LIVE Virtuosa 05/06/21 the first 7 night sailing.

[showingdiva]

35 minutes ago, tring said:

 

Thanks.  Did you just ask about cruises which will be after the  23rd June, (when they appear to have already cancelled Greenock) or ones before that date.  Will not affect us as Greenock not on our itinerary, but will be interesting to see how cruise lines respond in general.

 

We have still not had our passenger info form for Tradewinds, but were promised it last week.  Think I may send them a message on FB to ask if they are thinking of making any changes, but no point hassling then for a few days yet as they would not know.  I would at least expect a plan B to have been in place previously anyway, though a lack of the scenic cruising that Scotland would provides is a very sad loss for them. 

 

I asked about Greenock / Scotland in general.   Like the public, they say they first heard about this yesterday afternoon, and into the evening.   While I don't doubt MSC must have had a bit of an idea about this, because there have been multiple industry meetings with the Scottish Government, it does seem to have broadsided them .. at least that's the overall impression I got.

 

I'm expected Golden Horizon into Edinburgh at the beginning of July for embarkation of the Edinburgh - Greenock sector of the round UK.   Should I hear anything before then, or is publicly announced, I will let you know.   She looks a lovely ship ... we get a few masted vessels into our port, the most frequent visitor being Sea Cloud II.

[tring]

18 minutes ago, showingdiva said:

 

I asked about Greenock / Scotland in general.   Like the public, they say they first heard about this yesterday afternoon, and into the evening.   While I don't doubt MSC must have had a bit of an idea about this, because there have been multiple industry meetings with the Scottish Government, it does seem to have broadsided them .. at least that's the overall impression I got.

 

I'm expected Golden Horizon into Edinburgh at the beginning of July for embarkation of the Edinburgh - Greenock sector of the round UK.   Should I hear anything before then, or is publicly announced, I will let you know.   She looks a lovely ship ... we get a few masted vessels into our port, the most frequent visitor being Sea Cloud II.

 

Whilst Fred had told me on Monday they have had no clarification, I did get the impression the SG have been totally unclear with their intentions, and possibly had no idea themselves what they were going to do.  SG could have made yesterday's criteria decision long ago, or at least said no cruises until a certain date/stage of relaxation.  Sounds like  complete lack of clarity on both sides though as I doubt MSC had anything definite if Fred does not for later dates.  Cancellation until 23rd, is still pretty near for MSC so they could cut their losses and not go there at all this summer.  Only time will tell.

 

We would be very grateful regards any info re Golden Horizon.  Thank you very much.

Edited June 9, 2021 by tring

[kernow]

We went for lunch in the Blue Danube (MDR). We thought the food was nice, I had Chicken Parmesan and Mark had the vegetable curry. While it's not as fancy as the YC restaurant the service was excellent too and we enjoyed it.

 

We then went up to use our Fun Pass again. This time we did 30 minutes bowling, it was enough time to play one and a half games.

[kernow]

2 hours ago, tring said:

 

Thanks a lot for that information.  Does that mean if you are only on for 5 nights you would have to pay the same, or is that the cheapest package coverage for the length of your cruise (7 nights), with access for perhaps more devices costing more.

 

We are only on the ship for 5 nights.

 

Also, is there  much difference in price if pre buy?

 

No that is the price for 7 nights (it was around £50 to pre purchase), yours will be less.

 

A 2 device package onboard for this cruise was £111.86.

[Miffy2003]

A question for Kernow (or any others who have already sailed on Virtuosa) if that’s OK?

 

Our favourite cruise so far was on NCL’s Getaway for a number of reasons including the excellent outside space / walking deck (7 I think) which has lots of outside bars / restaurant seating and the ability to walk almost all the way around the entire deck. We loved the ability to be outside relaxing (and walking). Is there anything similar? Not a jogging or walking track in itself as I imagine one of those exists but more an outside entertainment / walking space?

 

thanks so much 🙂

 

 

[Malibustacey79]

4 hours ago, kernow said:

Yes I meant the one at the top.

