VV Virgin questions

[cantgetin]

2 hours ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

My rsvp day is approaching, plan to stay up and make my dinner/show reservations 🙂

 

What restaurants are open for lunch and do you need to reserve them? Is afternoon tea available every day? Does that come out of your bar tab or loot?  We're thinking about having brunch before heading out in Bimini, is RD or the wake open then?

 

What shows are rsvp-able on this 45 day mark? 

 

Spa treatments - they are available ahead of time to book, is it better to wait and do it on the boat, which is what I've done in the past, or is it really hard to get in? There are so many choices, does anybody have recommendations for things they have had done? Wanting to get a massage but wondering about some of the therapies.

 

Thanks! 🧜‍♀️

 

Brunch--The Wake and Razzle Dazzle every day.  No charge unless you order  charged beverages.  Reservations can now be made in advance.  In 29 nights on board, we've only ever been denied seating once as a walk in--that was The Wake at noon.  If you have your heart set on a time,  I'd make a reservation,  You can always change it later if you wish.  I would run from RD on Bimini day--we had a totally different crew than normal for brunch before Bimini and they didn't know what they were doing.  Both are open on Bimini day though

No show reservations can be made until you board.  No spa reservations till you board.  Again, we had no trouble getting what we wanted for spa. Shows fill up, but ignore the app that says they are full--go to the standby line and you will likely get in.

Tea--definitely every sea day; I never looked on port days.  $19 without bubbly, $39 with bubbly.  It will be billed to bar tab first, loot if bar tab has been used up.

[TheDarkestBlue]

20 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

Brunch--The Wake and Razzle Dazzle every day.  No charge unless you order  charged beverages.  Reservations can now be made in advance.  In 29 nights on board, we've only ever been denied seating once as a walk in--that was The Wake at noon.  If you have your heart set on a time,  I'd make a reservation,  You can always change it later if you wish.  I would run from RD on Bimini day--we had a totally different crew than normal for brunch before Bimini and they didn't know what they were doing.  Both are open on Bimini day though

No show reservations can be made until you board.  No spa reservations till you board.  Again, we had no trouble getting what we wanted for spa. Shows fill up, but ignore the app that says they are full--go to the standby line and you will likely get in.

Tea--definitely every sea day; I never looked on port days.  $19 without bubbly, $39 with bubbly.  It will be billed to bar tab first, loot if bar tab has been used up.

 

Awesome,  thanks for all the help! 🙂

[jon81uk]

3 hours ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

What restaurants are open for lunch and do you need to reserve them? Is afternoon tea available every day?

Of the waiter service restaurants only The Wake and Razzle Dazzle are open for brunch/lunch. For Razzle Dazzle I think last reservation is 12noon and The Wake is 1pm.

 

The Galley food court is open for breakfast to 11am, then limited items 11-12 and lunch 12-3pm. Then there are other casual service places from around noon such as the Dock, Social Club, Sun Club Cafe then pizza place opens 2pm to 2am.

[TheDarkestBlue]

3 hours ago, jon81uk said:

Of the waiter service restaurants only The Wake and Razzle Dazzle are open for brunch/lunch. For Razzle Dazzle I think last reservation is 12noon and The Wake is 1pm.

 

The Galley food court is open for breakfast to 11am, then limited items 11-12 and lunch 12-3pm. Then there are other casual service places from around noon such as the Dock, Social Club, Sun Club Cafe then pizza place opens 2pm to 2am.

 

Thank you for condensing all that information into a couple paragraphs! I want to have a plan when I get to doing the reservations a few nights from now. Hoping to get to Razzle Dazzles on the 1st sea day for brunch, and perhaps Test Kitchen that evening. I hear Test Kitchen can take up to 3 hours?

