Price like some other cruise lines

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Other than the ship itself and no children. I see no difference form some other cruise lines on what is included with your fare. Nothing is FREE. What you pay for the cruise is paying for what they include with it. Exactly the same with other cruise lines. Many offer specials and the cost of the cruise reflects the specials. Always much higher than with no specials. Virgin for drinks only includes a basic soda package, WiFi, prepaid gratuities and ALL Dining. No adult drinks included. Other cruise lines in their specials will offer an Adult drink package, free WiFi, Prepaid Gratuities and ONE specialty dining venue along with all the complimentary dining as usual or a combination of these. Is Virgin worth the price? Guess at some point we'll all find out. We have done all the different cabins and now just stay with Ocean View. Not worth the extra for us. Sleep, change clothes, shower and leave. So many places on the ship to go and thing to do than sit in a state room. That is us. Different strokes. The ocean View on a Virgin ship does not seem as nice as all the other ships we have been on and that is a lot. Again, as time goes by we will see how they fare against others.

[CroozFanatic]

18+ is the biggest selling point

 

How much money do RCCL and NCL dedicate to children - water slides, go karts, kids club, staff, space?

 

On Virgin, zero. 

 

Will it translate...we shall see.

[twodjs]

ALWAYS CRUSIN - Your point exactly. Different strokes...We will NEVER book just an ocean-view cabin. The fresh air with a private balcony is absolutely worth it to us. So everyone has different priorities. It the value of the total experience that really matters. The vibe is different. No kids is a huge plus. We'll all have to wait and see. We're on it next March.

[mnocket]

At the end of the day, what we pay for is itinerary and the on-board experience.  People have differing expectations as to what constitutes a good itinerary and a good on-board experience.  The biggest differentiator for  VV is the promised on-board experience.  Once sailing resumes (or in this case starts) and we can read customer reviews, we'll all be better able to judge whether VV is a good value for each of us individually.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

4 hours ago, twodjs said:

ALWAYS CRUSIN - Your point exactly. Different strokes...We will NEVER book just an ocean-view cabin. The fresh air with a private balcony is absolutely worth it to us. So everyone has different priorities. It the value of the total experience that really matters. The vibe is different. No kids is a huge plus. We'll all have to wait and see. We're on it next March.

We did balcony for many years. We would use it to watch as the ship leaves and enters port. maybe get some private sun time if the sun was shining on the balcony, or I would stand out their waiting for the wife to get ready. So for us. really not a biggie. However. if the virus struck on the ship. A balcony would be a great asset.

[shoptom]

No kids and a balcony hammock?  I booked immediately!

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Many keep saying because there are no kids. Really? That is the reason? Princess and many other cruise ships do not cater to children at all. No water slides no children's water play area. Nothing for them other than the clubs or day care that help parents enjoy a cruise by themselves. On those ships you almost never see any children other than maybe dinner time. Unless you are talking about teens. I have never been on a cruise were teens were any problem at all. Most of the time they gather together and are in the teen club or at the pool or the game room. I have seen them playing cards or other games. No problem at all.

[pl281]

@ALWAYS CRUZIN

 

I will say yes to your question - Because there are no kids - there is a difference a cruise line / ship that just doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the 5-16yr old group might want and a ship where they are not allowed.

 

For example many river cruises don't allow anyone under 16 I believe - this is in part due to them not having activities but also to set a certain tone / mood on the ship. It's the same reason for years that Las Vegas was not viewed as a Family Vacation spot.

 

Like you I have sailed on many different lines - we have an almost 8 year old - and while well behaved I can understand why sometimes when people go on vacation they are looking for certain experience and having kids (even well behaved ones) changes that experience.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

4 minutes ago, pl281 said:

@ALWAYS CRUZIN

 

I will say yes to your question - Because there are no kids - there is a difference a cruise line / ship that just doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the 5-16yr old group might want and a ship where they are not allowed.

 

For example many river cruises don't allow anyone under 16 I believe - this is in part due to them not having activities but also to set a certain tone / mood on the ship. It's the same reason for years that Las Vegas was not viewed as a Family Vacation spot.

 

Like you I have sailed on many different lines - we have an almost 8 year old - and while well behaved I can understand why sometimes when people go on vacation they are looking for certain experience and having kids (even well behaved ones) changes that experience.

Maybe it is just us. We are in out mid 70s and love ALL children. My son and daughter are 50 and 45 They were always well behaved. However, there is always the exception of a child that is not well behaved and that is very irritating to us. So yes, I can understand those that want piece and quiet from the young unruly generation.

[Notnewtoit]

We recently booked for 5 nights in a Rockstar suite in 2022, this gives us access to the private rooftop and a few VIP upsides. Price was $4k give or take. By contrast the same period, similar routing 7 nights in the NCL Haven was over $8k. Adults only and more interesting dining options made VV a no-brainer. Maybe we are the target demographic!

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

We do not blow the wad on one cruise. We do not care to stay in a room or a balcony for the cruise. Adult areas are available on most any cruise ship, if we choose to go there. Some charge extra to use it. Minimal charge at that. We enjoy doing everything that is available to do each and every day. We do 4-6 cruises a year, some years up to 8. To us. The state room is nothing more than a stop to sleep, shower and change our clothes. I can sit read a book or whatever at home. We go on cruises to enjoy the cruise and the ship not the state room. That is us.

[rebeccac]

On 5/28/2021 at 11:57 AM, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

 Unless you are talking about teens. I have never been on a cruise were teens were any problem at all. Most of the time they gather together and are in the teen club or at the pool or the game room. I have seen them playing cards or other games. No problem at all.

 

We were on Freedom of the Seas, and the teens were the BIGGEST problem.  They gathered together, but did it on the stairwells, so you were constantly dodging them or having to request they move (which got very big eyerolls in response).  And that was a ship with a ton of things for teens to do.  

[pl281]

I was curious so I just did a test booking on Royal (Freedom of the Seas) 

3600 Pax - 2006 Maiden Voyage

4 Night - Miami, CocoCay, Nassau

Base Fare (no discounts) Balcony Cabin - $1626

Tips $116

========

$1742

 

Scarlet Lady - Balcony Cabin $2400

2700 Pax - 2019 

 

Difference just based on this is $658

$90 For internet for 2 devices on Royal

=======================

Now down to $568

Most of the speciality dining is $40/pp on Royal 

so very quickly this becomes very close in price 

 

And for a newer / smaller ship - personally for me I'll go with the newer ship every day

 

[Biker19]

10 hours ago, pl281 said:

Base Fare (no discounts) Balcony Cabin - $1626

That is likely an unusually costly example - most of the time balconies are closer to $100-150 pppd not the $200 in your example. Yes, the prices for Virgin will likely become more comparable to other lines like RCI (more likely Celebrity's), but that's probably because Virgin prices will come down, not because RCI prices will go up.

Edited June 2, 2021 by Biker19

[CroozFanatic]

Agree, the comparable for Virgin from RCCL is Celebrity, and more specifically, the Edge, the Apex, and the Beyond. And, oh boy, is Celebrity asking a premium for those ships.

[pl281]

@CroozFanatic

 

I agree that Celebrity is closer in terms of type of service / experience - I forgot they have a few short cruises - most of them are not

I did find one that is on the Celebrity Summit with a base fare without any discounts is at $1850

 

As you mentioned there is a premium for the newer ships