Nymich

19 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Maybe the licencing fee is less, but there were usually 8 in BBK band (lead g, bass g, trumpet, sax, keyboards, drums, male vocals, female vocals).

The Rolling Stone band on Oosterdam has 7 (lead g, bass g, rhythm g, keyboards, drums, male vocals, female vocals). So that is a saving of 1 salary, 1 room and food onboard.

I have seen 2 bands two different cruises with 4.  Lead Guitarist /Bass/keys/drums

9 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Don’t the Pinnacle Class ships have both?

Yes

It must be cheaper to have RS instead.

On 6/2/2022 at 10:31 PM, BeachBum47 said:

Thank you Matthew. These are kettlebells, below.

I didn't see these at the Lido.

15 minutes ago, _tacocat_ said:

yeah, VV partnered with Resorts World to design/build it.  it's exclusive to VV on their port days, but can be used by RW guests on non-port days.

Can be used by anyone who pays the day pass rate on non vv days.  Many from the Hilton and other cruisers can use it to do a self excursion which we did.  The day pass was $40.  We actually had a great day there on a non vv day because it was not crowded at all.

Just did vv and went there with the big crowd from the Scarlet Lady. 

Two different experiences BOTH good for different reasons .

19 hours ago, johnnylikely said:

Interesting! I hear Bimini was really nice? Never done a private island thingy before!

Bimini is very nice but it is NOT a private island.  

2 hours ago, cantgetin said:

Interesting comments.  Yes, I've been on ships where the menu changed nightly, but the rotation stayed the same from one cruise to another...so if I did 3 cruises in a year, I'd see the same three rotations.  And I've been on ships where restaurants rotated in conjunction with the menu rotation.  What is different about Virgin is that there are 5 main dining restaurants that I can choose from; I don't have an assigned rotation and can make a reservation or walk in where I choose.   True that each has the same menu each evening,  but I'm certainly not seeing the same menu each night as I'm eating in a different venue.  At this point, Virgin seems to have plenty of dining options and availability, although that might change when they are sailing fill rather than at the covid allowed booking levels.  And hopefully the improvements in the app prevent loss of my advance reservations!  I don't mind changing my preference for a night, but I don't want to find myself "shut out" due to loss of a reservation in their system.

In my experience, most other lines only vary their menus every couple of years,  other than perhaps changing an item or two.

There are not any covid allowed booking levels anymore in the US.  Scarlet is currently at 25% this week as that is what they could sell.

We will most likely be a one and done when it comes to VV.  We have not found any reason to repeat. Their cruises are too short and others do the same ports.  The Bimini Club they lead you to believe is their own is not.  It is rented by VV and we have been there before a couple of months ago on a day pass which you can get any day VV is not there. 

We got our VV cruise cheap and only 700 onboard so that made it worth trying it out.  

On 4/28/2022 at 4:40 PM, FoxCrane said:

How much did you bid for the upgrade from limited view to XL terrace? And did they tell you the bid required to put you at the top, and did you do that?

We bid in the middle but only just over 700 people on this cruise so no doubt why we got moved up.  

Here's the deal I took a chance and booked a limited view Sea Terrace and they put me on 8th floor  towards the aft with lifeboat blocking view.  I then got an upgrade bid and today I got an XL at a great price.  It's a roll of the dice but VV was upfront and fair with the bid.  You may not be able to be as lucky.  We leave this Friday.

Bon Voyage!

42 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Springhill area a bit better, but Hampton is closer to Little Italy and the Rite Aid drugstore.  One negative is the train that runs behind the hotel, so get a front facing room if possible.  Springhill is much nicer IMO and the easy access to the ship is great!

Hampton used to have an airport shuttle, but they may have halted that.

 

The Springhill has the train factor?

35 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Probably not.  I might look at nearby Hampton Inn though - about 2-3 blocks away.

 

When we stayed there the rooms (both Springhill and Residence were about $225, worth that IMO.

