Virgin curious? Celebrity sailor tries a new cruise line

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for you post.   Enjoyed

 

[CruisinShips]

Excellent review....well written and presented.

 

We sailed on the Scarlet Lady last year and had many of the same positive comments as you about the food in particular.  Agree the ship is confusing.  The main thing to discuss IMO is the overall vibe.  While they do seem to want to gear towards a 20-40 year old crowd, on our cruise we felt we, in our early 60s, were in the middle of the ages we saw.  That being said, one needs to have a pretty open/progressive attitude on their ships and you can't be someone who is easily offended by a little edgy humor and people being comfortable with their sexual orientations.  Otherwise, you may feel a little uncomfortable.  We enjoyed ourselves, and enjoyed the staff, but that's where Virgin stands apart IMO.

[Jeremiah1212]

My standard (although my VV experience is very limited) is that a lot of Celebrity people would like Virgin but the group that overlaps and likes both is probably not found on this board.

 

They do some things very well, others could use some improvement. The whole dining reservations setup is a not good. The ship itself is definitely chopped up and odd in places, but the overall product is pretty solid. They are bumping up rates as they gain market traction so it's not the bargain it once was. 

[Texed]

Thanks for posting.  😊

[C 2 C]

On 3/19/2024 at 10:13 AM, Tyler414 said:

Really fun vibe on the cruise I was on.  The food hall is a bit different and there can be a wait, but the food is good.  Their pizza is great, 6-8 inch pies cooked to order.

You can order a pizza on Celebrity as well.  You don't have to settle for the slices on display.

[C 2 C]

On 3/18/2024 at 6:14 PM, JackE said:

Apologies for a rather long review! Read at your own risk!🤪

Let me know if you have any questions, happy to answer any and all.

 

Thanks for a great review.

[JackE]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks for you post.   Enjoyed

 

Thanks Jim, looking forward to your upcoming cruise and posts!

[Tyler414]

2 hours ago, C 2 C said:

You can order a pizza on Celebrity as well.  You don't have to settle for the slices on display.

There is no comparison to Virgin's Pizza, so much better.  And I did just order a whole pie on Beyond a few weeks ago, it was OK.

[swjumbo]

Thank you for posting.

We are Celebrity fans and are about to try Princess. 
VV is on the horizon.

One question.

Same itinerary. Balcony cabin on both, similar cost (excluding drinks package) which would you go on?

[MarkWiltonM]

We liked the food (a lot) and the crew (a lot) on VV but did not like the ship itself. Not very comfortable. And the exterior decks are poorly designed/furnished. The tiny pool, for example, is surrounded not by the ocean but by the dark windows of the gym with some corrugated metal panels in some areas to make it even more cold and unwelcoming. Very prison-like. You have to go up a deck to see the ocean, but there's little comfortable seating up there. The nicest area outside is at The Dock, just outside The Dock House. Good Mediterranean food there too (small plates). But even at the Dock it's all hard seating. Our veranda stateroom bathroom was very small and ugly.  

[boxkite]

@JackE, thank you for your informative review.

 

Another cruise line to consider for future cruises!

[JackE]

18 hours ago, swjumbo said:

Thank you for posting.

We are Celebrity fans and are about to try Princess. 
VV is on the horizon.

One question.

Same itinerary. Balcony cabin on both, similar cost (excluding drinks package) which would you go on?

I have not had the pleasure of being on Princess, so hard to say. From what I have read on CC, Princess seems like it caters to an older crowd, which is VERY different from VV. The content and crew on VV push the envelope, so to speak; that said, we played trivia, bingo and a speed jigsaw puzzles contest on our VV sailing, so there's plenty to do for "traditional" sailors. And you can't deny the pleasure of having your very own red hammock on your terrace (as VV calls the balcony). Good luck! 

[notme2012]

On 3/18/2024 at 10:21 PM, Purplsmurf said:

We looked at Virgin, but since we can’t pick the cabin we wanted we knew it wasn’t for us. I like choosing where we will be, not being assigned a cabin by Virgin 

Call Virgin Voyages or have your travel agent pick the cabin you want. Even when booking on-line, you can call Sailor Services and have them change your cabin to one you want. As long as it's in the same category.

