Virgin Voyages email shows Celebrity missteps!

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, kathynorth said:

None of this is free. You pay for the internet, water, specialty dining, tipping, etc in your cruise fare.

 

I think that kind of makes my point about Virgin. I haven't seen the email that started this but my bet is it doesn't mention X by name and it will not have been targeted at X's passengers but at every "past cruisers' email it can lay its hands on. 

At least the so called "nickel and dimimg " means you get to choose what extras you want. I believe Virgin also promotes no drinks packages but includes a "bar tab " of $'s which seems the same thing to me.

When Virgin bought a rail franchise in the UK it made claims about revolutionising train travel with all sorts of things included. The result? It lost money and handed back its franchise.

Virgin Media promotes the fastest Internet in the UK and attacks pretty much all it's competitors. Very little mention of the fact that it's only available in areas with Virgin cables.

Virgin Atlantic, its much vaunted airline, failed to survive on it's own and is now part of Delta.

Virgin's "dabble " into the low cost airline business also ended in failure.

Virgin's space tourist business has also been "mothballed" 

My bet? Virgin Cruises will find it needs much more money than it has and will be taken over by one of the big brands leaving Branson with his usual large profit.

[swigso]

@the penguins

A very good summary of how Mr. Branson operates, he is very good at PR.

[Alsmez]

15 hours ago, singleflyer said:

but I'll say for VV they do NOT nickel and dime you (which is I really enjoyed my cruise with them).

 

I agree that all of the included stuff on VV is nice, but I did feel a bit nickle-and-dimed in comparison to Celebrity simply because of alcohol. X's drink packages eliminate a lot of guesswork and mental math compared to VV's bar tabs (e.g., did I buy enough bar tab? Too much? Is this mimosa really worth $13 to me in this moment? Do I want to spend $15 on a drink I may not enjoy? And so on). Not to mention the fact that once waiters/servers know you have a package, they will rarely ask for your card. On VV I was forever swiping my bracelet (though I will admit the bracelet was convenient!).

 

Most of the other things you mention (wifi, tips, specialty dining, etc) can be purchased pre-cruise on X, so you dont need to think about it or feel like you're paying for every little thing on board. If you have a drink package on your X cruise and take care of your desired upgrades pre-cruise I think you'll find the overall "included" feel to be similar to VV.

[singleflyer]

15 hours ago, mom says said:

Tell you what- actually take a cruise on VV,  then come back and tell us if you think the email lived up to its claims

 

I've taken two VV and I believe the email lived up to its claims.  I'm trying Celebrity out for the first time this summer so I am hopeful it will be as good as VV.  

[singleflyer]

Just now, Alsmez said:

 

I agree that all of the included stuff on VV is nice, but I did feel a bit nickle-and-dimed in comparison to Celebrity simply because of alcohol. X's drink packages eliminate a lot of guesswork and mental math compared to VV's bar tabs (e.g., did I buy enough bar tab? Too much? Is this mimosa really worth $13 to me in this moment? Do I want to spend $15 on a drink I may not enjoy? And so on). Not to mention the fact that once waiters/servers know you have a package, they will rarely ask for your card. On VV I was forever swiping my bracelet (though I will admit the bracelet was convenient!).

 

Most of the other things you mention (wifi, tips, specialty dining, etc) can be purchased pre-cruise on X, so you dont need to think about it or feel like you're paying for every little thing on board. If you have a drink package on your X cruise and take care of your desired upgrades pre-cruise I think you'll find the overall "included" feel to be similar to VV.

 

Thank you; this is helpful. I am not a huge alcohol drinker and had a "free" $100 bar tab included on my VV.  Went over it but it didn't feel like by much.  

 

I am sailing Celebrity for the first time this summer.  I'm hopeful I won't feel nickel and dimed.  My experience with HAL and NCL wasn't so great (lousy internet with data caps, extra money for drinks that went over the package limit, bottles of water not included with my drink package, paying for speciality restaurants).  

 

For my Celebrity cruise this summer I upgraded to the Premium Drink Package; but already hearing some drinks are over the limit.  I got basic internet, classic drinks, and tips included with my All In package so I think that will help out.  

 

I am not trying to bash Celebrity at all (I've never sailed them), but I have sailed VV twice and feel that their email is accurate.

[NMTraveller]

40 minutes ago, singleflyer said:

 

Thank you; this is helpful. I am not a huge alcohol drinker and had a "free" $100 bar tab included on my VV.  Went over it but it didn't feel like by much.  

 

I am sailing Celebrity for the first time this summer.  I'm hopeful I won't feel nickel and dimed.  My experience with HAL and NCL wasn't so great (lousy internet with data caps, extra money for drinks that went over the package limit, bottles of water not included with my drink package, paying for speciality restaurants).  

