Frequent Voyager gets Virginized ...

[cantgetin]

13 hours ago, conandrob240 said:

Does anyone know if the special sail away  Deep Blue perk is actually the Richard’s Rooftop party? Or something different?

These are different.  The Deep Blue perk cocktail party was held at the rear of the ship on our sailing...it might depends on how many people are attending.  It was NOT the sail away party.  Sail away is all over decks 15 and 16 on the first evening 6-7:30.  It is also on Richard's Rooftop for suite guests or those with other status that gives them a black band (and yes, I've seen that).  And there is the nightly Richard's Rooftop champagne for black bands.

[jon81uk]

15 hours ago, conandrob240 said:

Does anyone know if the special sail away  Deep Blue perk is actually the Richard’s Rooftop party? Or something different?

Only guests in suites get access to Richard’s Rooftop. The deep blue extras party is at the rear of the ship.

[eroller]

[conandrob240]

6 hours ago, eroller said:

Hmmm so the cocktail experience for deep blue was NOT at sail away?

[cantgetin]

32 minutes ago, conandrob240 said:

Hmmm so the cocktail experience for deep blue was NOT at sail away?

NO, definitely was not at sail away.  You are still welcome to go to sail away with the rest of the ship (where there was plenty of bubbly and you didn't need to hunt for waiters).  The cocktail party was a separate event a few days later where there were a couple of different drinks available, a guy playing guitar, etc.  Ours was on deck 15 aft and I didn't save the invitation, but I've seen mention of it in at least 2 other locations.

 

[conandrob240]

Great info. Thanks!

[jon81uk]

7 hours ago, conandrob240 said:

Hmmm so the cocktail experience for deep blue was NOT at sail away?

It is a sail away, so it usually happens when leaving the first port. That means those with the deep blue extras get two separate sail away parties, the normal first night and the second night too. If you purchase Splash of Romance you get a third one. 
None are in Richards Rooftop. 

[eroller]

On 12/30/2022 at 4:35 AM, jon81uk said:

It is a sail away, so it usually happens when leaving the first port. That means those with the deep blue extras get two separate sail away parties, the normal first night and the second night too. If you purchase Splash of Romance you get a third one. 
None are in Richards Rooftop. 

 

Ours was at The Perch which was the perfect spot.  One of my favorite outdoor deck areas of the ship.  

[conandrob240]

I never got invited to the Deep Blue party, FYI. I forgot about it until I just read this.

[cantgetin]

52 minutes ago, conandrob240 said:

I never got invited to the Deep Blue party, FYI. I forgot about it until I just read this.

We got a letter in our cabin.

[eroller]

23 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

We got a letter in our cabin.

Never got the letter in the cabin, but enquired at Sailor Services to ensure I was enrolled and they printed me a letter.  
 

FYI regarding the coffee credit and the shake for champagne benefit, you really had to keep an eye on your account.  Sometimes the charges were removed overnight and sometimes they were not.  So I would chat with Sailor Services via the app and they would remove it.  Sort of a pain but the chat feature made it fairly easy.  At least no waiting in line or special trips.  

[conandrob240]

1 hour ago, cantgetin said:

We got a letter in our cabin.

Never got it.

[conandrob240]

1 hour ago, eroller said:

Never got the letter in the cabin, but enquired at Sailor Services to ensure I was enrolled and they printed me a letter.  
 

FYI regarding the coffee credit and the shake for champagne benefit, you really had to keep an eye on your account.  Sometimes the charges were removed overnight and sometimes they were not.  So I would chat with Sailor Services via the app and they would remove it.  Sort of a pain but the chat feature made it fairly easy.  At least no waiting in line or special trips.  

Agreed. I didn’t like the answer that they were removed the day after the charge after 8pm. I just messaged sailor services and asked them to be removed manually.

 

the app/ chat worked beautifully for everything really. 

[eroller]

1 hour ago, conandrob240 said:

 

 

the app/ chat worked beautifully for everything really

 

 

 

I agree it really did.  And the response time was always super quick and they were always so helpful and accommodating.  I wish all cruise lines made dealing with reception/front desk/Purser’s Office so easy.  

[gordiej]

Very thorough review, and having gotten off Valiant Lady about a week ago, I agree with most. 

Two minor factual corrections: (1) While the main menu in The Galley is the same every day, there are daily specials at some of the stands. Almost always a burger special (which could be a fish or chicken sandwich), and sometimes others. There is also a rotating dinner option - was prime rib one day and roasted salmon another day. We never ate dinner there though. (2) There ARE jets in the main outdoor spa pool, both on the outer wall and the interior benches (but controlled separately). 

