Friday, March 17, 2023

To Virgin or not to Virgin? And I'm not talking about olive oil...

While I am an adult and I have never had a reason to travel with children, I've never sailed on an adults only cruise line. That all changed when I sailed on Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady for their eight night Eastern Caribbean Antilles itinerary that left out of Miami and visited Puerto Plata, San Juan, St. Croix, and Virgin Voyages' Beach Club at Bimini. To be honest, I'd seen videos and read blog reviews about other cruisers' experiences on Virgin and it wasn't a high priority for me to try. While the premise of all dining included (short of a few extra cost dishes) was a big plus, the large focus on fitness (aka only young and fit people) and the small cabin spaces were a big negative. The deciding factor came when we stumbled upon an offer for no single supplement that allowed us to each get our own cabins. We did pay completely for our own cabins, airfare, pre-cruise hotel, and transportation to each step. 

We decided that the XL Sea Terrace cabins were the best option and had our travel agent book us two close by. We ended up with cabins two doors apart from each other. The XL and the regular Sea Terrace cabins are what Virgin Voyages calls their balcony cabins. The main difference with the XL versus the standard Sea Terrace is that instead of a door where the bathroom starts and the toilet out in the main part of the bathroom, there is no door separating the bathroom from the main cabin space. Privacy is instead offered by moving the toilet into its own little cubicle with a closed door next to the shower stall/cubicle with its own door. Our particular cabins were also ones that could sleep three so it included a large cushion on a base that could be connected to the couch base to allow for two people sleeping in the double bed and one in the single bed that lays against one wall with the rest of the bed's headboard. You can choose to have the double bed converted back into a couch during the day but we both elected to have ours remain beds the entire time. The cushioned extra piece made for a nice spot to toss things after I returned to the cabin for the night and to sit on when I needed to tie my shoes. 

Rarely not being in the same cabin, we wondered pre-cruise how we would keep in touch to make plans for meeting up and attending activities. On the first day, Dad tested out calling between cabins and that worked fine. Later that evening, after we each got the included "Basic" internet enabled, we tested out using iMessage to text each other. This worked as well so we stuck to texting to make plans.

Instead of right and left or starboard versus port when it comes to locating your cabin, on Virgin Voyages your options are you are either on A side or Z side. You check into restaurants by giving your cabin number and they are very specific that you include that A or Z. The numbers themselves are the same on both sides. Usually ships split up the numbers by having all odd or all even cabins on the same side of the ship. Fear not if you forget as they also have your photo and can look up both cabins to confirm. 

The first thing you encounter at your cabin is the interactive door sign. Since Virgin Voyages uses an electronic sensor known as your "wearable" that you wear like a bracelet versus a cruise card or seapass card, everything is reliant on being able to scan this wearable. I appreciated that this version of a wearable is held on by an adjustable rope style bracelet that hooks closed with an anchor charm on the end. It made it easy to take off when I was settled back in my cabin but it also did become loose routinely. At one point, I wrapped it around my crossbody phone bag's strap to avoid having to wear it. But then I kept checking to make sure it was still there and hadn't fallen off. If you are someone like me who doesn't care for wearing something tight like a watch for too long, you can alternatively keep it in a purse or pocket until you need to scan it. You get marked on and off the ship in ports, processed for everything you charge to your onboard account, and enter your cabin by having your wearable scanned. You also scan your wearable if you want to keep track of your slot play in the casino or charge to your onboard account to use in the slot machines. 


At check-in, you can choose which saying you want on your wearable. I couldn't resist the pun and chose "Feelin' Nauti." Then they scan your wearable so it has your account information on it and show you how to put it on. The felt ribbon pictured below it is to show that we have the Deep Blue Extras loyalty perks including priority embarkation.

To unlock your cabin, you put your wearable up against the part of this sign that looks like a central dot and parenthesis radiating out. It will light up green and you hear the click of the cabin lock once it confirms that you are the correctly linked cabin owner. There never seemed to be one right way to get this door sensor to read my wearable. Some days I'd bump it, other days it would take dragging the wearable across the entire sensor. Other days I'd be yelling at it to let me into my cabin because it would take multiple tries of many configurations to finally work. Sometimes it took turning the wearable over so the sensor piece was directly touching the door sensor. Once or twice I'd walk up, raise my wrist ready for battle and it opened right away.


One of the features Dad found entertaining was the fact that each cabin had a doorbell. Not sure I've ever seen that on another cruise ship unless it was a suite cabin. I don't recall whether there was any sort of feature for blinking the lights in your cabin when the doorbell rings for cruisers who may be deaf or hard of hearing. I've seen other cruise lines offer a device that you can put on your cabin door so it recognizes the pressure of a knock and blinks the lights. Perhaps that is something one can request here too. 

