Don’t book a cabana in Bimini.

[elcid79]

We had an overall excellent experience on the scarlet lady.  
 

A wonderful time, and will definitely sail virgin again.  
 

I didn’t want to complain directly to virgin, bc I didn’t want the staff getting in trouble with a complaint linked to our reservation. 
 

We booked a cabana at Bimini and it was just shy of awful.  For the price it was just terrible. 
 

The facilities themselves were dirty. With trash in our advertised cooler and under our seats.  Our seat cushions were water logged.  When we laid on them we got soaked in a cold “water”?  There were a lot of flies, likely because of the trash. 

Our dedicated server was all but nonexistent.  Spending the vast majority of her time serving the guests that were in the free sections of the beach club.
 

We ordered two drinks the entire time we were there and delivery took about 30 minutes from order both times.  Finally we got frustrated and left.  Our attendant call button did nothing.  It took us probably 45 minutes to place an order for food.   Because we didn’t have any way of locating the server, and she was busy elsewhere. 

 

They pitch it as a premium product and it just isn’t. To be honest I would have much rather just been in a regular beach chair.

Lastly we returned toward the end of the day, but well before the bonfire.  Our cabana was stripped and no staff was available. 
 

Save your money, it’s not worth the premium. 

 

Edited May 6, 2022 by elcid79

[rcov00]

I understand where you’re coming from but I think I would of complained directly to virgin. Aren’t those like 400-500? That’s an outrageous price for basically no existent service. 

Edited May 7, 2022 by rcov00

[Cloud9 Bob]

What a shame this happened to you. For the price they charge there is no excuse for dirty accommmodations and lackluster service. One of the main problems of those cabanas is they do not keep the rain out. That's probably why your cushions were soaked. If you should have a sudden downpour while in one, you WILL get wet. What good is that? You would be better off in a clamshell. I think part of the problem with your service is Virgin only rents the space while they are docked. They may not have complete control over the staff there, but not totally sure.

Edited May 7, 2022 by Cloud9 Bob

[elcid79]

What is particularly frustrating about it, we had a couples massage scheduled which was cancelled for unknown reasons.  It just vanished off of our schedule. We asked what happened and they said we cancelled it.  (We had not.)  The whole thing was odd.   
 

They had this one cabana available so we decided to do that instead.  It was just a mess.  I don’t like complaining and my wife REALLY doesn’t.     But this was pretty bad.  
 

(come to think of it they also cancelled our shore excursion on the first day.   This was reasonable though due to inclement weather.). 

[CruisingWalter]

8 hours ago, elcid79 said:

What is particularly frustrating about it, we had a couples massage scheduled which was cancelled for unknown reasons.  It just vanished off of our schedule. We asked what happened and they said we cancelled it.  (We had not.)  The whole thing was odd.   
 

They had this one cabana available so we decided to do that instead.  It was just a mess.  I don’t like complaining and my wife REALLY doesn’t.     But this was pretty bad.  
 

(come to think of it they also cancelled our shore excursion on the first day.   This was reasonable though due to inclement weather.). 

 

We looked at those cabanas when we first booked and laughed. They're not worth at all what they charging when you compare them to the Royal Caribbean, NCL and other cruise line cabanas at their private island/private resort locations. But then that entire space is not a Virgin exclusive resort, it's owned and operated by Resorts World, which uses that space when there are no Virgin ships in port. 

We're in a Cheeky Corner Suite onboard the ship, but definitely not shelling out money for those 'cabanas.' 

Very sorry you had a bad experience, if you want that 'cabana' experience in the Caribbean look at Royal Caribbean's Coco Cay and Labadee islands. You do pretty much get what you pay for and they have many levels of options, including new over water cabanas. They are quite lovely. 

[oakridger]

Are you talking about these "cabanas" made from sticks?  I read that they are charging somewhere around $400 to rent for the day!  That's ridiculous!

 

[rebeccac]

On my cruise in July, they want $500 for most of them.  There was one location that was $400.  Either way, not going to do it.  

[Roel94]

Crystal used these. I went ince in crystal Abd had to walk aalinf  way to get away from the awful music, saw the cabanas and I stayed on ship vs that club.

