cantgetin

Totally agree that "First Mates" should not be able to hold suites without a name attached. I've worked with agents who keep a "wait list" of people who want suites. When the sailings are released, they can grab something on a 24 hour hold, allowing time to get in contact with the client regarding price and any other specifics....the client then pays the downpayment or releases the cabin. And if released, all the other "first mates" as well as those people booking on their own have a chance at the cabin. Pricing is an interesting consideration. I have 2 cruises booked on VV (sea terrace) which have doubled in price since I booked them. Yes, I booked early and it seems they have become quite popular. It would seem that even an early booking, potentially at a lower fare, in a suite would still result in more profit than a bid later on. Suites are popular and VV doesn't seem to have any trouble filling them.

The airport is 20 minutes away, so that shouldn't be an issue. THere was a line for taxis, but there were people from the terminal keeping everything in order. I know of one person who organized a group on social media and got a private transportation company for his early departure. He made it very clear that the vehicle would be there at 7:45 and would depart at 8 whether the people were there or not in order to get to the airport on time. He started with a 6 person vehicle and had so much interest that they increased it to 13 person size. The airport itself is well organized by drop off area based on your airline but the traffic along the drop off area can be a pain. Reality, as long as nothing delays disembarkation, you'll be fine. If they need to take someone off for legal or medical reasons, that will delay everyone else as disembarkation won't start until that person is off the ship.

Not a surprise--they are raising prices on a lot of things!

We were not in any hurry, so we signed up for the latest possible 10:45 disembarkation time. That allowed us to have a nice breakfast and not rush. Yes, you can do self-disembarkation starting about 7:15-7:30 if everything is going normally. You can choose to put your luggage out the night before and pick it up in the terminal; it will be arranged by floor. You sign up for a disembarkation time under "shore things" for your last day. About 10:30, they start the "get off the ship NOW" announcements (more politely, but that's what it means!) It works basically like any other ship at any other terminal; you can do it whichever way you want. They don't enforce disembarkation times, but do have you select them to spread things out. You do not have to vacate your room until the time you selected, so you don't have to drag luggage and stuff to breakfast. That part is really nice.

That's exactly what I've been told by a couple of "first mates." And if a suite returns to inventory, there is nothing to stop another TA from grabbing it within minutes. They always seem to be occupied on my cruises. No worries, I'm very happy with my Sea Terrace.

I never got anything that good, even 25 years ago. We were once informed that the Roy suite was available on our DCL cruise, as a paid upgrade at the terminal. (I asked how this happened as those suites are booked thru a different system than normal cabins and typically have a waiting list. The CM said that there had been a medical emergency in the family and the entire family decided to cancel the cruise "just in case."). I couldn't justify the price for a suite that sleeps 7 when there were only 2 of us. The days of free upgrades of any sort seem to be decreasing unless you have a "gty" booking. But then, the lines exist to make a profit, and if they can sell someone a nicer cabin for even $100, it makes sense to do that rather than "give" it away. If they don't do bidding upgrades or if there aren't enough people bidding, many lines also sell upgrades at the terminal. I was made aware a few days ago that a suite had opened up on our upcoming cruise; it was gone within minutes!

Your cheat sheet is very accurate as of our most recent voyage, May 2023/ One other hint--if you couldn't get a reservation or have used up your max number of reservations at a restaurant, you can go to the restaurant early. They are able to make a reservation for you later that evening or the next night! I don't know if they have access to the rest of the cruise. You can also do a walk up, but if you want to try for a "prime time" spot around 8, it is easy to go about 6:30 and ask if they can give you a reservation near that time. Then you know you will be seated rather than "probably."

I've gotten the best results when I use the prompt for IT issues (when that is my problem). The land based Sailor Services people have improved over the last 18 months, but the often don't have a clue how to handle situations (are you able to hold for a few minutes while I contact my supervisor?). That's the good. If you ever get Raoul, he is amazing. The others.....friendly, polite, but not generally helpful. I use a "first mate" who gives great customer service and let her deal with VV for me most of the time.

Valiant is the only ship that has done the TAs so far. Scarlet will do one in April 2024 as she heads to Europe for dry dock (dry dock is rumor, the sailing is for sure). My comments were based on the most recent Valiant TA, April 2023.

