Match loyalty tier

[scotlandconnor]

Hi

please can anyone help. We are booked on Virgin Voyages Athens - Dubai. I am trying to match a loyalty status from previous ships that we have sailed on. 

I'm loyalty tier Pacific with P&O, Silver with NCL, Classic with Celebrity and unsure with MSC, Princess and Royal Caribbean. Does anyone know which of the 3 tiers above would be the highest level to match? Thank you 

[1025cruise]

If you to Virgin’s webpage, they tell you what they will match. It’s really only the higher levels. 

[cantgetin]

Exactly as above.  On VV's site, scroll down to "Loyalty" and click on that.  They system is explained along with t chart of what will match and the application.

 

You either match or you don't, and if you do, you get temporary Sea Rover status which gives you the Deep Blue Extras package. You don't get a better package on VV if your level is higher on the other line.  Basically, they match some of the higher levels on most lines...but check.

I've seen people post things like "Well, I get XYZ on Royal and VV didn't give me that."  No, VV doesn't "match" what another line gives you.  THey "match" that you do or do not qualify for their loyalty program. If you qualify, you get DBE....which may be more or less than you'd get on the other line.

Edited July 5, 2023 by cantgetin

[Gretchendz]

Current list is this--but they keep adding so check back if you don't qualify now:

Azamara's Circle	Explorer, Discoverer, Discover Plus, Discover Platinum
Carnival's VIFP Club	Platinum, Diamond
Celebrity Cruises' Captain's Club	Elite, Elite Plus, Zenith
Disney's Castaway	Silver, Gold, Platinum, Pearl
Holland America's Mariner Society	3-Star, 4-Star, 5-Star
MSC's Voyagers Club	Gold, Black
Norwegian Cruise Line's Latitudes Rewards	Platinum, Sapphire, Diamond, Ambassador
Oceania's Oceania Club	Gold, Platinum, Diamond, President's Circle
P&O's Peninsular Club	Mediterranean Tier, Caribbean Tier, Baltic Tier, Ligurian Tier
Princess' Captain's Circle	Platinum, Elite
Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society	Diamond, Diamond Plus, Pinnacle Club
Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club	Gold
Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer	Gold, Platinum, Beyond
Windstar's Yacht Club	One Star, Two Star, Three Star, Four Star

[drsel]

17 hours ago, Gretchendz said:

Current list is this--but they keep adding so check back if you don't qualify now:

Azamara's Circle	Explorer, Discoverer, Discover Plus, Discover Platinum
Carnival's VIFP Club	Platinum, Diamond
Celebrity Cruises' Captain's Club	Elite, Elite Plus, Zenith
Disney's Castaway	Silver, Gold, Platinum, Pearl
Holland America's Mariner Society	3-Star, 4-Star, 5-Star
MSC's Voyagers Club	Gold, Black
Norwegian Cruise Line's Latitudes Rewards	Platinum, Sapphire, Diamond, Ambassador
Oceania's Oceania Club	Gold, Platinum, Diamond, President's Circle
P&O's Peninsular Club	Mediterranean Tier, Caribbean Tier, Baltic Tier, Ligurian Tier
Princess' Captain's Circle	Platinum, Elite
Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society	Diamond, Diamond Plus, Pinnacle Club
Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club	Gold
Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer	Gold, Platinum, Beyond
Windstar's Yacht Club	One Star, Two Star, Three Star, Four Star

Thanks 👍

Any idea where I can find Virgin cruises ranked by price per night ( including all port fees and taxes, excluding gratuities) ?

[Gretchendz]

3 minutes ago, drsel said:

Thanks 👍

Any idea where I can find Virgin cruises ranked by price per night ( including all port fees and taxes, excluding gratuities) ?

 

So, if many Virgin TAs (First Mates), have a VV mini-co-branded website that allows you to see all the cruises and even book it yourself with the booking then being assigned to that TA. 

 

There are filters and one filter allows you to filter for each sailor per night.  The lowest rate on that basis showing right now is $162.80 per person per day for and October Dominican Daze sailing. If one interests you can always initiate, but not conclude, a booking on one of these sites to get the full price including taxes.

