A Pinnacle tries Virgin

[Cruise a holic]

The cabin seems to lack adequate storage.  Who needs a hammock!  Would rather have two nice lounge chairs.  No little kids great.  Glad they don't have art auctions.  Do not like "camp" seating in Razzle Dazzle.  Not sure that line is for me.  We really enjoy Celebrity Edge class ships.  Might stick to them for now.  

[jk04]

3 hours ago, little britain said:

Breakfast at the Windjammer equivalent which is called The Galley,  is a million miles away from the WJ ! 

Firstly real china plates and mugs ✅

It is like a food court set up - each serving individually made items! ✅

That breakfast menu looks fabulous!

[gumshoe958]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

The ship seems very spacious with lots of clearly identified areas with different decors and seating. We are trying to figure out why… there is no space wasted on art auctions and there is no theatre as such. The Red Room is a space with no seating for the Persephone show we saw last night. There are a few seats upstairs on d7. The stage is small and the performers move among the standing audience. No live band and a loud backtrack so we suspect miming.   RCI productions are far superior! 

The casino is small, of course there isn’t one huge dining room, variety of shops with quality merchandise, and there is a well stocked store for those forgotten toiletries and headache 🤕 pills! 

 

Another plus is you can message Sailor Services ✅ - the response was pretty instant and said the WiFi will be refunded by tonight. 

The Red Room does have seating, but it’s a flexible space so they can move it in or out as required, same with the stage which can be configured in several different ways.

 

Agreed re Persephone - there’s one live singer but the rest mime. I prefer Duel Reality, the main show on the other two ships, which has more of a story, better circus acts and - crucially - seats!

But yes, RCI entertainment is generally streets ahead (although VV do buy in some decent guest acts who’ll be familiar to regulars at the Edinburgh Fringe).

[little britain]

52 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

The cabin seems to lack adequate storage.  Who needs a hammock!  Would rather have two nice lounge chairs.  No little kids great.  Glad they don't have art auctions.  Do not like "camp" seating in Razzle Dazzle.  Not sure that line is for me.  We really enjoy Celebrity Edge class ships.  Might stick to them for now.  

The cabin has more hanging space than the recent new ships. At least you can hang a full length dress which you can’t on Q class.
I personally think it’s far better than Edge class which doesn’t have a comfortable chair on the whole ship, and has not enough bars …and everything looks the same in taupe. JMHO! 

Edited August 31 by little britain

[RFerrington]

@little britain, were you granted a status match from Pinnacle to their loyalty program (whatever that is) ?  If so, what perks does that include ?  Sorry if you discussed that already, and I missed it.

[Cruise a holic]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

The cabin has more hanging space than the recent new ships. At least you can hang a full length dress which you can’t on Q class.
I personally think it’s far better than Edge class which doesn’t have a comfortable chair on the whole ship, and has not enough bars …and everything looks the same in taupe. JMHO! 

Have you tried the retreat on celebrity edge?  The lounge and suite deck are excellent.  We never had any problem finding a comfortable lounge/bar.  

[Another_Critic]

1 hour ago, RFerrington said:

@little britain, were you granted a status match from Pinnacle to their loyalty program (whatever that is) ?  If so, what perks does that include ?  Sorry

 

First post: "They did a kind of status match which gets us DBE ( you get a lot of acronyms on Virgin!) Deep Blue Extra enables us to board after the RSs (rock stars in suites)."

 

https://www.virginvoyages.com/sailing-club/benefits-grid

[c-leg5]

1 hour ago, Cruise a holic said:

Have you tried the retreat on celebrity edge?  The lounge and suite deck are excellent.  We never had any problem finding a comfortable lounge/bar.  

I have never been on Virgin so I have no idea of what levels of service/class of cabins exist but are you comparing like-with-like?
 

Otherwise not really a valid comparison.

[little britain]

3 hours ago, RFerrington said:

@little britain, were you granted a status match from Pinnacle to their loyalty program (whatever that is) ?  If so, what perks does that include ?  Sorry if you discussed that already, and I missed it.

I got DBE. I’ll have to look into how long it lasts for and what you have to do to retain status. 

[little britain]

2 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

Have you tried the retreat on celebrity edge?  The lounge and suite deck are excellent.  We never had any problem finding a comfortable lounge/bar.  

I don’t think you should need to book a suite to have to get a comfy chair! 

Edited August 31 by little britain

[little britain]

Outside seating aft of Galley.  The whole ship gives off an impression of space.  Of course no need for kids clubs or silly slides! 🛝. The pool is tiny though. 

Apparently 2250 onboard out of 2700

 

one of the beautifully presented cakes in The Galley! 😋 

[TheBeardedCruiser]

19 hours ago, little britain said:

I know you’re dying to see the pyjama party…

the chocolate martinis 🍸 are definitely not as good as on RCI 

How dare you drink a chocolate martini while wearing that shirt! You're only allowed wine 🤣🤣🤣

[Cruise a holic]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

I don’t think you should need to book a suite to have to get a comfy chair! 