The final item on this door sign replaces the typical "Please Make Up My Cabin" or "Please Do Not Disturb" door hanging signs. That white line at the bottom will light up blue if you select the "Make Up My Cabin" button just inside the cabin door and light up red if you choose "Do Not Disturb." At one point, I noticed a couple cabins including Dad's would display as no lights versus the default white light pictured above. We stopped to ask our cabin steward and she said that there was nothing except the two choices of red or blue. 


Top icon that looks like the old door hanging signs is the signal for Do Not Disturb. It lights up red in addition to the line on the outside of your door so you can tell how you have it set without having to open the door. The bottom icon picturing a spilled drink is to request cabin service and it will light up blue. Tapping either button again turns them off and returns the white line to your outside cabin sign. There's been some debate and changes on various lines about whether the cabins get serviced twice a day or only once now. Here, the pattern seemed to be a full clean in the morning with bed making and towel replacing but at night, the only thing noticeably changed was the balcony curtains being drawn. Virgin Voyages, in their efforts to reduce use of plastic and paper, do not put a daily schedule in your cabin each night for the next day. You have to go down to Sailor Services (aka Guest Services) and pick one up if you still want a paper copy.

As a travel blogger, I'm always on the lookout for what kind of accomodations are made for those with a physical disability or limited mobility issues. I love that on lots of cruise ships, they have taken to including the cabin number in Braille. However, I witnessed a cruiser who had a handicap accessible cabin struggle because he had to lift up out of his scooter to reach the sensor. Having the sensor panel lower on the wall for those cabins would have made such a difference. I'm 5'7" and all of the panels were in line with my collarbone.  


Welcome to the inside of my cabin. Standard emergency information and the location of your muster drill on the back of the door. There is a deadbolt knob to turn to lock your door from the inside. Close to the door on the left in these photos is the little black panel with your do not disturb buttons. Continuing on the same wall is the thermostat with basic up and down buttons to make it warmer or colder. I was constantly altering the temperature in my cabin feeling like I was too hot or too cold. Below the thermostat is the light switch for the bathroom. This light switch works all bathroom lights so you need to turn it on whether you're just using the sink or going into one of the toilet/shower cubicles. That could be a slight disruption if you're sharing the cabin as the bathroom main space has no door to block light if you get up during the night to use the bathroom. 

On the opposite wall, there was two large rounded knobs for hanging items. Pictured here is my crossbody purse that I used to carry my phone around the ship. Also handy to hang up your coat or hat for quick grabbing on your way out the door to an excursion. There is an extendable clothesline in the shower stall but it's only as long as the cubicle space and stays damp inside the area if you have the door closed. I tried hanging up my swimsuits to dry on the shower clothesline and they were still damp the next morning. Moved them to hang on these hooks and it worked much better. There is also a full length mirror next to the hooks in addition to a mirror above the bathroom sink and a small one above the desk. 

On a side note - by nature of proximity, any cruise cabin can hear noise from the next door cabin. And always do your research when choosing a cabin as cabins above venues like the theater will have noise late into the evening. However, I had the most noise from other cabins as I think I've ever had on a cruise. Door slams, conversations, cabin TVs - I'm pretty sure my neighbor needed to lay off the spicy food because I heard every bathroom flush. Dad would occasionally hear his neighbor on the other side blasting music in their cabin. I was a little surprised to see someone bring a portable speaker out to the pool deck to play their own music but I have a feeling I know what cabin they had. 


Moving on to standing in front of the bathroom door. In a standard Sea Terrace cabin, the toilet would be where those towels are on the opposite wall. That is not a buck toothed beaver photo on the opposite bathroom wall but instead two more rounded knobs for hanging above the towel rack. The door closest to the towels is the toilet space and opens out toward the towels. The other door is the shower stall and opens out toward the bathroom opening. Both require a step up over the threshold to enter but the bathroom floor itself does not. It is a narrow space in the main bathroom area so you can't easily have the doors open and someone standing at the sink. I found a few times that the toilet door would easily swing open and goose me while standing at the sink but was so tightly hinged that it would slam shut on me as soon as I stepped inside to use the toilet. 