 

Pretty psyched for the food, I do a lot of cooking and really appreciate the variety and approach to dining on the boat. Not much of a drinker these days, the odd glass of wine when out to dinner, so was happy to see all the mocktails and pressed juices available if I don't want to drink alcohol. All these artisanal mixed cocktails are very interesting to me, and I'd love to taste some of them, even though I'm a lightweight these days. Does anybody have favorites they can recommend? There are so many I don't even know where to begin? 🍹 

Clearly, they want everyone to stay well hydrated 🫠

 

[cantgetin]

7 hours ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

 

 

I've never heard of Test Kitchen taking 3 hours.  2 to 2  1/2 , yes....but closer to 2.  One hint--on embarkation day, make your dinner reservation a little later than your usual.  Your lunch will be later if you wait until you board to eat!

On our cruise, Pink Agave had a drink called "Blue Agave" that we both really liked.
The cold pressed juices are available only at the bar by the Dock House, and for limited hours each morning.

[TheDarkestBlue]

35 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

I've never heard of Test Kitchen taking 3 hours.  2 to 2  1/2 , yes....but closer to 2.  One hint--on embarkation day, make your dinner reservation a little later than your usual.  Your lunch will be later if you wait until you board to eat!

On our cruise, Pink Agave had a drink called "Blue Agave" that we both really liked.
The cold pressed juices are available only at the bar by the Dock House, and for limited hours each morning.

 

I'm so glad to hear you say that, don't know that I could sit for 3 hours, got that from a YouTube video -  they didn't really care for the food or the atmosphere in Test Kitchen and felt it just took too long. I think it looks interesting and can't wait to try it, though I do think I will be substituting the blue cheese for something else, LOL. Thanks for the hint about first day, not sure where we're going to eat yet, the pajama party is that night, right? Since the sun will begin setting at 5:30, the sail away will be looking at the lights of Miami

 

Looking forward to Pink Agave, I hear they have an excellent steak there and will look for that drink. What is the Fresca Spiked?

 

Appreciate the heads up about the cold pressed juices, I thought they would be available most of the day? Can you get them delivered to your room? Would I be able to store them in my cabin refrigerator?

 

 

[cantgetin]

28 minutes ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

 

I'm so glad to hear you say that, don't know that I could sit for 3 hours, got that from a YouTube video -  they didn't really care for the food or the atmosphere in Test Kitchen and felt it just took too long. I think it looks interesting and can't wait to try it, though I do think I will be substituting the blue cheese for something else, LOL. Thanks for the hint about first day, not sure where we're going to eat yet, the pajama party is that night, right? Since the sun will begin setting at 5:30, the sail away will be looking at the lights of Miami

 

Looking forward to Pink Agave, I hear they have an excellent steak there and will look for that drink. What is the Fresca Spiked?

 

Appreciate the heads up about the cold pressed juices, I thought they would be available most of the day? Can you get them delivered to your room? Would I be able to store them in my cabin refrigerator?

 

 

As far as I know, no delivery to room, not even for Splash of Romance people (who get them as part of that package). Definitely NOT available most of the day--limited hours.  Yes, you can store them in your cabin fridge if you wish.

No idea what Fresca Spiked is.  PJ party is at 11, on deck if warm enough.  Otherwise moved indoors.  
You can substitute the vegetarian dish for the same course as the main at Test Kitchen.  The blue cheese is in the A menu, which is my favorite.  DO check with the restaurant in advance of your dinner to see which menu is on your night and to move it if it isn't the menu that you want....or to book a night with the other menu as well.  DO NOT believe what Sailor Services Shoreside tells you (they gave us wrong info).  People here and on other sites are usually right, but things can change!

[jon81uk]

9 hours ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

I hear Test Kitchen can take up to 3 hours?

It’s never taken more than two hours for us, last two cruises it was about 90 minutes.

 

8 hours ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

Looking forward to Pink Agave, I hear they have an excellent steak there and will look for that drink. What is the Fresca Spiked?

It’s Agua Fresca (Mexican drink made with fruit sugar and water) spiked with your choice of liquor.

the cheese topped steak is good and my favourite is the side of sweetcorn (esquites).