 

For my Celebrity cruise this summer I upgraded to the Premium Drink Package; but already hearing some drinks are over the limit.  I got basic internet, classic drinks, and tips included with my All In package so I think that will help out.  

 

I am not trying to bash Celebrity at all (I've never sailed them), but I have sailed VV twice and feel that their email is accurate.

I had about $400 in extra charges for wine and room service even though I had PBP.  Too many slips to sign ...

Edited January 20 by NMTraveller

[MarkWiltonM]

16 hours ago, Cruise Gopher said:

We are dinks ages between 42 and 53 and we have zero desire to sail on Virgin. Their rooms are horribly designed, ship outer decks are so unappealing, prices are sky high (even when considering the inclusions), itineraries in the Caribbean are timed poorly (who wants to embark mid-week?). 
 

VV could make some tweaks and we might consider them, but for now we’ll stick with Celebrity. 

Totally agree. We went on VV for the first time last October when we read about comparisons between Celebrity and Virgin Voyages. The fare for a veranda stateroom was reasonable considering the inclusions, and the food in the restaurants on Scarlet Lady was the best we've had on any cruise ship other than Crystal Serenity, but the ship's staterooms are awful (especially the tiny ugly bathrooms) and the exteriors spaces are truly dismal. It's a very uncomfortable ship. The buffet (that they don't call a buffet) is mediocre (except for the ramen) and the lack of variety gets very boring very quickly. We prefer Oceania, especially their new ship, Vista, over Celebrity, but we're still sailing Celebrity as well. VV was a one and done for us, despite the excellent restaurants (especially the Italian restaurant, Extra Virgin, and the "steakhouse," The Wake).   

[hcat]

Anyone have pics of the basic balc staterooms/ bthrm?

 

How large are the ships compared to Celeb  M, S, and E Class Ships?

[hcat]

58 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

partial quote from this post.    

 

 We prefer Oceania, especially their new ship, Vista, over Celebrity, but we're still sailing Celebrity as well. VV was a one and done for us, despite the excellent restaurants (especially the Italian restaurant, Extra Virgin, and the "steakhouse," The Wake).   

thank you for mentioning the Oceania ship VISTA..we def see a few Carib itins we like!  That and Cunard seem appealing !

[singleflyer]

15 minutes ago, hcat said:

Anyone have pics of the basic balc staterooms/ bthrm?

 

How large are the ships compared to Celeb  M, S, and E Class Ships?

 

This is a standard Sea Terrace (what they call a balcony room).  Personally I really like the cabins on Virgin Voyages but a lot of people do not.  They are very different from other cruises -- more modern and minimalist.  Definitely my style but I get that it isn't for everyone.

 

Bathroom is basic and small, but shower is very nice. 

 

https://singleflyer.com/2023/04/03/virgin-voyages-scarlet-lady-sea-terrace-review/

 

 

 

[Alsmez]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

Anyone have pics of the basic balc staterooms/ bthrm?

 

How large are the ships compared to Celeb  M, S, and E Class Ships?

 

Just for comparison purposes, here are photos of the XL Sea Terrace bathroom and room. The XL room is basically the same as other balconies but the bathroom is much larger. We really liked the layout, although I did miss having drawers and shelves for storage as on X's S-class ships. BTW, Scarlet Lady is about the same size as the S-class (17 decks and 2,770 pax on Scarlet vs 17 decks and 2,850 pax on S-class; tonnage is somewhat smaller at 110K vs 122K for S-class), but IMO she feels quite a bit smaller due to her choppy layout and lack of wide open spaces. I think she's narrower than S-class as well - reminded me a bit of Summit in that regard. 

 

 

[Moochi]

@Alsmez thank you for the pictures. The XL bathroom is a lot better, although still ugly and bare minimum. And I heard there is no door between the bathroom and living area, just the glass doors for toilet and shower in your picture right?

 

Edit: to keep the discussion Celebrity related, below is a picture of the vanity area of a Sky Suite on Beyond. It is within the budget in the VV ad, when you snag a deal.

 

Edited January 20 by Moochi

[Alsmez]

35 minutes ago, Moochi said:

And I heard there is no door between the bathroom and living area, just the glass doors for toilet and shower in your picture right?

 

Correct, no door closing off the bathroom and LR areas, though you do have to make a complete 90-degree turn to get into the bath area from the main room. This wasn't a problem for me and DH, but I could see it being a little too close for comfort for some folks (especially non-spouses). I agree that the bathroom decor is EXTREMELY lacking on VV as well! 