Very little in the way of storage inside the bathroom. A shelf on each side just below the mirror that also held glasses. Part of the shelves were slotted like a soap dish. We had two larger towels on the rack plus two washcloths wrapped around two hand towels left on the counter. A small towel was left on the bottom shelf for spreading out and stepping on when you finished in the shower. I'm not one for doing a lot of primping so the mirror and lighting was plenty for my getting ready needs. I routinely put away my toiletries and in this case stow away the bag so I had plenty of space for my limited storage needs. Ladies who have tons of makeup and skin products etc might find it to be more crowded. The one random thing I found annoying is that the shelf by the faucet is designed to be a mirror image of the shelf on the other side. Fine for aesthetics but every time I lifted the lever to turn on the faucet, I bumped into that glass hanging down. Something tells me the quality checkers for cabin design never tested out using that faucet while a glass was in the slot. 

I found it interesting that while our cabin steward never introduced herself to me, she did so to my Dad since she had to find him his suitcase that evening. (We randomly passed by mine left by itself down by the midship hallway so I delivered it to my own cabin on embarkation day.) Having to occasionally pop into Dad's cabin, I noticed that he had slightly better things like larger brand name bar soap and better water carafes. There were other discrepancies like not having my trash emptied and some evenings where it was clear she hadn't been in at all.

Inside the shower stall there was the clothesline starting on the right wall. A rainshower head and a shower wand were available to use. The top knob on the back wall controlled which showerhead the water came out of with picture representations. To turn the water off totally, you return the knob to its center position. The bottom knob controlled the temperature. There is a grab bar on the side for safety but nothing on the floor for traction. I liked how the dispensers were set up as part of a hanging holder with pump tubes containing body wash, "hair wash" and conditioner. I used the body wash and hair wash and it was good enough to get the job done. The top part of the holder allowed me to keep the bar of soap and my face wash at arm's reach while I showered. It was nice not having to bend down and grab what I needed. The holder even had little hooks underneath to hang up my loofah. Usually I have to hang that from the water on/off knob so that was a nice touch. I admit I'm the kind of person who ends up taking semi long showers but with the rainshower head and the fact that you don't have much space to not be always under the water flow, I became one of those people who can be in and out of a shower in 5 minutes flat. I never felt claustrophobic or like I was constantly bumping against the door or walls. I deem this shower to be very fluffy friendly!



Inside the toilet stall - like the tissues, the toilet paper was environmentally friendly. It reminded me of bamboo with its light brown coloring and rougher texture. I know a cruise ship bathroom is never going to offer Ultra Soft Charmin but let's not take away what little ply a girl can get. Not sure why there needed to be two mounted toilet paper rolls. Unopened rolls were on the bottom shelf two steps away in case you ran low. That shelf was handy for having a place to mount the holders and to hold the sanitary napkin disposal bag supply but it was not handy for my knee and elbow. Seemed like a useless addition to me when a simple mounted holder above the toilet paper holder to house the bags would have sufficed. 


Looking back toward the main part of the cabin with my back to the door.


The other side of the bathroom sink's wall is the "closet" space. These cabins are so narrow like long train boxcars. I can only imagine how much squeezing past each other you'd have to do if you weren't a solo cruiser. There was a lot of give to each wall. I could feel the wall push in to the point that it reacted like a compressed water bottle popping back out. Made me feel like I was contributing to the noise between neighboring cabins because I couldn't help but bump or lean into the wall as I moved around the cabin. 


Immediately to your left after passing into the main part of the cabin is your desk area. Virgin Voyages has a wooden tray like this in every room with two drinking glasses and two carafes of water that get refilled as needed. There is no ice bucket like other cruises. If you want cold water to drink, Dad had the idea of putting one of the carafes inside your cabin's fridge. I tried that a few days into the cruise and the steward brought me a third carafe so there was still always two on the tray. I'm not sure if she ever looked in the fridge to find the other one or just assumed it grew legs and walked out on its own. Note the little seafaring trinket left in the middle of the tray. That's a price tag and you will be charged if you take it home.


In my cabin, the water carafe toppers barely fit inside the bottles. Dad's lids fit so much more snugly because they were long enough to reach the water level inside. Halfway through the cruise, I started noticing how the bottles would no longer pour without spilling down the side. I took to carrying both glass and bottle into the bathroom so I could pour over the sink. 

One funny moment happened when I decided to leave the water carafe I'd had in the fridge out on the tray with the other two since it was almost empty. I had spent some time getting ready in the cabin and had sat down on the cushioned stand opposite the desk to wait the few extra minutes checking my phone before we met back up for dinner. All of a sudden I hear this loud noise and I glance around the cabin trying to figure out what happened. In the time it took me to turn my head back to the desk, I saw the top from the cold water carafe falling back down onto the tray. The act of taking it from a cold space to putting it on the tray in room temperature made the bottle expand just enough to literally flip its lid! 