 

The key is to find a TA with one of these sites. Then it's easy.

[cantgetin]

12 minutes ago, drsel said:

Thanks 👍

Any idea where I can find Virgin cruises ranked by price per night ( including all port fees and taxes, excluding gratuities) ?

Given that all gratuities are included in the VV cruise fares, you can skip that point.  We have found that generally, the longer the cruise, the less costly the  nightly rate.  I don't know of any place that has ranked all cruise though.  I've seen Sea Terrace for 2 people in 2022-2024 going for as little as $84 per person per night including all costs to $350 pp per night.

When we got the $84 per night, that included the MNVV and 10% off for paying in full more than 180 days in advance.  The nice thing about VV is that many of the offers can layer on each other.

[jon81uk]

7 minutes ago, drsel said:

Thanks 👍

Any idea where I can find Virgin cruises ranked by price per night ( including all port fees and taxes, excluding gratuities) ?

There are no gratuities on Virgin Voyages, it’s all included in the fare. 
 

if you choose an itinerary on the Virgin Voyages site then it will show the cheapest dates for that cruise now.

[drsel]

14 minutes ago, Gretchendz said:

 

So, if many Virgin TAs (First Mates), have a VV mini-co-branded website that allows you to see all the cruises and even book it yourself with the booking then being assigned to that TA. 

 

There are filters and one filter allows you to filter for each sailor per night.  The lowest rate on that basis showing right now is $162.80 per person per day for and October Dominican Daze sailing. If one interests you can always initiate, but not conclude, a booking on one of these sites to get the full price including taxes.

 

The key is to find a TA with one of these sites. Then it's easy.

 

12 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

Given that all gratuities are included in the VV cruise fares, you can skip that point.  We have found that generally, the longer the cruise, the less costly the  nightly rate.  I don't know of any place that has ranked all cruise though.  I've seen Sea Terrace for 2 people in 2022-2024 going for as little as $84 per person per night including all costs to $350 pp per night.

When we got the $84 per night, that included the MNVV and 10% off for paying in full more than 180 days in advance.  The nice thing about VV is that many of the offers can layer on each other.

Thanks, the website I use lists price per night (including all port fees and taxes) and price movement charts for 11 cruise lines , but not Virgin.

Hence I never considered Virgin, although I heard of it.

How does Virgin compare with other British cruise lines like Cunard, P&O?

And how does it compare with Royal, Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, Carnival and Norwegian?

Edited July 5, 2023 by drsel

[cantgetin]

Just now, drsel said:

 

Thanks, the website I use lists price per night (including all port fees and taxes) and price movement charts for 11 cruise lines , but not Virgin.

Hence I never considered Virgin, although I heard of it.

How does Virgin compare with Royal, Celebrity Princess, Carnival and Norwegian?

For my next 2 cruises on VV, I compared them to Royal, Celebrity, and Norwegian.  As you know, it is impossible to compare "apples to apples" as the packages offered by each cruise line are different.  VV does not offer cheap base fares where you have to add a lot of upcharges.  ALL VV bookings include gratuities, unlimited basic internet (premium is $10 per day and will allow streaming), ALL restaurants with only a handful of upcharge items anywhere, ALL fitness classes, and all entertainment except that which includes alcohol.  There is a dinner show (Ship Show, Last Rose) that has a fee, but the fee includes the alcohol.  There are 6 restaurants on board that would be specialty on any other line.

SO, what I did was to try to find a package on the other lines that included tips, wifi, and  at least some specialty dining.  VV was running a $600 free bar tab with booking special, so I considered that a "wash."  What I found was that the cruise I was paying $2400 for would have been at  $3700-$4000 n the other lines.  That made VV a good deal.  I also had $600 in "loot" (onboard credit), so considered that equal to any other line.  I do shop carefully on my own and my TA tracks specials so I can grab them if something comes up.  In fact, on that $2400 cruise, I was able to cancel and rebook, which took almost $400 off my original booking and added the $600 bar tab...so dropped from $2800.

