Virgin Voyages - A evolution of NCL?

[KeithJenner]

6 hours ago, DaCruiseBug said:

NCL is just upset that another cruise line is entering the market and one that can and will hurt NCL and steal many customers. NCL should worry about NCL and how they treat their customers, not how another company plans to run business.

 

I haven’t been following Virgin Voyages at all (we are a few years away from being able to sail kid free), so I’ve probably missed it, but what have NCL done to suggest the above?

[newmexicoNita]

On 11/10/2018 at 12:12 AM, SNJCruisers said:

That makes two of us, at least you have a union and a pension to look forward to that you can use to cruise.

We can't begin to pay the prices for the haven either. I am happy some can and I do like the idea of no one under 18. 

[Whitefacekat]

On 11/10/2018 at 9:47 AM, Two Wheels Only said:

 

I don't think that it will be "Haven"....I'm picturing more "college/grad school frat party". Whether that's good or bad is up to the individual. 

I think virgin will be very very surprised that  'older' people will travel with them in numbers.  20 to 30 of my friends, all solos,  are booking, many of them back to back to make it 9 days, and we are 40-75.  The people in the 60s and 70s that I am closest to are  all in with the Fitness free aspect, some are gym rats and runners, They think Young.  Bring on the Yoga and the gym for me!!!  Love the Yoga on the top deck planned

Steph 

[Whitefacekat]

On 11/10/2018 at 9:49 PM, amscene1 said:

VV has been clear that that are targeting one nitch. You have to pick at least 2 from the following:

 

YOUNG

AFFLUENT 

LGBT 

 

If you check off 2 of these catagorys, you can sail VV

None of those, I am retired . I  booked with  20 plus other retired  solo  women and at least one man.  Being retired and over 50 though doesn't make you old.   I pay over $1400 for a week($200 a day) on NCL, I am happy to pay $975 to $1000 (also $200 a day) on V V. Retired people cruise more than Millenials. I sail 5-7 times a year.  

[4774Papa]

On 11/9/2018 at 6:39 AM, tx121 said:

This is may be a old topic already discussed on here but I don’t visit the boards that often. I just read the cruisecritic article about the new cruise line (Virgin Voyages) and how the operations are similar to the freestyle concept with no dress codes, open dining times, specialty restaurants that are free, late port times, no buffet, etc. I also read an article where a former NCL CEO sued the Virgin Company for using his ideas about the design and operations of the ships for the new company.

I am wondering if Virgin Voyages is a evolution of NCLs freestyle program currently and if NCL will change some of their operations if Virgin Voyages is successful. I for one would be very happy if NCLs specialty restaurants all of a sudden became free. Lol! 

Thoughts?

 

 

If you haven't cruised on other lines, the NCL's freestyle concept is not so unique anymore.  Virtually all the lines have adopted dining when you want as a choice over fixed dining times.  We cruise on Celebrity and Royal C and they both have that choice.  We haven't used fixed dining in years.

[david_sobe]

The new Virgin ship sailing from Miami soon only sails 3-4 nights.  That helps keep the price way down.  Some of those rock star suites look incredible.  They have vegetarian restaurants, Korean BBQ where you cook things on the table, etc.  They also cater to fitness.  They have a jogging track that is above the ship and boxing rings on the promenade deck.

But no hidden fees, no gratuities are ever allowed, no daily service charges, etc.  The price incudes everything which has an appeal.  All cruise lines have hidden fees which annoys many.  That annoyance really has given a few other cruise lines some bragging rights to lure customers to their line.

[DaCruiseBug]

54 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

The new Virgin ship sailing from Miami soon only sails 3-4 nights.  That helps keep the price way down.  Some of those rock star suites look incredible.  They have vegetarian restaurants, Korean BBQ where you cook things on the table, etc.  They also cater to fitness.  They have a jogging track that is above the ship and boxing rings on the promenade deck.

But no hidden fees, no gratuities are ever allowed, no daily service charges, etc.  The price incudes everything which has an appeal.  All cruise lines have hidden fees which annoys many.  That annoyance really has given a few other cruise lines some bragging rights to lure customers to their line.

