TA Pricing Question for VV Veterans

[Liao]

So I booked a TA for May 2025 for 15 nights, I am very excited to try VV!  To get a lay of the land so to speak, I have been reading a lot of the posts here, as well as watching many videos.  While I am not and will not second guess my decision, I’m curious after reading several threads on price increases.  I booked the XL Sea Terrace on deck 9.  All in, including $350 beverage credit, I paid $6138.  This is already $4k less than what I had booked on Celebrity Eclipse for a 12 night TA with a far less desirable itinerary.  So my question is how do you all think that this pricing lines up in your experience?  I’ve never really followed VV pricing until now so have no prior experience or expectations.  TIA

[Eric&Pam]

For the most part, prices will only go up.

As for value, the food, beverages and entertainment are on a whole different level.

Nobody will try to sell you any drink packages, no photographers to avoid, no announcements to interrupt your day. It's a much more relaxing experience without all of the nickle & diming.

 

If you really want to settle your curiosity, why not book a 4 or 5 day sailing out of Miami and get your feet wet.

[Liao]

7 minutes ago, Eric&Pam said:

For the most part, prices will only go up.

As for value, the food, beverages and entertainment are on a whole different level.

Nobody will try to sell you any drink packages, no photographers to avoid, no announcements to interrupt your day. It's a much more relaxing experience without all of the nickle & diming.

 

If you really want to settle your curiosity, why not book a 4 or 5 day sailing out of Miami and get your feet wet.

Thought about that but I have a 2 week vacation planned in Italy in October.

[Podie]

Trying to compare VV prices to other cruiselines is truly comparing apples to oranges. They have the happiest employees I've encountered in 30 cruises, and none expect a tip. (And remember, the tips are included in your fare!) My 11 day Med cruise cost about $3500 for a midship sea terrace. That includes $700 in bar tab and $700 in sailor loot. My Celebrity cruises in the Med were about double that!

[jon81uk]

The transatlantics with VV used to be a bargain with prices for the 14 night similar other to seven night cruises of under $3000. But those days are over now and TA pricing is now about what you’ve paid, but the lowest price is often if you book more than a year out.

[Liao]

4 hours ago, jon81uk said:

The transatlantics with VV used to be a bargain with prices for the 14 night similar other to seven night cruises of under $3000. But those days are over now and TA pricing is now about what you’ve paid, but the lowest price is often if you book more than a year out.

I looked at the fall 2025 same TA and it is $1200+ what I paid.  It is what is now I suppose.

[cantgetin]

As others have said, prices have increased greatly.  I was surprised to see your price as it was a lot more than what I paid....but I had taken advantage of every available discount that I could find, some of which are no longer available and I had a sea terrace, not an XL.

Bottom line, prices on VV have increased greatly.  The days of serious bargains are gone.  On the other hand, the prices are still good when compared to other lines.  And TA prices increasing has happened on other lines.  People learn how good they are, bookings increase, and prices go up.  Could you have done better?  Maybe, but only a little.  For instance, if you found an agent who had some MNVV certificates to sell you, you would have saved $300 and gotten some onboard credit.

 

[rebeccac]

Just FYI, VV does not price adjust (if by some miracle the price would go down), you have to cancel and re-book.  Like everyone else has said, it would be surprising if prices went down.

[Tralfaz1138]

3 hours ago, cantgetin said:

As others have said, prices have increased greatly.  I was surprised to see your price as it was a lot more than what I paid....but I had taken advantage of every available discount that I could find, some of which are no longer available and I had a sea terrace, not an XL.

I jumped on the April TA for 2025 and got a biggest terrace cheeky corner suite for not that much more.  I don't remember what the XL price was a the time.

 

That said, the weirder thing to me is that the XL sea terrace on the return trip for Scarlett Lady next year is almost $2000 more for the same number of nights and ports.  I'm not sure what makes that trip "worth more".  I've seen it with other repositioning cruises on Virgin as well, so I don't know if it's a time of year thing or something else that made one direction more expensive than the other.

[cantgetin]

7 minutes ago, Tralfaz1138 said:

 

 

That said, the weirder thing to me is that the XL sea terrace on the return trip for Scarlett Lady next year is almost $2000 more for the same number of nights and ports.  I'm not sure what makes that trip "worth more".  I've seen it with other repositioning cruises on Virgin as well, so I don't know if it's a time of year thing or something else that made one direction more expensive than the other.

Any increased port charges show up under the taxes.  I think price differences are based on the real or anticipated popularity of a cruise.  For instance, the first few times of a new port are likely to be quite popular and increase costs.  

I don't remember which one I looked up for 2025, but the price was double what we paid for 2024....and that was enough for me to decide to not do it.
IF you know you are doing a TA in each direction 5-6 months apart, you can often book round trip plane tickets, which can make the international portion of the flights far less costly. 

[Liao]

15 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

Any increased port charges show up under the taxes.  I think price differences are based on the real or anticipated popularity of a cruise.  For instance, the first few times of a new port are likely to be quite popular and increase costs.  

I don't remember which one I looked up for 2025, but the price was double what we paid for 2024....and that was enough for me to decide to not do it.
IF you know you are doing a TA in each direction 5-6 months apart, you can often book round trip plane tickets, which can make the international portion of the flights far less costly. 

Is Casablanca a new port for VV?

[Eric&Pam]

11 minutes ago, Liao said:

Is Casablanca a new port for VV?

 

Newish....we're sailing there on the Resilient as part of our 12 day sailing this fall.

https://*****.com/mtpwrfek

 

And to give you an idea of how prices go up....the sea terrace is currently almost as much as we paid for one of the larger Sweet Aft Suites.

Edited July 1 by Eric&Pam

[Tralfaz1138]

4 minutes ago, Liao said:

Is Casablanca a new port for VV?

I think it's new-ish.  I know they had it on the repositioning they did around Africa from Australia but I'm not 100% certain if that was the first time they'd been there.  They also have it on a cruise I'm on in September and it's now on all the TA's it seems.

[CrazyTrain2]

Here is the price history for your cruise.  XL balconies are not a specific graph line, but you get the jist.

[Liao]

36 minutes ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

Here is the price history for your cruise.  XL balconies are not a specific graph line, but you get the jist.

Very interesting, and it seems to fall in line with pricing I have followed on Celebrity.  Thank you for sharing this.