crusinthrough

I really did leave out important information. 5N Valiant Lady Nov 8th - Nov 13th 2024 Dominican Daze Miami, Puerto Plata, Beach Club

Excellent point I forgot the dates - Nov 8 - 13, 2024.

I stumbled upon this 5N sailing in November 2024. A Sea Terrace is $500- $1000 less than any other sailing in November. It's interesting that the sailing is cheaper than other sailings.

Alaska cruises in the summer are filled with kids. Water slides are good once or twice but no kid is entertained on a water slide for seven days. The same with similar type of bells and whistles added to attract families. You create your own memories and entertainment as a family.

The port staff is representing Celebrity. They are not operating in a vacuum.

Thus far all the cheerleaders have not provided one example that the port employee viewed as suspicious, an indication of HT or someone in danger. Perhaps you have something and can educate others on what not to do to prevent a someone from thinking a child is in danger.

Ahh, I guess they needed to go smaller. For the price and 9 months living in a small space I would need it to feel somewhat modern. Some people brought a lot of extras to make the room feel more comfortable but something like plugs only being by the mirror and not by my bed is okay for a short cruise but 9 months not is much.

I agree that is should be something extra. I've been entertained from TikTok videos. There are quite a number of Pinnacles onboard so it doesn't matter to them. I'm sure most are not first time cruisers but you need about 400 points already to achieve Pinnacle with this cruise. I wonder how many guests have this many points?

Time will tell. Feedback from those onboard may be influential in a decision. The price was high and the ship was old with dated rooms. A Freedom Class ship may have been a better choice. What's wild to me is that after spending 9 months onboard and some paying close to $100K for a couple, you don't leave the ship as a Pinnacle member. Not even if you stayed in a suite with double points. A live review would be nice to follow.

What do you think was the issue? Should parents have photographs of birth certificates of children as well? or only if your child doesn't look like you? What prompted this instance? I have never read this as a trafficking indicator and possible red flag. It's Celebrity's responsibility to inform guests of documentation needed to board their ship. Can you show where Celebrity has advised parents to carry adoption papers to prove family association. Here are DHS human trafficking indicators. Which one are you giving kudos to the shore side staff for recognizing and causing anxiety to a family? https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/indicators-human-trafficking These comments are typical CC victim blaming. The shore staff needs more training on HT awareness.

Very frustrating.. every cruise line I've been on has an information channel with nautical miles traveled, nautical miles to the next destination, itinerary map, ship location and weather conditions. Also a live view from the bridge. Maybe both are coming.

I don't remember seeing Kraken. As an alternative try Bumbu. On a Reflection sailing a bartender in the Retreat made me an Old Fashion using Bumbu, and I quickly became a fan. Celebrity and Carnival are the only two cruise lines I've been on that that stocks the rum. I have not been on Ascent but would presume the same alcohol selections will be onboard as other Celebrity ships.

I had this problem. VV was not able to fix it. Every time I called, I was told it's working on our end. I had to use the app or call customer service to make a payment / purchases. My cruise passed but the issue was never resolved.

The point is that the demand was higher than the supply because the price was reasonable. With the higher price tag will things reverse and supply outweigh the demand? Time will tell.

A raise in price and different promotions was expected as VV navigated the cruise space. However, the raise in suite prices is insane. This past Sat on a 6N cruise in a Rockstar suite the price was $3800. With the price hike on Thursday the same suite is now $7700. The price difference between a Seriously Suite and the least expensive Sweet Aft Suite was relatively minimum at less than $100. Now the price difference is more than $1k. It will be interesting to see if suites continue to sell out with this new pricing or will Virgin need to lower pricing to meet the new non demand. Feedback on social media tends to indicate consumers are not willing pay the new inflated suite price. I'm also interested to see if there will be heavy last minute pricing and more level up opportunities. Pricing increased on other cabins as well but not in the same proportion as suite prices. I saw a few reasonable priced sailings like a 8N Caribbean cruise for the same price as a 6N Caribbean cruise and less expensive than a 5N Caribbean cruise. All sailings were in the same month. This type of anomaly doesn't make a lot of sense. I will miss the 10% paid in full discount. I think this is one VV could have kept even if the discount was lowered to 5%. The only positive change for me is the different bar tab amounts. I hope DBE gets additions vs cutbacks. I'm definitely expecting to book on board offer to change in the new year. Maybe less sailor loot or discount. Other cruises lines are raising prices as noted but there will soon be a bubble and prices will come down. Ships were sailing full after the pandemic because people wanted to travel and the price was reasonable. If the price is no longer reasonable, there will be less of a demand. At least, for now, VV dining has not declined like other cruise lines. Honestly, cruising can't last with the higher price, degraded experience and declining food. It will eventually not have any value when you compare it to other vacation options. The industry has gotten greedy.