The fridge could easily fit two of the water carafes (why Virgin doesn't automatically have one in the fridge I don't know) or some bottles if you decide to bring back your beer etc. It however, is not big enough to house one of the pre-made boxed sandwich containers laying flat. I fit it laying sideways inside the door of the fridge. If I had taken the sandwich itself out of the container, than it probably would have fit flat on the bottom.


There is a small stool for sitting at the desk if you need to do some work. The small black trash can has two inserts fit like Trivial Pursuit wedges that show a trash can symbol on one and the recycling symbol on the other. I liked the fact that we could have a hand in recycling and took care to check for the right side when I used up the small toiletry bottles. I learned to double check because the steward would occasionally flip the can the other way when putting it back or a couple times not even bother to empty it.

There was a desk lamp but also lights behind this circular mirror. There are several switches around the room but I never did seem to make sense of what they all controlled. The first night it got so dark when I needed to get up in the middle of the night that I nearly fell over the furniture. I played around with the zoned lighting controls on the tablet and got it to where only the smallest glimmer of light from a far ceiling bulb acted as a nightlight. Could I ever recreate that perfect setting? Nope! Spent many a night after toggling options on the tablet wondering why the room still looked so bright with only this mirror (glowing blue instead of yellow/green) and the lights along the trim above the bed on. There was an option that just said "desk lighting" but half the time it turned off the desk lamp and half the time it didn't. I remember reading on our sailing's Facebook roll call complaining that his neighbor was using the balcony light as a nightlight. I couldn't even tell where a balcony light was on mine. I can only imagine what all my light switch testing and tablet pressing looked like from the outside. Surprised no one came to help thinking I was sending out morse code!

And for all the gadget lovers and those who work on a cruise - here's the outlet options at the desk. The one thing plugged in is the charging cable for the room tablet. Keep in mind, if you need more than one USB port at the desk, you will need to unplug the tablet momentarily. The tablet held a pretty decent charge off its base. I would bring it to sit next to the bed so I could control the TV and the lights during the night and put it back on the charger before I left for breakfast. 


If you'd rather use a regular remote for the TV, you can find it sitting on top of the fridge cabinet tucked under where the desktop overlaps. Otherwise, these room tablets are supposed to control everything in your cabin that is electrical. The top left corner of the screen has a TV on/off button. Next to that says Lights and the two all or nothing options. The bottom choices allow you to toggle between TV watching with free on demand shows and movies as well as a few live TV channels (hope you like BBC) and access your stateroom controls. The two "Virgin Voyages" labeled live TV channel options were the daily schedule listings and the bridge cam footage. I missed having a channel option devoted to showing our sailing progress on a map.

The stateroom controls section had two circular graphics that you could slide back and forth for how much ceiling lighting and how much TV volume level. There was also lighting zone options that referred to turning on and off desk lighting or ambient lighting. There was options for requesting things like cabin service and extra towels etc. One of the perhaps most unique things you can do with the tablet is choose a pre-programmed mood for your cabin. The categories fit with the young clientele such as Photo Shoot, Hangover, and Let's Get It On. Choosing one of these options would alter things like the color of the lights, the amount/intensity of lighting, and whether your balcony curtains opened or closed. 



Each cabin had a phone with instructions printed on it for how to call other cabins. There was also pre-set buttons for calling Sailor Services etc.


This "The Red Book" I either totally glazed over seeing sitting under the phone or it wasn't there at the beginning of the cruise. This little book is in every cabin and gives you a good rundown of how to use the app and what each zone in your room controls. Did I sit down and study it like I was back in school so I could finally learn how to set the lights at night? Nope, that would have been too intelligent of an idea. 



If you turn your back to the bed, you now face the closet area. As you can see, the top cubby fits your assigned lifejackets. Next cubby is the provided pool towels. Next down is your safe which is touchpad code controlled. Word of advice - Dad held onto all of our important documents etc in his safe so I had nothing to put in my safe. As a result, I didn't even consider setting a code to lock it and keep it closed. The steward would pull the curtain closed about 85% of the time after cleaning my cabin. I completely forgot about the safe being open since I couldn't see it behind the curtain and got a nice jab in the arm when I walked by and the ship's rocking made the safe door swing open. Look for my harrowing story on the next episode of "When Cruise Ship Safes Attack! Are You Ever Really Safe From Harm?"