 

8 hours ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

Appreciate the heads up about the cold pressed juices, I thought they would be available most of the day? Can you get them delivered to your room? Would I be able to store them in my cabin refrigerator?

I think the Gym & Tonic bar next to the jacuzzi pool also offers fresh juice and smoothies and the Dock bar should as well. Some menus here.

https://profcruise.com/virgin-bar-menus-2023/#gym
https://profcruise.com/virgin-bar-menus-2023/#dock

 

[rebeccac]

On 10/14/2023 at 2:36 PM, cantgetin said:

Tea--definitely every sea day; I never looked on port days.  $19 without bubbly, $39 with bubbly.  It will be billed to bar tab first, loot if bar tab has been used up.

 

On our last VV cruise, tea was only on sea days.  

[qq830821]

very informative thanks! can someone pls tell me how many reservations i can make for one restaurant for a 6n cruise? Do they count brunch/lunch/bf? many thanks!

[TheDarkestBlue]

6 hours ago, qq830821 said:

very informative thanks! can someone pls tell me how many reservations i can make for one restaurant for a 6n cruise? Do they count brunch/lunch/bf? many thanks!

 

Maybe someone else can tell you how many reservations you can make?

 

I was able to get both brunch and dinner reservations for Razzle Dazzle. Since we are on a 5 day, we're skipping The Wake for dinner, and have brunch there on disembarkation day.

[_tacocat_]

8 hours ago, qq830821 said:

very informative thanks! can someone pls tell me how many reservations i can make for one restaurant for a 6n cruise? Do they count brunch/lunch/bf? many thanks!

i believe you can make 3 dinner reservations at a restaurant for 6n+ cruise.  you for sure can do that on a 7 night, and you can only do 1 per restaurant on 4 and 5 nighters, but i think the 6 night falls under the "longer voyage" rules.

[TheDarkestBlue]

 

When I went to do my dining reservations, I noticed something that I hadn't heard about before, I was able to see the time slots that were already taken so I could plan my dining times.

 

I brought up the app on my tablet and phone around 11:30pm, with the goal of seeing what changes might occur between then and the midnight mark - maybe I could jump on early. At about 20 minutes to midnight, clicked the "Book Dining" link, which brought me to the "Eateries" page - list of restaurants, each now populated with little red rectangle time slots in 15 minute intervals, I could search through the time slots that were left over from the Rockstars making their RSVPs at an earlier date. I used that information to come up with a plan for each day, and just after midnight the booking button at the bottom of the page became live, I was able to move right through and book everything, at the times we wanted, including brunches. 

 

At that point, the events line-up also became live, I was able to add Bingo with the Diva and various dance parties to my agenda. There were several other events (like Dual Reality) laid out on the timeline there so you could see what days/hours they occurred on. You are unable to book these ahead, must be done on board - same with the spa services.

 

I appreciate all the help and answers to my crazy questions that you guys have given! 🙂 

[_tacocat_]

2 minutes ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

At that point, the events line-up also became live, I was able to add Bingo with the Diva and various dance parties to my agenda. There were several other events (like Dual Reality) laid out on the timeline there so you could see what days/hours they occurred on. You are unable to book these ahead, must be done on board - same with the spa services.

don't get too attached to this agenda/schedule, as it 100% will change over the weeks leading up to your departure, then a ton of stuff will get revamped in the 24 hours before you board (you can't view things at that point, so you have to check it all out once you connect to ship wifi)

[cantgetin]

The deal is ONE advance dinner reservation per restaurant on cruises less than 6 night.  For cruises more than 6 nights, 3 advance dinner reservations per restaurant.  Brunch does not count.  You can actually make more reservations at the restaurant while on board, but the restrictions are for reservations made in advance thru the app.

[Vanilla Chipp]

On 10/14/2023 at 2:36 PM, cantgetin said:

Tea--definitely every sea day; I never looked on port days.  $19 without bubbly, $39 with bubbly.  It will be billed to bar tab first, loot if bar tab has been used up.

