Virgin Voyages Master Thread (do NOT post referral codes – use other thread)

[Happeemonkee]

I’m joining the ship in Athens in a few weeks and have watched quite a few reviews on Youtube. The food is always rated highly, along with the entertainment, but I haven’t seen one positive review about the pool. I think they made a major snafu with the design. If its very busy when only at 40% capacity, imagine it at 80 – 90% (which I’m sure will be the case when I get on lol).

[hostime]

The pools are very small, but I think this is extremely typical of cruise ships. Ships always have small pools; one, because in rough seas the water can slosh around and flood interior areas, and two, because of the weight of the water. The pool has to be supported by the interior structure of the ship.

[JohnG]

Happeemonkee wrote:

I’m joining the ship in Athens in a few weeks and have watched quite a few reviews on Youtube. The food is always rated highly, along with the entertainment, but I haven’t seen one positive review about the pool. I think they made a major snafu with the design. If its very busy when only at 40% capacity, imagine it at 80 – 90% (which I’m sure will be the case when I get on lol).

I think a lot of the moaning about the pool is misguided/ignorant. People complaining imagine that if the pool was 2-4x larger suddenly you’d have people doing laps or similar but that’s a naive fantasy; the only way that happens is if you have more than one pool and one of them is dedicated to swimming because you can’t combine lap swimming with peoole standing around in the water socialising and drinking. Additionally, unlike the pool that is vitually never full even with 1500-2000 people onboard, even though it is small, it is common for the loungers around the pool to be fully occupied and you’d have to lose lounger space to expand the pool. Finally, everyone makes a fuss about the pool party and changing the config to have a larger pool would at best decrease the space available for the party and at worse ruin the vibe of the whole thing.

TLDR; The pool is fine, what reviewers think it would be like if the pool was bigger is wrong.

[stevenhp1987]

The pool on the Resilient had a larger swimming section than the pool on the Valiant.

They’ve achieved this by cutting the length of one of the shallow ends of the pool to make room for it.

You can, just about, swim on the Resilient whereas you cannot really do so on the Valiant!

[delbell]

Scarlet Night Breakdown: Explanation, The Myth and Tips!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5g7olGNc9s

If you have been or going on Resilient Lady you will have seen Alejandro.

Don’t sit at the front row in the Octpus Garden as I did, as the Octpus Queen made a bee line for me !!!!

If you think the pool is small, see how many people you can get in the pool.

[modestpointscollector]

Boo, no upgrade to Seriously Aft for the cruise out of Athens on the 13th August but did get one up to XL Sea Terrace. Not bad for 80k miles I didn’t have a great use for and £255!

Wonder what awaits us for the 2nd half on the 20th…

[Philondon]

delbell wrote:

If you have been or going on Resilient Lady you will have seen Alejandro.

He also has a video on all the different themed nights and dresscodes.

When I got on the ship on the 1st day I told him how much I liked his videos and they were useful etc and he gave me glasses of free Cava on various nights!

[QRA]

Please could anyone with the Deep Blue Extras add on give me a steer as to boarding. I have checked in via the app (with DBE showing) and it has allocated a boarding time of 3.30pm however various online comments mention expedited boarding for DBE at 1.30pm which I would be keen to do given our arrival time. We are sailing from Barcelona. Thanks

[markdhayes]

QRA wrote:

Please could anyone with the Deep Blue Extras add on give me a steer as to boarding. I have checked in via the app (with DBE showing) and it has allocated a boarding time of 3.30pm however various online comments mention expedited boarding for DBE at 1.30pm which I would be keen to do given our arrival time. We are sailing from Barcelona. Thanks

Just turn up before 1.30pm, we had this last week and we turned up about 1.15pm and by 1.31pm we were on board. Our slot was 2.30pm but with DBE they let you on with the first slot.

[QRA]

Thanks Mark

[melikepoints]

FFoxSake wrote:

Deep Blue Extras

Very useful, thank you.

Can I also double check that the Deep Blue Extras only apply once per cabin, even if both occupants have these in their own right?

[markdhayes]

Yes this was raised on our Voyage, the DBE is per cabin regardless of both or only 1 person has it. But YMMV.

[Paul B]

I can see my DBE’s and the respective $100 bar tab showing separately under both sailors add on’s. Hopefully that will stick, their IT can send you either way.