 

On the pool - I was worried about the size as well, and maybe with a 100% occupancy cruise (rumor had it we were ~2/3 full) it would be a problem. But the wading area around the actual (~5') pool is quite large, and many adults were content to sit on the edge with their feet in, sit in the wading area, or sit on the edge of the "deeper" pool. It never felt overcrowded (though I missed the Scarlet Night swim...). It was also December so not overly hot. I definitely agree they should consider a pool in the back where the cargo net is (I went on it while in port but it was physically painful to walk or even crawl on because of the plastic joints holding the netting together). One thing to mention - with the lack of families, you could still get a day bed on sea days at ~8:30am and chaises by the pool weren't full until maybe 11am or later (and would turn over over the course of the day so never that hard to get something). Away from the pool there was plenty of seating. Might be different on a full ship. Also, there is no policy against "reserving" the day beds or chaises (e.g., after 2 hours we remove your stuff). I generally HATE chair hogs, especially when there IS a policy that isn't enforced. But I just went with the flow here. We got a nice day bed + 2 chaises for 4 of us at 8:30am that we kept for the day, but there was almost always at least one person in the pool area all day except for maybe a 60-90m lunch. 

 

On seating - we were a party of 4, and the first night in Test Kitchen got the table in the photo above, and for our second (final) night we got a private booth further back in the restaurant upon request. I think we got "lucky" at Gunbae too as they didn't seat anyone else with us. I think you need at least 4 people at Gunbae to fully enjoy the experience. At Pink Agave we had a late rez and all they had was a high top by the tequila display area, with 4 of us at one end, and another party of 3-4 at the other, but with space in between so we didn't really need to interact much.

 

And on food in general, I do think this was probably the best OVERALL food experience I've had in many years (would have to go back to late 1990s/early 2000s Celebrity for better). There was certainly a dish or two at at most restaurants that fell flat (the Bolognese at Extra Virgin tasted like Chef Boyardee -- literally) but there was almost always a stunner, and as I said, on the whole it was excellent. Sushi rolls were the best I've had at sea (nothing fancy, just spicy tuna, salmon/avo, and shrimp tempura, but good quality). Pizza was excellent, although (1) you may prefer to ask for it a little well done and (2) it's individual pies made to order so not great for a "quick fix" (usually only 10-15m wait). 

Edited January 5, 2023 by gordiej

[eroller]

1 hour ago, gordiej said:

Very thorough review, and having gotten off Valiant Lady about a week ago, I agree with most. 

Two minor factual corrections: (1) While the main menu in The Galley is the same every day, there are daily specials at some of the stands. Almost always a burger special (which could be a fish or chicken sandwich), and sometimes others. There is also a rotating dinner option - was prime rib one day and roasted salmon another day. We never ate dinner there though. (2) There ARE jets in the main outdoor spa pool, both on the outer wall and the interior benches (but controlled separately). 

 

 

 

 

 

And on food in general, I do think this was probably the best OVERALL food experience I've had in many years (would have to go back to late 1990s/early 2000s Celebrity for better). There was certainly a dish or two at at most restaurants that fell flat (the Bolognese at Extra Virgin tasted like Chef Boyardee -- literally) but there was almost always a stunner, and as I said, on the whole it was excellent. Sushi rolls were the best I've had at sea (nothing fancy, just spicy tuna, salmon/avo, and shrimp tempura, but good quality). Pizza was excellent, although (1) you may prefer to ask for it a little well done and (2) it's individual pies made to order so not great for a "quick fix" (usually only 10-15m wait). 

 

 

 

I didn't know about the rotating dinner option in The Galley.  We never ate there for dinner so that would explain it.  Too many other options, but maybe on a future cruise. 

 

Regarding the jetted pool, I do realize there are jets in there.  For whatever reason they were deactivated on my cruise.  So everyone just sat in it with no bubbles.  Seemed odd.  The same with the hot tubs and spa pool in the Redemption Spa. 

 

Good to hear how much you enjoyed the food experience on Virgin.  I had recently sailed on Regent in the Med this summer and the cuisine was absolutely amazing.  Perhaps not as adventurous as Virgin, but the quality, preparation, and presentation were second to none.  Of course it's a much higher price point than Virgin (and a very different experience) so the best of the best was expected, and it didn't disappoint.  I would also rank my experience on Oceania above Virgin in the cuisine department, but again a higher price point and Oceania truly is a foodies cruise line.  Virgin was way up there though, which is impressive considering how new the line is and the more moderate price point.  It does get #1 for originality in my book.  I tried things (and combinations) I never would have thought of, and I loved how adventurous the menus and chefs were. 

 

I'm looking forward to round #2!

 

 

[818ct]

Thanks for a comprehensive review! Is there any difference between the Scarlet Lady and the Valant Lady, such as demographics of the sailors, shows offered? For those who have been on both, do you have a preference and why? 

