Host Joe

13 hours ago, Luminelle said:

Thank you for posting this and dealing with the flak you’re getting for voicing your opinion. I’m an over-researcher when it comes to any vacation (but cruises especially) and I’m glad that’s the case because my group would’ve been caught off guard by all of the surprises. I’m not even on the boat yet and I feel like this has been a lot of work.

 

 I’ve joined multiple Facebook groups and obviously I’m on this site; I had not seen that they only do service once a day so I completely understand how you did your research and didn’t know about it. I just hope I’ve got all of the surprises covered now.

 

 I’m excited for the cruise because I know it’ll be fun but we’re trying out all of the cruise lines to find our favorite and we’re thinking VV might not be for us. At least until we can regularly afford rockstar status since it seems like they have a different experience entirely.

Thank you so much, this made my day. You will have a great cruise, we did too, it just is not for us in the end. 

1 hour ago, rebeccac said:

 

Sorry, I missed that.  

 

While I did not dislike VV as much as you and will sail them again, I do prefer other lines like Celebrity and Princess.  However, for me, the biggest problem is the pool situation and the very limited amount of outdoor areas with shade.  

Yes I totally agree. We enjoyed our time, but in the end it’s not for us. 

1 hour ago, rebeccac said:

 

I'm just curious which are the two lounges you found?  It seems to me there are more than that, although I will agree that all are small.  I remember the following:  Sip Champagne lounge, On the Rocks, The Dock bar (outside version and inside), The Loose Cannon and depending on how you define lounge, The Draught House and The Manor.  

As I have stated several times already, Sip and On The Rocks are the only true cocktail lounges we found. The others are either outdoor or are not suitable for an evening cocktail in dressy clothes before and after dinner. 
 

1 hour ago, Roel94 said:

I was in a suite. I went to  one show that you pre booked.  The other never made it it to.was with friends eating, I stood for most of the drag show Abd liked it. The dance party thing is standing so just walked in.  Next time I would make sure I saw all the shows.

 

I personally only drank at Sip, Dock and Off the Rocks besides dinner. Next time I want to try the Mexican Bar and another. Cabin seemed to be cleaned twice a day. 
 

I got ice whenever I wanted. Wad putting in fridge for water or drinks.ice bucket small And does not last.

 

due to,friends we had that steak. I rather have seafood tower.

 

I felt in general food was good ..I. Just wish they would not serve so fast in some places. 

That is a suite difference. If you were in a regular balcony you would have had my experiences. 

2 hours ago, conandrob240 said:

I don’t care about an atrium. I’d rather sit in quieter venues. I prefer a city at sea kind of feel where I’m going to different bars, restaurants , clubs

Me too. Atriums are not our thing. Lounges are. There are two. And in each we had to seek out service every time we went. 

2 hours ago, conandrob240 said:

Seriously? They won’t change the bed? The whole point of the rooms is couch all day, bed at night!

No.. that is in their marketing but not in reality … in order to change that, you would need service twice daily, right? See now you are catching on to why I don’t get their plan for services. 

1 minute ago, cantgetin said:

 I think that's what OP wanted.  Bottom line, VV is not like Celebrity or Royal or Princess or NCL.  If you want what those ships offer, go on those ships.  Virgin has lots of smaller lounge areas with bar service, but there is no huge central atrium like you'll find on other ships.  I was on VV for 14 nights in October.  Many things I experienced were quite different from what is quoted here BUT I can't say what OP experienced.  Maybe the Tomahawk steak did increase from $75 to $125,   Maybe everything he said was accurate.  It just doesn't correspond to my experience in a sea terrace cabin only a few weeks before he cruised.

The experience menu is $125pp and includes the Tomahawk 

1 hour ago, conandrob240 said:

Thank you. Prefer it was automatic too but I have no problem requested the cabin service I want.

But… when I called and asked they refused, saying it was only once a day. 

1 hour ago, conandrob240 said:

There was really no reason to be so rude. No, I’ve never been. We have a cruise coming up. I was genuinely curious/ concerned about many of your comments. Have a nice night.

I apologize if it came off as I rude, I just asked if you have been on this ship. 

33 minutes ago, Dylan0474mac said:

Thank you for taking the time to review. I am a big fan of VV and have been on 3 this year.  I agree with a lot of your points about having to work for your vacation. We do feel rushed to get on the app immediately in the terminal or else everything will be sold out.  There is still plenty of room for improvement. 