 

Here is 13235, it does look a bit dark.

We have been allocated this one (assuming we get on!), any thoughts anyone?:

 

 

[kernow]

1 minute ago, Miffy2003 said:

A question for Kernow (or any others who have already sailed on Virtuosa) if that’s OK?

 

Our favourite cruise so far was on NCL’s Getaway for a number of reasons including the excellent outside space / walking deck (7 I think) which has lots of outside bars / restaurant seating and the ability to walk almost all the way around the entire deck. We loved the ability to be outside relaxing (and walking). Is there anything similar? Not a jogging or walking track in itself as I imagine one of those exists but more an outside entertainment / walking space?

 

thanks so much 🙂

 

 

No nothing like that. A very short 'promenade' on deck 7 which was where I took the pics that I posted this morning. The lifeboats obscure most of the views. Then the outside upper decks which are similar to most ships.The back half of the ship has a nice track which is .2 of a mile. 

 

I do love the main pool area though, I think it is one of the most stylish cruise ship pools I've seen. The small aft pool area is also nice with stepped seating up to the Horizon bar. You cannot get round to the front of the ship at all unless you have YC access.

[kernow]

10 minutes ago, Malibustacey79 said:

We have been allocated this one (assuming we get on!), any thoughts anyone?:

 

 

Are you talking about the one that juts out. If so I think it would be fine as it's not under the overhang and will have a nice view down the side of the ship.

[Malibustacey79]

Just now, kernow said:

Are you talking about the one that juts out. If so I think it would be fine as it's not under the overhang and will have a nice view down the side of the ship.

 
Yes 😊 Thank you!

 

Have finally received offer to bid for upgrade - starting at $245 for YC interior. I’d love to try it but husband thinks it will be too posh for us 🤣 And isn’t keen on giving up a balcony…I may persuade him to try yet!!

[kernow]

1 minute ago, Malibustacey79 said:

 
Yes 😊 Thank you!

 

Have finally received offer to bid for upgrade - starting at $245 for YC interior. I’d love to try it but husband thinks it will be too posh for us 🤣 And isn’t keen on giving up a balcony…I may persuade him to try yet!!

I was worried about giving up a balcony too but having experienced YC I'd do it again in a heartbeat for this type of cruise (maybe not in the Caribbean but would consider paying for a YC balcony now).

I wouldn't worry about it being too posh, it's not at all stuffy and the staff are lovely and friendly. At the moment most of the other passengers have done the upgrade too!

[CaroleC]

4 hours ago, kernow said:

Yes I meant the one at the top.

 

Here is 13235, it does look a bit dark.

Is the one at the top not deck 14?

[Malibustacey79]

15 minutes ago, kernow said:

I was worried about giving up a balcony too but having experienced YC I'd do it again in a heartbeat for this type of cruise (maybe not in the Caribbean but would consider paying for a YC balcony now).

I wouldn't worry about it being too posh, it's not at all stuffy and the staff are lovely and friendly. At the moment most of the other passengers have done the upgrade too!

Interesting, thank you for your reply. What is the main pull - is it the level of service? Or better facilities? Or something else?

 

Our first Celebrity cruise we were concierge level and practically hid from the poor fella for ten days…we’re just not the type of people that ask for things! I wish we were sometimes TBH. But better amenities/menus etc is something I can get behind. 
 

Thank you for taking the time to answer during your cruise 😊 I’m desperately hoping we can board somewhere different next week and take advantage of all the helpful info. 

[CaroleC]

26 minutes ago, Malibustacey79 said:

 
Yes 😊 Thank you!

 

Have finally received offer to bid for upgrade - starting at $245 for YC interior. I’d love to try it but husband thinks it will be too posh for us 🤣 And isn’t keen on giving up a balcony…I may persuade him to try yet!!