Never had a problem on any deck securing a chair.  Very comfortable 

[little britain]

Tonight’s dinner was at Test Kitchen- a concept restaurant which alternates serving menu A, menu B or menu C. No clues!

On this itinerary the rotation is A and C. Tonight was C night.

 

You can also opt to have a drinks pairing of non alcoholic, a little alcohol or the full Monty. We got a bottle of Alsace wine.

 

We sat at a long table, with a charming couple on one side; the other couple were “it’s not like this on Cunard..” who hated every mouthful and walked out. 
6 courses. Beautifully presented. There were vegetarian options for each course.

 

 

artichoke vegetable option

 

eel

 

Cheese

 

chicken

 

Yuzu - absolutely delicious. 
 

Food of this quality and presentation at no extra cost. I can appreciate that it could be a bit “weird” for some 

 

Edited August 31 by little britain

[little britain]

This morning we had brunch in Razzle Dazzle - I was healthy …with a side order of sugar and pepper coated bacon 🥓 which was delicious.

 

 

Then a walk in the sunshine to see the huge beach at IJmuiden and have a beer. 

 

 

There is a party later for the DB and DBE loyalty … let’s see what they do compared to RCI !

 

[Southern Dan]

I'd like to try Virgin one day, stinks the pool is small though.  A ship with no kids is where I'd be more inclined to enjoy the pool a bunch more!

[little britain]

The welcome back party had beer or sangria or champagne only, someone singing, not an officer to be seen… no speeches or anything, no nibbles. Very understated. 
 

then it was on to red night 

[twangster]

Wow.  Saw the thread title, drew the wrong expectation.  🙂

 

Enjoy your cruise! 

[little britain]

The pool is very small and the solarium area is not covered. Both areas play loud funky Ibiza mix music. 

 

No announcements, calls to bingo etc ✅ no photographers, no upsells of anything, 
no piles of endless paper left in your cabin, How are they making money🤷‍♀️?

 

No visibility of officers but as I think they don’t wear the traditional uniform, who would know! 

The Diva is meant to be the CD equivalent… but I have not seen him/her apart from once at the sailaway party. 

 

Last night’s show was The Mind Mangler. In the Red room with plenty of banked seating! 
 

Tonight’s dinner at The Wake; one of the best steaks 🥩 we have ever had. Ever. 
 

And then it was into Red Night. Most people wearing red around the ship, very ott and s little chaotic. Certainly a party vibe. Still no Diva. 
 

I forgot to mention demographic- I’d say the average age is 40. A lot of couples, girls weekends, and it isn’t neatly as gay as I was expecting 

 

Those who want the same table/same waiter experience will hate it! 

Edited September 1 by little britain

[little britain]

Ok, look away now if you don’t want to see a Virgin Red Night pool party…

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RCTransatlanticLover]

On 8/30/2024 at 5:23 AM, little britain said:

You may have read of the disruptions caused by eco group Extinction Rebellion. Last week they chained themselves to the locks preventing cruise ships entering Amsterdam. 
So last night at 9pm we received an email saying to avoid this anticipated local disruption we will now be docking in IJmuiden and VV will provide complimentary busses to shuttle passengers into the city centre about 30 miles away.  The irony of this must be lost on the ER people ! 

Yeah. The environmentalists mean well in many respects, but by not allowing the cruise ships to dock, they are actually hurting their cause and their local economy. 

[gumshoe958]

9 hours ago, little britain said:

The pool is very small and the solarium area is not covered. Both areas play loud funky Ibiza mix music. 

 

No announcements, calls to bingo etc ✅ no photographers, no upsells of anything, 
no piles of endless paper left in your cabin, How are they making money🤷‍♀️?

 

No visibility of officers but as I think they don’t wear the traditional uniform, who would know! 

The Diva is meant to be the CD equivalent… but I have not seen him/her apart from once at the sailaway party. 

 

Last night’s show was The Mind Mangler. In the Red room with plenty of banked seating! 
 

Tonight’s dinner at The Wake; one of the best steaks 🥩 we have ever had. Ever. 
 

And then it was into Red Night. Most people wearing red around the ship, very ott and s little chaotic. Certainly a party vibe. Still no Diva. 
 

I forgot to mention demographic- I’d say the average age is 40. A lot of couples, girls weekends, and it isn’t neatly as gay as I was expecting 

 

Those who want the same table/same waiter experience will hate it! 

It’s the Hostess, not the Diva, who is - very, very loosely - the CD equivalent. She hosted the Scarlet Night pool party.

[little britain]

1 hour ago, gumshoe958 said:

It’s the Hostess, not the Diva, who is - very, very loosely - the CD equivalent. She hosted the Scarlet Night pool party.

Saw him in the corner whilst the staircase show was going on, then never again !
Strangely the only announcement 📣 I’ve heard all cruise is him telling everyone to go up to the pool deck last night! 

[little britain]

It’s not made clear at all, but in the app under Shore Things ( shore excursions) you have to book your departure time. Latest is 10:30 🕥.  Thankfully someone asked about this in our roll call group
I’m not sure yet what happens to luggage 🧳 

[Ergates The Ant]

Looks like a lot of shared tables? Are tables for two available?