Do you like the way Virgin Voyages does this?

[jon81uk]

9 minutes ago, CruiseScrooge said:

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.

As Jessetfan posted above it’s not that bad to rearrange things really. There often is available times. Or just go to the host stand and tell them you booked for one but it’s now for 2/4 and they will try to accommodate. We made friends so asked for two of us to be added to the reservation for four and they managed to find a table for the six of us. 

[cantgetin]

44 minutes ago, CruiseScrooge said:

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.

You have a bit of a point.  There is no such thing as a table for one, so a reservation for one can always become for 2.  As to larger groups, we've found the restaurants to be very willing to meet our needs for a group pf 4 or 6.  True that you wouldn't be likely to get seats for a party of 16 without advance notice.  On the other hand, our FB group for the next cruise had put together several large groups and we have advance reservations.  You also do not need to specify the other cruisers.  You can make a reservation for 4 in just your name.

[cantgetin]

47 minutes ago, CruiseScrooge said:

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.

You have a bit of a point.  There is no such thing as a table for one, so a reservation for one can always become for 2.  As to larger groups, we've found the restaurants to be very willing to meet our needs for a group pf 4 or 6.  True that you wouldn't be likely to get seats for a party of 16 without advance notice.  On the other hand, our FB group for the next cruise had put together several large groups and we have advance reservations.  You also do not need to specify the other cruisers.  You can make a reservation for 4 in just your name.

[_tacocat_]

2 hours 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 not doing the activities/buying espressos doesn't detract from the experience. 

 

i'd only been on one other cruise line - NCL - and it seemed you couldn't have a good vacation unless you ponied up more money.  i did not and had a pretty garbage time.  food in the MDR and buffet was borderline edible.  you had to pay for the signature dining or whatever it's called to get good food.  i basically ate pretzel rolls for a week.  it was absolutely disgusting.  want to do anything fun? oh, that'll be another $20 pp.  oh wait, didn't spend any money onboard this week?  here's a bill for daily gratuities when you check out.  that is nickel and diming.

[_tacocat_]

54 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

You can make a reservation for 4 in just your name.

oo i didn't realize you could do that!

 

i was traveling as 2, and we met a few people onboard.  at dinner one night, they sat the 2 of us at a larger table because that's all that was available.  one of the solo people we met popped in - they were able to just add a place setting for them.  we also ordered way too much food, so were able to share some of it.  serendipitous!

[TYCruise]

2 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

oo i didn't realize you could do that!

 

i was traveling as 2, and we met a few people onboard.  at dinner one night, they sat the 2 of us at a larger table because that's all that was available.  one of the solo people we met popped in - they were able to just add a place setting for them.  we also ordered way too much food, so were able to share some of it.  serendipitous!

You can also "friend" other sailors on the app which will allow you to add them to dining reservations yourself.

[neverendingcruising]

If you think Virgin Voyages is nickel and dining you, clearly you haven't been on a Royal Caribbean ship, lol. 

[cantgetin]

5 hours ago, neverendingcruising said:

If you think Virgin Voyages is nickel and dining you, clearly you haven't been on a Royal Caribbean ship, lol. 

Or NCL!  Of course you can do "FREE at Sea" and pay it all in advance, which will double the cost of your cruise fare or more.  

Edited March 15, 2023 by cantgetin

[mfs2k]

I dont mind "nickel and diming" as long as I know upfront what's included and what's not.

It's no different when I go to a hotel and I see a fully stocked minibar in my room.  I expect to be charged if I eat or drink something.  Sure, some hotels include the minibar, but, believe me, they make up the revenue in other ways. 

 

In the end, the cruise lines are in business to make a profit, and people spend what they are willing to.

 

Pick the cruiseline that you can afford, that gives you what you want. 

[TechSurfer]

6 hours ago, mfs2k said:

Pick the cruiseline that you can afford, that gives you what you want. 

Exactly that.  And, to be fair to the respondants who pointed out how much better Virgin is than Norweigan or Royal Caribbean... I've never been on those or Carnival, because, again, exactly that - I can afford not to.  

[Lustate]

5 hours ago, TechSurfer said:

Exactly that.  And, to be fair to the respondants who pointed out how much better Virgin is than Norweigan or Royal Caribbean... I've never been on those or Carnival, because, again, exactly that - I can afford not to.  

I think I'm one of the lucky bods. I left the ship WITH cash in my pocket.

Played bingo, won, cleared the on board account, and had $275 in cash to clear the account down! he he he

[cantgetin]

We had enough loot thru various promos that we discussed what to spend it on, and left with $8 charged to the credit card (had a drink at dinner the last night...which was nicely discounted and used up the last $5 in loot). 

 

[CruisingWalter]

On 3/10/2023 at 11:10 AM, mfs2k said:

The idea of booking a cruise then having this stupid anxiety over dinner isn't my favorite way to anticipate a vacation.

 

Well then you honestly have to decide if VV is the right cruise line for you. If this is going to cause so much stress and anxiety, perhaps stick to another cruise line with more traditional reservations and dining. 

 

For me it's all about the quality of the food. There is no mainstream cruise line that comes close to the quality of the food you're given onboard Virgin Voyages and we've sailed 8 different lines now. Disney is the closest for overall food quality, but not all of the dining is included like VV. Dining and where I'm going to eat is the least of my worries onboard any cruise ship. I'm never going to go hungry. If I can't get into The Wake until 9p I'll grab a little something in The Galley or graze on an amazing pizza.

 

But as others have noted, Walk Up is available each evening, more reservations are available once onboard and you will get to each in the restaurant of your choice. It just may not be at the exact time or day you were planning on. But then that happens to us on every cruise, every cruise lines.

