travellingguy

I just got off Virgin yesterday in San Juan and was in the solo interior. 1st time on Virgin but many times on NCL. We were in the XL balcony in Europe in August. I agree with everyone's points pros and cons to both. While I loved having the lower price of the solo interior and can easily cope with it's size etc. I did so miss the balcony and for all the reasons above (the hammock in the early evenings was a dream). One extra point that hasn't been mentioned that did bug me a few times - other than an app on your phone with weather - there is no way to see what the weather is or where the ship is currently (in port or not). I've stayed in the studios on NCL at least 5 times and their Port channel camera that is on the TV I turn to often to see if we are in port, is it sunny, am I too late for sunset, etc. I really missed this on this trip. Having to walk from fore to mid and up 6 floors to go outside is the only way. Not the end of the world but I wish Virgin would add this feature to their tv. Would I spend over $1K to have this minor feature - likely not. 2 trips all the way if money is the issue

They do have a limited supply of solo cabins - I've booked one for March. They have ones that are interior and ones at the very forward with sea views. They are reasonably priced. I did book almost a year in advance. Sailor Services told me they sell out fast.

We are soon able to book restaurants on the app for an upcoming cruise when the date opens for it - can't wait only a few months away 2 cabins in our party If we would like to book 2 cabins at the same time and be at the same table in a restaurant how do we do this? For example: does one book for 4 people at 7:00 p.m. (2 per cabin)? Or does each cabin book for 2 at 7:00 and when arrive ask to be together? We've usually done this on other cruises with the hostess or their version of sailor services but with the app not sure how to do it to ensure that we eat together

Thanks for the letter - I tried that - no reply after 2 days. I then tried the chat - who said I had to call Sailor Services. I called and they said they'd investigate and email me back. They emailed me asking for proof I did survey. Proof??? Fortunately I found the original email asking me to do the survey - when you click to do it again, it pops up that your ID has already completed the survey. Once I screenshot that and emailed them this (after calling a third time about this) they quickly added it to my next sailing. Was a bit of a pain as you can see but they did honour it. I think just some pushing makes it happen. I was getting a little put off with the effort it took - I took my time to do a detailed response to their survey (really enjoyed my August 2023 cruise) and had hoped that the offer would have been easier to receive for one of my next 2 sailings.

While we had reservations for most of our meals to plan, for the days we didn't we walked up and were seated within minutes every time. So many places to have a drink to wait in case there was a wait. To be honest I don't miss much about NCL. NCL is canvassing me daily with pleas and offers to cruise again and while I look through the same old itineraries and the same ships I've been on with the horrible embarkation and disembarkation routines, I find that there isn't much to pull me back. We don't have children and most of the mega NCL ships are directed to them. One thing I did like on the NCL Breakaway class ships is the Waterfront on deck 8 - restaurants and bars outside that could be social gatherings, sunset locations, and a place to meet for cocktails. The Valiant didn't have that other than the Dock so I guess that would be the one thing I missed but there were so many other things I liked on Virgin that I'm looking forward to my next 2 Virgin sailings.