[Wessex]

Began Med cruise yesterday, anyone managed to get tea and coffee facilities in their suite (mega rock stars). Using room service takes about 40mins for delivery…TIA

[Paul B]

Wessex wrote:

Began Med cruise yesterday, anyone managed to get tea and coffee facilities in their suite (mega rock stars). Using room service takes about 40mins for delivery…TIA

How of interest, what was your accepted upgrade bid?

[Wessex]

Hi Paul. I think it was 2.5k, not sure if it is worth it. I would be apoplectic if I had paid 12k and wait for an hour for tea to be delivered to room.Think virgin cruises is aimed at the younger generation not us silver surfers/cruisers…

[Dragonlady]

Wessex wrote:

Hi Paul. I think it was 2.5k, not sure if it is worth it. I would be apoplectic if I had paid 12k and wait for an hour for tea to be delivered to room.Think virgin cruises is aimed at the younger generation not us silver surfers/cruisers…

@Wessex If you’ve got a Mega RockStar Suite for 2.5K I think that’s a bit of a steal given the Mega Rockstar benefits (fully replenished suite bar, unlimited bar tab / wine in restaurants etc).
FWIW I was told no tea/ coffee making facilities are available in the suites (or indeed a steamer) but we waited no more than 10-15 minutes each morning for room service a few weeks ago. In fact we joked about the cabin staff hiding around the corner waiting for us to place orders as they were so speedy …I guess it also depends how busy the ship is (877 pax on board with us).
Like you we felt it’s aimed at a younger demographic (and very USA centric) – I didn’t “get” (or like) much of the “entertainment” save for Scarlet Night .We’re heading back next weekend on another Voyage but this time the ship is much busier apparently (we checked with our Rockstar agent before we left).

[omicron]

Paul B wrote:

I can see my DBE’s and the respective $100 bar tab showing separately under both sailors add on’s. Hopefully that will stick, their IT can send you either way.

I just finished a cruise with DBE benefits and we were given $100 per person

[Travel Strong]

If you’ve got a Mega RockStar Suite for 2.5K I think that’s a bit of a steal given the Mega Rockstar benefits (fully replenished suite bar, unlimited bar tab / wine in restaurants etc).

I thought I read it was capped at $90/day bar tab – is it really unlimited? ($90/day isn’t terrible… but it wouldn’t cut it on the first night… or scarlet night!)

Whichever way you cut it – you’re paying for the experience, as you can put a specific price on the bar bottles and drinks… and it’s less than 2.5k 🙂

[Travel Strong]

omicron wrote:

Paul B wrote:

I can see my DBE’s and the respective $100 bar tab showing separately under both sailors add on’s. Hopefully that will stick, their IT can send you either way.

I just finished a cruise with DBE benefits and we were given $100 per person

@omicron out of interest – did you have it set up so you were each covering the spend on your own wristband? Or one payment method twinned for both of you?

[omicron]

Travel Strong wrote:

omicron wrote:

Paul B wrote:

I can see my DBE’s and the respective $100 bar tab showing separately under both sailors add on’s. Hopefully that will stick, their IT can send you either way.

I just finished a cruise with DBE benefits and we were given $100 per person

@omicron out of interest – did you have it set up so you were each covering the spend on your own wristband? Or one payment method twinned for both of you?

You can choose – the default is that each person has their own account (with $100 credit each), but you can ask for it to be set up as a single account instead (with $200 credit). If you do that, any other charges or drinks spend above bar tab credit will also be charged to the same payment method.

We booked using an offer with a $600 bar tab included, so with DBE we had one account with $700 and one with $100, which we then asked to be set up as a single account with an $800 bar tab.

[Dragonlady]

Travel Strong wrote:

If you’ve got a Mega RockStar Suite for 2.5K I think that’s a bit of a steal given the Mega Rockstar benefits (fully replenished suite bar, unlimited bar tab / wine in restaurants etc).

I thought I read it was capped at $90/day bar tab – is it really unlimited? ($90/day isn’t terrible… but it wouldn’t cut it on the first night… or scarlet night!)

