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b2b Xmas/NYE - free form thoughts/taking Qs

xerenthar

By xerenthar,
in Virgin Voyages

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xerenthar

xerenthar

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hey CC. reporting to you live from the Pink Agave bar. here for a b2b with my wife, brother-in-law, and his girlfriend. we are the target audience - millennial DINK couples. someone may get a tattoo. 
 

feel free to drop any questions and i will answer if i have one. 
 

there are some “mask required” events now. 
 

the Covid results wait was 35 agonizing minutes even though none of us are symptomatic and we even did rapid tests before flying here. 

test kitchen tonight. 
 

you can have basically unlimited free champagne at the sailaway party. 
 

aviation gin is good, kinda forgot. 
 

the little snacks at the sweet shop/bread area of the galley are great. 
 

it’s so cute and picturesque.

 

they have oatly oat milk!

 

the ice cream we have sampled is good. the red velvet cone is better than the creamsicle. 
 

no children screaming is so wonderful that i can’t even describe it

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xerenthar

xerenthar

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3 hours ago, Lurdes777 said:

How is capacity? 
 

any events planned for NYE?

will there be a scarlett night?

 

did your dinner reservations dissappear when you got on board?


day 1 it seemed really empty. restaurants seemed to take walk ins (we had test kitchen reservation). saw maybe ten people in a pool or hot tub. bars were busy but no lines or anything. karaoke signups were plentiful. today is the first sea day so i expect that to change maybe. 
 

NYE is next cruise so no idea. there were Christmas lights on each floor so from the outside you saw decks red or green. 
 

yes to scarlet night. 
 

nope my reservations are here and sailor loot. it took a bit for sailor loot to appear but i DMed sailor services from the app, and they said it’ll appear once we sail away. it did!

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scaught

scaught

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40 minutes ago, xerenthar said:

the people who say these cabin bathrooms are small have never lived in a nyc apartment and it shows. 

I've done mostly RCCL cruises, but it looks like a normal bathroom on a cruise ship to me? 

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_tacocat_

_tacocat_

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4 hours ago, xerenthar said:

it took a bit for sailor loot to appear but i DMed sailor services from the app, and they said it’ll appear once we sail away. it did!

They told us in early December that it'd show up on Day 2.  Can't remember if it showed up at midnight or at some point after they do a nightly audit, but it was definitely there for us by the morning!

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_tacocat_

_tacocat_

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3 hours ago, xerenthar said:

the people who say these cabin bathrooms are small have never lived in a nyc apartment and it shows. 

HAHAHA YES!  I was in a crappy walkup in Hoboken (so living in luxury comparatively hahaha) for years.  1/2 size tub/shower and tiny round toilet, hit your elbows on the sink and knees on the door when sitting 😂  VV was LUXURIOUS comparatively!

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xerenthar

xerenthar

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the food is so superior to other cruises it’s not even funny. here’s a qt patisserie piece. i will post a good review of test kitchen. 

also a pic of the spinning studio view. 


currently having aperitivo at Extra Virgin bar. bars are on point. 

59ED783A-D0E4-4334-9164-BC736D1EE271.jpeg

1AF2B266-B9E4-401B-9866-C07E0DFC8B5B.jpeg

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_tacocat_

_tacocat_

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6 hours ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

Is it easy to get into shows? I have read some reviews that made it sound impossible?

it's best to make reservations as SOON as you get on the boat (like as you're making your way to your room, seriously!).  People do cancel, and VV does seem to rejigger the schedule/add shows if needed.

 

We went to 3 shows that needed reservations (Never Sleep Alone, The Nerd, and Duel Reality), and they all had standby lines that seemed to let in a ton of folks, and it looked like everyone in the "standby" line got seating/standing room in the mezz level of the Red Room or Manor.  If you're trying to stand by, I'd recommend lining up a bit early for whatever show you're trying to get into.

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xerenthar

xerenthar

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10 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

it's best to make reservations as SOON as you get on the boat (like as you're making your way to your room, seriously!).  People do cancel, and VV does seem to rejigger the schedule/add shows if needed.

 

We went to 3 shows that needed reservations (Never Sleep Alone, The Nerd, and Duel Reality), and they all had standby lines that seemed to let in a ton of folks, and it looked like everyone in the "standby" line got seating/standing room in the mezz level of the Red Room or Manor.  If you're trying to stand by, I'd recommend lining up a bit early for whatever show you're trying to get into.


yah. we are going to make those reservations as we get on for next leg. we wanted to Never Sleep Alone but they had a 1045 and an 830ish that were sold out and like a 645pm? who wants to do the sex cabaret show at 645pm?!

 

scarlet night was SO cool y’all. 

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xerenthar

xerenthar

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back to back procedure has been smooth. currently waiting by the big jetbridge waiting for CBP okay to embark, we will be first back on. we got to keep our bands (originally i think people didn’t get to?)

 

never done a b2b otherwise - do people get to stay on the ship normally on other lines?

 

i have so many thoughts i haven’t posted aaaaa

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xerenthar

xerenthar

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i have been slacking on my free form thoughts. 
 

the NYE cruise is 65% capacity and the Xmas was 50%. this is definitely a much more partying cruise and i love it. there was definitely a lack of a critical mass in one spot to kick off a good scene a few times. 

 

the pizza place shouldn’t close at 1:30. 
 

there should be a solid late night bar option — this is VV and yet the club closes at 2 as do most if not all bars?!

 

if anyone sees a dude in a Michigan hat today come say hi (no Georgia fans)

 

i will post a comprehensive highs/lows thing and more pics/food reviews after it all ends for sure. 

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xerenthar

xerenthar

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3 minutes ago, bucfan2 said:

Anyone onboard have an update on mask requirements?  (Hopefully back to recommended).


a crew member said this was the result of the CDC investigation. we get daily reminders they’re required. compliance is iffy at best in common areas. people are reminded at casino tables and at shows (marked masks required on the schedule). given Omicron’s prevalence and the CDC guidance to avoid cruising indefinitely, think they’re here to stay in the short term. 

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