[Chris931]

I had a cabana in February and loved it.  My friends and I had 3 cabanas in a row.  We had a great location where we could go to the pool or ocean easily.  Our attendant was great.   We really didn't even have to use the call button because he came by at least once an hour to see if we needed anything.   He offered to bring us a sample of everything for lunch which he did.  And then he came back again with more in the late afternoon.    I would do it again in a heartbeat.

[elcid79]

Yup those are the ones.

 

[godzukihop]

What I don't understand is why spend $500 on this instead of upgrading to Rockstar which gives you access to the rockstar area on Bimini (which has always been great for us) and so many other advantages like Richard's Roof top. 

[cantgetin]

58 minutes ago, godzukihop said:

What I don't understand is why spend $500 on this instead of upgrading to Rockstar which gives you access to the rockstar area on Bimini (which has always been great for us) and so many other advantages like Richard's Roof top. 

A suite (rockstar status) costs a whole lot more than $500 over a Sea Terrace.  So, if you only want one day of "service," the cabana might be a better deal for you.  I can't see doing either.  I could do 3 cruises for the  price of Rockstar status.  Maybe I don't understand what all the "advantages" are. Yes, the huge balconies are amazing, but there are only 2 of us and I wouldn't be throwing a party or holding a meeting on board.  We are very light drinkers, so wouldn't use the available bar items (or honestly even know how to), don't care for the happy hour champagne, and the other perks seem to depend on how good your "Rockstar agent" is.  Yes, I know there are some advantages that are not generally advertised like being taken to all the "action spots" on Scarlet Night, ability to order restaurant food sent to your room, etc.  I'd rather have 3 cruises.  And with the current booking policies of "First Mates" being able to hold cabins without attaching names for up to 30 days, it is very hard to even see the price of a suite!

[godzukihop]

27 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

A suite (rockstar status) costs a whole lot more than $500 over a Sea Terrace.  So, if you only want one day of "service," the cabana might be a better deal for you.  I can't see doing either.  I could do 3 cruises for the  price of Rockstar status.  Maybe I don't understand what all the "advantages" are. Yes, the huge balconies are amazing, but there are only 2 of us and I wouldn't be throwing a party or holding a meeting on board.  We are very light drinkers, so wouldn't use the available bar items (or honestly even know how to), don't care for the happy hour champagne, and the other perks seem to depend on how good your "Rockstar agent" is.  Yes, I know there are some advantages that are not generally advertised like being taken to all the "action spots" on Scarlet Night, ability to order restaurant food sent to your room, etc.  I'd rather have 3 cruises.  And with the current booking policies of "First Mates" being able to hold cabins without attaching names for up to 30 days, it is very hard to even see the price of a suite!

Rockstar is more than $500 over a Sea Terrace but not 3 times the cost. There are many advantages that VV does not advertise.    

Edited June 28, 2023 by godzukihop

[cantgetin]

Thanks for posting the above for a comparison.  Honestly, these prices for a Sea Terrace do not reflect what I've actually paid for my cruises so far or for the others I have booked. The notes say these prices are per sailor and showing them as already discounted.  I've paid about this in a Sea Terrace for two of us...and on some cruises, I've paid less than the shown price.  But fair, the few rockstar quotes I've seen were in the range of $7-8K for 2 people while I've paid under $3K for 2 on each of our cruises.  If VV increases prices to $5K for 2 in a Sea Terrace, we may decide that the things we like of VV don't justify that cost!  Of course, I've usually booked with MNVV, 10% off for PIF, etc. so I've never paid the base price.

[godzukihop]

22 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

Thanks for posting the above for a comparison.  Honestly, these prices for a Sea Terrace do not reflect what I've actually paid for my cruises so far or for the others I have booked. The notes say these prices are per sailor and showing them as already discounted.  I've paid about this in a Sea Terrace for two of us...and on some cruises, I've paid less than the shown price.  But fair, the few rockstar quotes I've seen were in the range of $7-8K for 2 people while I've paid under $3K for 2 on each of our cruises.  If VV increases prices to $5K for 2 in a Sea Terrace, we may decide that the things we like of VV don't justify that cost!  Of course, I've usually booked with MNVV, 10% off for PIF, etc. so I've never paid the base price.

I think when they say Starting price per sailor they are referring to the crossed out prices below. No way anyone would pay those prices for per sailor for a 5 day sailing. I have cruised twice in a suite (and another booked) and we were surprised at all of the suite perks that were not advertised. Golf cart rides in Bimini instead of the tram, free unlimited spa access, concierge getting you reservations that you cannot and the biggest for me is the on land Rockstar agent prior to the cruise.  In no way do I mean to criticize your choices, just trying to let people know you get alot when you get black wristbands.  