Continuing down the right side of this closet is another open shelf where the hairdryer in a bag sits. I don't use hairdryers so I can't comment on how strong it is. Nice to see that it's not attached to the wall or the desk drawer. Underneath is four shelves. The top two are very shallow - I had to split up my underthings between the two. The bottom two were big enough to hold my few pairs of pants and the dirty t-shirts so I could keep my worn ones separate. The small cubby under the drawers is where I stowed my bathing suits until I wore them. There was only a handful of hangers but I'm sure a request to the steward would have brought more. They are normal hangers that you can easily remove from the closet to hang your clothes. That black thing hanging that looks like a jacket is actually the laundry bag. We status matched with our Elite loyalty level from Princess pre-cruise and got into Virgin's Deep Blue Extras where one of the perks was a bag of laundry included per cabin. Dad chose to send out a bag of laundry mid-cruise and got it back the next day. Everything came back clean and the same size as he sent it out.

There are removable baskets along the top shelf to serve as extra drawers and storage. I didn't use them because knowing me I'd end up forgetting to repack something. Out of sight/out of mind. You can stow your suitcases under the bed (assuming you leave it set up as a bed) but it was easier for me to wheel my suitcase to stand up inside the closet. Plus it took me a day or so to bother unpacking. I chose to use the rest of the closet floor space to hold the laundry bag I took from the hotel which housed my other laundry. I left my three pairs of shoes sitting against the wall by the cushioned stand so they would be nearby when I sat there to put them on. 


Here is what the cushioned stand looked like closed (above) and opened (below). It has a metal bar on the left side that seems to hook up somehow with the metal bar on the end of the couch base. Somehow another mattress lays on the couch side to line up with this cushioned stand to create the third person's bed. This cushioned stand slammed down with the littlest of effort while I was closing it again so watch your fingers if you have one of these in your cabin. 


Here is a better view of the couch base. There are also light switches and plugs on this side so you can access them while sitting on the couch or being the third person in bed. Those three silver lights can be controlled by pulling the chain under each one. In this picture, you can see the track lighting underneath the wood trim above the bed. Celebrity Cruises has similar wood trim boxes above the bed but theirs opens up for storage. This is just for decoration. When the bed is unmade, it doesn't take much to see where the two twin mattresses meet to make a standard king sized bed in cruise cabins. However, this was one of the few full sized put together beds I've been able to sleep in that didn't feel like two separate mattresses. The whole couch to bed configuration had me expecting a futon style mattress sleeping experience but it truly felt like a regular bed. 


That wooden bedside table was light and easily moveable around the room. I could see it coming in handy if you were sitting on the couch but it would be in the way if a second person slept in that bed. I kept it there for the most part and used it to hold my water glass and the tablet each night. Dad chose to move his over by the closet out of the way. 

When you've spent many a night on a sofa bed, you learn the art of getting in and out around the rigid arms of the couch. I mostly slept facing the balcony or on my side spilling over onto the center of the bed. Never came close to bumping that side table. I would spread out the two small pillows to be side to side instead of stacked in front of each other. That rectangular pillow in front caught my OCD tendencies a couple times because I kept thinking it was a red pillowcase that had slid off from the rest of the pillow. In reality, it's an extra layer of red fabric stitched into the pillow 2/3rds of the way across. 


This is how narrow the space is to move between the foot of the bed and the wall where the TV is mounted. Even with doing the sideways shimmy shake I couldn't help banging my Italian booty into the wall a few times.

This removable wooden tray was probably meant for several uses but I always slid it up against the headboard. Then it became the perfect place to charge my phone at night and hold it still but within reach on the tray. I like to be able to check the time when I wake up during the night so often keep my phone by my bed when traveling. Also with the tray pushed up, there was just enough room left on the arm of the couch to hold my personal tablet when I was done playing games etc to wind down before bed. 

And on to my favorite part of any balcony and above cruise cabin! Has anyone ever watched Mighty Cruise Ships where they cover a specific sailing on a cruise ship showcasing everything from certain passenger stories to behind the scenes crew activity? The narrator on that show always refers to a balcony as not only a terrace but pronounces it with the accent on the last syllable. So instead of "terris" it sounds like "ter ass." Now I can't see the word terrace like on this sign without hearing "ter ass" in my head. I think these switches were partly to control the balcony curtains but I couldn't quite figure it out. I probably undid something along the way pressing the buttons over and over. 


I had just read a statement from Carnival Cruise Line Ambassador John Heald insisting that keeping your balcony door open to hear the waves or enjoy the ocean breeze will not affect the air conditioning. Guess Virgin Voyages didn't get the memo? I do like the fact that they felt the need to add "opened AND unlocked" to this sign on the balcony door. If you can manage to have your balcony door opened AND locked, I'm sure Virgin Voyages would likely hire you as their next illusionist magician. 


