cantgetin

They need to be more clear about a lot of things. We were initially placed in an "ambulatory accessible" cabin when I asked for "accessible." Fortunately, we were able to see our cabin number on line, and the site indicated that it was NOT accessible. A call to VV resulted in them not being able to answer specific questions about the features, but I did let them know how upset I'd be if we flew in to take the cruise only to find that the cabin didn't meet our needs! They switched us to fully accessible. I realize that the issue is different, but the cabins should be labeled so that you KNOW specifically what you are getting if it is anything other than the standard. A balcony cabin on VV is advertised with a hammock. If, for any reason, the room doesn't have a hammock, that should be indicated in advance.

We spent quite a while looking for a cruise that interested us from either LA or San Diego (preferably LA). We never found the right combination of dates, ports, line, etc....so ended up with a flight to try VV. At this point, they are still growing the brand. Only Richard's birthday bash has come anywhere near to approaching capacity. But it certainly makes sense to not sail 2 ships, each half empty in the Caribbean for the winter. The only way that might make sense is Scarlet Lady is doing shorter cruises while Valiant is doing longer ones.

Yes, you walk across the street from the parking structure and you are at the terminal.

Thanks for sending the concern to VV. As the ships are sailing significantly more full than 6 months ago, perhaps they do ned to increase the hours for food options, and certainly place more goodies in the "to go" boxes. I'll let you know what it is like next week.

Yes, 12154Z is fully accessible. In fact, that is out cabin on our next cruise. There is a You Tube video showing that specific cabin, but it doesn't show the balcony because the person who posted couldn't open the door to the balcony (they are heavy).

yes

The "are they strict" is a tough question. The earliest port arrival time is 1:30, and they ask you to not show up more than 30 minutes before your time. That makes a lot of sense for those with early times, but recently check in and boarding has been going really fast. If you show up early, you will be put in a waiting area with others who have your same time. Those with earlier times, even if they arrive after you, will be taken first. But my guess is that if you get there at 3, you will be boarding long before 4:30. If you arrive at 1, you'll have a significant wait! They were running bus transportation to a local mall for people who showed up at the Miami terminal hours early....people were showing up at 10 when they hadn't even finished disembarkation! The bottom line is that you'll be taken with your time group, not in the order people arrive at the terminal. But they do reach a point where the times don't matter any more.

I get it, but we have a 1:30 terminal arrival time, and VV asks that you not show up more than 30 minutes before your time. IF you show up early in Miami, there is a nice waiting area--MUCH nicer than most other lines. We usually ask for late check out, so we get 12 instead of 11. That's not much time till we are on the ship. The flip side is that you don't have to be off the ship till 10:30 on the last day. That means you can have a decent breakfast and relax a bit if you don't have an early flight.

Pick your cruises and your sales carefully. I've booked 3 VV cruises for under $100 pp per night in a balcony (Sea Terrace) cabin. Most are double that or more!

For light to medium drinkers like us, the bar tab works great. Instead of spending $100 or more per person per day on an alcohol package (which we would never do!), we pay $300 on the cruise, get the $100 bonus, and have $400 to spend on alcohol, smoothies, premium tea, cold pressed juices, etc. This is plenty for the two of us. Or, if we decide that we wouldn't drink that much on a short cruise, we still benefit from the "tips included" when we use or "sailor's loot" or our credit card on file.

And complimentary beverage package on each one......

See my response on the "would I like VV" thread. I actually LIKE the bar tab deal better. It costs less and lets you share.

I actually prefer the "bar tab." The deal is that for every $300 you pay for the bar tab, you get a bonus os $50-125 depending on the current offer. Right now, the bonus is $100, so you are basically getting 25% off any drinks you buy. The advantages are that that you can share your bar tab with anyone, It is not per person and length of cruise is irrelevant. The price you see on the menu is the amount deducted for the drink--the grats are already included. So that $10 glass of wine takes $10 off your tab, not $11.80 or $12 as on other lines! If you end up with extra on your tab on the last night, treat your new best friends or buy a bottle of wine to take home. What I really like is that I see people drinking more responsibly. I've never seen an ugly drunk on VV, perhaps because no one is trying to max out their drink package. The bar tab concept can work for almost anyone and gives you a discount, unlike a "drink package" where you and your cabin mate must drink quite a bit to make it worthwhile. If you are a light, or even a moderate drinker, many drink packages are not a good value. NCL just raised their price to $129 pp per day, while most lines charge $80-100 and then add gratuity. The only kicker is that you need to estimate up front how many "bar tabs" you wish to purchase.