Do you wait to reserve the Afternoon Tea until you’re aboard and logged onto the WiFi just like the entertainment? Or is it something that you can just show up for?

 

Also, one other question. Has anyone noticed how late the hot tubs stay open until on VV? I like to take a dip before bed and in my experience Royal Caribbean always keeps at least one open until the wee hours, whereas Carnival tends to drain all of theirs before midnight. Just curious what I should expect…

 

Lastly, apologies to the OP. It’s not my intention to hijack but I also have my first Virgin cruise coming up in a few weeks and found this thread to be helpful. I figured it was a good place to inquire rather than starting a whole new topic.

[jon81uk]

13 minutes ago, Vanilla Chipp said:

Do you wait to reserve the Afternoon Tea until you’re aboard and logged onto the WiFi just like the entertainment? Or is it something that you can just show up for?

 

Also, one other question. Has anyone noticed how late the hot tubs stay open until on VV? I like to take a dip before bed and in my experience Royal Caribbean always keeps at least one open until the wee hours, whereas Carnival tends to drain all of theirs before midnight. Just curious what I should expect…

 

Lastly, apologies to the OP. It’s not my intention to hijack but I also have my first Virgin cruise coming up in a few weeks and found this thread to be helpful. I figured it was a good place to inquire rather than starting a whole new topic.

Just turn up for afternoon tea, it’s not often busy. Personally I don’t see the value in paying for more food.

 

Hot tubs are open almost all the time, they just drain in the middle of the night, like 2am or similar.

[cantgetin]

You can also go to afternoon tea on a no fee, no food basis,  There is a lounge area for seating.  Bring your own tea from The Galley or the Grounds Club.  The same entertainers will visit that area; you can sit and make some new friends.  There is SO NUCH food around the ship that I could't see a reason to pay for more and I certainly didn't need moe calories.

[neverendingcruising]

Pools and hot tubs close at midnight, enforcement of that seems to be hit or miss. 

[TheDarkestBlue]

9 hours ago, Vanilla Chipp said:

Lastly, apologies to the OP. It’s not my intention to hijack but I also have my first Virgin cruise coming up in a few weeks and found this thread to be helpful. I figured it was a good place to inquire rather than starting a whole new topic.

 

No worries fellow person from South Jersey! LBI native also going in a few weeks 🙂 have a great time!

 

Go Birds! 🦅 

[qq830821]

Thanks @tacocat_ and  TheDarkestBlue for clarifying this. 

 

I have also managed to call VV to link two cabins together and was told that since we will be celebrating honeymoon with our family, they will provide 1 complementary bubbly for each cabin and this will be shown in the add ons. does anyone know how long it usually takes? i still dont have that in my addons and i am wondering if i should give them a call to follow up.

[SinbadThePorter]

As a VV virgin I've been wondering about trivia. When is it on? Generally I wanted to work my restaurant bookings around trivia times.

[cantgetin]

10 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

As a VV virgin I've been wondering about trivia. When is it on? Generally I wanted to work my restaurant bookings around trivia times.

Trivia times vary--often in the late afternoon, sometimes in the evening.  Book your dinner reservations in advance knowing that you can edit them after boarding if they interfere with events you want to attend,

[TheDarkestBlue]

On 10/30/2023 at 10:01 PM, qq830821 said:

Thanks @tacocat_ and  TheDarkestBlue for clarifying this. 

 

I have also managed to call VV to link two cabins together and was told that since we will be celebrating honeymoon with our family, they will provide 1 complementary bubbly for each cabin and this will be shown in the add ons. does anyone know how long it usually takes? i still dont have that in my addons and i am wondering if i should give them a call to follow up.

 

Have you had any more luck with this showing up? If not I would definitely call them.

[qq830821]

17 hours ago, TheDarkestBlue said:

 

Have you had any more luck with this showing up? If not I would definitely call them.

yeah called them yesterday and they confirmed that it wont be shown in the app as its meant to be a surprise so it will show up in the room when we arrive. 🙂 do you have that in your app?