jon81uk

Apparently that no longer works, others who have departed in 2023 said they couldn’t book anything until onboard.

Not for dinner really. Some of the counters (tacos and sandwiches) don’t offer dinner service and others (Raman noodles, pizza place) only open late. It’s okay as a back up, or a quick option (the steak sandwich is good) after a port day, but I would be trying to get into a restaurant for dinner. I think the OP should be able to get something reserved once onboard.

All standard balcony (terrace) cabins and XL terrace cabins can have the bed made into two singles in an L shape. Some sleep three. All rockstar suites sleep two in a king bed. Some mega rockstar suites sleep two in a king bed and more in separate convertible sofa beds.

When we did the westbound transatlantic last October the worst weather and rough seas was the strait of Gibraltar between Malaga and Madeira. So stopping in Lisbon I expect you will have calmer seas.

I’ve not done it but from what has been said on here and the subreddit, if doing B2B at Miami you need to wait for all other passengers to disembark and then you are walked off the ship, through immigration and back on. Whereas in Barcelona I think I’ve read you can stay onboard, they do all the check in on the ship. No need to redo immigration as the ship didn’t leave the EU.

Nope couldn’t do it. If I’m away for a week or longer I want plenty of outfit and sneaker choices to wear. Hand luggage is for a weekend away not a week plus!

If you do have any large luggage it is very different at Miami to Barcelona. At Barcelona you queue up at the luggage desk to drop off the large items and then go through the scanner with hand luggage and on to check in. At Miami there is no desk to drop the large items, the porters take it. You then do check in and the hand luggage scan last. As far as I know if you have large (checked) luggage you have to give it to the porters.

Yet I’ve read elsewhere that Virgin are profitable when over half full, which is it? I will admit I’ve not done any other cruise line, but what am I missing out on? I love the design and decor of Virgins ships.

Anyone can ask, but flashing cash to try and get it is not good. Asking politely is fine.

Generally speaking Virgin Voyages staff will refuse tips, don’t make it awkward by trying. Dining early (6pm) is more likely to get the better tables as they aren’t already occupied. Or go for brunch as it’s quieter and they mainly use the central section of the restaurant.

Specifically to Virgin, know to book dinners before boarding and brunch, shows and activities as soon as you get on the ship. Pack PJs for the Pajama party and something red for Scarlet Night. Take a reusable water bottle and maybe a coffee cup too. Don’t worry about restaurant dress codes. Try eating everywhere. Check the schedule and see what’s happening but be sure to see Duel Reality and go clubbing at Heartbeat in the Manor. Also dance in the pool at Scarlet Night.

More reservations open up once onboard. You’ll be fine. shows and activities can only be booked once on the ship.

They’ve swapped out the steak tartare and scallop crudo for the burrata salad. Would make things easier if the vegetarian main was printed in the menu too, but I guess they don’t want meat eaters ordering it and lots of chicken going to waste.

I enjoyed the show, four good variety caberet acts plus a couple of songs done by a live band. The audience participation gags were silly but fine. the food was fine considering it has all been sat in hot hold so they can serve a whole room at once. The major issue was the steak tartare but I’ve read they no longer serve it. The chicken was fine but needed more vegetables really. it’s worth seeing once, especially on longer cruises. You can always get pizza after.

Not done it myself but reviews on the VirginVoyages subreddit aren’t good. Several discussions right now with one person stating it’s the worst excursion they’ve done on any cruise. the main issue seems to be that there just isn’t enough heritage and culture on a small island to fill a tour and you might be better off renting golf carts and self-guiding if you want to see outside the Resorts World area.

As cantgetin says, there is no dress code as long as you have more than wet swimwear. Pretty sure I’ve seen baseball caps in the restaurants.

It’s usually Saint Louis sparking rose at the standard sail away. https://www.vivino.com/GB/en/saint-louis-88086-saint-louis-rose-sparkling-sparkling-v-rz7bm/w/4603537

That’s the same whenever you drink in a bar or restaurant though, it will always be more than retail price. But the house spirits are usually $7 a time for what I assume is a 50ml measure so you’d get about 7.5 from a 375ml bottle saving around $7 by buy purchasing the $45 bottle.

I did sail in 2021 and my Sea Blazer badges is purple and clearly obtained. Other badges haven’t launched yet so all shows greyed out.

Are you sure their badge isn’t greyed-out? If you sailed in 2021 then you should have the badge, for others it might appear greyed out.

If you have a cruise booked there should be a link when you are logged into the website or app to buy bar tab. It won’t show the right bonus before purchase, just the standard $50 but it should be correct after purchase. Or you can call them to purchase.

Just a minor thing, The Dock generally only does afternoon service not evenings. Social Club (hot dogs and wings) goes into the evenings. Also pizza stops between 6 and 9pm.

Espresso martini is my go to. I had it at Sip but other bars might serve too.

On the app. It can be possible to walk up for standby, but it’s best to book. Fitness classes go first as they have very very low capacity though.

Yes it is 🙂