cantgetin

No problem at all. A friend just brought a bunch of hot sauce for her relative who was also sailing....she got sent to the "naughty room" because they thought it was alcohol, but let her go as soon as they saw what it was.

We much prefer private companies as well, but check them out first. Many are excellent, some not so. I may be delusional, but it has been my experience that if you are in a vehicle with 4-12 people, where likely you are all talking with each other, etc. there is far less chance of some idiot showing up an hour late at the meeting place than if you are on a bus of 50 people. Many excursions have a small amount of "on your own" time, and that's when people tend to not come back! The most memorable excursions we've had were small groups, whether we arranged it, or our travel agent did. Another huge advantage is that wildlife is far better without a crowd. For example, we walked to the butterfly farm in St. Thomas and arrived just as the DCL group was getting rounded up and preparing to leave. They were complaining about the butterflies not being active. As soon as that huge group left on their bus, the butterflies came out from everywhere! We were one of 2 families in the place, and it was far more quiet.

Yes, after the terminal opens to incoming sailors. You are the first ones allowed in, usually between 12:30 and 1.

If you are in a suite, there is no reason to spend money on a cabana. There is a special area for suite guests to hang out (similar area near the entrance open to everyone). Also special section of sand. I can think of a lot better things to do with $500.

Exactly as above, wear what you want. Most people know about Scarlet Night in advance and do a little something--maybe as simple as a headband, bandana, socks, a handkerchief in a pocket, etc. Some people go all out. I've seen devil costumes, sequined tux, full ball gowns, etc. You are welcome and won't be out of place no matter what.

I can't address that specific product. You can buy a new, unopened bottle of wine and many liquors. If purchased from a bar, it goes on your bar tab. If purchased from the duty free shop, it is charged to "loot." If they don't have the product you want a one bar, check at another. Each bar carries different stuff. My experience is that anything purchased from a bar or in a restaurant is charged to the bar tab. This includes Test Kitchen pairings. Activities that involve alcohol but are not part of a meal being served (like Grog Walk) are charged to loot.

My suggestion (and I can't say that I fully know the answer to your question)....make a reservation there, but go early and talk to the powers that be. It sounds to me like you might need to have your food cooked on your own separate grill as many of the dishes are spicy, previously marinated, etc. I suspect that they can meet your needs, but they might choose to place your party at your own table to avoid any cross contamination. If they can't do what you need, they can contact another restaurant and get you seating there, probably at the same time. My experience has been that every restaurant can meet allergy issues, but they can't necessarily do it with every item on the menu. For instance, I know that they can do the chicken with no sauce, no spices. I don't know if they can do the beef that way or if they have it all marinated in advance. And you definitely wouldn't want a grill where any of the seasoned stuff was being cooked. In contrast, at any of the restaurants that serve steak, they can grill a steak "plain" and understand the need to clean the grill first and use an area where there have been no seasonings for other people's food. We were asked about allergies by every host and every server.

We ordered it and ate it. There was nothing wrong with it, just nothing special enough to justify the cost, and we certainly didn't need any more food. Note on Gunbae--if you want more of any of the included food, just let your server know; they are happy to supply more. We've done Gunbae at least 3 times now. The standard first time is that they will ask if you want to order off the menu or have them bring you the most popular items. First time, we did the most popular. After that, we knew what we liked of the included items, so only ordered those things. They can also do the chicken with sauce on the side (the sauce is quite spicy).

And the great quality food on VV is almost all included. We did indulge in trying the waygu beef at gunbae, but decided that it was silly to do so. There was more than enough excellent food without the "treat yourself," and it was no better than the free food. I've heard good things about the tomahawk steak at The Wake, but don't see why I'd pay when there is so much good stuff included.

Walter expressed it well. VV does things differently and some of those things are not right for everyone. VV has the highest quality of dining I've seen on any line; the closest being Celebrity and Disney....but we've seen ups and downs in Disney dining over the years, and adult only dining there is not cheap! Similar with Celebrity--the MDR food is good, but the good food requires an Aqua class cabin which significantly more costly. I also stressed before my first cruise. What I found is that it is a lot easier "in real life" than it seems in advance.

