Do you like the way Virgin Voyages does this?

[cantgetin]

We used to make a "just us" request on other lines, and most of the time we'd get it.  But on some lines, like Princess, the tables were so close together that you were basically at a table for 8 (or at least 6) when there were 4 single tables in a row that literally had to be scooted so you could be seated at the inner seat.  Sometimes the people at the next table were great, sometimes no....but still so close that you couldn't ignore them.

VV is much better.  Even at Test Kitchen or Razzle Dazzle, where some of the tables are in rows and you sometimes can't help overhearing conversations, the fact that you were seated at different times and there is more distance between the tables makes it far easier to engage or ignore the others as you choose.
 

In fairness, we've had some good conversations with passengers on other lines when we chose to share tables at lunch or whatever....but the same people in the same place at the same time for mediocre food is not for me.

[3rdCoastFan]

I had an easy time making dinner reservations at the 45-day mark - even a little earlier as reservations opened up around 5pm (US central) for me the day before. There’s also some value to leaving an evening open. A few days into our cruise, more events were added - including a set by the Hostess at On The Rocks - and while it’s not hard to rearrange or even cancel a dinner reservation I almost felt too locked in with my full slate of dinner reservations. 

[smart_alec]

I'm yet to cruise with VV (my cruise is 3/26 on Scarlet Lady), but so far I'm with OP and I hate how VV does this. I was just surprised by this tonight. My cruise is in two weeks. I didn't even realize dining was open for booking. I just noticed it accidentally in the app. I watched several reviews by YouTubers that apparently were sponsored or invited by VV, and none of them mentioned the fact that restaurants get booked up weeks in advance. They just went on and on about how great the food is and how nice the food and restaurant variety is. I wish one of them actually mentioned the fact that you need to rush and book all the reservations as soon as you can.

 

Like OP, I like to book in advance, and I am stressed out to see everything completely booked out (except for Razzle Dazzle I ended up booking at 9:30pm since it was the earliest available). I also think it's condescending to tell people not to worry about it. Different people approach things differently, and being prepared and organized is very important for some while a complete drag for others. While I'm stuck with this cruise, quite possibly VV is not the right cruise line for me. 

 

I do appreciate everyone who contributed something significant to this thread (other than idiotic advice "not worry about it") to put OP's and my mind at ease by explaining that more reservations will open up and talking the restaurant hosts is the best way to secure reservations. 

 

In general, I'm pretty frustrated with VV so far. I had no clue that I couldn't check in for the cruise via the web site. I kept checking and checking not understanding why there isn't anything in my account about checking in, and why I didn't get the "it's time to check in" email. Finally (thanks to Cruise Critic) I learned I could check in only via the app. And even after that I didn't realize that the restaurants needed to get pre-booked via the app. I got 20 emails from VV about upgrading my room (no, don't want that). I got 50 emails from VV about pre-paying for booze and getting $50 with the $300 booze purchase. No, I don't want that either. I got zero emails about "it's time to check in" and "it's time to book your dining". I'm also tired of their cutesy web site that goes out of their way to be charming and playful and completely lacking any significant info.

 

Rant over. Sorry, had to vent. 100% with the OP. Hate how VV does this. 

 

I hope I will feel differently after the cruise. Not so far though. VV, I hope someone is reading this.

Edited March 13, 2023 by smart_alec

[yesornocruising]

On 3/11/2023 at 8:07 AM, TechSurfer said:

What do you mean by this below? One of the things they don't dime you for?

 

• Regardless of reservations, room service is decent (and one of the very few things Virgin doesn't dime you for), and the Galley is often open.
•  

 

 

[cantgetin]

VV does charge a $5 delivery fee for room service which is waived if you order anything that has a charge (alcohol, specialty tea, etc) or if you are staying in a suite.  I'm not aware that they nickel and dime for anything.  VERY few thngs have a charge and those that do are clearly listed.

Edited March 13, 2023 by cantgetin

[AtSeaWithChris]

1 minute ago, cantgetin said:

VV does charge a $5 delivery fee for room service which is waived if you order anything that has a charge (alcohol, specialty tea, etc) or if you are staying in a suite.

It’s now $7

[cantgetin]

Just now, AtSeaWithChris said:

It’s now $7

Sorry....my cruise was 4 1/2 months ago.

[sollan]

I wonder what happens if we don't make any dinner reservations at all? Do we have go around all restaurants to try to get a reservation after boarding? Or can it be done in the reception? Reading the posts over dinner reservations I suspekt it will be long lines.

 

We really want to try out as many of the restaurants as possibe but I also feel a bit stressed over this. We like to eat quite early around 18 - 18:30. 

 

 

[jon81uk]

1 hour ago, sollan said:

I wonder what happens if we don't make any dinner reservations at all? Do we have go around all restaurants to try to get a reservation after boarding? Or can it be done in the reception? Reading the posts over dinner reservations I suspekt it will be long lines.

 

We really want to try out as many of the restaurants as possibe but I also feel a bit stressed over this. We like to eat quite early around 18 - 18:30. 