The balcony curtain setup had this layer directly in front of the balcony door that was thicker serving as a blackout curtain. It was on a motorized track as part of the tablet settings so the littlest tug at the top would get it opening on its own. One of the features of the cabin is that it will automatically turn the lights on when you open the main door to enter the cabin. Not sure if that's a setting but I can see how your cabin mate who went to bed early might be peeved by that. I also noticed maybe about 3 out of 5 times, the thicker curtains would move apart as well. I often would open them anyway since I liked to see the ocean when I wake up in the morning. 


You also had the option of using just these more sheer curtains to block a little light or give privacy. I found myself having to play a few rounds of curtain ninja trying to get back out from the sheer curtain after moving apart the thick curtain.


Seeing as this is an adults only cruise line, I won't make my usual comments about children and balcony safety. However, there is still a little locking latch in the middle of the two glass panes. Just in case you're traveling with someone who sleepwalks or someone who tells you that you didn't need dessert.


There are a few balcony/Sea Terrace cabins on Valiant Lady (and probably also Scarlet Lady) on several decks that don't have the famous red hammock. They also have metal railings instead of the see through glass. Taken from Cruise Critic - the list of cabins without hammocks are as follows: 

Deck 9 - 9366 A & Z, 9370 A & Z, 9374 A &Z. 
Deck 10 - 10354 A &Z, 10358 A & Z, 10362 A & Z, 10366 A & Z, 10370 A & Z. 
Deck 11 - 11286 Z, 11346 A & Z, 11350 A & Z, 11354 A & Z, 11358 A & Z, 11362 A & Z, 11366 A & Z, 11368 A & Z. 
Deck 12 - 12338 A & Z, 12342 A & Z, 12346 A & Z, 12350 A & Z, 12354 A & Z.


The balcony is fairly spacious and the width and depth seemed to be uniform across all of the Sea Terrace cabins in my area. There is plenty of room to step out without having to move furniture to the side, especially since this is a sliding door versus opening out like some older ships. I researched online pre-cruise to confirm that I was below the hammock's weight limit. However, among the many things I learned on this cruise experience, I also confirmed that I am not coordinated enough to get into a hammock. My multiple tries and tests of whether it would support all this gorgeous fluffiness was hindered by the visions of me flipping right back out and cracking open my head with no one around to help. Don't think that's the kind of Scarlet Night decor Virgin Voyages was expecting.



Dad tried out his hammock and said while it was tough to get in and out of, (he's even less coordinated) it was comfortable to relax in. You will most likely momentarily lose the use of the chair on that side unless you want the hammock person's outstretched legs in your lap. Or of course if you want to be practical about it, move the chair to sit next to the other one. None of the balcony furniture was heavy or too bulky to move around as you desired. Just don't use it to get up on the balcony rail no matter how many rounds of free drinks the Happenings Cast bestows upon you!


As someone who has experienced a variety of balcony furniture, I commend Virgin Voyages on being the first I've seen to offer chairs without arms! While they are metal with no cushions, they were still comfortable. I found myself coming out to the balcony routinely to enjoy the fresh air and watch the water. 

Did I miss not having a lounger to stretch out on? One of the extra perks of not having to share a cabin is that no one complains when you line up all three pieces of balcony furniture to make your own lounger!


The view from my self made lounger wasn't too shabby either!


Our balconies had a nice view of the glass panel portion of the bridge wing. This panel is used by the bridge crew so they can see where the side of the ship is in relation to the pier while docking. I stepped out on a port day to watch the sail in and spotted one of the bridge officers standing on the panel. Thanks for the game of footsie!


Thank you for tuning in to my XL Sea Terrace on Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady cabin tour walkthrough! More to come including plenty of food porn photos. 

Sunset At Sea - you in the next post!



Sunday, January 15, 2023

Escargot and Au Revoir!

Today was our last full and only originally intended sea day as we made our way from Halifax back to New York. Sea days can be great because it gives a cruiser a little more freedom to be as lazy as they wish. No port tour to wake up early for or be rushing to get ready for dinner when you return. While some may opt for sun worshipping by the pool (we finally got a day with sun) we opted to partake of the ship's scheduled activities. 



Stanley is very proud of the medal his designated putter won for him at Goofy Golf.