Writing here a review as a new Virgin sailor and who uses these boards for lots of research and answers and hope to help others if possible. I'm a long time NCL cruiser who this year decided to take a break from the megaship model of NCL after an unsatisfactory cruise on NCL and looked to the adults only model of Virgin. There were so many things I liked about the Virgin model after almost the 1st day of stepping onboard. There were a few things I missed from NCL but for the most part I can say that I am a Virgin convert and have already booked my next one and also bought a cruise credit for one to follow. The ship was streamlined and smartly designed - the common rooms were a-plenty for drinking and congregating on decks 6, 7, and 15. They were luxurious without being over the top. Favourite places were the Dock, Sip, Grounds, Ice Cream, and the smaller pool, but liked most areas for their space and design. We had an X large sea terrace and the room was cleverly designed with lots of space - the bathroom was bigger than all the NCL ones we've had with tons of storage space for belongings. Our stewards could not have been more friendly and efficient. It was my birthday and they decorated my door with balloons and a sign. At first I thought that the hammock was a silly add-on but LOVED it by middle of cruise and one of us was always using it when in the cabin. A few things I noticed right away that I loved about the Virgin Valiant Lady: a) No constant PA announcements about unimportant and repetitive information - in fact we were able to count in 7 days only 3 announcements - muster reminder to attend by 5; a port change due to rough seas by the captain; and on the last day when the time was close for all to be off ship. This was incredible after being so irritated on NCL with the constant cruise director announcements throughout the day about port times, bingo, auctions, etc. etc. - they were endless. b) No constant use of paper - we had a few pieces of paper in the cabin on the 1st day and never received another notice/letter/reminder/bulletin again. If you wanted the daily news you could pick it up in some central places. Almost all information is accessible on app and we used it for everything. On our last cruise we collected all the paper given in the room throughout the cruise and took it to the front desk on the last night to demonstrate the high use of paper waste for 4000 passengers with the constant reminders about auctions, activities, time changes, etc. I know it seems trivial but it drives me crazy with the waste. c) The crew were incredibly polite, cheerful, helpful, efficient - and without being pushy or overly rah rah to get you involved. They were always welcoming and smiling - I couldn't stop noticing it. I've heard they are higher paid and I love that they can eat in the common areas with us - Virgin definitely shows as a more respectful employer. d) The service - we never, not once, waited in lines, waited to get into a restaurant, looked for a spot to sit. Granted the ship was not full. But it seemed obvious that there is enough space allocated for the passenger load at least it appears to be. I'll be able to confirm this on our next one as we couldn't get over this fact. e) The Virgin app - kept us on track with bar tab and loot tab and our restaurant reservations and shore plans. At first I wasn't keen on it and had read on the boards where people were having issues - I had none and found that I used it far more often than I expected. Very handy to keep my drinking in control (not that I was trying to reduce but helped me to not totally over indulge as it tracked my drinks). I was resisting going on Virgin and not having an all pass for alcohol - but this was fine and I didn't have too much over the tab at the end. In fact on last day spent more expensive drinks to use up the tab. f) The restaurants not being "dining rooms" - lots of choice and we tried almost all of them. Extra Virgin was our favourite. We loved the Dock for afternoon snacks. But we liked all the restaurants we attended. The Galley (a version of buffet without being a buffet) was great - we loved that you could order from a waiter or get it yourself without actually getting it from trays and bins but staff putting it together for you - the salad bar, etc. So efficient and I loved the not pig trough version of this "buffet". The burgers are great! And we had the very fresh and plentiful salad bar every day. g) The sailing schedule - we loved the not rushing back early for a 4:00 sailing etc. The overnight ports were amazing for 2 nights in port opportunities. This was a very pleasant experience to go to bed in the same city and wake up and spend the day there. h) Both embarkation and disembarkation were a breeze! Best of both - we got to port at 1:30 for our 1:45 slot and were in our cabin at 1:55 p.m.! On disembarkation we picked 10:15 a.m. and were in the taxi at 10:35 a.m. This was incredible It is hard for me to come up with too many negatives that aren't more personal to us: a)I did miss the art auctions - I know that many may not agree but I do enjoy attending them on other lines and have made purchases b) Wasn't a fan of the onboard stores - didn't actually buy anything - some were just too chic and expensive for my taste - hardly saw anyone buying anything c)Some meals we felt were rushed - I know that some may like that - and I understand why - but a few times we had to say we need to space out some of the courses and not have them at the same time d) Entertainers were not always placed in places where passengers were and sometimes hard to find them - this schedule needs to be more fine-tuned and thought out. Hard to think of other negatives. We really liked the week. We are in our 50s and felt that we were likely on the older side of most of the passengers who seemed to be in their 30s/40s but it wasn't an issue at all. I can't wait to see a Caribbean cruise at full capacity and what the clientele will be. But for now I'm a Virgin convert.