On our recent sailing we had the cabin underneath the one you’ve been allocated. We really liked it, great views as it is not under the overhang and it was very quiet. The only thing I didn’t love was the distance from the lifts but my hubby claimed it just meant we could eat more 😂. In all honesty, it wasn’t as far as I thought it was going to be but it could be a problem for anyone with walking difficulties. 

[Malibustacey79]

1 minute ago, CaroleC said:

On our recent sailing we had the cabin underneath the one you’ve been allocated. We really liked it, great views as it is not under the overhang and it was very quiet. The only thing I didn’t love was the distance from the lifts but my hubby claimed it just meant we could eat more 😂. In all honesty, it wasn’t as far as I thought it was going to be but it could be a problem for anyone with walking difficulties. 

Thanks Carole 😊 We are mere spring chickens of 40 and 42 and one of us is a triathlete (hint: it’s not me) so a few more steps shouldn’t cause a problem… Not for the first few nights at least 🤣 Glad to hear you enjoyed the cabin, hopefully we will too!

[Cruiseforever11]

22 minutes ago, CaroleC said:

Is the one at the top not deck 14?

I'm hoping so as I know deck 14 has cabins on and that looks like deck 14. So the one on deck 13 might not be as bad or so dark. So we are going to stick with our cabin and hope for the best.

[CaroleC]

4 minutes ago, Malibustacey79 said:

Thanks Carole 😊 We are mere spring chickens of 40 and 42 and one of us is a triathlete (hint: it’s not me) so a few more steps shouldn’t cause a problem… Not for the first few nights at least 🤣 Glad to hear you enjoyed the cabin, hopefully we will too!

Oh you’re youngsters then lol. No, you definitely won’t have problems with the distance. As I mentioned, our cabin was really quiet. I think it helps that you’ve only got one immediate neighbour as the other side is the first cabin under the overhang so it’s the balcony that is actually next door to you. 
 

Have a wonderful cruise ⚓️😎

[CaroleC]

1 minute ago, Cruiseforever11 said:

I'm hoping so as I know deck 14 has cabins on and that looks like deck 14. So the one on deck 13 might not be as bad or so dark. So we are going to stick with our cabin and hope for the best.

I think it’s absolutely deck 14. 1 would imagine that 13 is not so dark as it is lower down from the overhang.

[Miffy2003]

Thank you Kernow :)

 

The pool isn’t a big deal for us (not sure we’ve been in one on any of the cruises we’ve been on) but this cruise would be different as we wouldn’t really be leaving the ship much (if at all) so that’s good to know.

 

really appreciate you answering :)

[Stu UK]

24 minutes ago, CaroleC said:

I think it’s absolutely deck 14. 1 would imagine that 13 is not so dark as it is lower down from the overhang.

We were on deck 13. I do like shade so worked well. 13119. Loved the space. 

[CaroleC]

6 minutes ago, Stu UK said:

We were on deck 13. I do like shade so worked well. 13119. Loved the space. 

Nice. The balcony looks a lot deeper than the one we had in 12346.

 

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by CaroleC

[Stu UK]

30 minutes ago, CaroleC said:

Nice. The balcony looks a lot deeper than the one we had in 12346.

 

 

There are several sets

lime this one - view along the side of the ship is good. 

[tesni]

Oooh, she seems to be on the move again now (according to the Boat Watch app).

[CaroleC]

32 minutes ago, Stu UK said:

There are several sets

lime this one - view along the side of the ship is good. 

And a good view of the balconies below too! 😂. They actually look extra deep as well, are they deck 8 Bella’s?

[Cruiseforever11]

1 hour ago, Stu UK said:

We were on deck 13. I do like shade so worked well. 13119. Loved the space. 

We always try and go for these bigger balconies for the space but we haven't had one with a big overhang before but looking at your pic Stu it's not bad at all. Can't wait to get on this ship!😀

[kernow]

1 hour ago, tesni said:

Oooh, she seems to be on the move again now (according to the Boat Watch app).

Yes we left Liverpool at 7 with a big firework show. They made a big thing of thanking Liverpool for having us.🤣

 

Just having dinner with a beautiful view.