What would happen if I went app free on a Virgin Voyages cruise?

[Actuality251]

The damn thing’s a nightmare. It’s earned a one star rating from the App Store. I think it has the potential of ruining this cruise if I keep struggling with it. How would it go if I just didn’t use it?

Edited March 22 by Actuality251

[jon81uk]

You’d find dining hard, the main way to book reservations is on the app (or by phone and we chat before cruise, in-person onboard). This does work better on the ship as the app is on the local ship network so works significantly better.

 

 

The big issue is you’d have no idea if a show you wanted to see was cancelled or the excursion time had changed or a port time changed. There is almost no notifications on VV, so you can pick up a paper times guide but if things change they announce it via app notification.

It’s also the main way to check your folio and see what charges you have.

 

So you could probably go workout using it before boarding. If you want to pre-book dining get your travel agent to do it or use chat on the website. But once one the ship you may miss out on fairly useful notifications without it.

[basenji56]

Can't you use the iPad in the room rather than the app?

[jon81uk]

39 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

Can't you use the iPad in the room rather than the app?

Only to call the room attendant for services line water, ice, towels etc.

[Cloud9 Bob]

If it was between using the app or having a ruined cruise, then yes, it’s possible to get along without it… just certainly not ideal. You will have to go to try to make reservations for dinner when boarding and you will have to take what’s left or eat in the Galley. Shows and excursions are pretty much the same deal. It really depends on how open you are to compromise. For the right person, you can have a good time still. For others it’s no way. Maybe just upgrading your phone or app reboots would help?

[Gretchendz]

Not trying to defend it, but most people find it does work better once on board.  Having said that, I guess you could keep going to sailor services desk multiple times to make reservations, cancel things, check your bill, etc.

[The_Big_M]

Not only the above, but also the fitness classes have to be booked through it. Plus it's where you get primary visibilty of the schedule since they don't distribute them directly either. They do have printed copies in a few locations, but you'd have to make a trip there to get them.

 

So yes, it is a pain, and is glitchy - but the cruise operations are based around it, so without it you will have a tough time.

[basenji56]

55 minutes ago, Gretchendz said:

Not trying to defend it, but most people find it does work better once on board. 

I agree. 

[Tralfaz1138]

Honestly, I wish they would just add support for making shore things and restaurant reservations from a web browser.  It would be substantially easier for me to just book things on my PC pre-voyage than it would my phone or tablet.  The web site isn't exactly blazingly fast, but it's substantially faster than the app on my phone.

[MNcruisingcouple]

4 hours ago, Gretchendz said:

Not trying to defend it, but most people find it does work better once on board.  Having said that, I guess you could keep going to sailor services desk multiple times to make reservations, cancel things, check your bill, etc.

 

Same for us.

[Actuality251]

6 hours ago, basenji56 said:

Can't you use the iPad in the room rather than the app?

The app doesn’t work on my iPad either.I am not the problem here. The application is. You have to be really terrible to earn a one star rating in the Apple store. 

[garycarla]

1 hour ago, Actuality251 said:

The app doesn’t work on my iPad either.I am not the problem here. The application is. You have to be really terrible to earn a one star rating in the Apple store. 

 

As to the 1 star on App store - that may or  may not be accurate.  Many folks never post reviews or ratings.  And if the app does not ask you to rate it, then no rating.  And of course, as said, it does not work well until you board.  Once folks get home, they surely do not use it anymore.

 

As said, it seems to work okay onboard.

[Cloud9 Bob]

I don't think it's always the app either. Sometimes it's the servers that Virgin uses, other times it seems to be the way certain aspects of the programs are coded. A third thing is the whether there are many people on the ship using the resources (ie. full capacity and sea day). That said, I have found it buggy and there is a big need for improvement for sure, but I can usually get it to "snap out of it" with a reboot of my phone a time or two. I've been frustrated with it, but never to the point where I had to miss a dinner, show or excursion booking. What does baffle me is the time VV has had to work on it and very little gets resolved. It should run as smooth as whale poo in an ice flow by now.