[cantgetin]

Walter expressed it well.  VV does things differently and some of those things are not right for everyone.  VV has the highest quality of dining I've seen on any line; the closest being Celebrity and Disney....but we've seen ups and downs in Disney dining over the years, and adult only dining there is not cheap!  Similar with Celebrity--the MDR food is good, but the good food requires an Aqua class cabin which significantly more costly.

I also stressed before my first cruise.  What I found is that it is a lot easier "in real life" than it seems in advance.

 

[mfs2k]

4 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

Well then you honestly have to decide if VV is the right cruise line for you. If this is going to cause so much stress and anxiety, perhaps stick to another cruise line with more traditional reservations and dining

Too soon to know. I’m just writing about my pre cruise experience. When my cruise is over in 10 days I’ll know enough to decide if I want to book another on VV or go back to Celebrity. 

[mfs2k]

4 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

For me it's all about the quality of the food. There is no mainstream cruise line that comes close to the quality of the food you're given onboard Virgin Voyages

My last cruise was a 9 night on Celebrity. We had a large OBC and used it for Specialty Dining for about 7 nights. We were in a suite and ate in Luminae for breakfast.  I was very happy with the food and service. 

[scubagal44]

4 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Too soon to know. I’m just writing about my pre cruise experience. When my cruise is over in 10 days I’ll know enough to decide if I want to book another on VV or go back to Celebrity. 

 

Hope you'll keep us posted on how you like it!  

 

My last cruise before my first VV sailing was on Celebrity (also my first time on X).  We really enjoyed it!  Celebrity has a great product also, but as mentioned previously the food doesn't come close to VV's offerings.  AND we had a specialty dining package on our 10 night Celebrity sailing and only ate in the MDR once.  As foodies we do value superior food quality, so that is the main reason why we'll be returning to VV for our next cruise.  If you can get past the "stress" of the pre-sailing dining reservation experience, I think you'll enjoy yourself.

[cantgetin]

And the great quality food on VV is almost all included.  We did indulge in trying the waygu beef at gunbae, but decided that it was silly to do so.  There was more than enough excellent food without the "treat yourself," and it was no better than the free food.  I've heard good things about the tomahawk steak at The Wake, but don't see why I'd pay when there is so much good stuff included.

[raphael360]

3 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

We did indulge in trying the waygu beef at gunbae

I'm thinking of trying it next week.  Did you order it or passed, I couldn't tell from your post.

[cantgetin]

4 minutes ago, raphael360 said:

I'm thinking of trying it next week.  Did you order it or passed, I couldn't tell from your post.

We ordered it and ate it.  There was nothing wrong with it, just nothing special enough to justify the cost, and we certainly didn't need any more food.   

 

Note on Gunbae--if you want more of any of the included food, just let your server know; they are happy to supply more.

 

We've done Gunbae at least 3 times now.  The standard first time is that they will ask if you want to order off the menu or have them bring you the most popular items.  First time, we did the most popular.  After that, we knew what we liked of the included items, so only ordered those things.  They can also do the chicken with sauce on the side (the sauce is quite spicy).

[raphael360]

1 hour ago, scubagal44 said:

My last cruise before my first VV sailing was on Celebrity

I've done 10 or more cruises on Celebrity and then did my next 16 on Seabourn. Seabourn was wonderful but, at almost $1500 a night, it should be.  With that said I'm enjoying VV more than either Celebrity or Seabourn.  Not because of the food or the style of the ship.  I find the vibe on VV is just 'fun' and the staff is the friendliest of any lines I've sailed on.  

 

Baskin Robbins makes 52 flavors of ice cream.  I like cookies and cream.  Lots of cruise lines to choose from.  I like VV.

[raphael360]

5 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

The standard first time is that they will ask if you want to order off the menu or have them bring you the most popular items.

Thanks for that.  Due to food allergies, I'm a 'plain meat' guy and avoid all spices at all costs so I'm kind of worried.  Will I be able to find this at Gumbae?  Plain unseasoned meat?  Salt is good but no onion, garlic powder, msg, etc. 

[cantgetin]

Just now, raphael360 said:

Thanks for that.  Due to food allergies, I'm a 'plain meat' guy and avoid all spices at all costs so I'm kind of worried.  Will I be able to find this at Gumbae?  Plain unseasoned meat?  Salt is good but no onion, garlic powder, msg, etc. 

My suggestion (and I can't say that I fully know the answer to your question)....make a reservation there, but go early and talk to the powers that be.  It sounds to me like you might need to have your food cooked on your own separate grill as many of the dishes are spicy, previously marinated, etc.  I suspect that they can meet your needs, but they might choose to place your party at your own table to avoid any cross contamination.  If they can't do what you need, they can contact another restaurant and get you seating there, probably at the same time.

 

My experience has been that every restaurant can meet allergy issues, but they can't necessarily do it with every item on the menu.  For instance, I know that they can do the chicken with no sauce, no spices.  I don't know if they can do the beef that way or if they have it all marinated in advance.  And you definitely wouldn't want a grill where any of the seasoned stuff was being cooked.  In contrast, at any of the restaurants that serve steak, they can grill a steak "plain" and understand the need to clean the grill first and use an area where there have been no seasonings for other people's food.
 

We were asked about allergies by every host and every server.

[raphael360]

6 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

We were asked about allergies by every host and every server.

Thanks for that info.  I'll follow your advice.

Edited March 17, 2023 by raphael360

[_tacocat_]

43 minutes ago, raphael360 said:

Plain unseasoned meat?

yep, the shortrib that comes in the combo entree + the wagyu are plain unseasoned meat.  there is also a seasoned shortrib that probably has everything you don't want in that, so just make sure you tell them you want the unseasoned one.  they ask everrrryyyyyyyy time you order food if you have any allergies, so just make your server aware!