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Steelers0854

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Everything posted by Steelers0854

  1. I asked them to. I posted it to Princess to begin with as it’s meant to provide context for those that specifically love the Princess brand to see if they should try this based what on they like/don’t like about Princess.
  2. yes, we actually forgot about it and booked them around dinner time and didn’t really have any issues booking shows. But always good just to do it first thing.
  3. Yes. You will be the first group to board, in San Juan it was 1:45.
  4. anything but Gunbae and Test kitchen and you will be fine. We did all the other restaurants and we averaged around an hour each.
  5. I’m glad others chimed in since we had just the one experience. But based on how dinner went I imagine 2 hours is standard. It was just DW and I for all our other meals and we were done with them all in about an hour. you can book it as soon as you connect to the ship WiFi. Thank you so much for the kind words. That’s the feeling I was going for and I’m glad we can help out here. Keep in mind my wife can do cross contamination as she isn’t celiac so I’m hoping your experience won’t be too much different. But they do a wonderful job with food allergies IMO.
  6. we really saw this everywhere. All the grab and go containers are hard plastic and reused. The coffee is served in reusable cups unless you need a true to go one. I give them a lot of credit for these things (and the added work that goes into having them) that we can see and I’m sure there is a lot more behind the scenes that we can’t.
  7. That’s the best part about this industry there is something for everyone!
  8. dont feel too bad. It’s my understanding that we only got our status matched for the cruise we took. I don’t think we would get the same benefit on our next one having only done the 1 trip in 2024. But I could be wrong. The coffee daily credit and premium WiFi we’re the best parts of the DBE (Deep Blue Extra) benefit for us, oh yea the priority embarkation was great as well. we were in a regular sea terrace and thought the beds were great and we love the Princess beds. I would say that’s in line with our experience last week. May even have been older, I didn’t feel like it was a really young crowd but that may also be because it was out of San Juan.
  9. it took us til day 3 to find us as it was tucked back in the social club. And another 5 min of looking around for the quarter machine til we figured out they were all free! We had so much fun here.
  10. You still get them at check in so having one won’t do you any good as we got asked 4 times to show our app in San Juan to confirm we had DBE to enter the terminal for early boarding.
  11. DW never placed a single order in advance like she normally had to and everything she got was leaps and bounds better than any other cruise where she ordered in advance. I’m fairly sure he would be just fine but always worth asking a head of time just to ensure.
  12. Nope. Apparently they had it and then got rid of it and now the taps serve some kind of boozy espresso. Too bad.
  13. not at all. Our cabin was quiet. The venues are pretty well isolated. Much like any cruise ship you hear it when you get closer to the venue. But I didn’t find it any louder than any Princess ship we have been on. Now our last NCL cruise, don’t get me started on that one, like sleeping in the middle of a dance club
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  14. they do run a lot of specials and discounts. We booked on one and saved 40% overall I believe. You’ll have a great time. I also have to admit I’ve never seen an owner/CEO on board any cruise ship we have been on but we saw Sir Richard on ours. Apparently he tries to come aboard each cruise in the Caribbean if he can. Super nice guy, paused and talked with and spoke with everyone that wanted to say hello.
  15. Our adult only cruise ships aren’t just retreats for the rich and reality TV-famous, though. The Insider and Sea View cabins are priced attractively for people traveling alone — and subscribers to the Virgin Voyages email list are often notified of promotions on double occupancy rooms with no single supplement, meaning you can spread out without the customary extra charge. Take advantage of booking a single cabin on board a Virgin Voyage cruise ship, find a solo cruise deal and start saving. Our cruise cabins are super-yacht inspired cabins, built to optimize space and views. Perfect for solo travelers yearning for sophistication, relaxation, with VIP service! https://www.virginvoyages.com/ahoy/stories/cruising-solo
  16. Have you checked? I heard they had interior rooms that were specifically for solo travelers.
  17. Bingo! Couldn’t have said it better myself. There are some paid extra experiences on board but most a tied to drinking, bar crawls, tastings etc. I believe there was an art class as well that was extra but those types of things are few and far between. I forgot one other huge thing. A Non-smoking casino. We don’t gamble but it was AMAZING as you have to walk through there to get to several venues. It made me actually want to use it. Wish everyone would go smoke free. They did have a smoking room on board and it is right next to the casino. And the casino was super busy the whole time so clearly smoke free doesn’t negatively impact them.