 

We are on Valiant Lady Dec 11th but trying out first celebrity cruise on Beyond in February. Excited to compare the 2 brands and experiences.

That is fantastic! I will be very interested to see your thoughts between them. We were on Edge last summer and I feel that class of ship would be the best to compare. 

Please remember this is my review, my opinions and my views. I have been on almost 90 cruises and have been a host here on Cruise Critic for 20 years. I definitely have my research capabilities down, and I also know what I like and that is okay. There are a lot of people who appreciate balanced reviews like I took the time to write… which is all about my experience.
 

My hope and intention was for the community to enjoy a well written and well balanced review.. and I know many do, and that is why I do it. Some feel they have to try and contradict, question and berate the OP for their opinions… and if they are a cheerleader for that line then they feel they have to defend and bully the OP instead of respecting their views and opinions. 
 

Note… the count of how many can fit in the theater is from asking a VV team member, “about 200”. Even if it were double that… and if they did two shows, with a capacity of 2800 it will never ever give everyone onboard the opportunity to see the shows. We looked over and over for openings. A couple of nights there were a couple shows… but sold out. I am not interested in showing up early for a show and stand in a line hoping for no-shows to allow us in. One couple told us they plan for this every night… they grab a drink and stand in line for 45 minutes ahead of the show and “most” times it works. That is not vacation to me. 
 

One mentioned asking your “host” for help with services.. that is only for those in suites and are are Rockstars and have paid major $$. Those of us in regular balcony cabins get to to try and figure out everything on our own. Again, information is limited for everything. 
 

This line felt to us that it is full of “secret” things… apparently that is attractive to some, they love the mystery. I love cruising, enjoying vacation, good food, good service… not a mystery for everything. 
 

I love and respect all those that enjoy VV… there are lines for everyone. From their marketing and from the cheerleaders who did so many reviews I thought it may be for me too. The point of my review is to be honest and say it most definitely is not. 

41 minutes ago, conandrob240 said:

I’ve got questions:

 

“Shows must be reserved. The showroom is tiny (200-ish, and there are 2800 people or so max capacity). Shows are bookable only after you board. We were in group 1, but suites, “rockstars”, board first. We got into one show (that’s all we could find) and it was quite good. That’s all we could get, very disappointed.”

are you saying that in boarding group 1, you went into the app or to a desk to book these and only one show was available for your entire cruise? Or only one that worked for your times? Please elaborate.

 

“Room attendant… we learned the hard way that they service your room once daily. One of my favorite luxuries is coming back after dinner and our bed is all turned down and there are fresh towels and the room is tidy. Not on Virgin. I was quickly scolded by Sailor Services that’s not how they do it. Once daily service.” 

Is this true? I thought you could request service/ bed change on your iPad at any time? What’s others’ experiences?

 

“Dinner in Test Kitchen was a series of 5 tablespoon sized bites. We went for burgers after.” Could you have asked for more? And are burgers the only option after dinner? I thought I saw Ramen, pizza, burgers, diner and the Mediterranean grill? 
 

“For evening cocktails before dinner despite all the areas on the ship that at first seem amazing, there are only two lounges and they are relatively small. There is no centrum like most ships. It is overall very strange.” I see around 8 bars listed. Are you saying they weren’t open? Did they open later? Maybe you ate very early? I’m so confused.
 

Thanks for any insight you can share

Have you been on this ship? 
 

I am saying that there were NO bookings available. Simple math. 200 people in a show… one show… 1700 onboard. Rockstars board first and there are a lot of them. When these ships start sailing full I cannot imagine the show and dining problems that are already out of control. 
 

On the app you can request fresh towels, etc. You missed the point. You should not have to do that.

Test kitchen is a robotic service with set menu and portions. We went to the Galley afterwards and all that was available at that hour was burgers and all day breakfast. Pizza was not even open. 
 

Bars are different from lounges. You know, where there is a/c and you are dressed for dinner… so that eliminates all of the outdoor bars… I am talking about lounges. There are two. Sip and On The Rocks. 
 

2 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

They aim to reduce waste, so not printing 1k+ flyers every day helps with that.  They didn’t start offering them until (what im

assuming were) experienced cruisers requested them repeatedly.  
 