Really like reading these tips as we are boarding in less than 30 days on our first VV after 15 years of NCL almost exclusively. I do have a question on booking our next one. Is it better to wait to book onboard this trip the next one - are there are incentives/deals offered for booking onboard? If not, then I'll book it now as I'm worried that it will sell out (early 2024)

We have purchased Vibe on every NCL we've been on - Getaway, Escape, Breakaway, Bliss, Joy, Epic (Posh substitute for Vibe). We are never in Haven (although would like to be). I see why there are 2 varying opinions: Plus: We consider Vibe a major must - we don't have children, don't use the pool or hot-tubs, and hate lining up for drinks. We like the quiet adults only environment with better drink service, more comfortable loungers, and great views of ocean and ports during sailaway. We also have met some great people there as the same people come almost everyday and the bar staff remember our drinks and personalities. Cost and use: While we try to use it every day when at sea or when coming back from ports, NCL has increased the price pretty high in comparison when it first came out. And it really does depend on time of year whether it is worth it. We've been in 3 Vibes (January and March) when it was simply too chilly to be there for long and while we still enjoy it we need to abandon it reluctantly due to the cold winds etc. I always marvel at the ones who purchase it and never come back after the first day - must have money to burn. We try to make it worth the cost by using it when we can. However if NCL keeps raising the cost, at certain times of year it might not be worth it i.e. Joy for New Years in the Pacific - too cold when at sea to be up there.

I'm not sure how young you think I am or how little travelled you think we have experienced (we aren't just the Miami and back cruise people). My reviews aim to be constructive and informative. We tend to not disparage others. So while you think I have a first world problem I like to give others the benefit of my opinion especially when I can compare recent experiences and a life time of travel. We are also in the upper ages and have travelled extensively in Asia, Europe, and North America - on cruise ships, land tours (bus tour groups like Trafalgar) and independent travel. We travel at least 3 times a year for the last 25 years. So we are not novices. We also aren't into luxury travel - never been in Haven although envious when I read some of what it offers but we'd prefer to have 3 trips versus the 1. The point of my post was that I do read CC quite extensively and have seen many critiques of the EPIC and also ones like yours that say it's okay. I also see some people asking questions when deciding on ships, itineraries, etc. and like the name and purpose of the company cruise critic, I am giving a critique. Having been on many of their ships as well and also being on the EPIC years ago, I wanted to add to my opinion and agreement to those who felt the EPIC was in bad repair in comparison to other ships. There have been other blogs and comments elsewhere that NCL has been receiving poor reviews recently. I was showing my opinion to some of these reviews. I didn't say - don't cruise with NCL. In fact I will likely cruise with them in the future if the itinerary struck me as interesting (and it wasn't the EPIC). But after 3 NCL cruises in 1 year and the more recent one showing a decrease in service and etc. - I need a break from NCL - based on the entirety of my review. To help others make informed decisions was my intent. I'm currently booked on 2 Virgin Voyage trips and have greatly appreciated the Virgin forum on CC for some of my decisions there. Hopefully others will gain some intell from mine

Agreed. Epic was our 1st "mega" ship experience in it's 1st year and we didn't really love it then but it was the Med and we were young and could be easily impressed to somewhat. But then years followed and we went on the Getaway, Breakaway, Bliss, and Escape, and forgave NCL for the Epic and just thought things were getting better. Honestly forgot when booking this cheaper Caribbean itinerary than the other ones on offer in March 2023 and immediately regretted it when we boarded and remember over 10 years ago.

We were on the Epic 2 weeks ago (March 2023) from San Juan going South. It could be very windy. So much so that only 2 of the days they would put up umbrellas for the sun. And one of those days it wasn't that windy but we all begged since the sun was so hot - near Curacao. The attendant told us that they are rarely allowed to put them up due to wind. Being far south the wind didn't bring cold but I imagine that going North it would be. Although we both felt that the Posh passes were worth it when we looked down at the main pool deck.

We just got off yesterday Traffic was light despite what we've heard - we went at 9:30 ish to do bag drop and got close to the front in chairs. If you get there you should be okay once the doors open as Haven goes a different way when the boarding registration process begins which was super fast. We did get Posh passes - 1st and 2nd. They told us they only sell about 20. If it is like Vibe they will not give passes to those that aren't right there at Guest Services. I'm okay with that though as those that get there early and make that effort shouldn't be left out if someone orders more for people who aren't there yet.