  18. thanks for the kind words. There was a huge age range. We dined next to a gentleman in his 60s cruising solo, there was an 82 year old in a show we attended and of course some younger couples as well. Honestly, the age demographic was much closer to a Caribbean Princess cruise than not. And the no kids is a very nice thing as well.
  19. this is awesome. Thank you! thank you for your wonderful comments and help throughout! đŸ»
  20. Here are some of the pictures of the best parts I reference above: Scarlett Night Deck Pool Party (if you weren’t there you had no idea it was going on, so easy to avoid if you don’t want to participate) great blooming spaces around the ship: Amazing shows: Great Grab and go sections around the ship: Nice thermal spa but not worth the week long pass: Great cabin (Sea Terrace aka Balcony) And a “Buffet” with good options as well, free sushi basically all day and always fresh
  21. yes the pool is extremely small, there is PLENTY of deck space even on a sea day as long as you don’t mind being away from the pool. They have different types of loungers, some in the shade and some in the sun.
  22. I put a lot of thought into it I know it’s corny but I thought it was fun! Thanks for the kind words. I knew I forgot something! Here is the link to my Live From with all the details. But it was round trip from Puerto Rico. Great southern island stops!
  23. One might argue that Virgin is everything we would want Princess to be and is a return to the way things were with a more all inclusive experience. If you love the Princess product the question is should you try Virgin? And if you do will you like it? If I can best sum it up, the answer to any question you might ask is “only if you want to”. Do you need to dress up? Is the entertainment risquĂ© ? Is it a party ship? Only if you want to! -No gratuities anywhere. Buy a drink, no gratuity. Spa treatment, no gratuity. It’s a wonderful experience. -No one is selling anything anywhere, because there is nothing to buy. No drinks packages, no photographers, no art auctions, no WiFi packages (you can upgrade to premium WiFi but there is no one pushing to). Plenty of folks around to get you anything you want any time you want it though. -No specialty restaurants here. The ship is designed without a main dining room and you go to whatever restaurant you feel like. Want Mexican food, go to Pink Agave. In the mood for Asian, headed to Gunbae. The issue is you really need a reservation especially with a larger party. They aren’t difficult to get, we didn’t have a big issue booking them 60 days out or even a few change when we first boarded. But we often heard staff turning people away that didn’t have a reservation. -they do have a “buffet” with different stations it at no time do you get your own food with the exception of the grab and go section. The fact that they have a grab and go section throughout the day with delicious food you can take with you is amazing. In the “buffet” you can walk up to a station and order anything you want, they will plate it for you. Or sit at a table and a sever will take your order for you and deliver it to you. Only downside, there isn’t any real rotation in the food each day. There will be a special of the day at a few stations but everything else is consistent each day. -food overall was better than anything I’ve ever had at any MDR or specialty restaurant on Princess. They had a lot of options for DW and her allergies. And the food was exceptional. A whole Pizza, included. Hand scooped gelato Ice cream, included. Sushi, included, at the buffet every day. Ramen, included. -DW and I aren’t the party type. Even though we are at the tail end of our 30s we are old souls. We never once felt out of place or surrounded by a party we didn’t want to be at. I felt more out of place on Carnival than I ever did here. But if you want to party, there is plenty of that on board! -Shows. There aren’t quite as many as on Princess. And what they have is a little more “adult” than in Princess. Think rated R vs anything more than that. They drop the F bombs every now and then, you get the occasional sexual reference but nothing that made us uncomfortable or was overly raunchy. -cost difference. There is a cost difference between Princess and Virgin. But you also have to compare apples to apples. Almost everything is included with Virgin. So when you look at it from that perspective they are closer than they appear. But still if price is your only concern you’re probably going on Carnival 😉 -International Cafe: they don’t have a true comparison but I’ve found much more variety on Virgin. There are a number of grab and go places as well as quick service bites scattered around the ship. Walk past the coffee bar and grab a cookie, walk by the social club and get a rice krispy bar etc. plus they have these little carts setup around the ship with healthy snacks like fruit, hummus and salads. -It’s a pretty app based experience on board. There are no overhead announcements (except the mandatory ones like when they are