Gen-X Xers take virgin Virgin voyage - a head-to-head comparison

[hcat]

Over the years people have come to Celebrity from other cruise lines because what it offered overall was better than what other lines were doing.  

 Invariably some then  try to change it into something else (Norwegian, Carnival,  Royal..now Virgin)   They have succeeded  with some  dress code downgrades,  alc packages that changed the demographics & now "no kids?? " What's next, tatoo studio?

 

My thoughts are let's enjoy it as it is & hope for improvements.   Those who want to re create  it  can go elsewhere if not what is desired!

  

[Stem to Stern]

I read the thread title and for a sec I thought this was another one of Charla’s live threads.😂

Thanks for the VV blow by blow.  They were not yet on my bucket list.  Your report confirms that they will never end up on my bucket list.  Don’t get me wrong.  I am open to new adventures.  I tried Crystal and MSC Yacht Club.  I know.  Polar opposites, but I would definitely give either of them another go.  Always good to have options.

[Alsmez]

12 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

I tried Crystal and MSC Yacht Club.  I know.  Polar opposites, but I would definitely give either of them another go.  

Haha, we were supposed to give both of them a try too - both thwarted by Covid. Well, in the case of Crystal, thwarted by a rogue ship and bankruptcy! 🤣

[kwokpot]

5 hours ago, Alsmez said:

Breads and desserts were mostly mediocre to terrible.

Thank you for a very detailed review. I will say I pretty much agree with your overall assessments EXCEPT for your take on the desserts and pastries.  I have been on all three E-Class ships and will sail on the Ascent next week and have been on S and M class ships post pandemic and after cruises on the Scarlet and Valiant Ladies for me VV far exceeds any Celebrity ship in terms of their pastries and desserts. The confections that I had were specialty bakery quality and that was the case on two different VV ships.

I was more bothered than you by the overall design scheme of the XL Sea Terrace room and for me the only aspect I liked about the room was the bathroom. 

I'll be doing a 12 night TA on the Scarlett Lady this November so it will be interesting how some of the VV ship's shortcomings you enumerated, which I pretty much agree with, play out on a long sailing. Thank you again for you time and effort!

[singleflyer]

Thanks for your review!  I've been on two VV (once on Scarlet Lady and once on Resilient Lady) and LOVED both of the cruises.  Both were using points so no out of pocket money which might also have biased me.  I'm also their target demographic at 40 years old.  

 

I haven't been on X yet but have an Alaska cruise booked on Edge this summer and can't wait; especially after your comments.    

 

I did NCL and HAL this summer and was not at all impressed; felt VV was better in just about every way.  No kids.  Entertainment was amazing.  I loved the food and restaurants (and that you don't have to pay for specialty restaurants is big to me).  I'm not a big drinker so lack of drink packages was fine by me.  LOVED no tips.  Staff was more my style (as you alluded to, more real... not just trying to get a tip out of you).  Wifi worked so well (and is free!).  I like the common areas but agree that the pool is a mess -- I never spent time by it.  

 

Not sure I'm allowed to post this (it's just my personal blog, I don't sell anything), but here is a write up of my comparisons of VV/NCL/HAL from the three cruises I went on this summer for anyone interested: https://singleflyer.com/2023/08/15/three-cruises-compared-ncl-vs-hal-vs-vv/ I'll remove it if I need to.

[Mrs_Tiki]

Thank you for this very thorough review, gives great insight on VV vs. X!

[Alsmez]

1 hour ago, singleflyer said:

I did NCL and HAL this summer and was not at all impressed; felt VV was better in just about every way.  

Your review illustrates why I we have no interest in trying NCL or HAL. I'm sure you will have a great time on Edge in Alaska!

[chereya]

Thank you for taking the time to write up this more detailed X vs VV review. Definitely food for thought. I recently decided to make my next booking for 2025 on X again. I didn't see any VV itineraries/pricing that looked attractive to me. With kids still at home, we're not at a life stage yet where we can do those nice long 3+ week land + sea adventures where we fly in, explore, cruise and explore again before flying home. One day!!

[Alsmez]

8 hours ago, chereya said:

I recently decided to make my next booking for 2025 on X again. I didn't see any VV itineraries/pricing that looked attractive to me

 

We felt the same. I purchased a future cruise certificate on our Eclipse cruise that I intend to use on E-class in 2025, but didn't feel compelled to do the same on VV. We don't care all that much about itineraries in the Caribbean, but we want to LOVE the ship, and we just don't love the Lady ships. For Northern Europe, which is my next dream destination, VV's itineraries can't compare with X yet. We'll sail VV again someday, but probably not soon.