[jon81uk]

41 minutes ago, godzukihop said:

I think when they say Starting price per sailor they are referring to the crossed out prices below. No way anyone would pay those prices for per sailor for a 5 day sailing. I have cruised twice in a suite (and another booked) and we were surprised at all of the suite perks that were not advertised. Golf cart rides in Bimini instead of the tram, free unlimited spa access, concierge getting you reservations that you cannot and the biggest for me is the on land Rockstar agent prior to the cruise.  In no way do I mean to criticize your choices, just trying to let people know you get alot when you get black wristbands.  

The on land concierge and spa access are only for mega rockstar level and are advertised. The Bimini transfer isn’t so much because of course the European itineraries don’t go there so it’s not relevant to everyone. 
 

 the spa access is listed in the mega benefits here

https://www.virginvoyages.com/cabins/suites

Edited June 28, 2023 by jon81uk

[cantgetin]

1 hour ago, godzukihop said:

  In no way do I mean to criticize your choices, just trying to let people know you get alot when you get black wristbands.  

Not taken as criticism.  I've cruised in suites on another line, and while the perks were nice, I wouldn't do it again for what that line was offering....and I honestly didn't see much that VV was giving much more for the increased cost. 

THanks for filling in some of the details.

[CruisingWalter]

On 5/6/2022 at 7:07 PM, elcid79 said:

Save your money, it’s not worth the premium. 

 

Not too many folks will recommend those cabanas because for the price, you're not getting a whole lot. Especially when you compare the cabanas on other cruise private islands. Those sticks are not very useful and it's not as well kept as other cabana areas. Well it's not even a cabana area really, it's just the back of the beach. The trash problem comes because the beach club is used daily by other cruise lines as well when VV is not there and clearly there is not enough staff to reset that area daily. 

 

It's one set of cabanas we would never rent because at $500 they are so overpriced. $200 maybe, but even there they are such a poor design. I'd much rather spend the money towards most anything else than those cabanas. 

[elcid79]

On 6/28/2023 at 4:59 AM, godzukihop said:

What I don't understand is why spend $500 on this instead of upgrading to Rockstar which gives you access to the rockstar area on Bimini (which has always been great for us) and so many other advantages like Richard's Roof top. 

Easy.  They were sold out.  I typically book my cruises 2 weeks or so ahead of sailing for work reasons.   On this cruise the best room available was what we got (there may have been an availability in the top most suite category if memory serves, which we were not interested in.)

[LMaxwell]

On 5/6/2022 at 7:07 PM, elcid79 said:

I didn’t want to complain directly to virgin, bc I didn’t want the staff getting in trouble with a complaint linked to our reservation. 

Not telling a service provider when their amenities don't match what is advertised not only ensures you will get the same lackluster experience in the future, it is a disservice to others, and doesn't actually allow the company to do anything to correct it for you. Staff don't "get in trouble".  They do what management asks/allows them to do. If management doesn't know, nothing will improve. 

[_tacocat_]

21 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

Not telling a service provider when their amenities don't match what is advertised not only ensures you will get the same lackluster experience in the future, it is a disservice to others, and doesn't actually allow the company to do anything to correct it for you. Staff don't "get in trouble".  They do what management asks/allows them to do. If management doesn't know, nothing will improve. 

100% yes.  virgin is exceptionally receptive to feedback - if they marked your file every time i'd offered constructive criticism in my post voyage survey, i'd never be allowed back on haha.  if you can offer a solution to a perceived problem, they do listen and implement new processes and add or eliminate activities and excursions based on sailor feedback, both positive and negative!

[LMaxwell]

8 minutes ago, _tacocat_ said:

100% yes.  virgin is exceptionally receptive to feedback - if they marked your file every time i'd offered constructive criticism in my post voyage survey, i'd never be allowed back on haha.  if you can offer a solution to a perceived problem, they do listen and implement new processes and add or eliminate activities and excursions based on sailor feedback, both positive and negative!

Good, bad, or indifferent all these companies just want your money. I've sent complaints to entire C-Suites at a Cruise Line and still get the same promotional emails daily.  We are just numbers. No sense suffering a poor experience without voicing a concern.