 

Bingo! And NCL is the king of fees in the industry.

[Alegeeter]

On 11/10/2018 at 9:49 PM, amscene1 said:

VV has been clear that that are targeting one nitch. You have to pick at least 2 from the following:

 

YOUNG

AFFLUENT 

LGBT 

 

If you check off 2 of these catagorys, you can sail VV

 

What does this comment suggest about what type of passenger Carnival, Celebrity, NCL and all of the other cruise lines you have accumulated status with attracts?

 

You're awful.

[fshagan]

We're looking at VV now. All of the dining is specialty dining ... there are no main dining rooms at all. They promise "made to order" meals at their 20+ specialty restaurants. They claim there is no buffet, but there is a fast service restaurant that is buffet-like.

No tips, no daily service charge, no charge for soda, water (still and sparkling) and other "bevvies".  All restaurants are included. There is no drink package, so you pay a la carte for alcohol. That may, or may not, reduce the amount of drinking.

There is a casino, but I don't know the smoking policies. I'm hoping they follow Celebrity's lead and restrict smoking to specific outdoor areas, and follow Holland America's lead and have a sane policy regarding vaping.

[JohnIreland]

Remember when the Epic wasn't going to have a buffet or MDR.  This may have been what was planned for it.

 

[DaCruiseBug]

1 hour ago, Alegeeter said:

 

What does this comment suggest about what type of passenger Carnival, Celebrity, NCL and all of the other cruise lines you have accumulated status with attracts?

 

You're awful.

 

Every cruiseline has their bread and butter. For Carnival it's those on the lower end of the income spectrum. Think of it as Wal-Mart. Yes, anyone can shop there but their target is those with lower incomes etc. Celebrity probably considers a more mature crowd their bread and butter. NCL may as well put ads up in every liquor store. Yes, i'm generalizing but for the most part it's a correct assessment.

[Alegeeter]

35 minutes ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

Every cruiseline has their bread and butter. For Carnival it's those on the lower end of the income spectrum. Think of it as Wal-Mart. Yes, anyone can shop there but their target is those with lower incomes etc. Celebrity probably considers a more mature crowd their bread and butter. NCL may as well put ads up in every liquor store. Yes, i'm generalizing but for the most part it's a correct assessment.

 

My comment was directed at amscene1 for his/her disgusting comment about VV's targets. Since amscene1 has status with Carnival, Celebrity, etc. then by his/her logic, those cruise lines must be going after passengers like him/her: nasty, homophobic, generalists.

[Trimone]

Looking good value per cabin?

[ziggyuk]

 

This interview with Richard Branson is interesting, he tells, his plans, the loyalty scheme and the target audience.

 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/new-things-we-just-learned-about-virgin-voyages/

 

[DaCruiseBug]

9 minutes ago, Trimone said:

Looking good value per cabin?

 

 

On a brand-new ship with a company knows for excellent quality and service? I'd say it's not too bad.

 

Also...if you book a few months later the prices are much lower. For example, you can get a balcony on that same sailing in September for $2,000 or an oceanview for $1,750.

[Two Wheels Only]

58 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

This interview with Richard Branson is interesting, he tells, his plans, the loyalty scheme and the target audience.

 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/new-things-we-just-learned-about-virgin-voyages/

 

 

Thank you for the link.

 

Some aspects look good but others....not so much. I'm not their target (have kids) but in the distant future, I would consider Virgin just as I would consider most other lines. I'm not loyal to any line and like that different lines are different.

[SNJCruisers]

The only downfalls that I can see so far are the cruise lengths are too short and they have no drink packages.

Once retired in a few years though, it could be used as an add on cruise to another one on a different line and after 7 or 8 days with a drink package on the first cruise, it would not be needed on the second one.  I could survive on San Pellegrino and Coke Zero, which are supposedly included.

[graphicguy]

Looked at Virgin when they first started offering "updates" for their new cruise company.

