Tatra603 Posted July 11 #1 Share Posted July 11 VV newbie (a Virgin virgin, so to speak), but done many cruises particularly with RC. I've just booked my first VV cruise, a Transatlantic 14 day. Can I ask Virgin regulars about how flexible they are with drinks in different bars/restaurants? It appears each bar and restaurant has it's own menu. My wife only likes moscato wine with her meals. This appears on the menu of a couple of the bars, but not in any of the restaurant menus. If she tried to order it in one of the venues where it wasn't on the menu, would they get it for her (ala RC), or refuse (our experience on our only P&O cruise)? This is a fairly trivial query, but is relevant when considering how big a bar tab to purchase. Thanks in advance for any answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmedic Posted July 11 #2 Share Posted July 11 We're also interested in this, particularly the flexibility to have our choice of cocktails in the bars. DW is not a big drinker but does like a Cosmopolitan or lemon drop martini. We don't see those on any bar menu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon81uk Posted July 11 #3 Share Posted July 11 Most bartenders can make off-menu cocktails if they have the ingredients at that bar. Common things like a cosmo will be fine, I often order espresso martini at Sip, On the Rocks and the Manor. For wine I’m not sure as never ordered off-menu myself, but I would not expect them to go searching for a wine not on the list. A lot of the time they are out of stock of wines that are on the list! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 1025cruise Posted July 11 #4 Share Posted July 11 Presuming they have the ingredients, they can do it. But unlike other cruise lines, each bar is specific to their items. My wife enjoys frozen blended drinks. Could only find them at one outside bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon81uk Posted July 11 #5 Share Posted July 11 4 minutes ago, 1025cruise said: Presuming they have the ingredients, they can do it. But unlike other cruise lines, each bar is specific to their items. My wife enjoys frozen blended drinks. Could only find them at one outside bar. I think all the outdoor bars on decks 15 &16 have blenders, but no indoor ones do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cantgetin Posted July 11 #6 Share Posted July 11 (edited) The answer is a great big "it depends." We had no trouble getting moscoto at any restaurant on VV. If it wasn't on the menu, we just asked. In addition, if you buy a bottle and have some left, they will seal and save it for you. The next night your restaurant will retrieve it for you. It is definitely stocked at THe Wake, Extra Virgin, and Pink Agave. Other places may have been fetching it for us. Mixed drinks are a different issue. It becomes an issue of what ingredients are at each bar. The open deck bars are the only ones with blenders, thus the only ones that do the crushed ice drinks. We did hit a couple situations of which bars carry which mixed ingredients. They will make you something if they have the stuff, and some of the bar tenders will even offer "off menu" things, but it is totally a matter of what is where. Same for wine outside of restaurants; limited variety. Under most circumstances, they will not allow you to leave a restaurant with an unopened bottle of wine to take to your room, but room service will provide an unopened bottle from their limited menu Also, be aware that you are permitted to bring 2 bottles of wine per cabin on board, and most people have had no trouble with 2 bottles per person as long as they were in different bags. Your room steward will happily supply glasses, and there is a corkscrew in the room. Edited July 11 by cantgetin 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 1025cruise Posted July 11 #7 Share Posted July 11 3 hours ago, jon81uk said: I think all the outdoor bars on decks 15 &16 have blenders, but no indoor ones do. I went to an outdoor bar to get a blended drink for my wife and they couldn't make it. To be honest, it was rather discouraging to have to go bar hunting to find a drink for my wife when on any other cruise ship I've been on it's never been an issue. We ended up walking in the galley one night and bumped into a crew member and asked, who then called the F&B manager to find out where we could go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon81uk Posted July 11 #8 Share Posted July 11 25 minutes ago, 1025cruise said: I went to an outdoor bar to get a blended drink for my wife and they couldn't make it. To be honest, it was rather discouraging to have to go bar hunting to find a drink for my wife when on any other cruise ship I've been on it's never been an issue. We ended up walking in the galley one night and bumped into a crew member and asked, who then called the F&B manager to find out where we could go. I assumed other lines (I’ve only done VV) wouldn’t have blenders indoors too due to the noise issue. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 1025cruise Posted July 11 #9 Share Posted July 11 58 minutes ago, jon81uk said: I assumed other lines (I’ve only done VV) wouldn’t have blenders indoors too due to the noise issue. You assumed wrong. Now, if you go to a martini bar, you may not find one. But the lobby bar on any other ship will have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverendingcruising Posted July 11 #10 Share Posted July 11 On a voyage my wife found a unique wine at The Wake so we started going there every night before dinner to get a drink and then go to wherever dinner was. On the second occasion the server happened to be a sommelier who told us we could just go to dinner and ask our server to call him and he'd happily bring it over (and he did). 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_fh_mets Posted July 12 #11 Share Posted July 12 Every bar and restaurant can make most common (non-frozen) cocktails without any issues, including but not limited to: Classic martinis Margaritas Mojitos Cosmos Lemon drops Espresso martinis Chocolate martinis Aperol spritz Bloody marys (it actually surprised me that Sip kept bloody mary mix around) Mules Sidecars Negronis/Boulivardiers I have had luck ordering a wine that was on the menu at certain bars but not others at a bar that did not have it on the menu, but YMMV depending on the wine. For less commonly ordered but still "classic" cocktails, many bars can make them, but you might be better off ordering directly with the bartender rather than a waiter because the bartender knows the ingredients better. In one case, I ordered a cocktail at On the Rocks that most nice cocktail bars would be able to make and the bartender told me he didn't have one of the ingredients but could make me something similar and he did and it was good. Frozen cocktail can only be ordered at the outside bars on the pool deck and sun deck and most likely only during the day. I will note that the skill set of bartenders does seem to vary, so if you are picky about how your classic cocktail is made, you may need to try a few different bars. It would be nice if Virgin added some premix dispensers of Pina Colada and Strawberry Daiquiri at strategic locations around the ship. That way they can provide the two common warm weather cocktails without firing up a blender or slowing service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon81uk Posted July 12 #12 Share Posted July 12 (edited) 18 minutes ago, the_fh_mets said: It would be nice if Virgin added some premix dispensers of Pina Colada and Strawberry Daiquiri at strategic locations around the ship. That way they can provide the two common warm weather cocktails without firing up a blender or slowing service. All the outdoor bars do have slushy machines and at times do keep the frozen cocktails pre-made. Seems to depend on how busy they expect to be and they only have space for two slushy drinks at each bar. Edited July 12 by jon81uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_fh_mets Posted July 12 #13 Share Posted July 12 11 minutes ago, jon81uk said: All the outdoor bars do have slushy machines and at times do keep the frozen cocktails pre-made. I meant they should add some at certain indoor bars. Maybe Social Club and On the Rocks or the Casino? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travel-and-See Posted July 12 #14 Share Posted July 12 I've had servers act like I was speaking a foreign language when ordering items that were on the printed menu and even after pointing it out they just say "oh we don't have that, we never have" But it sounds like others have had better luck with special requests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffes Posted July 13 #15 Share Posted July 13 On 7/11/2024 at 3:12 AM, Tatra603 said: This is a fairly trivial query, but is relevant when considering how big a bar tab to purchase. Also, a bar tab is not necessary to purchase drinks. You can "pay as you go" where they just charge to whatever payment method you chose at check-in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cantgetin Posted July 13 #16 Share Posted July 13 On 7/11/2024 at 3:12 AM, Tatra603 said: This is a fairly trivial query, but is relevant when considering how big a bar tab to purchase. The only benefit to purchasing a bar tab is the small bonus you get for purchasing in advance (usually $50 on a $300 tab, but can vary with specials). The downside is that the bar tab is a "use it or lose it" deal...so if you purchase $300, you'll get $350 but if you only spend $275 you're losing money. Drinks are billed first to your bar tab, then to any "loot" you might have, then to the onboard folio which is charged to your credit card at the end of the cruise. Cost of the drinks is the same regardless of pay source and the gratuity is included in the posted price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatra603 Posted July 