After a fun round of TV Theme Tunes trivia (don't worry Corey, we won't tell the Captain about your Baywatch impersonation), we decided to check out Deal or No Deal. We opted for the four card deal and was charged $50 to our account. The cards have a bar code that is scanned at purchase so it gets associated with your name. A bar code is selected by the computer program determining who gets to come up on stage to play. Even if your name isn't selected, you use the same cards to play along at your seat. If the numbered case on your card that is called by the player on stage matches the amount that was also in their case, that counts as a single match for you. The more matches you make during these several rounds of on stage play, you move up in the ranks earning bigger prizes. It can get a little confusing when you use the same cards over and over so it was nice to have the computer program reveal the match rankings after each round for you. After the games on stage are all done, you can line up to get your card scanned by the bar code again where the crew will tell you and dispense what you've won. Between our four cards, we made enough matches to move up to the free bingo card pack. Due to this being our last day, the only bingo game to use the card left in the cruise was happening minutes after Deal or No Deal ended. I don't normally participate in bingo and despite not winning anything at Bingo, I wish we had the option of choosing the lower rank item instead. We did learn that the reserved theater seat covers our SEM marked for us during the evening shows stays there during the day as well. We just so happened to choose to sit there for the game but the SEM doesn't normally save seats for daytime events.


Tonight we took advantage of the specialty dining credit that Silvio and Princess Cruises gifted us back on our first night. When we planned our reservations with Thor pre-cruise, we decided to use our then two dining credits on restaurants we loved in the past rather than try the new options. Now with this extra gift, we made sure to choose the new to us specialty restaurant called Bistro Sur La Mer. Another great asset of having our SEM April is that there was no issue getting a restaurant reservation once on board. We normally don't jump for joy when we think of visiting a French restaurant, especially Mr. Picky Eater, but we appreciated the opportunity to try something new. Check out the menu on Princess' website here. The cover charge would have been $29 per person for this sailing. 

One of the things cruisers complain about the Bistro Sur La Mer dining experience is that it is located right along the open Piazza so your meal's musical accompaniment is whatever is being held in the Piazza. It is also open to the walkway for that deck so if you don't have a window table in the back, there's routinely people walking past your table. Except for having to repeat myself occasionally when music kicked up, it wasn't that bothersome. We were seated at one of a couple round tables that could seat several people versus the two to four top tables closer to the center of the space. It reminded me of that center of attention table for the bride and groom at weddings but it also had us just enough out of the way that we'd have spurts of great service and then ignored for a while. We'd stop a passing waiter who had to go past us to the crew doors and service would be more attentive again for a bit. A couple times we stopped whomever walked by to ask for more bread or a drink refill and they said sure only to not come back. The crew was very attentive to the close tables in the center and back by the windows so I'd suggest asking for one of those instead. 


The premise of Bistro Sur La Mer's menu is that it features a seafood themed list of options (shown on the menu as La Mer)  for each course and a land based list of options (La Terre). Good for seafood and meat lovers like myself and seafood avoiders like Dad to dine together. Everyone gets a welcome dish to start that is composed of Frites de Polenta Aux Herbes (polenta fries with fresh herbs) and Comme des Olives Vertes et Noires Chèvre (fresh goat cheese "olives", black and green.) The fact that the goat cheese is rolled in something that makes it look like a whole green or black olive does get to some diners who assume they won't like it because they don't like olives. Two dipping sauces are also provided. I tried all three items and the only thing that I didn't like was the black olives because they had some sort of spice coating them. Those polenta fries were delightful! Another plate worth was offered but I forced myself to turn it down so I'd have room for everything else. 


One of the things I did ask for seconds on was these amazing breadsticks! They were soft and airy but also buttery with a little sea salt. Can we get a case of these shipped to my house?


I first tried escargot on a cruise and loved it so I was really interested in trying the Cromesquis d'escargot ail et fines herbes (Crispy escargot in panko bread crumbs, garlic and fresh herbs). This appetizer hasn't been getting many rave reviews but I give it an 8 out of 10. It is a bit of a texture difference where you have to crunch through the coating to get that burst of garlic butter taste. Some of the pieces had less garlic taste than the others but I could easily see myself partaking of a whole bowl worth of these little poppers. 

Dad went with the Salade de Saison (hard boiled egg, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, black olives, extra-virgin olive oil vinaigrette, optional: ahi tuna and/or anchovies). He asked to leave out the black olives and of course opted out of the ahi tuna and/or anchovies. He enjoyed the salad but wished he could have had his typical ranch or blue cheese dressing instead. Have to make it so he can't actually see or taste any of these vegetables after all.