When I say that VV includes gratuities, that means ALL onboard gratuities....in the spa, in the bars, etc. If I buy a cocktail on any other line, they will add a 15-20% automatic gratuity.  On VV, if I buy a $13 cocktail (range is generally $11-15), I pay $13.  Same for the spa.  I offered a tip and was told that it was included in my service and they were not permitted to accept tips...there is no "additional tip" line either and no key in the register to add a tip.

So.....if you are looking for a cheap base price, VV may not be for you.  If what you care about is what you end up paying by the time you get off the ship, I've found that with careful shopping, it can easily be cheaper than other lines.  And, the best part is NO KIDS!

[Gretchendz]

7 minutes ago, drsel said:

 

Thanks, the website I use lists price per night (including all port fees and taxes) and price movement charts for 11 cruise lines , but not Virgin.

Hence I never considered Virgin, although I heard of it.

How does Virgin compare with other British cruise lines like Cunard, P&O?

And how does it compare with Royal, Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, Carnival and Norwegian?

 

This is my personal take. I have sailed Princess a lot over the years and Cunard in recent years (mainly Queen Mary 2 transatlantic crossings) .Also Holland, RCCL and other lines. I don't sail Carnival. I do love Cunard, even though it's formality is becoming terribly lax *grins.*

 

I sailed Virgin last week.  As you may know, Virgin skews a bit younger. But that can be very itinerary dependent! Guests must be 18 or up which means no kids running around or kids' activities. It is very inclusive. Some people fear it will be a big hook-up cruise. I did not feel that to be the case--and I am old 🙂

 

Obviously, it less formal than Cunard.  Rather than large dining halls you are basically going to a new restaurant every night. The food overall was fantastic. Foodies love VV for this reason. No extra charge for specialty dining. There are a very menu items with an upcharge, which seems to be the norm in the industry nowadays. No buffet (a win in my book) but a food court with everything from sushi to tacos to breakfast all day to panini to burgers to lovely salads. A nice poke eatery up top with great bao.  There are over 20 places to eat.

 

As to entertainment, on Virgin there will be drag shows with Divas. If this makes you uncomfortable, it's not the line for you. Also, they encourage staff to be who they are so there are quite a few who are openly LGBTQ+. There are parties and a nightclub but if they are not your thing they are easily avoided.

 

They work hard to make it fun and spontaneous. The crew was terrific. Most cruise line staff are, but on VV they seemed genuinely happier.

 

One told me a story about getting Richard Branson a glass of water on one cruise and three weeks later in ran into Branson who remembered his name (he had no name tag on). He compared that with another high-end cruise line that advertises a lot where he was the personal butler to the CEO for two weeks--who never learned his name at all. Needless to say, he was much happier to be working on VV and it showed.

 

Another difference, we like to play games like trivia. But it can get a bit intense on lines like Princess. Not the cruise line's fault but some people will actively cheat on their phones for a free set of coasters...The games are more light-hearted and silly on VV.  You will usually be put together with others to form teams.  Usually the winning team gets a round of free drinks. We especially enjoyed a speed round of putting together a 300 piece jigsaw puzzle. 

 

Oh and my personal favorite, an 80s style video arcade where you can play for free 🙂

 

Much more is included in the basics. I LOVE the no gratuities policy. Free basic wi-fi. Free group fitness classes. Free soda and non-pressed juice. Free gelato style ice cream and sorbet.

 

The status match benefits are quite nice if you qualify.

[neverendingcruising]

22 hours ago, cantgetin said:

 There is a dinner show (Ship Show, Last Rose) that has a fee, but the fee includes the alcohol. 

 

We weren't charged for It's A Ship Show but we did have to pay for drinks a la carte. Another Rose was $50 and included a selection of cocktails and bottomless bubbles. Curious if Ship Show either has or will go the way of Another Rose. 

[cantgetin]

1 minute ago, neverendingcruising said:

 

We weren't charged for It's A Ship Show but we did have to pay for drinks a la carte. Another Rose was $50 and included a selection of cocktails and bottomless bubbles. Curious if Ship Show either has or will go the way of Another Rose. 

You are totally correct--we were not charged for Ship Show.  I'm told that the food has improved a lot since we did that one.  Sorry for the error!