 

 

Try to book on the app before boarding. Then once you get onboard you can do it yourself on the app, or go to the “chart room” (red desk by the doors on deck 7) and ask for help. You can also go to host stands at each restaurant, but of course trying to book for future nights while everyone else waits to check in for tonight holds up the line. 
 

Also once onboard open the app and book fitness classes, activities and shows (in that order) then check if you need to move meals around show times. 
Then after a late lunch watch the safety video before going to your muster point.

[TechSurfer]

9 hours ago, yesornocruising said:

What do you mean by this below? One of the things they don't dime you for?

We just got off the Scarlett Lady.  Our final invoice was quite long.  Even espresso isn't included.  (Drip coffee is, but come on, this isn't the 70s.). No concept of well cocktails.  Many of the on-board activities are fee-based.

If you're accustommed to mass-market cruises (e.g. NCL, RCL, Carnivale), this may not be a surprise.  But this was the opposite of the Paul Gaugin, for example.

[raphael360]

1 hour ago, TechSurfer said:

But this was the opposite of the Paul Gaugin,

I'm a long-time Seabourn cruiser (250 days) and I would LOVE to experience a Paul Gaugin cruise experience but it's much more expensive than Seabourn and above my price range sadly.  While an Expresso is $4 on VV it's free on Seabourn.  I guess $30,000 for a 21-day cruise gets you  'free egg roll'.  

(A joke from the1968 comedy classic: With 6 You Get Eggroll) 🙂

[jon81uk]

1 hour ago, TechSurfer said:

We just got off the Scarlett Lady.  Our final invoice was quite long.  Even espresso isn't included.  (Drip coffee is, but come on, this isn't the 70s.). No concept of well cocktails.  Many of the on-board activities are fee-based.

If you're accustommed to mass-market cruises (e.g. NCL, RCL, Carnivale), this may not be a surprise.  But this was the opposite of the Paul Gaugin, for example.

what do you mean by well cocktails? I was drinking Absolut Vodka and Sprite/Coke for $7. That seems a good price to me.

Also still managed to fill all my time without paying for any activity except bingo, although I think they have added a few more paid for events more recently, they all include drinks in that price. 
I thought it was quite clear that it was drip coffee included before boarding and that is what I would expect anyway. Personally I found the flavour of the drip coffee better than an Americano, but everyone’s taste is different.

[mfic246]

Is it true that the delivery fee is waived for all suite guests?

[_tacocat_]

6 minutes ago, mfic246 said:

Is it true that the delivery fee is waived for all suite guests?

yep the charge never even shows up on the "checkout" page of the room service part of the app!

[_tacocat_]

2 hours ago, TechSurfer said:

We just got off the Scarlett Lady.  Our final invoice was quite long.  Even espresso isn't included.  (Drip coffee is, but come on, this isn't the 70s.). No concept of well cocktails.  Many of the on-board activities are fee-based.

If you're accustommed to mass-market cruises (e.g. NCL, RCL, Carnivale), this may not be a surprise.  But this was the opposite of the Paul Gaugin, for example.

echoing others, it's extremely clear that only drip coffee/basic tea/soda/water/iced tea are the included bevs.

 

if by "well" cocktails you mean dive bar plastic bottle liquor cocktails, yeah, that doesn't exist on VV, but i thought it was really reasonable for $7 (including tip!) for a vodka soda - can't remember if that was titos or absolut, but fine either way. i'm past my popov days, and i'd like to think most VV pax are as well hahaha.

 

you could theoretically get off the ship with a $0 folio - i know others have!  there are no obnoxious announcements trying to get you to part with your cash.  there are plenty of free activities (trivia, fitness classes, gameshow type events, karaoke, dance class, etc.).  the charged activities usually the ones that have alcohol.  you're basically paying for the booze.

 

VV is certainly not gaugin, nor have they ever marketed themselves as remotely comparable.  i've never been onboard gaugin, but i had the pleasure of having what seemed like the entire ship full of passengers on a flight from SFO>PPT.  a bunch of cranky 65-and-ups that complained about literally EVERYTHING for the entire 9 hour flight - seats, food, airport experience, delays.  that was enough to prevent me from ever wanting to book on gaugin.  if i want to hear a bunch of old people kvetch for a week, i can go visit a retirement community.

[CrazyTrain2]

I'm a tech guy so here is where I think it's heading towards - AI.  You answer a few questions and the AI engine gives you a starting point itinerary with all your shows, meals and activities booked based on inventory available.  It can get very personalized and even conversational.  You can then modify the AI set of reservations.  It would satisfy the one click and your done folks while also giving you control over your booking.  For now, we have to live with the Uhhhhg Zone.

[cantgetin]

I got off a 14 night cruise with a bill of $8.  Yes, it helped that we had Deep Blue Extras and some Loot applied to our reservation.  It was, by far, the cheapest bill I'd ever had on a cruise.    Hoping that Deep Blue extends to our next cruise....but scheduled to end.