 

 

We are staying three nights and Springhill is $300 more total($100 per night) than Best Western Plus.

Which area worked out best pro's and cons with Hampton versus Springhill in your opinion?  Thanks

2 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

Just stayed at the Springhill suites/Residence Inn last month.  Nice hotel and rooms (the RI has a larger kitchen).  Great location, especially for cruisers.  One bad note - the free breakfast has really gone downhill since our stay two years prior.  No airport shuttle either.

 

Dave,

Assuming the Best Western Plus is acceptable would you pay the 3 bills more to be at the Springhill?  Thanks

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I would notice it but it didn't bother me or wake me up.   But it was noticeable.    We live in a condo and may have a higher tolerance for noises than others.    We also heard the elevator chime.   But that was ok as well

I figured you would be in an inside cabin...

Has anyone had suit cases under couch?  How many bags can fit under and what sizes fit?  Thanks

1 hour ago, Raiders4Life32 said:

Under your bed like nearly every other cruise ship. 

So it still fits in the couch configuration?  (Which is unlike nearly every other cruise ship)

So where does the luggage get stored?  Thanks

15 hours ago, scottca075 said:

The BWP Bayside Inn is great, but the SpringHill Suites Bayside is worth every penny of the $300 to be directly across the street from the Cruise Terminal. The Rite Aid is less than a half mile away on Ash St, so not far at all.

 

The BWP Bayside Inn is "371 feet" away from the Rite Aid according to Google Maps, which I found very weirdly precise and funny for some reason, and just a bit more than a half mile to the cruise port. To me that is pretty walkable to the bay side; maybe not on cruise day with 57 days worth of luggage, but certainly to go down to the USS Midway and Portside Pier.

 

Here is a Google Maps of the SpringHill Suites Bayside in relation to the cruise terminal. You can see it is directly across the street and an otherwise lovely location too.

 

https://goo.gl/maps/5bR4uEyVmUypwtyy6

 

You can also walk to Santa Fe Depot for the SD Trolley and take the trolley to the Gaslamp, to the baseball stadium, to Old Town and even La Jolla now.

You gave me some great info to consider and I appreciate the map.  Still undecided but glad to hear the BWP is a good place.  Looks like I have 2 good choices.

On 3/21/2021 at 12:22 AM, scottca075 said:

 

The BWP Hacienda is a very nice place and Old Town can be a lot of fun.

I dug this old thread up lol.  Any thoughts about the BWP on West Ash?

They are giving us a great rate and it's hard to not consider it.  They no longer do the cruise or airport shuttles. They have free wifi and breakfast.   It is close to Rite Aid and Little Italy so that's a plus. It seems like a long walk from BWP down to the Bayshore area. Cruise day we would uber for sure.

Also looking at Springhill Bayshore as it is near the Coronado ferry and the Midway which are the two things we want to do with our two days. They also offer free wifi and breakfast.   It is $300 more than BWP for the three nights we are there.  It is also not very close to get any cosmetics we need as we are flying in from Florida and not carrying all of that because we need to focus on packing clothes.   We will be cruising for 59 days ending up in Fort Lauderdale so wont be flying home.

I was reading some of your posts and thought you may have some insight comparing these two properties taking into account the other factors I listed.  I put in bold the biggest issue I have with each hotel. The good news is I have a reservation at both with some time to mull it over before I pick one and cancel the other,

Thank you

Sorry to hear about this.  He was a good guy for sure.  My sympathies to the family.

3 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Tonight's menu - we will be back in the MDR tonight 

 

tonight's entertainment 

 

They don't cry yi yi

There is an echo in here.

Appreciate you giving all this helpful info.  Thank You

5 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I did one lap around the promenade deck but got credit on Strava for over a mile since the ship was moving!  
 

the time is right, but the distance, not so much.  
 

windy and cool.   
 

Pretty good time for 1.1 miles!

Nice!