Swells1

I have sailed closed-loop itineraries with a state-issued ID. Including one Canada/New England. 

On 7/12/2024 at 10:46 PM, Essiesmom said:

  A bit about Essie of Essiesmom…years ago I was a collector of Lee. Middleton dolls, and Essie is the cheapest they ever made.  She has traveled with me since 2002.  Her first overseas trip was to Iceland in 2003 and her first cruise was Greece in 2005.  She has a substance abuse problem which she acquired in Iceland…she likes beer.  She also likes the casino, mostly the flashing lights as she is unable to gamble with Monopoly money.  If you happen to see us around the ship, give her a fist bump.

 

Lol! Essie is certainly classier than our traveling companion, DingDing. (Although, in his defense, our cabin attendant loved him so much, she gave us a set of Nutcrackers- long past Christmas. We didn’t even ask!)

19 hours ago, Scubadoc said:

What should we do for our final choice? We are not fans of Asian food so that’s out.  

I'm so confused. Is Teppanyaki NOT Asian? 

Can I piggyback this thread to ask if anyone has any pics from the enclosed balconies on the Jade? I'm thinking I'm still far out enough to change cabins if necessary? (Cabin 9006 if it matters.)

Piggy-backing this to ask another question about Portsmouth disembarkation: What's the earliest (safe) time to book a return flight from Heathrow? 

OP, I have had luck in the past buying sodas in the cruise terminal past security. 

8 hours ago, realnice46 said:

I don’t think any cruise line has free sodas. You either get a drink package or pay as you go. It always irks me that regular coffee free, but not sodas. I neither drink coffee or alcohol. I believe milk, coffee, tea and juices are free.

Sodas are free on Virgin.

Canada/ New England is my favorite itinerary! I can't wait to sail it on VV!! 

I've only sailed NCL and VV, so I can't speak to other lines. In my mind, that whole "no upselling" thing cannot be stressed enough. It's so nice to go to a show and not spend the first 15-20 minutes listening to the CD selling raffle tickets. How refreshing it is to not have to dodge photographers during dinner.

On Valiant Lady, my partner had a question for sailor services, and I just kinda' wondered around the area waiting for him. A rep from "Get Lost" (MVNN) asked me if I needed anything, and I asked him a random question that popped in my head. (I think it was about how full our sailing was.) He actually answered my question without trying to sell me anything!

That, in turn, made this the first time I've ever bought a future cruise credit.

1 minute ago, Rogueperson said:

 

i didnt get the sauce thingie i think.

Aw. Sorry. 

On 4/22/2024 at 3:03 PM, Rogueperson said:

I missed my crepe cake.

Ooh!! I can help!

Mine took about five days. (Also NCL.)

17 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

The hardest part of the muster when we were on the Jade was finding and getting to our muster station with a gimpy Mrs. Schmoopie following her broken leg. Other than that, no problem.

Oh, I can (partially) sympathize. I broke my ankle in three places a few months before my last cruise. I was juuust weight-bearing when we sailed. Send her my best wishes. 

Just now, ggTexasGal said:

Pre-cruise watch the video (maybe endless emails to watch it)!  Once onboard the ship, go to your Assembly Station (as shown on your key-card), check-in with person in green cap and vest.

Done!

Nice! Thank you.

I've only cruised with NCL once since the shutdown, and that was 2022. Can you share with me what the current safety drill situation looks like? I'm bringing on a new cruiser, and I'm trying to give her an idea of what to expect.

(We're on the Jade if it matters.)

2 hours ago, wiltsw said:

Sorry, if this is covered, but I am struggling to get my head round how, if at all, this affects us. 

 

We have a cruise booked for late august. (Our first VV cruise) 

We have status matched in, and they have added extra bar credit. 

 

My questions are : 

 

• What happens for our August cruise? Do we keep the credit / perks we have, or do we get the new flavour ? 
  • Would the perks then become per person rather than per room?
• What happens should we make a new booking? Would we get DBE? or something else?

 

 

I realise, of course, I am not asking VV, but it would be nice to have an idea of what we should expect. 

 

TIA 

 

Will

I got answers by submitting my proof of status match again- like I was submitting it for the first time. Within a week, I got an email from VV telling me I had DBE through 2025. Now I have written documentation if there are any questions. 

I firmly believe you can't have too much paperwork. 

8 hours ago, Alegeeter said:

When has DBE been showing up in your add ons? In my chat with VV yesterday the representative said "your DBE will be added closer to sailing" but in the past I've had it show immediately upon booking.

DBE is on mine now, and my next sailing is well over a year away.

11 hours ago, gsutiger2 said:

I'm curious about this as well.

I just got an email from VV. Turns out I have full DBE. I’m not complaining! 

5 hours ago, jon81uk said:

I read it as if you had the deep blue benefits in 2023 you will keep getting them until the end of 2025. 
 

If you didn’t get the benefits in 2023 then you need to earn them and will start at the blue tier. 

Okay. I like this. 

Okay. Explain this to me like I'm a three-year-old. I have taken ONE cruise with Virgin Voyages. On that cruise, I had DBE from status match. When I take my second cruise, will I be in Tier One- Sailing Club- because this is my second cruise?

Or...

Will I be in Tier Two- Blue Extras- because I have status match?

Here you go...

https://profcruise.com/virgin-bar-menus-2024/

Yes, I'm that person who books her flights exactly 330 days from the departure date. I book my hotel reservations 365 days in advance. When dining opens up at 45 days, I'm counting the seconds. So...I'm booked for next year, and I'm not able to complete my on-line check-in on the app. Is there a certain time frame, or is it that I'm not PIF? I'd very much like to complete this ASAP to secure the best boarding time. 

TIA!!

My mother brings A1 sauce on every cruise.

And never fails to leave it in her cabin.

It's basically a fillable neck pillow. Let's see if this works...

2 hours ago, DarrenM said:

Like the look of certain things on Virgin, but not some of the other things

I just sailed with VV for the first time last month, and have booked a second. I'd say it ticks the boxes on your list. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.