[neverendingcruising]

We've had both menus at Ship Show and the new one is considerably better! Entree chicken still a little dry. 

[_tacocat_]

8 hours ago, neverendingcruising said:

Curious if Ship Show either has or will go the way of Another Rose

Heard through the grapevine that ship show was just added as filler, with the anticipation of NSA ending and something else eventually coming on, which is why they didn’t put a ton of effort into ship show.  That replacement show still hasn’t happened yet…

[neverendingcruising]

Hmm, so maybe Another Rose goes across the fleet?

[cantgetin]

8 minutes ago, neverendingcruising said:

Hmm, so maybe Another Rose goes across the fleet?

Or maybe they are moving toward different shows on different ships to encourage passengers to choose to try different ships.  The "they're all the same" doesn't generate as much repeat business.....

[_tacocat_]

12 minutes ago, neverendingcruising said:

Hmm, so maybe Another Rose goes across the fleet?

i'm not sure it works on shorter itineraries. 

 

on the 7 night resilient, i believe it was offered twice (maybe 3 times, but i'm only remembering mykonos overnight night when my friends went and the night we left mykonos when i went).  it eats the manor's availability for a pretty decent chunk of time every time it happens for setup, the actual show and breakdown, and i can't imagine them staffing up a whole show and crew to only show it once across a voyage.

 

i was going to say, maybe on valiant's 8 night voyages, but then what would they do on the 6-nighters?

[jon81uk]

10 minutes ago, _tacocat_ said:

i'm not sure it works on shorter itineraries. 

 

on the 7 night resilient, i believe it was offered twice (maybe 3 times, but i'm only remembering mykonos overnight night when my friends went and the night we left mykonos when i went).  it eats the manor's availability for a pretty decent chunk of time every time it happens for setup, the actual show and breakdown, and i can't imagine them staffing up a whole show and crew to only show it once across a voyage.

 

i was going to say, maybe on valiant's 8 night voyages, but then what would they do on the 6-nighters?

It’s a Ship Show still takes up the Manor for two hours or so, there isn’t really a huge difference other than Another Rose has slightly more decor such as the flowers in the mirror corridor. Valiant has been offering Ship Show pretty much since in launched in 2022. I think one of the main reasons they brought it over to Scarlet was to add dining capacity too as well as new entertainment. Generally both shows start at 7pm so they can be cleared for the party to start at 10.30pm, which is plenty of time with Never Sleep Alone no

 

Another Rose was on three times for us, Monday (Santorini), Wednesday (Bodrum on Scarlet Night) and Saturday (last night after leaving Mykonos). There was Lola’s Library on the nights Another Rose isn’t offered now as they brought Lola’s forward to a 9pm start, I think it was originally planned for 11pm after Another Rose was done, but they realised they didn’t need that many showings of AR and Lola’s starting at 11pm was ridiculous as no-one will still be watching at 2.30!

 

I expect AR might launch on Brilliant Lady too, but could come to Valiant at some point. For Scarlet I expect Ships in the Night might get replaced first?

[_tacocat_]

42 minutes ago, jon81uk said:

Lola’s starting at 11pm was ridiculous as no-one will still be watching at 2.30!

lol i 100% concur here.  we had ours starting at 11 the first time (ran late of course), so we only made it to chapter 1.  the other showing started chapter 1 at 10, and we were still pretty pooped after going to an 11:30 chapter 2 and a 1ish chapter 3!!

[LibratPDX]

On 7/7/2023 at 9:47 AM, _tacocat_ said:

lol i 100% concur here.  we had ours starting at 11 the first time (ran late of course), so we only made it to chapter 1.  the other showing started chapter 1 at 10, and we were still pretty pooped after going to an 11:30 chapter 2 and a 1ish chapter 3!!

Haha, I feel ya, it was a late night for me, but I HAD to stay, Lola/Meggie and I bonded on the Valiant when she was my "Dr" Anna.  We met before her show then because she saw I followed her on IG (and I was giving out my dragonfly earrings to crew).  During her Lola performance I was sitting very close and left of the stage and she reached out and grabbed my hand for a split second, made me feel special for sure!

Edited July 26, 2023 by LibratPDX