cantgetin

Worth noting that the benefits are per person, not per cabin.   Yeah the Blue Extras aren't much, but then you aren't paying for them.  People have usually paid for their status benefits.  It took a lot of cruises and a lot of money to qualify for that top tier on whatever line.

Bottom line is that the rules keep changing.  You are right that the "old" MNVVs gave $300 off cruise fare + $600 Loot.  My mistake, my bar tab was a booking bonus that VV was giving + $100 from Deep Blue Extras + $100 from my travel agent.  The old MNVVs used to be able to be changed twice, I think, but then the rule changed to once.  It is totally possible that the $100 TA bonus can no longer be combined with MNVV--I believe I read that somewhere.  On my last sailing I ended up with more loot and bar tab than I could figure out.  I knew I got $100 loot from TA but ended up confirming with her that I also got an extra $100 bar tab. I'm OK as long as my on line account shows everything that I know I'm supposed to have; if some extra shows up, that's nice.  We didn't even nearly spend the bar tab the last time!

Bottom line, VV changes their rules and specials frequently.   There were a lot of changes in early 2024,  The most recent I've seen is that their Fl res discount increased to 15% (from 5%) and can be layered on top of "most" other discounts.  That was as of 2 days ago,  And we have the new bar tab bonuses available that began July 17 (I think). 

3 hours ago, cusematt4 said:

Thanks.

 

In terms of any perks/benefits and pricing - is it one set of benefits/pricing across booking direct and travel agents?  Or do some agents have discounted pricing and/or obc and bar tab benefits that others may not have at a given time?

I would highly recommend a gold tier agent, or even one in the top 10 on VV's list....unfortunately we are not allowed to recommend here.

OK, there are agents who have some MNVVs that were purchased under the best perks deal.  THese are transferable so your agent can sell you one at cost.  This will get you $300 off the cruise fare as well as a complimentary bar tab...but when they are gone, they are gone and the new ones aren't as good.  In addition, when agents do a marketing Zoon thru VV, they have a deal for a couple weeks where new bookings get an additional $100 in loot (onboard credit) or alcohol.  On my last cruise, my agent had more than 10 cabins booked, so we each got an additional $100 bar tab--this deal may no longer exist.  I'm not an agent, so I can't/don't keep track of everything.

What I do know is that my agent will get me the best deal possible and that she computer tracks all her bookings.  When new specials come out, she runs them to see which, if any, will benefit from the new deal and contacts those people who could benefit.  It is then up to them whether they want to cancel and rebook or just keep what they have.  There is a small chance that you can lose your cabin number during the rebook process as for a few minutes it will return to inventory. 

We have had comedians, magicians, etc. on longer cruises, as well as the shows above.  Shows on Resilient are a little different tha on Valiant or Scarlet, and there have been a few changes on all ships since the very beginning.

I'm surprised that you are finding the other lines costing less when you add in the things that are included on VV.  Still, that is a matter of which sailings you choose and VV prices have increased.   

My daughter is booked for 7 nights on another line with a package that includes tips, limited wifi, limited specialty dining, and unlimited drinks.  They are paying almost double for 7 nights what we paid for 14 nights on VV with unlimited wifi, all dining, all fitness classes, and we booked during a time when we got more bar tab than we spent.  And we had a balcony on VV while they are in an inside on the other line.

People matching as of 2024 get Blue Extras.  Those who matched or earned the Deep Blue Extras prior to 2024 will continue to receive those benefits.

In most cases, you would have to cancel and rebook.  There have been a few exceptions thru the years.  There have been a few exceptions thru the years. but very few.  BUT, you can cancel and rebook but will lose any perks or benefits associated with the original booking.  THe new package may be better or not so good.

That's not the way it works. For a couple years, anyone who had status on one of the lines they were matching got Deep Blue Extras.  Now if you apply for match, you get Blue Extras.

They have never matched the perks of other lines--that would be really difficult with so many other lines and so many levels on each line.  You either matched into the VV loyalty program or you did not....and you got the perks of the match being offered at that tiem.

