Wildcatllamas

When I have had a facial or massage the person would show me the products that were used when we got out to the front area. So it was easy to pass and move on. None of them to offense.

Hmm - minimum $90,000 in play.

For me, Gunbae was okay. Food was good. Waygu beef very over rated but I had sailor loot to get rid of. My problem is, I have a hearing issue that is due to nerve damage. The high level of noise from all the drinking games going on made it impossible for me to hear and began to give me a bad headache. I love Razzle Dazzle for breakfast/brunch. Dinner not so much. Actually not at all since the menu change. I have really enjoyed their Watermelon and Sesame cream, which a friend and I dubbed the Watermelon fruit pizza and their bacon can't be beat. I order it without the pepper.

I like my steak done Pittsburgh style, which must be cooked on an extremely hot fire. It is seared and crispy on the outside and warm rare on the inside. The only restaurants on cruise ships who even knew what is was but also nailed it were all on Virgin. The Wake, Pink Agave and Extra Virgin all nailed it perfectly. So ordering a steak medium to medium well should be a piece of cake. I won't judge you @Cloud9 Bob but please don't tell me you douse it with A1 sauce. That is just to much to handle 😉

Amen on that.

@Essiesmom sure hope you are feeling better!! Nothing worse then getting sick when on a cruise.

I have a $700 bar tab on my cruise in September. The friend who is going with me was afraid that wouldn't be enough so they bought another $100. With getting my mocha fix being covered with DBE then my bar spending may be $10 to $20 a day except when I go to the Test Kitchen and I like their wine pairing. So my possible spending on a 12 night will be about $300. So she will have to drink up to cover the other $500.

Last time I did a cruise out of LA/San Pedro I stayed at a hotel close to LAX and then took an UBER to the port. It was $36 for the friend and I.

I ordered Seltzer with lime and I got puzzled looks. So @Travel-and-See you weren't the only one. Sparkling water with lime just sounds odd.

I have had that happen on every cruise that I have done solo. It is just a courtesy.

I have cruised solo on Princess, NCL, Celebrity and Virgin. On NCL and Virgin I have never had a problem interacting and meeting people. Celebrity wasn't bad, but the folks that I was seated with for traditional dinner were very standoffish with lots of questions as to why I was traveling solo. Princess was the hardest to really meet folks and have a conversation. With Virgin you are really sitting very close together in the areas where the 2 tops are. I would have folks asking me what I was eating and I would ask others. Once the ice was broken then things would go from there. At the Test Kitchen I was seated next to a couple who were on their first cruise. So we got to talking about all our stops and what was good. The husband ordered the mixed drink pairing and they were serving him full size drinks. His wife and I got the wine pairing. He was getting a little toasty by the end of dinner but he said all the cocktails were good and paired well with each course.

I have been up and ready to go at 20 minutes to midnight to book excursions and restaurants for my clients and myself. Even when I have to work my other job the next morning. So I would talk with your travel agent and see what they will do for you. If they won't commit or won't jump on it when it opens then maybe find another agent. You definitely want a Gold level First Mate.

Wow, my cell phone provider gives me free phone calls from the US to Canada and Mexico. A friend of mine in Canada calls me several times a year and has free calls to the US on her carrier. They do have a chat feature that I have had good luck with and I have used their email option as well. I have had better luck dealing with Virgin then I ever had dealing with Princess, even as a travel agent. If I were you I would do like Canadian Cruiser 21 suggests and find a Gold level First Mate (aka travel agent. Handling problems and sitting on the phone for our clients is what we are there for.

My routine is a bit different in that my work life schedule starts at 3 AM. So, when I get up and head out of the cabin it is usually about 6:30 AM and I may go up to the Yoga or I will maybe do the meditation. Then I head to the Galley for breakfast. After breakfast I go and walk laps around the ship. I usually book the Wake or Razzle Dazzle for a brunch/lunch around 11:30. So I get the best of both worlds. Oatmeal, fresh fruit and sometimes I will ask for gluten free French toast are by breakfast go too. So then I can enjoy the Calm Chowder and the salad at the Wake or what I call the "Fruit Pizza" and the bacon at Razzle Dazzle for lunch.