refueling and doing emergency drills) but they send push notifications to your phone letting you know about everything from itinerary changes (we had 2 hours added to a port) to when you can disembark at a port and where on the ship etc. I actually much prefer it because you never miss a message. No running to the cabin door to crack it to hear what they are saying. -The app they have is great, easy to use and navigate, reserve shows and dining, save things to your agenda, order food (free but a single $7 delivery fee) etc. -you’ll see crew everywhere. Virgin has a much more relaxed approach to crew in guest areas. But never did I encounter a situation where crew were anything but professional, warm, fun and helpful or in my way or taking up space in lieu of a guest. It’s actually quite a refreshing experience as a guest vs the overly professional take most other lines have. In fact one small issue maybe you may have a hard time distinguishing some crew from guests as some don’t wear a standard uniform and only have their name tags. But that’s Virgins point, a more seamless experience. -Any fitness class you want is included and they have some excellent classes. Want to do yoga you’re outside in a beautiful space at the very top of the ship. Cycling? They have a studio with ride metrics and cycling shoes they provide. HIIT classes, even a bungee class. -They give you a bracelet and sensor that’s like the medallion but doesn’t have your name or ship info on it. In port Virgin gives port security one of the tablets and they simply scan you sensor and that’s it. It’s wonderful and exactly what Princess should be doing. No pulling out your ID them reading your card or medallion etc. Overall DW and I loved our Virgin cruise. They have a more restrictive version of the Future Cruise Deposit, theirs to get the full benefit of you have to BOOK within 60 days and you have 2 years to SAIL, and are only allowed to change your booking 1 time. The only reason we didn’t get one was that we have trips planned through 2026 already. Ultimately Princess is still our Favorite if you force me to choose, but it’s so close that Virgin will be in the mix a lot more than not. For us, right now it would look like: Princess/Virgin/Disney(if cost we’re not a concern) Celebrity/Royal Not Again: Carnival/NCL happy to answer any questions you may have or provide any additional context.
  24. Day 8 Disembarkation The worst day of the cruise. FYI for those new to Virgin, keep your luggage tags on your bags from check in if you want them to take your bags off the ship. We carried ours off anyway but they don’t give you disembarkation tags like other lines do. Same as usual leave your bags out by 10pm. We got up and headed right to our 7:30 brunch at Razzle Dazzle. DW grabbed her fav the potatoes and back. I got the fried chicken sandwich. Pro Tip: order a fried egg and bacon, put them on the sandwich. It’s the best breakfast sandwich you’ll ever eat. You’ll thank me later 😉 After breakfast we went to the room got ready and packed. We were out by 8:40. In line for customs by 8:50 and out of the terminal before 9. It was a short line to get off the ship. They had 4 customs agents and it’s a manual process but they just look at your passport ask one question and you’re done. We have some time before our flight so we went and got the best Pina Colada anywhere, Barrachinas is a must for us any time we are here. IMO no one makes a better one. Thank you all for following along with us. We had so much fun on this trip and really enjoyed the virgin product. We will be back for sure! Although I’m going to miss our DBE bonuses. That daily coffee credit and premium WiFi 😍. Final Thoughts: We loved our first Virgin cruise and will definitely be back. To this point our favorite line has been Princess (and Disney but it’s cost prohibitive and they implemented a change to their loyalty program that’s anti-guest and very disappointing). But Virgin has joined the ranks in the top spot. The only reason we didn’t get the future cruise bonus was that we already have trips planned through 2026 and their program is very restrictive IMO. But we will definitely be back. My only 2, pretty damn minor complaints: 1) lack of rotation in the Galley with food offerings and 2) while the hammock is amazing the balcony chairs are horrible.
  25. I’m sorry I did t see this until we got off. They did have pink and blue packets so I’m thinking one of them is sweet n low or essentially the same thing. If we didn’t have so much Sailor Loot we wouldn’t have done it if paying out of pocket. We did enjoy it, and would definitely book a 3 hour block again for $50pp. But IMO it’s not worth the full cost. The chairs aren’t that comfortable and with no heated loungers I think the value is diminished. Also keep in mind the more sea days you have the less value you get as it will be busier. Having only 1 sea day we maximized our time. But if you’re spending there money it was a great use of our Sailor Loot. Hope that helps.
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