People who either earned or were awarded Deep Blue Extras will continue to get those benefits.  Those who matched as of 2024 will get the lesser "blue extra" benefits.

2 minutes ago, Liao said:

I will take a look on YT for Walters videos.  Thanks 

He has several on Virgin.  Here is a link to one.  There is another totally on food and some more recent updates.

3 minutes ago, Liao said:

Great information, thanks!  This board has been so helpful.  The YT vids, while entertaining, are so often filled with drama and the instagram crowd, it’s challenging to sort through the weeds.

You Tubes by people like Where's Walter Travels are always well done and accurate as of the time posted.  There are small changes on VV and small differences between ships, but nothing major in my experience.  Yes, far too many videos are "Look at MEEEEE" or "Here is my 10th drink of the day" or "Why no unlimited drink package?"  You can get a lot of good, but there is a lot of fluff out there too....or people with a strong point of view.  Enjoy your cruise.

32 minutes ago, Liao said:

I have watched a ton of YT videos about VV, probably too many.  Many have said they were never able to get reservation at The Wake or Extra Virgin, that would be a bummer for me, but my sense is that on a 15 day cruise my chances are more likely, I sure hope so.  

On a TA, you should have NO trouble getting reservations--we didn't,  We made a lot of changes after boarding.  New thing on the last one was a person outside Pink Agave each morning who was making new reservations or changing existing ones.  You can also do this on the app, but it is sometimes easier to talk to her about what IS available.  They also did walk ups and wait lists at every restaurant including the two you named.  The ONLY reservation that was slightly hard to get was 11 or later at The Wake for brunch and that was only if you were trying to do a walk in.  We even got wait list dinner at The Wake at least once (if they get a no show or cancel, they notify you).  NEVER had a problem getting a dinner reservation that we wanted on this last trip, and almost always within 15 minutes of what we wanted...and this was our most full sailing on VV.

You are allowed to book 3 dinners in advance at each restaurant, but can add more after boarding.  There will also be at least 1 dinner show on your cruise (multiple nights) and people won't know those nights till after boarding....thus more restaurant spots opening.

I understand that on a 5 night cruise,  people may not get what they want, but on 14-15 nights, basically no problem.  We just like to go with something booked in advance each night, but even that is not really needed.

October 2022--departed from WTC.  October 2023, departed from Terminal B (I think....one of the terminals in the bigger area).  May 2024 arrived at WTC.  May 2023, I'm not even sure which one we arrived at....I think the bigger one, but won't swear to it.  I was really surprised that they were using WTC again in 2024 as we'd been told it was permanently off limits to cruise ships.

Advantage WTC--closer to town, doesn't have surcharge for taxis, etc.

You get to take A part home, not necessarily your part.  They've had it on all the TA cruises.  It is listed on the schedule in the app and on the daily printed schedule, and happened multiple times on our cruises until it was finished.  At the end, they display it for a while, then cut it up into pieces which are offered to each person who participated.

I love the bar tab concept as we all have different needs in terms of how much alcohol we will drink....and no matter how you cut it, it works out to less than a "drinks package" on other lines.

My experience with VV shuttles is that they quoted at least double the price of the other available options when there were at least 2 of us involved.  

They also call regular water "still" water.

I have chosen to not send those items which require special handling.  If you need "wash and hang," you can wash in the bathroom sink and hang on the line in the shower.  Or take the special handling items home and deal with them when you have your own equipment.  The do a lovely job with the wash and fold.....but no, I'm not aware of a way to request special handling for an item that is part of the bag system.  You can send specific items, including delicates, and be charged by the item.  Talk to your stateroom host if you want to send "per item" things for special handling.

I really hate to bother my TA about stuff I should be able to do....so at her request, I send the list to her in advance.  I try to do it on my own, and when the app crashes, and in my experience it always does, I shoot her a PM and she takes it from there.  Her portal works a lot better than the app!

48 minutes ago, jon81uk said:

I’ve had a letter in the cabin stating the benefits of Sailing Club and the hours for the dedicated support. Then the desk had a small Sailing Club sign on it when it was open.