Lightening

We went in thinking this was going to be some weird vegan restaurant, and it turned out to be one of our favorites. Just another example of the marketing not quite being on point with the reality. Look back at the original marketing for the line...I seriously thought it was intended for "20 somethings cruising on daddy's money." Yet the average age is in the 40s with a wide range.

As above, my experience has been that the system opens just a few minutes before midnight. Then it promptly crashes at 12:10am. If you used a "first mate" for your booking, they can make your reservations for you thru their portal...although I suspect most of them don't want to be working at midnight. After the system crash, my "first mate" did it for us and got everything we asked for. As long as she's not cruising, I'll do the same thing next time--try it myself, then turn it over to her if the system goes down.

Interesting....on our VV cruise, they took out the air hockey tables for a rather cramped karaoke at night, but they always reappeared the next morning.

Thanks for the heads up. For a funny.....I called VV on a different issue a few days ago and the person obviously had to be able to look at my reservation on the computer. At the end of the call, she asked if there was anything else she could help me with such as shore or dining reservations. The cruise is nowhere near having those windows open yet!

1--watch the video on the app or TV , check in at the station. 2 minuted demo on how to put on a lifejacket. You have about a 90 minute slot to check in. 2--no

Exactly--we were in no hurry (spending the night in Barcelona as it was impossible to get an afternoon flight out), so booked something like 9am at RD. They were quite busy, but we were still well cared for. Be aware that on the last day, seating in the restaurants ends early, The Galley is open a bit later...but as you noted, it can be busy there. You do NOT have to vacate your cabin until your disembarkation time, so you can leave your suitcases in the cabin--so much easier than people bringing them to breakfast like is required on other lines.

Yes, on short cruises, you get the message that you have already used your booking for that restaurant. Same on a long cruise if you have used all 3 slots. You can still do a walk in or go to the restaurant and they can make a reservation for you, regardless of how many times you've been there! The brunch reservations prior to boarding are new, you have always been able to book brunch reservations after boarding. We were turned away at The Wake once; they offered us a reservation for the next day. In fairness, it was almost noon and we were not upset at not getting in...we just went to RD.

That's more than I've gotten from them. I had to call VV yesterday on another matter, so asked this. The response was that they don't know when the fall of 2024 will be released, but "we're hoping it can be soon." I asked my TA who said she has no info and will let me know as soon as she hears anything. Fingers crossed, she's going to be on a cruise for the top "first mates" next week with some of the management people.

Totally agree!

On each of the menus, you can substitute the same course from the vegetarian menu if desired. THe chocolate/coconut dessert on the vegetarian A menu is really good.

I've seen this reported elsewhere but wasn't sure if it was accurate. Thanks for confirming.

They request no door decorations, but I've never seen any enforcement of the request. There are always a few people who choose to not follow, but it isn't like on other lines.

We've haad multiple VV cruises, each time with DBE. In each situation, there was a special line for "Sailor's Club" where we were given a bracelet made of a ribbon, NOT the RFID bracelet. This enabled us to enter the terminal at 1:00 and proceed to a priority check in waiting area. Within minutes, we were directed to a check in station (one floor up in Miami, same level in Barcelona). We were checked in within minutes. Boarding started at 1:30 with suite sailors boarding first, then romance packages, then Sailor's Club (Another name for those with DBE), then regular people based on assigned time. You get an assigned time on the app and are told to not arrive more than 30 minutes before your time. Without DBE, you are lined up in queues based on your scheduled time and processed as soon as possible after that. This typically means right about your time.

Thanks...good to hear that breakfast hasn't changed in particular.

Brunch menu--buckwheat waffles. Evening--whatever the pork dish was called, beer chicken, and I'm guessing that the "secret steak" is still an unlisted secret. The beer chicken was a great substitute for the no longer available butter chicken. Seriously, this was our favorite restaurant on our last cruise, and my cruising partner will be seriously unhappy if the stuff she liked is not available. This, combined with the fact that fall 2024 is not available yet could be the difference between booking another VV and looking at other lines. We have 2 more booked and do not plan to cancel, but are holding off on booking any more.