I can't address that specific product. You can buy a new, unopened bottle of wine and many liquors. If purchased from a bar, it goes on your bar tab. If purchased from the duty free shop, it is charged to "loot." If they don't have the product you want a one bar, check at another. Each bar carries different stuff.

We had enough loot thru various promos that we discussed what to spend it on, and left with $8 charged to the credit card (had a drink at dinner the last night...which was nicely discounted and used up the last $5 in loot).

This is another situation where a good travel agent should know all the "deals" available and nail in everything you are entitled to!

In Miami, they will let you stand up in a like with other people who have the same designated time you have. So yes, they let you enter the terminal. Standing in this line will not get you on board any sooner than arriving 30 minutes before your time. There would be no difference between reading while standing in the line vs. sitting in your car. Many months ago, you could make reservations from inside the terminal prior to boarding, but no more. In my experience, check in and boarding starts right on time. Early boarding times are right on time, later ones may run just a few (like 10) minutes early. If boarding in Barcelona, they will not allow you into the terminal at all until 30 minutes before your assigned time. We were 45 minutes early and were sent to the plaza next to the terminal and the coffee shop on the other side of the plaza was also mentioned. We returned at exactly 30 minutes before and the first VV person tried to send us away again, but a supervisor came up and over-ruled him, allowing us right in. We were processed immediately, and then had a short wait before boarding started. The physical lay out between the two terminals is different, which is probably why the protocols are different....and also where some of the on line confusion comes in.

Last I knew, the shuttle is operating and you can drop your luggage with the porters any time in the morning. THe above report is not the first I've seen about shuttle trouble coming back. VV says they are supposed to run with the last return to ship at 3:30, but that doesn't seem to happen sometimes.

We also had an active FB group which organized activities.

There is no way to see what other cabins are available on the website unless you go thru multiple attempts at booking, keeping track of what the computer gives you, etc. No really practical way. However, a travel agent can do this, as can the telephone people at vv--yeah, the ones who aren't calling you back. In my experience, the easiest way to accomplish things with VV is to use a travel agent. There is a lot they can do thru their portal on the computer, and if contact with VV is necessary, they are the ones who have to wait on the phone. The other time you can see what is available is when doing a rebooking on board.

We have found every restaurant very accommodating regarding allergies. I'd be greatly surprised if you had any issues. Just let them know at check in, and your server will confirm again at the table before ordering. They will then repeat back the allergy instructions when they bring the food to the table. If the instructions are complex, sometimes a chef will come out to speak with you.

I loved the TA. THey brought on several additional entertainers, as well as people who gave lectures, ran projects, etc. There was plenty to do....or do nothing and hang out in your hammock.

Try the secret steak in Razzle Dazzle as well. Funny that the steak restaurant doesn't have the best steak.

Or NCL! Of course you can do "FREE at Sea" and pay it all in advance, which will double the cost of your cruise fare or more.

You can order as much as you want.

That works in Florida, which is obviously what is being discussed here. Just a note that if cruising from Barcelona, they will not let you into the terminal more than 30 minutes before your assigned time. You will be sent to a nice outdoor plaza where you can sit or to a coffee shop adjacent to the plaza.

We cut off the ribbon band and carried it into the cocktail party. After boarding, it served no other purpose. Yes, you need to wear the bracelet that has the chip, but it isn't messy or inconvenient.

You have a bit of a point. There is no such thing as a table for one, so a reservation for one can always become for 2. As to larger groups, we've found the restaurants to be very willing to meet our needs for a group pf 4 or 6. True that you wouldn't be likely to get seats for a party of 16 without advance notice. On the other hand, our FB group for the next cruise had put together several large groups and we have advance reservations. You also do not need to specify the other cruisers. You can make a reservation for 4 in just your name.