Getting into SeaTac is bananas with the congestion. The departure area is better than arrival but the airport is just a mess.

It's refreshing to read many others feel the same as I do regarding the current suite prices. Prior to the pandemic I only sailed on S class ships and appreciated the lager suite room. The bathroom was nothing speculator. After restart there were some amazing prices on suites that included OBC and gratuities and I booked the Edge. The bigger room, bigger bathroom with a vanity nook and Retreat area made everything worthwhile, and I was sold on suites on E class. Half full ships was also a dream. Fast forward to spring 2024... I booked a last minute suite on the Beyond when the price dropped. I wasn't wowed over Luminae or the food overall. The Retreat area was crowded on sea days and the pool seemed small with a full ship. Chair hogs were also alive and well with no enforcement. A young obnoxious kid (maybe 7) splashing water and playing catch with a small football with his father didn't make the experience in the pool pleasant. Several passengers got out because every time the ball was missed and fell in the water it made a splash. I finally asked the father if he could be considerate to the others in the pool. I ordered a drink from the World Class Bar menu and it was a different color than the picture of the drink in the menu book. A woman bartender said the picture in the book was wrong. The drink doesn't look that way. I was on the Beyond again and ordered the same drink at the World Class bar. This one looked like the picture. Inadequate training I suppose was the culprit the first time around. I don't care about the Butler. I hardly order room service and can make my own reservations. However, the overall diminished food quality and inconsistent service doesn't make Celebrity attractive to book anymore. I'm another one who prefers Michael's Club over the Retreat area. MC was often a place to socialize in the evening after dinner. There were always people sitting at the bar and talking. It felt like a gather place. The Retreat lounge is typically empty after dinner. It's a different vibe. Unfortunately, the degradation of Celebrity cruises is here to stay until bookings decline. I have a few cruises booked with old promotions that I will probably cancel and lose my NRD. I can't see booking anything for 2025 or 2026. Who knows what the product will look like then. I had a fairly good deal on the Ascent for Dec 10th with the old elevate package. I debated a long time before cancelling. I'm glad I did. I went on Virgin in Nov and absolutely loved it. The food is night and day and VV still offers incentives to book such as a bar tab, although prices are starting to rise and booking incentives are being taken away like the 10% pay in full discount.

I noticed it's not available for a Nov 2024 cruise. I wonder if VV has eliminated the discount.

How crowded is the pool and seating around the pool?

It's interesting how people minimize and are dismissive of others comments because it's not important to them. Celebrity marketed the Dec 3rd cruise as the maiden voyage on their website. Some booked thinking it was going to be the first sailing in the U.S. Celebrity then added two cruises before but still marketed the Dec 3rd as the maiden voyage. Perhaps it should have been marketed as an inaugural voyage.

I was getting this when my sailing was cancelled. After I changed ships and everything was sorted, I was able to access my account. It may be Virgin's way of locking the account.

At the top of the page with the tabs it's either under the WiFi tab or the tab called "VIP Passes".

I had an old reservation with basic WiFi included. This was offered at 9.99 per day for the Black Friday sale, which I purchased yesterday. I have another sailing with no WiFi and it was $23.99 a day. Both are sold out today.

Finally able to add a room review Ship: Scarlet Lady Cabin#: 11322 Z Deck #: 11 Cabin Category: Sea Terrace XL Sleeps: 2 (I think) Bed is by the closet. The room next door to the right, which I believe is 11318, the bed is by the balcony. Bed location probably varies every other room. Cabin Location: (Port, Starboard, Forward, Aft): Starboard / Forward Terrace/Window/Obstruction: None Noise Issues?: None Wind Issues?: None Connecting Cabin? Where Does it Connect?: No Hammock: Yes ( I think all the cabins have hammocks now. When I looked up from outside I saw hammocks on all balconies). Metal/Glass Terrace: Glass Advantages/Problems: Forward elevators are used the least Would You Book Again?: Yes Comments: Most venues are mid ship or aft. Forward cabins are a bit of a walk but wasn't an issue. I mostly used deck 6 or deck 7 to walk forward to aft vs walking past cabins to the mid ship elevators. The room is not far from the elevators, which I liked.

Amtrak's app should be able to do this and provide real time updates. Good to know. I'll try Google next time.