Just got back Sunday March 19th / Platinum with NCL / Went on the EPIC in its early years The ship was definitely showing its age. After being on the Breakaway class ships (Getaway, Breakaway and Bliss) I found it hard being back on the weird design of the EPIC. It is also evident in a few areas that cleaning can't be done properly to this older ship. I think it better to be scrapped or sold. Deck 15 looks particularly old - the slides are discoloured and the smokestacks that people have mentioned are black. One night we went up and saw the scrapped and rusty NCL sign which is disheartening when we park beside a spanking newer ship. Know that I knew all this prior to cruising as I read all the reviews and thought it would be not as noticeable but it was. Our cabins while functional did look dated and if you look closely you see the things that are broken that can't be fixed without a refit. We so so missed the Waterfront that is on those other ships above and the newer ones. On our other NCL cruises we spent almost every night on the Waterfront for a cocktail, watch the sunset or just chill in the evening. Other than deck 15 there really isn't anywhere outside to go at night and the indoor bars were packed! And the service at them was weak due to this - every chair taken and nowhere to spread out. The newer ships solve all these problems. Many nights we tried Shakers but the lines were long and there were no seats and moving over to Maltings was not easier. The service was not at the usual speed - there were definitely less staff at the bars - took too long for drinks. The restaurants also seemed to have less staff. I've never seen lines at the main restaurants or speciality restaurants on the other ships. Usually the time it takes to order a cocktail outside Taste or Savor and you are in. We tend to eat from the 7:30 - 9:00 time range. It was busy then but it was NUTS from 5:30 - 7:30. Then when inside we see that there are empty tables everywhere so it seems that it is a staffing / kitchen issue rather a space issue. We noticed this a number of times not just a few times in Taste and Manhattan Room. The food selections on the menus were noticeably reduced especially in the buffet but also in the main dining rooms and also the speciality restaurants. The location of La Cucina makes you walk through the Garden Cafe and even though we don't eat the dinner buffet it was surprising to see almost the same items from lunch at the dinner. I've been cruising with NCL for years - the meals in the main dining room also were repetitive and less choices. There were also some things we liked from past cruises that were not offered. There is no large shows (they cancelled Priscilla permanently and we've seen Burn the Floor on 2 other ships) so nights were spent at a bar or casino. We always liked having one or two nights having options for a "night out". None such this time. Due to this the Howl at the Moon performances were PACKED. Both times we couldn't get in despite getting there at 9:00 - the line was too long and even those were standing room. We love this show and since there isn't much else to do you can see why we were disappointed. While cruising with NCL there is a real sense of familiarity as so much stays the same over the years (the ships, the daily activities, and the food), however this familiarity is getting stale. I'm going to take a break from NCL for awhile until I hear things improve. I give this review to those who are familiar with NCL and planning another trip and also so those that are new know what to expect. Booked a Virgin and a Celebrity - although a tad more expensive they will likely offer what we used to have with NCL

But yet when disembarking a week later - we were encouraged to walk directly from the ship to the tent where our luggage was going around the buses and parked cars. And we were then encountering the passengers for the next trip.

I have no problems with security - the disorganization and what the original poster talked about (luggage in water puddles and stacked, long waits in the sun as not everyone fit under the tents, especially for the elderly) did not have to do with security. The actually walking up to the ship from the sidewalk had zero line ups and once getting there entry was easy. The rep, when we were checking in after waiting in line for an hour and a half, said we should let NCL know how bad it was. The internet was also bad for them checking our photos and passports. We were surprised at her candour but she had probably had many complaints. The security was apparently non-existent around the tent area, the shuttle area, and then near the boarding at the port area. It was the sheer volume of people trying to register in a limited space that is not suitable for a ship with 4500 passengers and not using the main terminal so they didn't have the ability to organize the passengers embarkation effectively.