[notme2012]

JackE

 

Thanks for your review. You posted this while I was on Resilient Lady, between New Zealand and Australia. After numerous reviews like yours, we had high expectations for our VV. In many ways, it was the exact opposite of your experience. Our ship was 91% full, average age was 54. The ship could not accommodate this many passengers in the public spaces available. Our sailing had great weather in ports, but terrible weather at sea (with 6 sea days). Cold, wind, and rain almost completely closed the outdoor deck areas. 

 

We had numerous mediocre meals, while the "Galley" generally had very good food. Which leads to something that really bugged me. I had dinner reservations for 10 of 12 nights. The others we went to at 545pm, to snag a standby. Two times while sitting at the bar for "Extra Virgin" at 545pm, we observed the restaurant to be totally empty until 7pm. By 745pm, every table was occupied. Which lead me to ask the staff questions. VV plans on roughly 1/3 of the passengers to eat dinner in the Galley. The reservation system is a mess and not an efficient use of open seats for standby diners. We also spoke to at least a dozen other passengers who were never able to get a single restaurant reservation. That in and of itself is not what any cruise line should be doing. Cruising is supposed to make the passenger feel pampered. Cruising is supposed to have good food that one usually does eat in the normal non-vacation life.

 

While tastes in food do account for lots of opinions, we were served so many entrees that were room temperature. This happened in "The Wake" twice to us, in the same meal. During the 12 nights, so many meals were just disappointing. I can put up with a lot things not going right on a cruise. Because so much of a cruise is uncontrollable-weather, etc. But I do expect meals to be served at the right temperature. 

 

To me, Virgin Voyages was over hyped. Probably by people who sailed on ships with half the cabins occupied. It'll be years before, I would sail with Virgin Voyages again. This was my 56th cruise. I have sailed with Celebrity 4 times, not once was I disappointed with the food. None of Virgin Voyage's restaurants can shine a candle to the a la carte restaurants on Celebrity ships, let alone the MDR. I suspect that VV doesn't feel their "sailors" have the taste palates for better food. 

Edited April 6 by notme2012

[JackE]

15 hours ago, notme2012 said:

JackE

 

Thanks for your review. You posted this while I was on Resilient Lady, between New Zealand and Australia. After numerous reviews like yours, we had high expectations for our VV. In many ways, it was the exact opposite of your experience. Our ship was 91% full, average age was 54. The ship could not accommodate this many passengers in the public spaces available. Our sailing had great weather in ports, but terrible weather at sea (with 6 sea days). Cold, wind, and rain almost completely closed the outdoor deck areas. 

 

We had numerous mediocre meals, while the "Galley" generally had very good food. Which leads to something that really bugged me. I had dinner reservations for 10 of 12 nights. The others we went to at 545pm, to snag a standby. Two times while sitting at the bar for "Extra Virgin" at 545pm, we observed the restaurant to be totally empty until 7pm. By 745pm, every table was occupied. Which lead me to ask the staff questions. VV plans on roughly 1/3 of the passengers to eat dinner in the Galley. The reservation system is a mess and not an efficient use of open seats for standby diners. We also spoke to at least a dozen other passengers who were never able to get a single restaurant reservation. That in and of itself is not what any cruise line should be doing. Cruising is supposed to make the passenger feel pampered. Cruising is supposed to have good food that one usually does eat in the normal non-vacation life.

 

While tastes in food do account for lots of opinions, we were served so many entrees that were room temperature. This happened in "The Wake" twice to us, in the same meal. During the 12 nights, so many meals were just disappointing. I can put up with a lot things not going right on a cruise. Because so much of a cruise is uncontrollable-weather, etc. But I do expect meals to be served at the right temperature. 

 

To me, Virgin Voyages was over hyped. Probably by people who sailed on ships with half the cabins occupied. It'll be years before, I would sail with Virgin Voyages again. This was my 56th cruise. I have sailed with Celebrity 4 times, not once was I disappointed with the food. None of Virgin Voyage's restaurants can shine a candle to the a la carte restaurants on Celebrity ships, let alone the MDR. I suspect that VV doesn't feel their "sailors" have the taste palates for better food. 

