cantgetin

Makes sense,,,,yes, it was on the Magic, and he did not say or imply that this was their only or even main source--just that they did fill the tanks in every US port.....and I could have misunderstood and he could have been saying "took on as much as time would allow." You're the expert!

I had a DCL crew member tell me that they always fill tanks when in US ports because it is cheaper to purchase water there than to produce it on the ship.

Most of the time, it works great. Sometimes stuff happens and the ship is not always in control. We came into one port where there were 8 Customs stations that we could see, but personnel at only 2 of them and a VERY long line. The cruise line was upset as well because they couldn't start the next boarding till we were out. We had a 3pm flight and I was beginning to think that we might not make it when it was after 1 and we were STILL standing in line. I've read that the cruise line had some stern words with Customs over that debacle, but I can't confirm why it happened. But, similar to the above, we've done 45 cruises and I've only had 2 that were seriously late getting disembarked and out of the terminal.

That is a complicated question. First, you cannot believe what VV reps tell you on the phone. I was told we were 65% booked, and my cruise actually sailed a couple months later after a GREAT special that brought in many new bookings....and we were 52% full at sailing. Now, in fairness, the ship fills in 2 ways--number of cabins and number of people. While obviously related, they don't always line up. 1 person in a cabin that holds 2 is still a booked cabin. I have been told that on the TA screen, travel agents can see how many cabins remain on a given sailing, so that might be one way to get an idea. I asked my TA on an upcoming cruise and haven't heard back. What WILL work is to look at the tablet that the rep at the port uses to check you in. It will show something like 300 of 1400, meaning that 300 people have already checked in out of the 1400 booked on the cruise. It will give you exact numbers. Another way is to ask any "customer facing" crew member on board--bar tender, shop workers, Sailor Services, etc. THey have a meeting before boarding starts when they are told how many are booked, so they all know. Again, the question is whether they will tell you and how accurate they'll be, but I've never had a problem finding out after boarding.

Assignments usually come out 3-7 days before cruising when people bid on upgrades. Not sure when you'd see it with a gty booking. There is no such thing as a bad sea terrace. THey are pretty much the same, not like the XLs where there are several variations. Midship, deck 9-12. Avoid 14 because there can be noise from above, and as you know 8 has obstructed views. Midship is nice, but if you don't have mobility or seasickness issues, it isn't necessary (and it costs a bit more). Didn't intend to hit the underline, but not worth retyping.

All of the above is true provided the ship gets in and clears Customs on time. I've never seen or read of a problem on a VV cruise, but have experienced late arrivals and even later Customs clearance on other lines.

Currently fixed rate taxi fare is $27 from Miami cruise port to MIA.

No, VV does not offer transfers except for mega rockstars. I've read about people having problems, but we ordered an Uber (or maybe Lyft, I don't remember) just after clearing Customs and he was there 5 minutes later. I've read of people having drivers cancel, etc. We had NO difficulty at all. It was maybe 20 minutes to the airport, but I guess that could depend on day of the week, etc. Miami was an easy airport....not as small as my home airport, but very small and quick compared to things like LAX.

The machines in The Galley serve tea made from syrup, not brewed. I get a cup and brew my tea. Meanwhile, I go to the ice machine and get a cup of ice, which I put in my insulated cup. Pour the brewed tea over the ice, add lemon and sweetener, and I'm good to go. I brought crystallized lemon juice packets as I'd had trouble getting lemon wedges on other lines.

I had no trouble getting a glass of water anywhere, although I chose to carry my insulated plastic cup around for my iced tea.

Good luck....you still have 9 days!

The difference in this case is that Virgin requires passports for ALL cruises, even those that are not required by the various governments involved. Normally, I'd tell people that it is a dumb move to cruise without a passport, but OP applied in what should have been plenty of time based on the state department's web site. I keep hoping that they'll post that the passports have arrived and all is fine.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the captain will alter course if he can in order to give passengers the best possible weather on any cruise. Obviously there are certain ports that have to be reached at a particular time, but there is some flexibility while at sea. He and the cruise line know that they don't want passengers thinking that they had a horrible cruise due to bad weather. We've had some bit of rough weather or storm on each cruise line we've sailed on more than once, but if I've been on a line more than once, I've done at least 5 cruises with them. If they close the pools and put nets over them, it is rough. It can happen anywhere in the world at any time...but there is no reason to believe that it will destroy our cruise.

In October, we were off the ship by 10:40 but didn't get to the Customs area till about 11:15 due to an issue with terminal wheelchair assist. We were in line for maybe 2 minutes with one party in front of us. Luggage claim was also really easy as we were the only one left in our area.

You can take it home provided you don't exceed the Customs limits of the country you are entering.

Booking on board gets the $600 loot offering. Some TAs buy the max allowed (8) rebooking on board future cruise certificates and then resell them to customers, so you can sometimes get these without a. previous sailing or where you didn't buy on. Future cruise certificates are transferable, so any friend who is sailing can buy one in your name (if you provide them the info and credit card number) or sell you one after the fact. The bar tab offer has been extended thru March, so any new 2023 booking during March will include the bar tab offer.

The XL bathroom is nice, but I wouldn't want to give up the hammock for one. If you. call VV (as opposed to doing everything on line) or work thru a TA, they can help you select your specific cabin number rather than accept a computer assigned one. You can get a TA involved now or wait up to a week to transfer your booking to one....there is a whole thread on advantages to using an agent. You were smart to lock in the rate yesterday as fares went up effective today. (the "discount" went from 55% to 50% for the second passenger)

This promotion ended on 2/14/2023.

There are good places in The Galley, but I would not be happy if I couldn't get real dinner reservations. I plan to try on line on my first day and if that doesn't work, I'll be on the phone to VV.

You won't be able to see the second voyage after you check in for the first. You will be able to see the second on the computer, but I don't know if that will show your excursions, etc....so some screen shots or notes might be a big help.

No, that was my point above. We have been told that none of the beds in the suites can separate. There are suites that have a third bed if that helps. (it is really a second bed, since the large bed is 1 bed that sleeps 2 people). You would need to look for a suite listed as "sleeps 3." I didn't pursue that. Once we were informed by both VV and my TA that none of the suites had separating beds, I saved money and got a cabin where they do divide.

10 154Z is a wheelchair accessible cabin. Please do not request that unless you need it. 10 154A is a normal cabinI. Totally agree that ship's motion is less the more midship you are and the lower you are. I get horribly sick on small boats, in the backseat of cars, etc....but no problem on the newer ships which have great stabilizers.

The beds in the suites do not separate.

Don't be too harsh. While I admit to bringing way more clothes than I needed on the WBTA, it was 14 nights......but it will be way less next time. I'm shooting for a carry on only. But no matter what else we do, we will have a suitcase full of medical equipment...so always one checked bag.

Not quite the cheapest port day ever, but not bad at all. Cheapest for us was Ketchikan, Alaska. We took the city bus ($1 each way, now increased to $2) to Totem Bite State Park. There are tour guides who volunteer as well as maps for self guided tours. THe excursion thru the cruise line was $45, if I remember correctly. They got a cup of hot chocolate in the gift shop that we could have purchased, but we had a much smaller group with a great guide. Total cost for 2 of us was $9 ($4 transportation and $5 tip to guide)