley, but it is another option, particularly if you don't like the food at the place you were scheduled. The marinated beef in Gumbae is good. There is way too much food, so we have learned to order only what we like rather than the "favorites." Test Kitchen is...different. We don't care for it although the A menu is tolerable with a couple of substitutions from the vegetarian menu. For instance, I don't like mushrooms, so I substitute the gazpacho. We tried each menu once. We book elsewhere now. I know, I'm not terribly adventurous. I couldn't really tell from your description if you liked RD. We haven't had the new menu. Your thoughts?

You are correct that you can only book one reservation per restaurant in advance on short cruises. However, you can do walk ups (we've never had a long wait) or go to the restaurant around 6 and ask if they can give you a timer for later that evening. The manager can over-ride the system and give you a reservation. I don't remember the max weight for the hammock for sure, but it is posted in the room. I think it was 300 pounds. In any event, getting in and out of the hammock is easy once you figure it out. I did a video on it because it wasn't totally intuitive. Enjoy RD--our favorite on our last cruise. Check out the naughty menu and the secret steak.

Each of the itineraries has places that are among our favorites. We love Curacao, whether we snorkel, just do the island, or whatever. Tortola, Baths at Virgin Gorda. This does involve a bit of a walk, so if you are mobility limited, it may not be a good choice for you.

Leave it to VV to have multiple names. Sailing Club = the loyalty program. Sea Rover, Sea Blazer are current levels within Sailing Club. Deep Blue Extras is the current package of perks. But don't worry--if you tell them you have DBE, you'll get what you need,

You can call, but it is unlikely that a shoreside agent will be any help. You will be in the first boarding group. Go directly to the Manor. There will be rockstar agents there to either help you thru getting the reservations you want or do it for you. But yes, you should do it as soon as you board and you should be at the terminal 30 minutes before your assigned time. You'll have a pleasant lounge to wait in and be ready to get those reservations as soon as you board. While in The Manor, you'll be offered munchies and bubbly. If you want something a little more solid, you can grab lunch after you have the reservations you want. Yes, they hold back about 35% of reservations until after boarding, but they don't "hold" them for Rockstars. The only advantage you'll have is that you get to board before anyone else. Also, my sailing buddy and I do a "divide and conquer" move. One of us refines any dinner reservations while the other grabs the entertainment reservations. It isn't as big a deal as it sounds--takes maybe 10 minutes and we have what we want.

We never used the armchair in our cabin for 2....or maybe I should say that it became a place to "sit" a suitcase.

"Sailing Club" is the name for their loyalty program. Just go to that line, and you should be on their tablet list. I put a screenshot on my phone in case they can't find me. They will give you a ribbon bracelet which is a real pain--gets in food, gets wet tin shower, etc. You can remove it as soon as you are on board. Once you have that bracelet, you'll be allowed inside.

The only place I'm aware of serving half pours is the casino bar....not saying that it can't happen elsewhere. Any place can split a drink between 2 people, but they need the computer "button" to bill it as a half pour.. If it matters to you, ask before you order.

I know some people were not pleased with the "no kids" commercials' I found them cute. I liked the "Now We're Voyaging" as it hit the demographic that VV is attracting right at their current average sailor age of 43 while showing some who appeared to be younger; I thought some of the early ads were too youthful and made it look like a ship full of 20 somethings. This latest one just doesn't cut it.

Correct....you have qualified for DBE with either the status match or 2 cruises between the required dates.

I can't answer most of your questions. You CAN order full size cocktails in Test Kitchen and have what you order applied to your bar tab, so likely would be the same--applying to Mega benefits. Another hint--if you are into some of the very costly liquors that go for $40 per shot, the bar in the casino, and ONLY that bar serves 1/2 pours. This takes them down to $20 and puts them on the Mega benefits.

VV is great as you are welcome to dress up as much as you want, but you are also welcome everywhere on the ship in shorts and t-shirts. I don't normally hit either extreme, but you wouldn't be out of place and no one would give you a second glance.

You are very kind, thank you. I wish I could send you the name of my agent, but CC is very strict about that, and there is no way. I started using a TA when I was a very busy business owner. This was a zillion years ago when they had offices and you went in. When that agent/agency no longer existed, I tried a few on line, and found one that was quite good. I used primarily one agent at what was an office of many although I never met her in person. I did meet the owner of the agency later on a cruise. Covid changed all that, but I then found a really great person/agency. We "met" on line, but then as a fluke, I was making a trip to her location, so we had lunch together, and later met on a VV cruise. Her service is excellent, and we had a really good personality mesh. That may sound odd, but we are both "numbers people" and I don't have to explain things to her. Tootles, cantgetin

For picky eaters, I'd do either The Wake or (don't laugh) Razzle Dazzle. You can't go wrong with a basic steak house for "picky" unless they don't eat meat. RD was our all time favorite. THe secret steak was the best steak on board and there were several chicken dishes that were very good. THere was also a nightly meat special, but that might have been because we were onboard for 15 nights most recently. I think for me, the choice would come down to what atmosphere you want for your special dinner--Wake is fancier, RD is more "friendly." Have never done the special, but what you get is a special dessert and maybe some other things. OR you could do The Wake for your brunch and RD for your dinner! That way, you'd have both experiences. Only those in cabins with DBE will board early (you can't board a group of 8 if 2 people in a single cabin have priority unless the crew decide to let it slide. Also, if you want to eat together every night, link your group on the app. Then one of you will be able to make reservations for all. Just be aware that if someone goes into the app and cancels their reservation, it will cancel the whole group. TELL THEM that if someone wants to not do a show or dinner that was booked for the group, just leave the reservation intact and be a "no show" for it. That will work unless they are trying to book something else that will have a conflict.

Exactly this...but it did drive me crazy when my flight was changed by just a few minutes several times and I kept getting notifications. It was interesting because we were flying to Miami from different "home" cities, so there were flights for each of us on the app. I do wish it could be set up so if the flight time changed less than 5 minutes, they wouldn't send a notification! i think what really bugged me was that each time I had to open the app and log in, only to see that my flight was 3 minutes later, then 2 minutes earlier, etc. But yes, it was wonderful to have everything in one easy place, even though hyper me printed out confirmations as well. The one I would strongly suggest printing out is anything you need to show to a taxi driver in a country where English isn't the first language. This was great to have for the taxi from the terminal to our hotel in Barcelona. My TA is wonderful.....I had to bother her tonight because VV sent an email saying "You made a change to your reservation," Well, I hadn't, and I didn't see anything on their email that was any different. TA confirmed that many clients got these today and she doesn't know why, but she looked at my reservation and assured that there were no changes.

They do sometimes reduce rates if they aren't getting bookings. It will just depend on the people on board with us.