Plus if anything changes last minute, the app/TVs around the ship have the most up to date info.

If in fact the app had the information needed that would be great. Oh, and if it didn’t crash constantly. 

1 hour ago, cantgetin said:

As I noted, signs have been added on Valiant Lady.  Also, OP was concerned about the lack of daily programs.  We found them available in multiple locations--both Grounds Club location, Sailor Services, etc.

 

Shouldn’t they be available in your stateroom or on the app? That would be logical to me. And if they are available only in those two pick up locations wouldn’t it be wise to let passengers know that?

47 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

Thanks for the in depth review.   I'm a little puzzled by some things because what you describe is very different from what we experienced on Valiant in October.

You mentioned you learned about dining reservations from a group, but many of your other discoveries, like rooms being cleaned once a day, could have been known in advance.  It should be noted that there is a team on call to service any later needs like fresh towels, bathroom supplies, or even a late cleaning should you decide to sleep till after 1pm.

 

Totally agree with Test Kitchen, especially the B menu.  We also went to dinner after that one.

I'm surprised that there were no walk in slots available for dinner on a half full ship.  We changed our reservations same day or did walk ins several times on our 14 night cruise. That included the night we did Test Kitchen--we went to a different restaurant at 9pm!  Pizza would have been another option.  

 

We liked The Galley much better than a buffet.  No one else is touching your food.  You can order things as you want them provided they have the ingredients.  For instance, tell them what  you  want in your omelet, salad, etc.  There are 9 or 10 stations, each serving a different type of food. There are many other lunch options--The Dock, Sun Cafe, etc. The Wake and Razzle Dazzle were also open for breakfast and brunch, with seating till about 1 each day.  Reservations for brunch are suggested, but we were able to do walk in with one exception (The Wake was full on one day, but made us a reservation for the next day).

I agree that the steak in Extra Virgin and the "secret" steak in Razzle Dazzle were better than what we had in The Wake.  Tomahawk is up to $125 now?  It was $75 in October.  We found that our favorite restaurants were some that we did not expect to be favorites.

 

Maybe prices went up all over.  Drinks on our cruise were $9-13, which included gratuities.  Some items were less.We did have a cocktail "forgotten" once in one of the restaurants--they were very apologetic.  Seems the waiter handed it off to the bar tender and the communication stopped at that point.

 

I'd read about lack of signs so was surprised that we had many signs...by each elevator and in other  spots.  We were told that they were newly added on Valiant. We found the crew lovely and helpful.  THey earn about 3 times as much on other lines, and most say they like it a lot better than the tipping system.  The app needs help.  I'm sorry to hear that the wifi was bad.  It was ok in the Med, but awful during the crossing...we kept hearing from past sailors how it was so much better in the Caribbean.

 

We found the entertainment to be "spotty."  Some was excellent, some not to our taste.  There were multiple options available each night in different locations.  It isn't the normal model where everyone goes to one big theatre for either an early or late show.  There would be one show in the Red Room with a couple presentations each night, another in The Manor, and often some in other locations.  Then, different shows would be available at 10 or 11pm.

 

Totally agree that VV isn't for everyone, but it is our new favorite cruise line.  We've done over 40 cruises on many of the major standard lines. We've booked 3 more sailings on VV.  I'd rank it far ahead of the others for food quality, crew attitude, and options.  But people like different things...that's why there are different lines.

I wish I would have read about the cabin service only once daily, that was a mystery to us. Somehow that escaped me. 

And yes, there are different lines for everyone and I think this fills a new niche, one that we do not fit into. Celebrity and Royal for us 😊. Glad we tried it, and now we know. 

An honest review of Virgin Cruises from an avid cruiser. 

We did a 5-day on Scarlet Lady out of Miami going to Puerto Plata and Bimini. I have been posting amazing and fun pics and videos highlighting things we have found exciting the last few days thanks to those posting here on Cruise Critic. The ship is very visual and photographs well. We have had a wonderful trip, we always enjoy our travels. That being said, Virgin is trying so hard to be different that they are making vacation hard work in a lot of ways and losing out on some expectations that many have grown to love about cruises. I have always loved cruises because I don’t have to think. We love a lot of what Virgin offers, and will possibly consider it in the future keeping in mind all of the pitfalls, however they are pretty hard stops.  

