Wildcatllamas

It could be that it is sold out. Does it show on the app on your phone?

There are some suites that will sleep 3 since they have a sofa bed.

Oh @Gretchendz I just about choked on my orange juice. My late husband was bad at that. A friend had suggested mixing hot pepper sauce with Vaseline and smearing it on the underside of the toilet seat. Guess it only took her husband one time to train him correctly.

I am actually allergic to black pepper. The minute it touches my lips or mouth they begin to burn and if I swallow I will begin to wheeze. Red pepper is actually red chili peppers that have been ground up and isn't related to the black pepper corns. I can eat red chili powder although I may regret it later on.

They all show as handicapped on the deck maps, including that one.

Where did you find a gender neutral restroom? I have seen ones marked "either or" but they are a single room set up with a locking door. I was in true gender neutral bathrooms at the Seattle airport and they consisted of a large room with a whole wall of private rooms, with the toilet in them. Outside of those rooms was the area that had all the sinks and dryers. I sure didn't find it offensive. It was all very well lit and clean.

I am a 70 year young adult that came of age in the late 60s and early 70s, and to explain all my joint pains I blame them on misspent youth and motorcycles. I saw more during that time frame then I have ever seen on Virgin. I actually saw more "rude and obnoxious" behavior on my one and done cruise on Carnival. Every single one of my clients that I figured would feel uncomfortable with Virgin have loved it. I have one more, who will be traveling with me in September, that this will be her first Virgin cruise. She has been a loyal Princess cruiser so I hope that she can find Virgin as another line to enjoy.

When I was in a mini-suite on the Discovery Princess back in October 2022 I actually measured the bathroom there. I had already measured the Sea Terrace bathroom on my cruise in 2021. They were almost identical square footage. The difference is that the Sea Terrace has a nice size shower with a rainforest shower head versus the tiny shower with "grab and stick" shower curtain on Princess. So you sacrifice the area with the sink and toilet for a nice relaxing shower. They do need more storage area though in the bathroom so this is where a nice carryall hanging shower caddy works really well.

Actually, the MNVV is $300 towards the deposit, $300 off the cruise fare and per the new rules $600 Sailor Loot if a cruise is booked and sailed within 60 days of purchase. If not the Sailor Loot drops to $300. So, either way for $300 it isn't a bad deal.

@CruisingWalter I so agree with you on the beds. They are horrible. They remind me of a dorm room or Microtel hotel room. They really do need to keep more of the stations open in the Galley at night. I would do tacos at times. Anything to avoid dinner in Razzle Dazzle. When my late husband and I began sailing we always sailed in suites. And for a time after he passed, I continued to do so. There were no dedicated lounges or restaurants at that time and we got along just fine, But the service back then was impeccable for suite passengers. Many times we would order from a restaurant of choice for in suite dining. Our butler would set it up and then staff would come to set the table and provide the service. I can see that would create a logistical nightmare these days with limited staffing and more suites on the ships, so I guess their own restaurants is the best solution.

I have long thick hair and I could get mine dry with the hair dryer in my cabin the last 3 cruises. I would say hair dryers could differ from cabin to cabin depending on how old they may be. Enjoy your cruise!

I'm not sure where you have been, but they haven't been able to be used with an access code for quite a while. But then again you are one of the Virgin complainers who just likes to moan and groan.

I was just looking at the deck plans for Scarlet and with the majority of the suites on decks 14 and 15 I can't see why they wouldn't take the XL Sea Terraces and Sea Terraces on 14 and convert them over rather then going down one whole deck to 13.

I had no interest in going to Alaska until I was in Fairbanks last February. The daytime temps were -47 degrees F and nights were worse. But I found the trip exhilarating. The scenery, even though it was snow packed and snow covered was like nothing I had ever experienced, even living in the mountains of Colorado for decades. I jumped on the chance to grab a placeholder for a Sea Terrace on Brilliant Lady since it is fully refundable. So if the itineraries are really not to my liking I can cancel.

With so few suites available it's not surprising how quickly they sell out. There are a lot of folks who love sailing in suites and there are only 78 suites. Those can disappear in the blink of an eye.

Could be the 24 hour hold wasn't acted on.

I was on VV webinar yesterday afternoon and at that time all the suites were sold. This was at 3 PM their time. There were still some Central Sea Terraces left, but not many. Now with the 24 hour hold that was available there could have been some agents who grabbed up some when they became available and things may pop up today.

I got the Nautical Northeast booked early this morning for a client who had expressed interest in it. Just waiting to hear back from them for the deposit. If they don't go I may just keep it myself since it sounds like a great itinerary. I got names put in for the Alaska FRONTier for two of my other clients and myself. I am so glad the friend of mine, who became my agent when I stepped back from it, convinced me to get back in the saddle. Yes the MerMaidens were expensive and I expected that due to all the excitement that has swirled around Brilliant Lady. But the rest of the pricing is very competitive.

Most land based restaurants will have the disclaimer somewhere on their menu that eating meat, eggs and seafood undercooked can lead to serious illness so they can avoid the repercussions of folks eating raw food. In one of my college classes I toured a meat packing plant. That was a real eye opener on ground beef and all meat cuts and the issues of cross contamination. I will not buy hamburger in those solid package tubes. I will only buy it from stores that actually grind their own meat and now that there is a rancher that is selling direct to the public I get his hamburger. So on board a ship or even in a restaurant that doesn't grind their own meat I will order medium rare even though I definitely prefer it rare.

Congratulations!!! If there were options for an extra bed in the suites I would bid on one. I'm good friends with the folks that I travel with, but sharing a bed is definitely not an option.

I may have to check into purchasing a MNVV from someone. Mine all expire in December 2025 and my next cruise isn't until September. I would definitely try to jump on one of the 5 nights and going to do Alaska for sure.

@cantgetin before I became gluten intolerant I liked waffles just like you described. Thick, puffy, crispy on the outside with a nice moist interior. Now I have gluten free frozen waffles that will barely get by and then gluten free mix that doesn't come close and sticks to the waffle iron. So I just watch and drool when others are eating them.

@Gretchendz I will have my computer fired up and ready to go. I would love to get a shot at the cruise that would depart Seattle on May 11. Otherwise I would settle for September.

I have that marked on my calendar. Glad I came out of retirement from being a TA.

I had never been interested in doing an Alaskan cruise. But having spent a week last February in Fairbanks I changed my mind. Now I am thinking what better way to spend my birthday in 2026 then to be on Brilliant going to Alaska.