Wow, so sorry to hear about your experience. It just confirms that while the "bones" of the ships may be the same, it's all about the personnel: the chefs, the restaurant and reservations managers, room stewards, etc. I agree that the reservation system is terrible, and for those of us who are planners, and want to get the most out of our cruise, the way VV runs the dining times is just not good enough. But to hear that your food was not properly presented, is inexcusable. And having to endure bad restaurant experiences over 12 nights must have been very disappointing. 

 

We're back on Celebrity this August on the Apex (a return to our first E Class ship), and we are looking forward to it. I hope you have another cruise planned to make up for this bad experience. 

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 

[Sleepybluegiraffe]

Thank you so much for taking the time to do a comprehensive review @JackE We’re going on our third Celebrity cruise this summer and are considering trying Virgin. The aunt that got us into Celebrity always went with her late husband so we might take her (and my mum) on Virgin as a memory free alternative. We’d look to sail out of Portsmouth, UK and maybe try a 4/5 night cruise to Amsterdam to start off with. 

[JackE]

3 hours ago, Sleepybluegiraffe said:

Thank you so much for taking the time to do a comprehensive review @JackE We’re going on our third Celebrity cruise this summer and are considering trying Virgin. The aunt that got us into Celebrity always went with her late husband so we might take her (and my mum) on Virgin as a memory free alternative. We’d look to sail out of Portsmouth, UK and maybe try a 4/5 night cruise to Amsterdam to start off with. 

As long as your aunt has an open mind, you all might enjoy VV! Enjoy your cruising! Where are you going this summer with Celebrity?

[Sleepybluegiraffe]

Norway for the third time! All the way to Tromso, Honninsvag and a day trip to the North Cape! I have all 29 bars and restaurants (minus suites and blu) on a list to tick off on apex!

[crusinthrough]

On 3/18/2024 at 3:14 PM, JackE said:

Embarkation

We had selected 2:15 pm as a boarding time (the earliest we could get once boarding times were made available). 

 

You can select a boarding time in the app after you pay your deposit.  There is no set "check in" day like Celebrity.

 

On 3/18/2024 at 8:21 PM, Purplsmurf said:

We looked at Virgin, but since we can’t pick the cabin we wanted we knew it wasn’t for us. I like choosing where we will be, not being assigned a cabin by Virgin 

I have changed my cabin 3x on an upcoming sailing.

 

On 3/19/2024 at 5:30 AM, Tigerfnan23 said:

Maybe I've just been looking in the wrong locations but the VV cruises I've priced for a standard balcony are a good deal more expensive than the Celebrity equivalent.   

 

In Dec 2023, VV raised prices considerably.  It's a lot harder to find a good deal now but there are some out there.  I booked as a solo in 2022 on a 5N cruise in 2023 for $1100 in an XL cabin.  I haven't seen anything closely comparable lately.  Suite prices match or are more than Celebrity. Waiting patiently for the end of 2025 and 2026 to be released.  Hopefully, there are some deals since VV is way behind other lines with releasing these itineraries.  

 

On 3/25/2024 at 4:35 AM, tbmrt said:

We enjoyed our 2 cruises in the past year on Scarlet Lady and Valiant Lady, but definitely will wait a few years before doing VV again due to the same restaurants, many of the same shows, etc.  (Plus the cost have risen considerably and the perks lessened...We had $1,050 in loot and a $600 bar tab.

Isn't the menu and restaurants the same on all cruise lines?  Celebrity may add a new speciality restaurant on a  new build but overall the restaurants and menus are the same.  The S class ships have the same restaurants as well as the E class.  I've been on VV 3x and manage to find something different on the menu at all restaurants.  I no longer rush to make reservations in advance though.  I'm now fine with whatever restaurant is available when I am onboard.  

 

 

[crusinthrough]

Thanks for the review.  I enjoy reading other perspectives.  I'm a converted VV fan.  I have enjoyed all my cruises.  No kids is something you don't know you need until there are none.  No kids and no traditional buffet really make a difference for me.