 

Not sure they quite align with NCL.  The ship looks interesting, for certain.  I think the idea of "no kids" will play, but only to those who are very young (with no kids yet), or very old (who has kids that have long been out of the house).  

 

Not sure how it will play with us "tweeners".....old enough to be closer to retirement than graduation (like me).  

 

Also, looks to be a bit more expensive than NCL (as well as other mainstream lines) for a shorter duration cruise.

 

Said it before, I think NCL is inching closer and closer to becoming all inclusive.  At most, they'll have two price tiers.  One tier gets you drinks, specialty dining, etc.  The other is cheap, but gets you no perks and you have pay for everything a la carte.

 

If Virgin was "all inclusive" at the prices they're quoting, I'd definitely look at them more closely.

[SNJCruisers]

12 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

 

If Virgin was "all inclusive" at the prices they're quoting, I'd definitely look at them more closely.

With the exception of no included alcohol, they practically are all inclusive.  No gratuities or service charges, specialty restaurants included, no buffets, soda and both types of water also included. And no rug rats.

[ziggyuk]

6 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Said it before, I think NCL is inching closer and closer to becoming all inclusive.  At most, they'll have two price tiers.  One tier gets you drinks, specialty dining, etc.  The other is cheap, but gets you no perks and you have pay for everything a la carte.

 

That is virtually what they offer in the UK, they call it all inclusive and covers everything (except specialist dining), UBP included, no gratuities or DSC.

This season they have even been including WiFi and Specialist dining.

 

 

The only other option for us is cabin only, still included gratuities but nothing else.

[LadyLion_AP]

 

Not sure how it will play with us "tweeners".....old enough to be closer to retirement than graduation (like me).  

We’d most likely be considered “tweeners” but our kids are college age.

 

A group of us (mostly 40s & 50s) are sailing together. Some still have younger children at home, some have never had children & some have college kids like us!

 

We are looking forward to an adult only cruise with other seemingly interesting features.

 

Will we still cruise other lines but interested to see what experience Virgin will offer!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[graphicguy]

In all frankness, my alcohol bill, without any sort of drink package was always the biggest expense I had at the end of my cruises.  I think the least expensive one was $700....most expensive was $1,300.  So, that's a big advantage for NCL because they've reduced that amount down to around $275 for the service charges/tips with the drink packages.

[SNJCruisers]

5 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

...they've reduced that amount down to around $275 for the service charges/tips with the drink packages.

You are forgetting the price difference between sailaway with no perks and the rate you pay to get the UBP.  That additional 300 or so  increases the 275 up to 575.  If an alcohol package is that important to you then VV would obviously not be a good fit.  I don't thing that Richard Branson will lose any sleep over not having you as a sailor.

[Traveling Fools]

6 hours ago, david_sobe said:

The new Virgin ship sailing from Miami soon only sails 3-4 nights.  That helps keep the price way down.  

 

39 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

The only downfalls that I can see so far are the cruise lengths are too short and they have no drink packages.

 

Current posted itineraries and length of VV's cruises aren't very attractive to many veteran cruisers, especially those who have to travel large distances.  Once the bloom wears off (probably sooner than later), look for changes in both those categories.

[graphicguy]

30 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

That is virtually what they offer in the UK, they call it all inclusive and covers everything (except specialist dining), UBP included, no gratuities or DSC.

This season they have even been including WiFi and Specialist dining.

 

 

The only other option for us is cabin only, still included gratuities but nothing else.

Yeah....I do believe they're edging in that direction....where everything is covered.  The fact that they essentially have two tiers for the sailings outside of Europe, where there are no perks for a bottom price or one with perks (which is similar to the one you quoted above, but adding in dining and drinking fees and tips.  I would imagine they're compiling data to see which way they'll go next.

 

As far as Virgin cruises, I'm mildly interested.  But as @Traveling Fools points out, the more experienced cruiser will probably seek something more in the way of length of cruise.  Virgin won't miss us.  I do think there will be more of a "party 'till you drop" sort of crowd.  Been there, done that......a LONG TIME AGO.  Doubt I could do that today (not that I don't try).