Edited January 20 by Alsmez
Grammar

[Cruising89143]

I just read that Virgin has once again pushed delivery of their fourth vessel out until 2025/26. This is not the first time that they have pushed this vessel back for delivery. I don’t think the demand is there. IMHO they are going to need to allow kids on some of their vessels if they want to fill them on a consistent basis. Personally, I have cruised enough over the last 37 years to know that Virgin holds little appeal to us. Especially their standard balcony staterooms. Looks like they went shopping at IKEA. 
 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/ship-operations/when-brilliant-lady-joining-virgin-voyages-it-will-be-while

[Sophie's Mom1]

In March, we will be taking our first Virgin Voyage cruise out of Miami. (5 days on Scarlet Lady) The day after we arrive back, we are going on Celebrity Reflection for an 8 day cruise from Fort Lauderdale. After reading these opinions between the two cruise lines, it will be interesting to do a fresh comparison.

[hcat]

thanks for photos..even more dorm like than X.  No bathroom door is awful..but the  shower doors are nice!

[singleflyer]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

thanks for photos..even more dorm like than X.  No bathroom door is awful..but the  shower doors are nice!

 

On the standard balcony rooms there is a true door on the bathroom and then a glass door on the shower.

[momof3cruisers]

I’m not seeing closets in those VV cabins. I’m assuming I’m missing them. Yes?

[The_Big_M]

3 hours ago, momof3cruisers said:

I’m not seeing closets in those VV cabins. I’m assuming I’m missing them. Yes?

 

I was wondering the same thing. Where is the wardrobe?

[Alsmez]

8 hours ago, momof3cruisers said:

I’m not seeing closets in those VV cabins. I’m assuming I’m missing them. Yes?

 

I was standing next to the closet in the XL Sea Terrace when I took the room photo posted above. Here is the closet, with curtain open and closed. The bathroom is directly behind it.

 

 

[Alsmez]

11 hours ago, hcat said:

thanks for photos..even more dorm like than X.  No bathroom door is awful..but the  shower doors are nice!

Very dorm-like. We didn't mind the lack of bathroom door but it would have been an issue if I were traveling with a friend or relative rather than my spouse. The shower was FANTASTIC, I must say - nice rainshower head and a handheld with fantastic water pressure, very roomy (even for two 6'+ people with long arms - no elbow bumping!).

[momof3cruisers]

On 1/21/2024 at 8:47 AM, Alsmez said:

 

I was standing next to the closet in the XL Sea Terrace when I took the room photo posted above. Here is the closet, with curtain open and closed. The bathroom is directly behind it.

 

 

Thank you but I actually meant the ones SingleFlyer posted. 

[xxpinksaltxx]

On 1/20/2024 at 10:19 AM, Alsmez said:

 

Rather than long-time Celebrity cruisers (especially those who are 65+), I think VV is targeting the same demographic Celebrity has been targeting recently, i.e. DINKS (double income, no kids) in their 30s-50s who want a somewhat elevated experience in terms of food/service/entertainment, but still plenty of fun. As someone who took her first X cruise 13 years ago at the age of 33, I know I wasn't Celebrity's target sailor back then. However, their marketing (and the product) has changed significantly since then, and now at the age of 46 I feel like I am precisely who Celebrity is trying to attract - at least until their general marketing strategy fell to pieces. At this point they it's impossible to tell what kind of sailor they're after!

Spot on, I first sailed Celebrity when I was 21 (14 years ago). We weren't their target audience, infact we were some of the youngest on the transatlantic. Over the years, the marketing has changed. I think I prefer the 'old' Celebrity. 

 

We looked at Virgin Voyages, as I believe we are the target audience (30's, double income, no kids), but honestly the ships look average, the decor tacky, and the entertainment is simply not our cup of tea.

[Oceangoer2]

On 1/21/2024 at 9:47 AM, Alsmez said:

 

I was standing next to the closet in the XL Sea Terrace when I took the room photo posted above. Here is the closet, with curtain open and closed. The bathroom is directly behind it.

 

 

Only saw pics of the cabin, but this ship is absolutely not for me...Looks pretty bare bones and a tacky curtain on the closet??  What does the rest of the ship look like I wonder.

[Alsmez]

35 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Only saw pics of the cabin, but this ship is absolutely not for me...Looks pretty bare bones and a tacky curtain on the closet??  What does the rest of the ship look like I wonder.

 

The regular rooms are indeed bare bones. Our friends were in a lower level suite and their room/bath was nicer and less dorm-like, but not remarkably so. The ship decor overall was nothing special and lacked cohesion. Lots of individual Instagram backdrops but no flow whatsoever.