The ship is super cool, modern and hip. It is a gorgeous design and thoughtfully designed to make you feel special. Similar to walking around a high end department store. It is extremely hard to navigate and signage is minimal and hard to figure out. There are no ship diagrams posted in elevator areas like all of the other lines. People wandered around lost all week. The staircase areas are brightly lit and sterile, constantly making me feel like we wandered into an employee area. 

Everything is on the app. When it works. It crashes constantly. 

Dining must be reserved. There is no buffet or main dining. I am on top of it and reserved dinner each night at a different restaurant. I did this 30 days prior at 3am when it opened after reading about it in a Facebook group. Thank god I did. We witnessed two women all dressed for dinner while we were in line for our dinner reservation unable to find a spot for dinner. The hostess told them all the restaurants were booked. They could get burgers upstairs or pizza after 9. We saw this repeatedly throughout the week, people turned away for not having a reservation. You do not spend thousands on a cruise to be turned away from having dinner.. Not okay. This ship is only half full. Design flaw. There is no buffet or main restaurant. So if you don’t know to plan you are stuck. 

Shows must be reserved. The showroom is tiny (200-ish, and there are 2800 people or so max capacity). Shows are bookable only after you board. We were in group 1, but suites, “rockstars”, board first. We got into one show (that’s all we could find) and it was quite good. That’s all we could get, very disappointed. 

Let’s talk air conditioning. This ship is supposed to be eco-friendly. The rooms get cool after some time (if you open your balcony door, give it two hours to cool back down), however most public areas are stuffy. I mean sticky warm. Hallways, staircases and some of the lounge areas are just not comfortable. In the Caribbean this is not welcome after hanging out in the sun all day. 

Breakfast in your room is booked through the app. Cool, but we learned the hard way it books up and sells out! Our first morning our choice was 5:30am or 10:30am. Now I watch all morning for booking to open for the next day. You should not have to work so hard for vacation. 

Room attendant… we learned the hard way that they service your room once daily. One of my favorite luxuries is coming back after dinner and our bed is all turned down and there are fresh towels and the room is tidy. Not on Virgin. I was quickly scolded by Sailor Services that’s not how they do it. Once daily service. 

Dinner in Test Kitchen was a series of 5 tablespoon sized bites. We went for burgers after. 

The Wake was super fancy, beautiful dining room and food very good but the server was inefficient and rude. She was only focused on a table of four that upgraded to $125 tomahawk steaks. 

Dinner at Extra Virgin (Italian) was off the charts good. Service and all was excellent, and the steak was much better than the Wake. 

Dinners in Pink Agave and Razzle Dazzle were both quite good. 

There is only one small pool up on top. Also, the area is to lay out and enjoy is small and congested… and no shade to move to. 

For evening cocktails before dinner despite all the areas on the ship that at first seem amazing, there are only two lounges and they are relatively small. There is no centrum like most ships. It is overall very strange. 

The staff are hit and miss nice or don’t give a darn. Super weird! Since there is no tipping, there is no motivation for the staff to service you. I cannot count how many times we had to seek out our own drinks while staff mill around and are chatting with each other. That is not okay. 

The food everywhere is mostly good. And during the day it is everywhere, although it gets stale with no changes or variety. There are lots of fun and quirky places to hang out. 

Drinks are good but expensive. $13-$17 each. There are no drink packages. We found that vodka sodas are $7 so that’s better. We loved the shake for champagne where you shake your phone and a few minutes later they show up with a bottle of Moët on ice! For $100. We had a credit for a bottle and enjoyed it thoroughly. 

The wifi is very unreliable. We upgraded to the Premium and I was unable to make consistent wifi calls at any point on the cruise. They were all broken up when I could get through. On all other lines this is never an issue. This is a deal breaker for me as I have to work while traveling. 

Information, including signage and availability of what is going on is limited. There is no cruise director, no cruise director staff and no daily paper. Info on the app is very limited and it feels like a secret club where people bump around and find their way. There is no daily paper either digital or printed either. 

Breakfast… on the last day you cannot order room service, which is fine. So we went to the galley for breakfast (only option). Picture a buffet area where you sit down and wait for a server to get you your food from one of the surrounding buffet areas (you cannot walk up and get your own). We ordered omelettes and they were rubbery and had clearly been sitting on a steam table for a long time. Not a yummy breakfast. This is also your lunch area. It’s not a buffet, it is worse. You have a few options, which don’t change, and while you can see the food sitting out you have to wait for a server to bring it to you. 