 

Going as a solo is more enjoyable than I have experienced on Celebrity.  Passengers actually show up for the solo events the first night.  I'm still trying to figure out why Celebrity has solo cabins on the E class but a pathetic solo program.  Why not something similar to NCL?  

 

I was originally deterred from VV in 2021 based on the reviews of the ship layout and some other things.  I'm happy I decided to experience for myself.  Just disappointed I valued reviews and waited to book.  I could have really taken advantage of the lower rates.  There have definitely been changes since the beginning.  Some things have changed like shows and promotions (bar tab and paid in full discount) and some things improved like no reservations for shows.  I'm sure there will be other noticeable changes as the line continues to find its niche.  I hope they keep the booking on board promotion the same ($300 off and $600 sailor loot). 

 

VV is a different vibe than Celebrity.  It's not as laid back with more overall energy.  I really like that the whole ship is transformed for Scarlet Night.  It's not just an event in a venue for an hour.  It's everywhere on the ship.  The pool is the biggest disappointment but you make do.  

 

I'm going on the Summit in a few weeks just to relax.  I know it will be completely different but it's an old booking at a good price that I couldn't cancel.  

Edited April 8 by crusinthrough

[sofietucker]

I suspect our encounter with (I think) the Scarlet Lady in Rhodes last Sept. may have been a one off: our tiny Azamara ship docked next to them at the same pier, and bunches of pax disembarked at the same time. The V folks seemed overwhelmingly to be in their 30s (college prof here; I guess age ranges pretty well). And partiers, based on overheard conversations. Our small private tour was mostly V folks. They regaled with fun events such as regular pajama parties onboard. Typical or no?

[JackE]

20 hours ago, Sleepybluegiraffe said:

Norway for the third time! All the way to Tromso, Honninsvag and a day trip to the North Cape! I have all 29 bars and restaurants (minus suites and blu) on a list to tick off on apex!

We're heading to Norway and the Fjords as well! Very much looking forward to it. We have different ports than you, but after doing the Scandinavia/Baltic cruise two summers ago, we're very excited to see the Norwegian coast.

 

If it's open, you must go to the Rooftop Garden Grill (it was closed for our Baltic sailing).

 

Enjoy your cruise! 

[JackE]

13 hours ago, sofietucker said:

I suspect our encounter with (I think) the Scarlet Lady in Rhodes last Sept. may have been a one off: our tiny Azamara ship docked next to them at the same pier, and bunches of pax disembarked at the same time. The V folks seemed overwhelmingly to be in their 30s (college prof here; I guess age ranges pretty well). And partiers, based on overheard conversations. Our small private tour was mostly V folks. They regaled with fun events such as regular pajama parties onboard. Typical or no?

Yes, typical. I believe on every sailing there's a PJ party, Scarlet Night, dance parties, etc. But it's one of those things that you can participate or not, up to the individual. We didn't do the PJ party, but we did do the trivia sessions, Bingo and a speed jigsaw puzzle contest. So there's something for everyone, and there's no looking down on whatever events you want to do. 

[sofietucker]

1 hour ago, JackE said:

We're heading to Norway and the Fjords as well! Very much looking forward to it. We have different ports than you, but after doing the Scandinavia/Baltic cruise two summers ago, we're very excited to see the Norwegian coast.

 

If it's open, you must go to the Rooftop Garden Grill (it was closed for our Baltic sailing).

 

Enjoy your cruise! 

Ooh, one of our all-time favorite itineraries! Depending on your interests, the university of Tromso's museum has a great anthropology exhibit on the Sami people (you will be in the Sami nation that far north). Also a cool Arctic native plants garden. In Honnigsvag in June, the locals were all in shorts and tee shirts, but the Cape requires at least a good windbreaker and scarf, lol. Astonishing geography! And reindeer, just wandering about...

[sofietucker]

22 hours ago, Sleepybluegiraffe said:

Norway for the third time! All the way to Tromso, Honninsvag and a day trip to the North Cape! I have all 29 bars and restaurants (minus suites and blu) on a list to tick off on apex!

Oops, replied to JackE for your post...