13 Author #17 Share Posted July 13 1 hour ago, cantgetin said: The only benefit to purchasing a bar tab is the small bonus you get for purchasing in advance (usually $50 on a $300 tab, but can vary with specials). The downside is that the bar tab is a "use it or lose it" deal...so if you purchase $300, you'll get $350 but if you only spend $275 you're losing money. Drinks are billed first to your bar tab, then to any "loot" you might have, then to the onboard folio which is charged to your credit card at the end of the cruise. Cost of the drinks is the same regardless of pay source and the gratuity is included in the posted price. Given the only moscato I've seen on the most recent menus (curiously called 'Honey Bubbles') is $50 a bottle, I don't think it'll take us long to get through a $300 bar tab in 14 nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cantgetin Posted July 13 #18 Share Posted July 13 Just now, Tatra603 said: Given the only moscato I've seen on the most recent menus (curiously called 'Honey Bubbles') is $50 a bottle, I don't think it'll take us long to get through a $300 bar tab in 14 nights. Interesting. In May 2024 we had 2 moscatos available. We tried the "Honey Bubbles" once and didn't like it; it was $40 per bottle then. We liked the regular moscato that was $8 per glass/$35 per bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatra603 Posted July 13 Author #19 Share Posted July 13 41 minutes ago, cantgetin said: Interesting. In May 2024 we had 2 moscatos available. We tried the "Honey Bubbles" once and didn't like it; it was $40 per bottle then. We liked the regular moscato that was $8 per glass/$35 per bottle. That sounds more like it (although we'll try both). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AandM12 Posted July 13 #20 Share Posted July 13 I intend purchasing two $300 bar tabs for our cruise next month. I like the idea of the $50 bonus however the UK version of the app doesn’t allow you to pay in US dollars. It is currently on sale for £245 but on today’s US dollar exchange rate UK cruisers are getting a raw deal. I did contact VV but they fudged the issue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 1025cruise Posted July 13 #21 Share Posted July 13 I'm just not enough of a drinker. Between a promo and DBE we got a decent amount of bar tab. I really wish I could have transferred the unused portion to our main tab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cantgetin Posted July 13 #22 Share Posted July 13 1 hour ago, 1025cruise said: I'm just not enough of a drinker. Between a promo and DBE we got a decent amount of bar tab. I really wish I could have transferred the unused portion to our main tab. Can't do it. Bar tab is drinks only (alcoholic or non). You can feel free to treat your new best friends or put the coffee for a crew member in line at Grounds Club on your tab (if crew goes to Grounds Club instead of crew area, they pay the same amount we do, but many don't have time on a break to run back to the crew area). If you see crew at t dining room table, you can also offer to buy them a round, a bottle, or whatever. Same deal--they eat free but pay for drinks in sailor areas. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 1025cruise Posted July 13 #23 Share Posted July 13 1 hour ago, cantgetin said: Can't do it. Bar tab is drinks only (alcoholic or non). You can feel free to treat your new best friends or put the coffee for a crew member in line at Grounds Club on your tab (if crew goes to Grounds Club instead of crew area, they pay the same amount we do, but many don't have time on a break to run back to the crew area). If you see crew at t dining room table, you can also offer to buy them a round, a bottle, or whatever. Same deal--they eat free but pay for drinks in sailor areas. Oh, I know I couldn't do it. I'm just saying I wish I could have. I tend to end up with a large spa bill at the end of the cruise, never a huge bar tab. Would have been nice if the money could have transferred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texmex.ferr Posted July 14 #24 Share Posted July 14 On 7/13/2024 at 3:57 PM, AandM12 said: I intend purchasing two $300 bar tabs for our cruise next month. I like the idea of the $50 bonus however the UK version of the app doesn’t allow you to pay in US dollars. It is currently on sale for £245 but on today’s US dollar exchange rate UK cruisers are getting a raw deal. I did contact VV but they fudged the issue! you could buy the Dollars, and just add them to your account once onboard, if you're getting a good exchange rate at present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AandM12 Posted July 15 #25 Share Posted July 15 (edited) Unfortunately you have to purchase the bar tab at least 24 hours in advance of sailing to qualify for the bonus. Edited July 15 by AandM12 error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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