Whichever way you cut it – you’re paying for the experience, as you can put a specific price on the bar bottles and drinks… and it’s less than 2.5k 🙂

And the experience is lovely 😊 . Not sure where you’ll get a (decent) suite elsewhere at such a deal ? ?
Don’t forget transfers and the “ special “ benefits / experiences on board that aren’t publicly mentioned 😊
My understanding is up to $25 a drink and two bottles of wine / liquor a day of $90 value ( I may have read that completely wrong however).

[PaulSmith]

A bit late but we thoroughly enjoyed our Greek Glow week at the beginning of August. Having now done three VV on three ships, I’m actually (and very sadly) a little bored of the format. The crew are fantastic, the boats are a great design and the quality of food is top-notch. It is an amazing redemption and cash prices are very tempting

That said, you can only take going to exactly the same restaurants with the same menu (actually not quite so good in a couple of cases, eg Extra Virgin) for three years in a row. The quality of the shows is good but this time around way more limited and not brilliantly scheduled.

On our trip, the ports we called at (Santorini, Rhodes, Bodrum, Mykonos) all felt like tourist traps for cruise ships and whilst kind of fun, it really made the point that cruising isn’t really for me. Virgin do it astonishingly well according the number of people we have met who have sailed with other lines. And as “frequent fliers’ on VV, the little extras you get are noticeable, early entry on the boat, a free bag of laundry, some free $$$ to spend at the bar. Watch out airlines, that sets the bar high!!

Honestly, folks, I’m not being a sad git. It’s a great experience and I am massively a fan and if there is a 2024 redemption I will be first in line.

[Paul B]

PaulSmith wrote:

A bit late but we thoroughly enjoyed our Greek Glow week at the beginning of August. Having now done three VV on three ships, I’m actually (and very sadly) a little bored of the format. The crew are fantastic, the boats are a great design and the quality of food is top-notch. It is an amazing redemption and cash prices are very tempting

That said, you can only take going to exactly the same restaurants with the same menu (actually not quite so good in a couple of cases, eg Extra Virgin) for three years in a row. The quality of the shows is good but this time around way more limited and not brilliantly scheduled.

On our trip, the ports we called at (Santorini, Rhodes, Bodrum, Mykonos) all felt like tourist traps for cruise ships and whilst kind of fun, it really made the point that cruising isn’t really for me. Virgin do it astonishingly well according the number of people we have met who have sailed with other lines. And as “frequent fliers’ on VV, the little extras you get are noticeable, early entry on the boat, a free bag of laundry, some free $$$ to spend at the bar. Watch out airlines, that sets the bar high!!

Honestly, folks, I’m not being a sad git. It’s a great experience and I am massively a fan and if there is a 2024 redemption I will be first in line.

How would you compare Greek Glow on Resilient to your sailings out of Barcelona on Valiant Lady, which I’m guessing were likely your previous sailings if via points?

[Oliver14]

Just returned from the Incredible Med cruise on Valiant Lady. Overall my review is very mixed, and personally I wouldn’t rush back to book another VV cruise.

Likes:
-Cabin size and quality was excellent. We upgraded to the Sea Terrace XL, but I wouldn’t pay more than £250 for this. You get a more spacious bathroom area and that’s about it.
-Themed restaurants were good, but getting a reservation was tricky and service could be slow at times.
-Fantastic gym with great facilities.
-Staff were very friendly and helpful

Dislikes:
-Breakfast. Eating in the food court every/most breakfasts and lunchtimes felt like being in a shopping mall. It’s pitched as being superior to a buffet-style, but it’s honestly not. You have to get your own drinks, make your own coffee, get your own cutlery, etc. Please just do a varied buffet option each day!
-Entertainment: A lot of reviewers seems to rave about this, and I can only assume that they’d consumed copious amounts of alcohol, as we found it very average. The frequency was also poor, with very little variety and capacity.
-Poor communication when disembarking the ship. Nobody had any idea if free shuttle buses were provided, etc.
-Very little shade on-deck. Vast amounts of top deck space is wasted with silly cabanas that hardly anyone pays to rent and outdoor gym equipment, when more quiet shaded sun loungers would be a far better use of the space.
-TV signal was very poor in the cabin. A good selection of films was available, but watching the news channels wasn’t happening 80% of the time.

Paying cash for our cruises and cabin type would have been $5-6k for two people, which honestly I wouldn’t dream of paying, on reflection. Getting it on Virgin Points made it a worthwhile experience, but for this sort of money, far better holiday/hotel options are available, in more exciting destinations.