Absolutely no reason not to use one. If you don't, the cruise line keeps what would have been their commission. I'd rather support a small family owned business, and I WILL take advantage of their services rather than going thru the cruise line. Another huge point, if you ever need help with a dispute with the cruise line, submitting an insurance claim, or whatever, the agent is on your side! With VV, the big thing is not waiting on hold forever. Another point, my TA is on the same cruise I'm on next. If they haven't straightened out my Sailor's Loot, we both have documentation. Agent says no worries, it WILL be right.

I'm not Tacocat, but I can supply some info. It doesn't make any difference who booked first. If one of you used a TA, it is easier to go thru them--let them hole and let them have the info from both parties. The code only works if you use it at the time of booking. Otherwise the party who calls needs the name and booking number of the other person as well as their own. You just tell the rep on the phone that you need to add a referral to your reservation and supply both booking numbers and names...and if the VV rep does it right, you will each get $50. It is supposed to show up on your account on the website and on the app. Good luck with that part. I can see all of mine on the website but the app is missing some.

When you check in for the first leg, ask if you can be changed to stay in the same room for the second leg. If they say they can't do anything, ask again at Sailor Services. The worst they can do is to say , "no."

Let your "First Mate" do all of it. No point in you spending your life on hold or waiting for a call back.

On the VV web site, go to "see my account" in the upper right corner (it is part of the drop down to see cruises you have previously searched. This is the little "person" icon. This should show your nearest upcoming reservation, but you can go to "upcoming voyages" across the top to see any others. On the voyage you want to look at, go to "add ons" and look at the arrow at the right hand side of this colored panel. Click on details, and it will open a new area showing the names across the top and any add ons you have--sailor's loot, deep blue rewards, etc. You can toggle between people in your cabin to see if something got assigned to the other person or whatever. The process is similar on the app, but my info on the app is WRONG! It is missing $150 of Sailor's Loot and says nothing about Deep Blue.....perhaps because on line they show 2 sets of deep blue for my daughter and none for me.....I applied for each of us, then when I didn't get it, sent a second application for myself. I do have the email.

Well, the 50% off second passenger/no single supplement sale ended yesterday. I was seriously considering booking a December cruise, but the price doubled from yesterday to today.....so no way!

I applied both under my name and my daughter's (my travel companion). I never heard anything, so I reapplied....then I looked and saw that daughter had been awarded the "deep blue extras" twice. I never saw that e-mail as it obviously went to her. About 3 days later, I got the email, but it still doesn't show up under my account.

Yes, they have some "tricks" in their system. I had to go thru it with a TA friend. OK, so if I have $300 off for rebooking on board, they take that off first. THen THEY figure out a percentage discount for whatever deal I have. For example, if they figure that I have 50% off on the "no single supplement deal, they don't take the 50% off and then subtract the $300. They take the $300 off, then remove 50% of what is left. So if my cruise started at $1000 (JUST for explanation purposes) they will take the $300 off, then subtract 50% of the $700 that is left, charging me $350. The way I thought it would work would have been to take the 50% off, leaving $500, then subtract the $300...meaning I would pay $200. Bottom line, any flat amount comes off first, then the percentages come off what is left. And none of it comes off the taxes and government fees, obviously. Those are added in after all the discounts on the "cruise fare" portion. This has amounted to about $200-$250 more on each of my bookings than I thought it would. If you use a TA (first mate), they detail it all out on the documentation that they receive.

I don't think it is the "deal of the century." In fact, I booked our cruise about 8 months ago for about $100 less than the current deal + $200 in Sailor's Loot. They always have sales...just wait for one you love. OK, unless you do it today, it is too late for this deal.

Have a wonderful time. Do let us know about the wifi as I'll be boarding the following week. You're sort of our perfect demographic. I'm 68 traveling with my 31 year old daughter.

Thanks for the photo!

I should have said that all forms of "to go" boxes, you select for yourself and take them. THey are all labeled as to contents. The selection of "to go" boxes does change throughout the day. For instance, in the morning, the bento boxes are fruit. Later in the day, they are sushi. Similar changes in the large refrigerated area with other sorts of boxes.