[cantgetin]

The app on board is a lot better than in advance.  I had so much trouble with the pre-board app this time that if VV hasn't fixed the other thing that has been a problem for us, I likely won't be booking another cruise with them.  There are many things I like, but I was so angry and stressed at the app this time that it just isn't worth the hassle.  They've had more than 2 years to fix it, so really no excuses.  The other problem is a wheelchair assist issue.....so we'll see......

[Jamesv281117]

The app is poor pre cruise but to be honest as others have said it's always worked a lot better once on board

[Actuality251]

8 hours ago, Cloud9 Bob said:

I don't think it's always the app either. Sometimes it's the servers that Virgin uses, other times it seems to be the way certain aspects of the programs are coded. A third thing is the whether there are many people on the ship using the resources (ie. full capacity and sea day). That said, I have found it buggy and there is a big need for improvement for sure, but I can usually get it to "snap out of it" with a reboot of my phone a time or two. I've been frustrated with it, but never to the point where I had to miss a dinner, show or excursion booking. What does baffle me is the time VV has had to work on it and very little gets resolved. It should run as smooth as whale poo in an ice flow by now.

 

[Actuality251]

They keep telling me to remove the app and download it again. Yet every time I’ve done this, I’ve wound up with two accounts and the one I see has no info. Its a hot mess, that’s for sure.

[jon81uk]

1 hour ago, Actuality251 said:

They keep telling me to remove the app and download it again. Yet every time I’ve done this, I’ve wound up with two accounts and the one I see has no info. Its a hot mess, that’s for sure.

that’s very strange, once downloaded again you should just log in with your existing VV account details, the same ones you use on the website.

 

The duplicate account issue I’ve had is when the booking is made they kept making a new account instead of linking the booking to my existing one.

[Actuality251]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I think I’m going to like the cruising community, if not Virgin. 

[neverendingcruising]

One of their main tech suppliers was put out of business by Carnival so that might explain the slowness to update/fix. 

[Actuality251]

Do all cruises rely on apps as heavily as VV seems to?

[tompeter]

10 hours ago, Actuality251 said:

Do all cruises rely on apps as heavily as VV seems to?

Not a chance...

 

[The_Big_M]

13 hours ago, Actuality251 said:

Do all cruises rely on apps as heavily as VV seems to?

 

Others have a more traditional base -most started before apps existed, so keep more of the old methods.

 

Whereas Virgin is a very new cruise line, and came up with new ways to do things, without ever adopting the old ways. Hence, others still have more traditional methods instead of only the new app way.

 

I see where VV was going, and it makes sense - but there are some big flaws.

 

Unfortunately on the very first day of my cruise with VV, there was some server failure - so you couldn't even see the bookings I'd made for that day - but other days appeared. And I wasn't 100% sure of the time of my restaurant booking - and they don't send you any confirmations or any other records when you make a booking (unlike other lines). So there was no way to see what booking I had - it appeared I had none, so though it had been accidentally deleted. But I knew all restaurants were completely booked out, and they also told you if you weren't there in 15 minutes then tough, your reservation was gone. So there was a bit of a panic.

 

So I called guest services. They couldn't help either. But they said go to the maitre d in Razzle dazzle. So I went there - they'd closed (early), and said they also couldn't help. But said "there'd been some reports of problems - just go and see how you go". Great - aside from wasting the time and giving a lot of stress, there was no resolution. 

 

Anyway, I went to the restaurant and time I thought I had booked - slightly earlier to be a bit safe. The maitre d' there could see the booking and said all was fine... But it's not a great way to run things.

Edited March 24 by The_Big_M

[Actuality251]

Thank you. One of my reservations disappeared a few days ago. 

[cantgetin]

My entire account is missing as of this morning....on the web and the app.  I'm so done with their crap.  I'll deal with it when I arrive in Miami.