Ports… 

in Puerto Plata they have a nice built area with swimming pools, bars and a restaurant that were all very overpriced. We headed back to the ship after walking around the small town and taking some pics and buying local art. The taxi drivers are very aggressive about taking you to the beach. We finally relented and went for an hour with another couple, it was $20 per couple and a ten minute drive. Very few services at the beach, except for very expensive beach food ($20-$40 sandwiches etc). We took a dip in the ocean and went back to the port and onto the ship to enjoy lunch etc there. 

In Bimini they have a private club. Very little to no information… as always with Virgin. They were pushing expensive shore excursions. We took the tram to their beach club and had a lovely day. We swam, ate, and did a Long Beach walk collecting shells. They then took our shells and threw them in the trash upon boarding, saying they “could” have live animals in them. 

In summary, the ship is very “trendy”, and we believe it is aimed at people who have not cruised before. They do not know what you should typically expect, so it’s an easy target. Most of those we met onboard who have cruised on other lines seemed to feel like us, not too impressed overall (other than the ship is beautiful) and full of question marks. Those who had not cruised before were mixed, some were impressed and thought this is just how it is, others decided cruising is not for them them, which makes me sad. 

This cruise was a lot of “work” and low on the enjoyment and relaxation factor. 

We will be sailing on with our favorites… Celebrity and Royal. 

2 hours ago, styles27 said:

So happy to hear this! Glad you had a great cruise on my favorite ship to date!

 

Do you know how many passengers there were on board?

We have heard 1005 passengers. 

3 hours ago, pghflyer said:

That is awesome news and great to hear you are having a good experience. It is easy to focus on all the problems/ worries and nice to pause and remember that overall we are all on this forum because we love cruising and it is a great way to vacation.

 

I know the itinerary was modified (Aruba and Cartagena replaced with Roatan and Cozumel, Montego Bay replaced with Ocho Rios) but did the modified schedule make all the ports? 

Thank you, there is so much negativity around that I am really happy things went great this cruise 😊. 
 

Yes, the initial changes to itinerary were made on day one and we have been on schedule completely. 

9 minutes ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Do you really believe that?

That may be passengers but are they testing? I assume most people know enough to shut up if your not up to par.

 
Why would I not believe it? In the past few cruises there were cases and they were reported. Crew is tested regularly. No passengers have been ill, zero cases. 

I am happy to report some good news!

Happy little post from somewhere in the Caribbean! The captain just announced that we have had ZERO COVID cases this entire cruise. One more stop tomorrow at their private island before arriving back in Miami 🤩  It has been a great cruise!

Oh no! We are on this same itinerary aboard Divina in two weeks!

49 minutes ago, quattrohead said:

We had the free Wi-Fi in our package and I would describe it as extremely good dial up. I was able to use it to video chat with my Mum on her Amazon device over in England.

The type of streaming you can do seems to be extremely variable based on devices, browsers, service and the direction of the wind.

 
Thank you. Did you see an upgrade to a higher level of wifi package, like a streaming package?

Hello! Wondering if anyone with recent experience with the wifi quality aboard Divina could please give their experience. We have the base wifi included, wondering if there is a high speed upgrade option? I am hoping to be able to do a little necessary work aboard and use VOIP, etc. 
 

Thank you!

We are in Fort Lauderdale and ready to board Edge tomorrow (7/31). We were laying on the beach under a palm tree when we got the email notice about 4pm. We kind of panicked at first, searching for a place to test. We could not find a single testing spot in Fort Lauderdale with rapid testing available at the late hour. We found one that offered PCR but the results were in 48 hours. So.. we will have to test at the port tomorrow.

We flew out Wednesday night and could have easily taken the test prior to boarding our plan for here. I wish they would have given us more notice, but we have to roll with the punches. We are fully vaccinated and feeling great, so fingers crossed!

Hi everyone! I am so excited to cruise on Edge in July. I am Elite Plus and I have the base wifi with my cabin purchase. How much will it cost to upgrade to the Stream package using my Elite Plus discount? 

Also, I understand wifi calling is possible with the Stream package, can anyone verify?
 

Thank you!