Interesting, I never saw the sailing club sign, but any time I saw that desk open and needed help I just went over there.  Yes, I always had DBE.  It sounds like I went down often--not at all.  On the first couple cruises we did have some electronics issues that were easier to resolve by going down, and on my last cruise, I sent my bracelet to the laundry in a pants pocket and needed to get a replacement.  Most issues can be resolved over phone, tablet, or app, and the need to talk to them at all has decreased as the overall experience/app has improved.

1 hour ago, doconner said:

When looking at the VV website, I am able to link out to this menu for Extra Virgin:  

 

While some of the options sound nice to me, my partner was hoping for some more traditional/simple pasta dishes.   I've seen on other reviews of the restaurant that the menus have included carbonara and a pasta ragu, which I have found on this menu along the left side:



My question is, the first menu is directly linked from the Virgin website, so is it likely to be more accurate than the other menu which was posted on some blog website, or is it just that the Virgin website is not a complete listing, and carbonara and ragu will both be options?

Any recent cruisers have any thoughts?

This is the menu we have seen for the last 2 years.  The app menu is a small sample.  You can also mix any type of pasta and any of the sauces...or a favorite trick is to order the meatball appetizer on top of one of the pastas.

Check in is very quick and easy.  And to answer Essie's question, yes VV requires that everyone have a passport.

THe help line for people who have not completed the on line process really speeds things up for those who were able to do it as they don't have to wait behind  people who need help.

I've used it.  It is a separate desk and you can skip the line for the regular desk.  There are several positions at Sailor Services; the number of people working the desks depends on the number of sailors in line (they bring people out from the back when the line gets long).  I haven't seen it with "hours," but more like staff appears when needed.
Gotta admit that it felt good to get out of line and go over to the designated desk.

In fairness, you can also contact sailor services thru the app, tablet, or phone so I would only go down if I needed something in person--like app not working, they know all the fixes and it is easier to let them do it than to tell me.

Also note, sailor services has nothing to do with dinner reservations.  You must go to the place designated for that or to an open restaurant.  Don't waste your time standing in Sailor Services line.

2 minutes ago, doconner said:

I've seen mention of the app crashing while trying to book restaurants, and @cantgetin mentions usually only being able to book 2 or 3 before it crashes.

 

I'm wondering if both guests in the cabin try to book restaurants when they open, could they do that and hope to get 4-6 booked before it crashes, or is there something preventing you from doing that?  I'm thinking of having a proposed list of restaurants for each night with me starting from day 1 and progressing through, and my guest starting to book for the last night and move earlier a day at a time.

You can try anything...we've tried one of us working embarkation to the end and other working end backwards.  Most we've ever gotten before PM to TA has been 4 nights.  I hate to bother her, but she say that is what se is paid for.

We have gone out of BCN on VV twice....different terminals each time.  Glad to hear they are back at WTC.  The only difference from the above reports is that we found 2 luggage drop off areas.  One was operated by terminal porters, the other by people in VV shirts.  Same process either way,  

The process is the same as at Miami, the order is different.  Works well either way.  The nice thing about WTC is that if you arrive early, there is a little plaza with some seating and a coffee shop on the other side of the plaza.

The two grog walks have always been the same with different starting locations. The two are just to allow 2 groups.  And they always end at the PJ party.  In general, prices have changed on each of my cruises....for lots of things.  Hate to quote because of that, but about $50 (and if it is $40 you can be pleasantly surprised).

YOU or your TA can link your reservations on the app.  Then, when you make reservations, you will just click on the people you are reserving for.  This will work for dining and all activities.  It is not automatic; you must indicate the people you are including in each reservation.  
Your TA may not be celebrating, so may be available to help you.  Alternatively, you can call shoreside sailor services on the first business day after the app crashes.  Sorry--I've had the app crash on each cruise.  I generally get in 2-3 nights of reservations and then the crash.  It may come back up hours later or may not....

The linking can be done as soon as everyone has reservations.  If they have done their on line registration with the selfie, their photo will show in the link.