cantgetin

No idea. My best guess is that they will go to the "third cruise" for "Blue Extras" and 5th cruise for "Deep Blue Extras." THey have already changed the goodies from "per cabin" to "per person" which means more goodies for most of us....2 specialty tea/coffee for each qualified person per day rather than $10, a bag of laundry for each person, etc. Most of the rest is the same. If you have 4 completed cruises, you should get the DBEs on the 5th cruise as of 2026...unless they change it again. But with VV, it is anyone's guess.

If you qualified for DBE by 12/31/2023, you will keep the status until the end of 2025. If you ddin't get status before then, you will get Blue Extras on your 3rd cruise and DBE on your 5th cruise.

4th TA on VV, probably 12th total (can you tell we like them?). You will not lose an hour each day--there is a 6 hour time difference between Miami and Barcelona which will be spread across 14 days. As we cross, it really doesn't matter when the changes occur (no worry about "local" time) so the ship will change time about every other day. THey won't ever put 2 days of time change in a row. Admittedly, I like the other direction, with long days better.

Celebrity had nicer rooms other than the hammock....which makes VV a winner in my book. Celebrity had the best buffet I've seen on a cruise ship, but I prefer The Galley to a buffet--would like to see more day to day change up there though. Soda package on Celebrity was a pain. Everything was in cans and they would not give you a whole can at dinner. THey poured it into a tiny glass which held about half the can and I'm convinced they were rationing by making you wait 45 minutes for a refill. We asked several times to have the can left--nope, no can do. Entertainment....there were parts of each that I liked. We tend to cruise while schools are in session, so few or no kids on Celebrity, even though they were allowed. But...great service on VV, great food, almost all inclusive structure, great DBE perks made them come out on top in my book. No announcements, no sales, etc. I'd go on Celebrity again for the right itinerary and price....ditto VV where I have another booked.

Totally easy. First are the solo meet ups starting on the first day. Then there are activities where you will meet others. Dinner tables are close enough to engage with the people next to you if you wish, or stay private at your table if you prefer. You'll meet people if you hang out in any of the public areas.

You can try thru your TA or by calling VV. Or you can deal with getting what you want after boarding. Yeah, the app does odd things sometimes. Do you have anyone other than your cabin linked on your reservation? This could even be someone who is a FB friend? There are supposedly 2 settings for the way people link. What we have experienced on all our previous cruises is that linked people can mess with your reservations--the idea is that you are setting thing up to eat or go to shows together or whatever. There is supposedly a new setting where you can see them but they can't fool with your stuff; but I haven't worked with that yet.

I've had good experiences making dinner reservations and terrible experiences. For my upcoming trip, I caught the whole system failure. The app crashed after I'd gotten 2 or 3 nights reserved, and at the same time the TA portal and the set up for the guys you call at Sailor Services failed. It was a day or two before anything was working again. No big deal--we can adjust dining on board, and I've never starved on a ship....no matter what line....

Well said. No, VV isn't perfect, and some things are personal taste. I think they are most comparable to Celebrity (of the lines we've cruised), but Celebrity today is not as good as Celebrity 10 years ago IMHO. VV gets a lot of things right and does a lot of things the way I like them. But they get some things wrong too--again, my opinion. Example--Crown Grill on Princess is better than The Wake. But I'm also not paying an extra $50 for that meal. And we did once have a bad meal at Crown Grill. I like the VV "almost all included" plan more than the "pay extra for everything" plan or the "here's a collection of things you can buy extra as a group" because VV includes the things I'd be buying anyhow and not a drink package that I wouldn't get value out of....but again, that's me. Someone else may think "free at sea" is the best thing going. to each his own......

Not a clue what was happening on the phone call, but there is a decent chance that you'll get an upgrade by bidding. There is also often an upgrade station in the terminal where you can inquire as to the cost and purchase an upgrade at that time.

Sometimes it is impossible to book anything at 45 days, but that is an app problem, not an availability problem, If the app is not working, your TA can go to their portal and make reservations for you. And if all else fails, you can call VV the next morning and book on the phone. Finally, somewhere around half the reservations are held back for booking after boarding. You may not get each restaurant on the night you want or exactly the time you want, but you will not be "shut out" from the various restaurants.

VV tech is probably their second biggest problem, but since the first involves relatively few cruisers, we won't go there. TV goes out mid-movie and no one can get it working again, App goes down and servers put on their polite "grin and bear it " faces. My favorite was our ghost. At random intervals, with no one near a tablet or other device, our curtains would open or close. On our second cruise, we had a high level supervisor in our room to deal with an issue that others hadn't been able to figure out. He was leaving as the ghost struck. He asked if I did "that," and I explained that it was "our ghost." We explained and he asked if he could send the repair person the next day...with many comments about how "It is NOT supposed to be that way."

