Group live: Valiant Lady Barcelona to Miami 10/29-11/12, Everyone Welcome

[CineGraphic]

I owe the management on board, especially Harry, a great big thanks for making sure our third visit to the Wake would go better than our previous two.

They really do listen to feedback and do what they can, when they can, to improve on things. Both the food and service were exceptional, even though our waitress had no one to assist her with her tables. She made sure everyone was taken care of and satisfied with dinner.
It was a wonderful meal, and we are very grateful to everyone on board, both behind the scenes and on the floor who made it all possible. ❤️

[WanderingBrit]

1 hour ago, CineGraphic said:

I owe the management on board, especially Harry, a great big thanks for making sure our third visit to the Wake would go better than our previous two.

They really do listen to feedback and do what they can, when they can, to improve on things. Both the food and service were exceptional, even though our waitress had no one to assist her with her tables. She made sure everyone was taken care of and satisfied with dinner.
It was a wonderful meal, and we are very grateful to everyone on board, both behind the scenes and on the floor who made it all possible. ❤️

Do you believe they responded to a feedback card/survey, or something posted online?

I ask because I discovered that the General Manager on a cruise we were recently on was a member of a FB group where I had shared some shortcomings with service, and within 4 hours they'd tracked me down and were fawning over us. It actually became almost intrusive, with senior hospitality staff apparently always knowing where we were and "checking in" with us!

[MidnightOpal]

Hey everyone! This cruise has been great! We have another TA booked for next Nov (Rome to Miami) so we’ll likely see some of y’all there! I was wondering if anyone would share what the 9102 room balcony looks like, especially looking towards the front of the ship. We have that booked for the next TA but are concerned we may have a partially blocked view since we’re “inward” of the cabin in front of us. Thanks! Here’s a pretty photo to enjoy too 🙂

[chefchick]

Midnightopal

 

i was “upgraded” to a limited view terrace in the bow (9300 block) and yes, it’s all metal, no glass and,unfortunately it doesn’t have a hammock but has an egg chair instead.  Again, I paid for an inside and received a sea terrace so I’m not complaining, but I don’t think I would pay for this category cabin.

[MidnightOpal]

7 minutes ago, chefchick said:

Midnightopal

 

i was “upgraded” to a limited view terrace in the bow (9300 block) and yes, it’s all metal, no glass and,unfortunately it doesn’t have a hammock but has an egg chair instead.  Again, I paid for an inside and received a sea terrace so I’m not complaining, but I don’t think I would pay for this category cabin.

We have a partial obstruction now in the 300s too (but on deck 11)

[CineGraphic]

Our last visit to the Test Kitchen was 3 cruises ago, and I’m glad that we finally went back. Our favorite dish was the shrimp. The flavor combination was perfect. The noodles are made with shrimp, fish, and rye flower. Amazing.

 

 

 

[kwokpot]

On 11/7/2023 at 6:08 AM, CineGraphic said:

Last night was Scarlet Night.

Carlos the Diva announced at one point that this was the first TA that’s been able to have the party outdoors.
More people ended up in the pool than I can remember seeing on previous sailings.

Everyone was clearly having a great time.

 

Scarlet Night Pool Party is the best deck party of any cruiseline.

[cantgetin]

6 hours ago, chefchick said:

Midnightopal

 

i was “upgraded” to a limited view terrace in the bow (9300 block) and yes, it’s all metal, no glass and,unfortunately it doesn’t have a hammock but has an egg chair instead.  Again, I paid for an inside and received a sea terrace so I’m not complaining, but I don’t think I would pay for this category cabin.

This is the risk of bidding on upgrades or doing "Lock it in"rates.  I'd be unhappy if I got one of the chairs instead of a hammock, but then, can't complain if I paid for an inside and got a balcony....The other thing to consider when booking is that many perks start at the Sea Terrace level, so if those perks are something you want, it may be worthwhile to book the more costly cabin,  

[CineGraphic]

I’m not sure who this is, or what happened, but it’s certainly not cool.

(We’ve also had a phantom pooper on board, but I’ll spare you the details)

 

[cantgetin]

Confirmation for those who are asking about the "unopened bottle" policy as a way to use some of that bar tab.  As of this morning, I was denied the ability to purchase an unopened bottle at The Wake, but was able to order one from Ship Eats.

[CineGraphic]

Since this is the first call in the states, the entire crew has to clear immigration, so we’ve pulled into Miami earlier than usual (3:30am) The first immigration checks for crew being at 5am…..it will be a very long, hard day of work for them. I’m sure they’ll be quite tired by the time they have the sail away, and pajama party.

 

It’s been a lovely two weeks on board, and we will miss our friends both old and new.

 

We’re looking forward to boarding the VL again in May, even if it’s just for 5 days.

 

 

 

 

 

[Freelancer3]

We had a wonderful time on this cruise.

 

The "almost all inclusive pricing model" makes it a joy to cruise.

 

The big surprise was how much the Test Kitchen food has improved. We almost passed on it, but we were glad we didn't. It was a very good meal. It and the Wake are our current favorites with Pink Agave coming in a close third. 

 

We enjoyed how much entertainment there was available and personable the entertainers were. There were more than our last VV transatlantic cruise. We found many entertainers including Andy the Charmer to be extremely personable. 

 

Unchanged was the quality of the Ship Show food. I know others felt it had improved, but we found it about the same and not our favorite. 

 

Needing improvement was the quality of the gluten free options for my wife. We have been on quite a few VV cruises and my wife found less variety and (in her opinion) uneatable gluten free pizza crust. The pizza manager said its because of a change in vendors. In addition, the pizza seemed to have less toppings on them. As an example, my pepperoni pizza had 4 pieces of pepperoni on it. 

 

Will we cruise VV again???  Of course we have multiple booked. We really enjoy the people, food and atmosphere. 

 

 

 

 

 

[CineGraphic]

3 hours ago, Freelancer3 said:

The "almost all inclusive pricing model" makes it a joy to cruise.

 

We had to cough-up a whopping $25.47 extra.

Such a deal.

[TheDarkestBlue]

Thanks for bringing us along CineGraphic!  Appreciate you taking the time 🙂

Edited November 13, 2023 by TheDarkestBlue

[Freelancer3]

18 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

 

We had to cough-up a whopping $25.47 extra.

Such a deal.

We paid $66. Great deal at the price I paid for the cruise. 

 

Just FYI- Current VV cruise prices are quite a bit higher.

[CineGraphic]

25 minutes ago, Freelancer3 said:

Just FYI- Current VV cruise prices are quite a bit higher.

 

The 2024 crossing is 2.61 times higher then the one we just completed.

Disclaimer: it's 16 days instead of 14