Gretchendz

Totally understand.So sorry it happened to you and your family! This has gone on for decades before Covid with flu, norovirus, etc. I'm not saying it's right, just saying it is what to expect when traveling. I am not a germaphobe in real life, but I love to travel and when I travel I wash my hands after touching anything--bannister, elevator button, I use sanitzer constantly (yes, I know hand washing is better but sometimes not feasible). And I avoid buffets...I have seen too much bad behavior! And I do carry masks for when that person near me on the plane is coughing their lungs out. And I sanitize the video screen and tray etc. on the plane. I've been lucky but I know it's always a possibility. Point being this is true on pretty much every cruise line,like you say.

It will mainly change the day you board. Also it will change during the trip so keep checking on the app.

They are all on deck 8. Here's a picture from 8270Z. The blue is the San Juan Terminal. The red is lifeboat.

Welcome to Virgin's tech and finance. Fortunately the on board experience is delightful.

And he will be on three upcoming Celebration cruises.

This is a reminder to bring written confirmation of your invoice with all perks, bar tabs, sailor loot, etc. documented and bring it to the ship with you. If you used a TA, they can run it for you. Every now and then things fall off bookings for mysterious reasons. Having paper to show what you are entitled to, helps Sailor Serices resolve it.

I think the benefits are really good. That laundry bag is BIG. And priority boarding. And the $100 Bar Tab and the $10/day coffee....

I mean if you did not qualify for a status match before December 31, you no longer can qualify for a status match. People who qualified previously still have it. I did it before December 31 and it showed up on my January sailing no problem. The higher ups seemed quite clear that there was no intention to bring the status match back, but you never know! As you may have read elsewhere, at some point this year they intend to reveal a revamped loyalty program.

Thank you for the excellent review. I should note for others in case they start to look for it that Virgin has discontinued the status match with other cruisers as of December 31, 2023. On a recent call some of us asked if it would return and were told " No plans to return it." So good for you you got it when you did. They do plan to announce a revamp soon of the Deep Blue Extras, hopefully making it even better. But I consider it pretty darn good right now.

https://www.virginvoyages.com/travel-advisories/stories

Limited View cabins tend to have very limited views--often a whole lifeboat in front. But it is still a balcony with a hammock. I sailed on one two weeks ago. Whole lifeboat in front of us. I didn't mind because we knew that would be the case and it was a lot less than a regular Sea Terrace. Also, while we had no problems at all, some people complain about noise from the Manor or Red Room.

As we ordered at the beginning my sister-in-law said "Is there something that can replace x and they said yes--we can bring you z instead." Then another and another. Sort of a course by course negotiation. My husband's family are very picky unadventurous eaters and she was happy. I wish I could recall her substitutions, but the cocktail pairing seems to have affected my memory 🙂

Last week on Valiant, we just checked in at our Muster station. No life vest overview like on Scarlet last summer.

One more note about San Juan. The airport Saturday was crazy busy and a bit confusing. If returning to mainland U.S. you must put your luggage through an agricultural inspection and get a green tag on it. If you go to the airline counter to check your bag without it, they will send you back to get one. When we arrived around 11, the main line was ridiculously long. Very little signage or communication from airport staff. However, if you walk a bit toward terminal A, there was another agrultural inspection line which was MUCH shorter to get the green tags.

This was not true January 20, but there was a huge festival. Cabs could get to the terminal. Ubers could not. We were there a few days before, and generally we found cabs to be a bit cheaper.

Yes. It is Pier 4 terminal. But it may be hot and there are cobblestones, so not sure it would be fun to haul luggage. If you walk fast, maybe 30 minutes between El Morro to the Virgin terminal. Remember there are two forts. It's not a bad walk between them. https://www.nps.gov/saju/planyourvisit/directions.htm

Or cab up as close as you can get to the castle (There are two, remember, so decide which to see first) and walk down through Old San Juan. Definitely wear good walking shoes. BTW the same pass will get you entry into both. And if you are an NPS passholder, bring it because it works.

My Android worked, SIL's iphone did not. No idea if it is a phone thing but beween four of us, we got everyhting booked while siting insde waiting. Took awhile though!

We enjoyed the A menu. The pea/egg was not my favorite, but we thought the mushroom pate was good. They let you substitute a lot. I think my SIL swapped out half the meal 🙂 I thought the steak was good. We felt it was filling. We thought the cocktail pairings were good. Maybe that's why we enjoyed the food more 🙂 We thought the chocolate dessert was good. But so rich I couldn't finish it. I understand the hate from those who want big meals, but we relaxed and savored and didn't leave feeling hungry at all. For me, it is Razzle Dazzle that is underwhelming. Taste is subjective for sure 🙂

Yes. We had DBE early boarding so I can't say what happened with those lines 🙂 Just heard what people onboard later were saying. There was a lot of confusion, for sure. I'm sure it will get better as Virgin and San Juan terminal get used to one another 🙂

For us it only worked inside the terminal. Four phones for different signal strengths. My sisters iPhone was the worst. My Google Fi Samsung s21 was the best. Obviously phones will vary! They will line you up by embarkation time but might get in earlier if the line before yours clears.

Boarded in San Juan on the 20th. Logistics a bit harder due to the San Sebastian Festival. Cabs could get closer than Ubers. Because we were concerned about traffic, we cabbed from our hotel on Condado Beach around 11 a.m. It was San Juan's second Virgin sailing and they have a lot of logistics to improve. But many of the staff were being trained and everyone was as pleasant as possible. First there was line for tagging bags, Then an area outside the terminal for check-in, getting your bracelet. etc. We wre DBE so we and a few RSs waiting outside the terminal (you could find a bit of shade) for quite awhile. Communications poor to non-existent but keep asking. Finally RS and DBE and SOR were let into terminal to big seating area. Since we could get weak signals among the four of us, we got our reservations completed. In our cabin, bags already delivered, before 2 p.m.

I'm on a seven night sailing soon as was able to book restaurants more than once. If you used a travel advisor, they can sometimes get into the system and make the resevrations for you. Ask them to do this for you. I say "sometimes" because nothing seems permant with Virgin's tech 🙂 But I love them anyway.

I hope you are flying in the day before because you know...airlines nowadays... San Juan Terminal Pier 4 Paseo Concepcion de Garcia Old San Juan PR 00901 I think San Juan is worth a visit. The most recommended places to see (which can be walked in a leisurely hour or 2...more if you like to amble 😞 1) El Castillo San Felipe del Morro (Fort El Morro) 2) Cathedral of San Juan Bautista 3) Castillo San Cristóbal (Fort San Cristobal) 4) Plaza Colon (Columbus Square) 5) Museum of the Americas 6) Plaza de Armas (Arms Square) 7) La Fortaleza (The Fortress)

I did read recently that Carlos is on Valiant through March. *fingers crossed."