Yeah, my best advice is to take VV for what it is and not to compare it to other lines. Don't play "VV does this better than Disney" or Celebrity does that better than VV." Each line is different, and if you are totally loyal to another line, you may not like something new. But if you are open to seeing what this line is all about, there is a lot of good. There is also room for improvement. My sis is getting off in the morning, and emailed me tonight. Her verdict was that, while there were some things she didn't like, she was glad she'd done it and had done a rebooking while on board for another cruise. (she's 64, husband is 63)

And most of the time, the difference between the great service price and the absolute lowest price is minimal or nothing. 20 years ago, I saw an ad in an AAA magazine for what looked like a great cruise price. I called my full service TA and asked if they had anything similar. She replied that they had exactly the same deal except that it could be booked then rather than waiting for the dates in the ad. That was my lesson in not jumping at what appears to be a "special" deal; it is very rarely exclusive.

Exactly, the above is the kind of service I'm used to from my TA....and especially the part about knowing and cruising multiple lines and giving personal advice.

If you aren't getting service from your TA or just don't mesh well with that person, find another. The TA I use has been in the top 10 agents on VV for 2022 and 2023....and didn't get there by ignoring customers. Sometimes I get enough reminders that it could be a pain....but how hard is it to delete an email? She also computer tracks all her bookings, and if there is a price drop will contact her clients with the details (change in perks? whatever else.) and see whether you want the new deal. On one cruise, I saved $400 and picked up some bar tab. I also get basic reminders like booking dinners, etc. Some are silly, but rather too many than too few. And then there are those nice notices like "I've achieved 10 cabin booking on your (date) cruise, which means we now constitute a circle. Each cabin will be seeing a bottle of bubbly to recognize this. Thank you for trusting me with your booking." Hey, every little bit helps. And no, we aren't allowed to name agents here.

Technically they can charge the corkage fee if you bring an unopened bottle. Whether they do or not depends on who, where, how lucky you are, etc. You can open it in your cabin and each bring a glass to any location on the ship with no charge.

There was a news piece last night that said Juneau is trying to limit cruise ships beginning in 2026 and particularly wants to reduce Saturday cruise traffic.

Got an email last night from my sis who is on the ship now. Full cruise, likely as her original was one of the canceled ones, and this is same cruise 2 weeks later. She said biggest problem is that the app "keeps going down," initially "would not work at all." and SS attributes this to full cruise. Here is her comment on the bracelet.... Oh, another little glitch. When I left the boat yesterday, my wearable crashed 4 of their tablets. I held up the line leaving for at least 5 minutes. When I got back on we went to sailor services to get a new wearable and crashed that tablet. They called IT. They came and couldn’t get things solved. So I have a new wearable that does everything fine until I try to leave or get on the ship. It no longer crashes the tablet, just gives an error message that they can clear. When I leave, the guys that don’t know the situation freak out and call somebody and the guys that know me just wave me through. It’s kind of funny. Figures that this would happen to a passenger with a master's in computer programming....

You were smart to check upgrade costs vs. booking originally. However, many cruise prices have increased dramatically...those of us with early bookings got good prices, while those who booked later not so much.

Time slots are generally 6p - 9:45p for seating.

As above, before the changes, the $100 bar tab was showing up under both of us, but the DBE box only showed up on one. This was for 2024 sailings. We got very conflicting info on previous cruises....we were told we had premium wifi for a max of 3 devices, another sailor services person said 2 devices per person, and a third said unlimited devices (not that we'd need or use more than 2 each). This was when we both qualified for DBE but it only showed up on one, and it was made clear that the coffee was $10 per day per. cabin. My TA is one of the top 10 for both 2022 and 2023. I've been advised that the benefits will now be per person...meaning up to 2 beverages per day each at Grounds Club and one bag of laundry each. No word as to whether that means we have to use the appropriate bracelet to avoid charges. Guess I'll find out soon. Yes, we are both on one credit card bill for the cruise and I know how that works.

While it is true that upgrade cabins, including XLs can be in the less desirable locations, there are also situations where someone upgraded from an XL to a suite, meaning that their XL is not available to someone else. You can get a wonderful cabin with an upgrade bid....or one that you wouldn't choose on your own. Again, if you want to choose your cabin, don't use the upgrade process at any category.

I'm 69 and VV is current top choice cruise line in most areas. There are plenty of places to hang out--outside the Pizza Place are chairs and couches that are comfortable, same on the other side of the ship. All along deck 7 by Grounds Club, Social Club, etc. are good inside and outside hang outs. The Dock is interesting, but there are very few seats that are easy for this old lady to get out of--you are essentially sitting on the floor on most of them. THere are some bar stool type seats, but they tend to fill up quickly. There is a great outdoor area at the back of The Galley--covered so you have shade. It can get windy out there. Deck 16 is also good for walks and sitting outdoors. If you can't find a good place to just "be," ask any crew member for suggestions. I could tell you some funny language stories from living abroad. There are a lot of different British accents in London...I learned that with some, I can understand in person but not on the phone.

It is a lot better on board.....

It is 2 per cabin, regardless of the number of people in a cabin. In reality, I know plenty of people who have gotten away with 2 per person, but....that's not what the rules say. I also know of one who brought 6 bottles of hot sauce and got sent to the naughty room (they were gifts)....she got them back.