aviators99

Yes. I got mine at around the same time as above.

On multiple fronts. Background for those who aren't familiar, if you had booked a MerMaiden on Brilliant from December and it was canceled, you were given the ability to choose another cruise of any length (same cabin type) without paying more, plus an extra $1k in loot. THIS was a good deal. However, in addition to that (and whether you accepted it or not), we were also told that we would get first dibs on the actual MerMaiden (same cabin type), with an additional $300 off plus $600 in sailor loot. Well, the first dibs part is real. We have a week to book starting today, where nobody else can. BUT: 1) The $300 off plus $600 in sailor loot is not combinable with with MNVV. This is just stupid. The terms are the same as MNVV, so I'm getting nothing more than I already have. And most people who would be using this deal already have or have access to an MNVV. 2) What they are charging for these voyages is absolutely ridiculous. A central sea terrace for the 6 night Miami MerMaiden is almost $8,000! I have a Rockstar 14 night sailing that's almost $2k less than that. For #1, I'm sure people will say that I should be happy with what I got booking my alternate cruise, which I am. But don't promise me more and give me nothing.

They used to have Scorpion Powder at Pink Agave, but last time they told me they stopped getting it because too many people compained it was too spicy 😞 Below was taken on the ship:

When was the last time you went? When I went last January, I was told that there were cost-cutting changes that had just started. I also saw some videos that showed these changes and the differences in the food, especially the buffet.

These are exactly as they were served...

For me the main thing was the food. The food was pretty bad on Celebrity. Frozen vegitables. I thought our "Concierge Balcony" room on Celebrity was about the same size as our Sea Terrace on Virgin, and although there was more variety of entertainment on Celebrity, the style of entertainment on Virgin was more my personal style. But I would say it was 80% the food and 20% the vibe.

Perhaps taken as a whole, that's true. But for some people, Virgin is better suited than the other lines (and for some people, the other lines are better suited to them). It's fine to say that "Virgin is beyond compare to other lines", for *you*. That doesn't mean it will be true for everyone. But it certainly can be a true statement for that person. I've tried 3 different lines (all within the past year), and Virgin is beyond compare to Celebrity and Norweigan for me, at least for my small sample of one each of the other two.

Hope it's going to Alaska!

+1,000,000

I still don't get the "cancel the excursion so she gets the money" scam. I'm obviously missing something. I had a weird run-in with that VV security guy who did most of the talking for VV. I had an incorrect charge on my bill and the Sailor Services person called him over and he didn't smile once with me, either. He was also treating me with suspicion. But it eventually got fixed.

I'm in the process of planning this now. On the September 3rd (now "Celebration") cruise from Portsmouth. So planned a trip around it. Flying FLL-LGA (JetBlue), EWR-ATH (Emirates), ATH-JTR (Aegean), JTR-LHR (British), Overnight in London, Train Waterloo-Portsmouth. Then after cruise, train Portsmouth-Gatwick (Have to make a 4pm flight that day!), LGW-OPO (British), train Porto-Lisbon, LIS-MIA (TAP). Will be 2 days in Athens, 3 days in Santorini, 2 days in Porto, 1 day in Lisbon. I looked at hotels in Portsmouth and Southampton, and didn't see anything that was appealing to me.

I think this is a big change, not a slight one. I'm very happy about it.

Maybe you could bring some sugar free vanilla extract? Then you wouldn't be limited to what you have on board, since they have Coke Zero?

It's not real Freestyle. It's what I call "Freestyle Light". You can't mix anything. It does not have Coke Zero Vanilla (but does have Coke Zero and Diet Coke)

Wow, so it wasn't even close to being ready in time. They should have let us know sooner that our voyage would be canceled...