[aimee0715]

18 hours ago, smart_alec said:

I'm yet to cruise with VV (my cruise is 3/26 on Scarlet Lady), but so far I'm with OP and I hate how VV does this. I was just surprised by this tonight. My cruise is in two weeks. I didn't even realize dining was open for booking. I just noticed it accidentally in the app. I watched several reviews by YouTubers that apparently were sponsored or invited by VV, and none of them mentioned the fact that restaurants get booked up weeks in advance. They just went on and on about how great the food is and how nice the food and restaurant variety is. I wish one of them actually mentioned the fact that you need to rush and book all the reservations as soon as you can.

 

Like OP, I like to book in advance, and I am stressed out to see everything completely booked out (except for Razzle Dazzle I ended up booking at 9:30pm since it was the earliest available). I also think it's condescending to tell people not to worry about it. Different people approach things differently, and being prepared and organized is very important for some while a complete drag for others. While I'm stuck with this cruise, quite possibly VV is not the right cruise line for me. 

 

I do appreciate everyone who contributed something significant to this thread (other than idiotic advice "not worry about it") to put OP's and my mind at ease by explaining that more reservations will open up and talking the restaurant hosts is the best way to secure reservations. 

 

In general, I'm pretty frustrated with VV so far. I had no clue that I couldn't check in for the cruise via the web site. I kept checking and checking not understanding why there isn't anything in my account about checking in, and why I didn't get the "it's time to check in" email. Finally (thanks to Cruise Critic) I learned I could check in only via the app. And even after that I didn't realize that the restaurants needed to get pre-booked via the app. I got 20 emails from VV about upgrading my room (no, don't want that). I got 50 emails from VV about pre-paying for booze and getting $50 with the $300 booze purchase. No, I don't want that either. I got zero emails about "it's time to check in" and "it's time to book your dining". I'm also tired of their cutesy web site that goes out of their way to be charming and playful and completely lacking any significant info.

 

Rant over. Sorry, had to vent. 100% with the OP. Hate how VV does this. 

 

I hope I will feel differently after the cruise. Not so far though. VV, I hope someone is reading this.

All of this 100%!  I spent a couple days trying to figure out how to book excursions and trying to find prices on them.  That's when I found out about the app.   Before I knew about the app, I also found it ridiculous that if I want to know the specifics of the itinerary (dates and times in port), I could not see that by looking at my account at the cruises I have booked.  I had to go out and search for it as if I wanted to book a cruise.  It would be really helpful if they mentioned the app somewhere on the "my Account" part of the website.  

[jon81uk]

15 minutes ago, aimee0715 said:

It would be really helpful if they mentioned the app somewhere on the "my Account" part of the website. 

If you click into the details of the booking it does show this

[aimee0715]

2 minutes ago, jon81uk said:

If you click into the details of the booking it does show this

I do see that now if click "manage booking" and scroll all the way down to the bottom.  It's right above the small print.

[jon81uk]

30 minutes ago, aimee0715 said:

I do see that now if click "manage booking" and scroll all the way down to the bottom.  It's right above the small print.

Yep I think the text is correct but they do need to make it a lot clearer by placing it further up the page and in an email!

[Jessetfan]

I'm actually pretty excited for the way that Virgin does reservations. I booked my cruise for next week last August, and my friend and I have been maintaining a spreadsheet for plans, so we knew where we wanted to go on what night and at what time quite a while before we could make reservations. I signed onto the app the day reservations were available, and with the exception of our first night I was able to book exactly what we wanted within 15 minutes of the planned time. Our first night I think we ended up booking an hour later than ideal, overall not bad at all. We may make one change depending on whether Test Kitchen has our preferred menu on the night we have it booked currently, but other than that, I'm thrilled with the way this has worked out.

 

When I've booked before (Carnival), I've made sure to book the steakhouse in advance, and the last time I did (granted about a decade ago) I had to do so by phone. This was easy and I didn't have to talk to anyone to do it.

[TechSurfer]

21 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

echoing others, it's extremely clear that only drip coffee/basic tea/soda/water/iced tea are the included bevs.

Not even remotely the point.  The point is, it is (as I called it) diming us.  Not that they aren't up-front about it.  They don't hide it.  But the reality of a thousand small cuts was annoying.

All together, it didn't come to a lot of money.  Hence the "dime" part, rather than being centuried.

[jon81uk]

18 minutes ago, TechSurfer said:

Not even remotely the point.  The point is, it is (as I called it) diming us.  Not that they aren't up-front about it.  They don't hide it.  But the reality of a thousand small cuts was annoying.

All together, it didn't come to a lot of money.  Hence the "dime" part, rather than being centuried.

But it’s not a thousand small cuts when the product is not being cut-down, it is exactly as advertised. 

[CruiseScrooge]

I haven't been on VV yet but it seems the dining system and specialty restaurants isn't very forgiving to solos or people in a group like a singles group who don't know if they might meet someone while on the cruise to have dinner with and so much is already booked when they try several days into the cruise.