[eroller]

10 minutes ago, 818ct said:

Thanks for a comprehensive review! Is there any difference between the Scarlet Lady and the Valant Lady, such as demographics of the sailors, shows offered? For those who have been on both, do you have a preference and why? 

 

You are quite welcome!  I can’t personally speak to any differences between the two ships.  My friends that have sailed both have stated they are completely identical except for a a few shops and some really minor details no one would notice.  Good question about the shows.  I would like to know that myself.  
 

One thing that pretty much every crew member mentioned that we spoke in-depth with is that the vibe onboard is so much better on the Mediterranean cruises.  I honestly thought it was pretty amazing in the Caribbean and as an American I took no offense, but I guess the European clientele is much cooler than American!  We were highly encouraged to return on a Mediterranean cruise.  I’m all for it!  

[jon81uk]

5 hours ago, 818ct said:

Thanks for a comprehensive review! Is there any difference between the Scarlet Lady and the Valant Lady, such as demographics of the sailors, shows offered? For those who have been on both, do you have a preference and why? 

There are one or two minor differences. Scarlet has a MAC makeup store, Valiant has a full size sunglasses store.

Scarlet has a photo thing with swings and neon words, Valiant has a mirror photo op (both in the space between coffee bar and social club)

Scarlet has two shuffleboard tables, Valiant has more seating. 
 

Valiant has the Ship Show dinner show in the Manor, Scarlet has Ships in the Night show in the Red Room. 
 

Overall there is very little real difference between the two ships except for the dinner show. 

[cantgetin]

I've only been on Valiant.  My friend says the food is better on Scarlet, but she sails on both frequently....11 sailings so far!
We were on the WBTA in October.  There were special items served each sea day in the burger place, noodle, salad, and taco outlets.  They ranged from a different taco or ramen to a chicken sandwich, gnocchi, and chateaubriand at lunch!  We didn't eat dinner at The Galley, but there were occasional "off menu" items offered in the restaurants.  I figured that with 14 days, they were trying to keep us from getting bored or reporting back that it was "always the same."

[eroller]

3 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

I've only been on Valiant.  My friend says the food is better on Scarlet, but she sails on both frequently....11 sailings so far!
We were on the WBTA in October.  There were special items served each sea day in the burger place, noodle, salad, and taco outlets.  They ranged from a different taco or ramen to a chicken sandwich, gnocchi, and chateaubriand at lunch!  We didn't eat dinner at The Galley, but there were occasional "off menu" items offered in the restaurants.  I figured that with 14 days, they were trying to keep us from getting bored or reporting back that it was "always the same."

 

Great to know information for next time!  
 

It doesn’t surprise me that food can vary from ship to ship.  I find this to be true on every cruise line.  They really try to be consistent but so many variables at play.  

[_tacocat_]

13 hours ago, 818ct said:

Thanks for a comprehensive review! Is there any difference between the Scarlet Lady and the Valant Lady, such as demographics of the sailors, shows offered? For those who have been on both, do you have a preference and why? 

i've been on scarlet 7x and valiant once.  valiant definitely skewed an older demographic, and i'm guessing it's because it was a longer/more expensive cruise.  i'll be on next week and will have another data point.

 

there are a few different shows on valiant - miss behave (full-audience participation game show type thing - that's the best description i have hahah), ship show (dinner-theater variety show with rotating acts) and festival stage (guest artist - it was a REALLY cool acapella group on ours).  Duel Reality, untitled danceshow party thing, and NSA are on both, although NSA is supposedly getting cancelled after this month/next depending on the ship.  scarlet also has ships in the night, which is the closest thing to a production stage show.

[_tacocat_]

7 hours ago, jon81uk said:

Scarlet has two shuffleboard tables, Valiant has more seating. 

ah yeah i forgot about this!  the layout of the social club is SO different on valiant.  there are also 2 shuffleboard tables on valiant, but they are inside the social club, parallel to the bar instead of in the "hallway" part like on scarlet.  there is booth style seating in the hallway.  i thought this layout was MUCH better vs. scarlet's.

[jon81uk]

3 minutes ago, _tacocat_ said:

ah yeah i forgot about this!  the layout of the social club is SO different on valiant.  there are also 2 shuffleboard tables on valiant, but they are inside the social club, parallel to the bar instead of in the "hallway" part like on scarlet.  there is booth style seating in the hallway.  i thought this layout was MUCH better vs. scarlet's.

I’m pretty sure it was only one shuffleboard table? But I agree the layout with it in the centre of the social club is better. 
The whole social club space isn’t well laid though, the counter is too big considering it really only serves hot dogs. I love it as a space and what it offers (board game selection is fab) but just feels badly spaced out and some bits are under-utilised.

[neverendingcruising]

Agreed that the additional seating added to Valiant in the Social Club "hallway" was a much needed improvement! It gets busy in that area!