Sometimes, it helps to close any open apps on your phone and then try again on the Virgin app. It seems that it doesn't always play well with other apps, especially when onboard the ship. I like the mocktails that they have and I will have a couple of mochas in the morning. Here is what Virgin has to say about their non-alcohol choices: https://www.virginvoyages.com/ahoy/stories/non-alcoholic-drinks-for-sober-cruises

Ditto what @Travel-and-See says. I have had the specialty coffees on Princess and Celebrity and Virgin's is so much better and cheaper. They are actually a few cents cheaper then the small coffee shop that is local and makes an amazing mocha.

I loved the pop up entertainment that was out there in 2021 but it seems to have vanished. I enjoyed stopping and have a chance to just chill and listen to the performers. I love good classical music, much to the dismay of my late father who was a Big Band musician.

It is new. I believe that is what a the up and down on the website has been. I makes it a lot easier to do it on the website versus the app. As a TA I was able to do it through our site and it is so easy that way. Glad they finally moved to being able to do it on the website.

That really brought a chuckle this morning!! Thanks @Stateroom_Sailor

You could always get in your pajamas, take a short nap and then go up for a little bit. And if, when the alarm goes off for the short nap, you don't feel like going up you can just snuggle back down.

My next cruise is out of Portsmouth. I have a lightweight backpacking inflatable that weighs just under 3 lbs that I might take with me. If that is to heavy, I am flying business class on BA so I might just get a small case to also check with that in it and then just leave both of them.

I have traveled with a friend and we slept head to feet. It worked just fine. Only issue is the beds are super firm. Think dorm room beds.

Wow that is an amazing review @Amanda1992. I don't have Celiac but I am Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerant. I was very pleased with everything that I had. I wasn't aware of the pasta. Now Razzle Dazzle - I love them for breakfast and brunch - dinner not so much. When I went in I tried to order the things you ordered and I was told I couldn't have them due to gluten being in them. So I ended up with the Green Goddess salad - just okay and the Fried Chicken minus the biscuit. I kept asking are you positive about the Fried Chicken and the waiter confirmed it with the chef. Well it was nasty. It was lukewarm and rubbery. I picked all the coating off because it just looked like regular breading to me. As it was I didn't even finish it.

This isn't the true representation of the folks who do cruise VV or are on the Virgin page. Please don't judge all by some. I have found that the folks on the page have been kinder then some of the other lines I have cruised. There are several lines that do cruise Greece. Most of the major lines just hit a couple of stops and others are very intensive. Celestyal Cruises is very Greece port intensive. Just some info for you because most folks don't know about Celestyal.

I sure understand about all the meds. I have my pen for my RA plus all the other things that go along with that. Some times I feel like I could open a pharmacy out of my suitcase when I travel. The app can be quirky at times so I suggest clearing all open pages on your phone before you attempt to book dining. I'm a TA so I will be on at midnight to book mine and the folks traveling with me. You can hop on at midnight as well. I set my alarm rather then sitting up that late. You can get a bar tab for as low as $100 and VV will kick in an additional $10. On my 5 night cruise I had a $600 bar tab. I was buying drinks for strangers, just to use it up. I will usually get a Sangria ($12) at the dock when I get onboard and then a glass of wine ($7-$?) with dinner or a beer ($7) at Pink Agave. I even splurged and did the wine pairing at the Test Kitchen. I don't think I used over $40/day. I also did the Afternoon Tea which was $19 if you did it with out the champagne. I did enjoy the "Berry Me at Sea" (?$12) at the Social Club. So drink prices are as good as if not better then many land based places and definitely better then most cruise lines. They also have a much nicer wine selection then Princess and very close to Celebrity. I have cruised and traveled a lot since my husband passed away 10 years ago and quite a few of those trips have been solo. On NCL I went to their Solo meet up and immediately walked out. I was the only woman there. Princess has a happy hour for solos and it was okay but there again the ratio was predominately men. I haven't done one on Celebrity or Virgin but I have had no problems meeting people sitting near me at dinner. I have two folks who go with me on some cruises but going solo is so nice. On my cruise in December I would curl up in the hammock and read or nap. I went to the morning meditation. I did what ever I wanted to do and just chilled. It's a nice way to unwind from my full time job. So, cruising solo can really spoil you if you are confident in yourself. Some folks just aren't and need people with them. I hope you enjoy your time on Virgin. Here is the page to find out all the info on VV Sailing Club. The sign up link is at the bottom. Blue won't get you priority boarding but you will get one specialty coffee a day and a bag of laundry. https://www.virginvoyages.com/sailing-club Barb