While the menu instructions direct you to choose one choice for each course with a note at the bottom cautioning that any extra mains chosen will incur a $10 charge just like the other specialty restaurants onboard, I once again was able to try two main dishes without the extra charge. That may not be the case for anyone else so don't be surprised if you see a charge. I love scallops so I wanted to try the St. Jacques roties, aux petits legumes beurre citron (Roasted jumbo scallops, assorted garden vegetables, lemon butter sauce) from the La Mer side of the menu. Other cruisers have hated this dish because they felt the scallops were too small and the diced up vegetables on the side reminded them of school cafeteria food. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my experience was not like theirs. The scallops were truly jumbo sized, cooked to the point of tasting caramelized but still have a bite to them. The vegetable medley was fresh and the little side of rice that unexpectedly came with it was tasty.


The other main that Dad chose as well was the Filet of Boeuf Poele, compotee d' oignons doux, jus au vin rouge, frites (Beef filet mignon, sweet onion saute, red wine jus, and hand-cut fries) from the La Terre side of the menu. It was at this point of our meal that April stopped by to check in and we got to enjoying our chat so much that she had to remind me to eat. Before I knew it, our plates were empty and I'd completely forgotten to take a picture first. You'll just have to picture a plate of beef and onion sauce yumminess that was so tender it melts in your mouth in your imaginations until you can experience it for yourselves. :)

One of the items we discussed, other than how to sneak April home in our carry on luggage, is our plans for debark the next morning. All suites on Princess get the perk of priority debark on the last day which normally means sitting in a pre-reserved lounge with light refreshments until you are led to the front of the line to scan out for that last time. After COVID, that became more of being able to wait in your cabin until your disembarkation zone was called so no one was congregating in a crowded space. As Sky Suite passengers with the use of our SEM, we were instructed to keep our luggage with us (no leaving it outside your door for pickup by a certain time the night before like everyone else) and meet her in the comfort of the cabin when she came to get us at our chosen time. We chose not to try and find breakfast this final morning so we stayed in the cabin. Shortly before our agreed upon time, crew members were waiting out in the elevator lobby with luggage carts for both of the Sky Suites to be ready to leave. Once they saw me open our cabin door, they hopped right up offering to take the bags. The other Sky Suite, which had several inhabitants, wasn't quite ready yet so April asked us to relax in the cabin for a few extra minutes. Soon they were ready and once again April pushed to have us let her carry our other items. All of us Sky Suite guests climbed into the elevator with April and she used her key card to bypass the other decks. Once in the terminal, she led us to another elevator where we all crammed inside. One of the other gentleman made a joke about how they can't possibly fit all the people listed on the max capacity sign in this elevator. April joked that they could if all of the people were her tiny size. Once on the main level of the terminal, April led us straight to an open customs station which turned out to be simply a facial recognition scan that we used one by one. The crew rejoined us outside with our luggage having taken another elevator and April insisted on staying with us until our rides arrived. Once we spotted the Uber we had ordered, April rushed over to get the driver's attention and help again with our bags. 

While the medallion did have its issues with ordering via the app, it worked great in all other aspects such as saving time at embark/debark purchasing items in the shops, and getting on/off in port. I would gladly cruise with this technology again, perhaps next time seeking out the clip or recycled sports band so I don't risk dipping the long lanyard into my food anymore. 

Was the Sky Suite worth the price and would I sail in one again? Yes and yes! It's a great option for multiple family members or even multiple couples as was the case in the other Sky Suite on this sailing. If another opportunity comes around, I'd choose to splurge on such a cabin during a sailing to a warmer climate so there is more opportunity to enjoy the balcony and those included balcony meals. I'd also like to have the chance again to partake of the Enclave because next time I won't let someone forget their bathing suit! 

A big thank you to April, Silvio, Thor, Florin, Alice, Marcus, Corey, Niki, Jayson, Rafael, and all the rest of the Princess crew who work so hard all over the ship to keep the passengers happy. While we didn't get to meet and chat with everyone to thank them in person, please know that we appreciate all that you do to make cruising such an enjoyable experience for all the guests. 


As the sun sets on another cruise report, I thank you, the reader, for sticking with me until this point. I've got several cruises booked over this new year and next trying new lines, new ships, new ports, and you better believe new restaurants and foods. I hope you'll continue to join me on these adventures and share these tips and experiences with your friends and family to help plan your next trip. Until then, Bon Voyage, safe travels, and enjoy the journey.

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

My Compliments to the Chef!

I was glad to work off a lot of calories walking Halifax during the day because this night we were gifted a unique luxury experience found on cruises known as The Chef's Table, or Chef's Table Lumiere as it is known specifically on Princess' Royal Class ships like Enchanted. This was a culinary experience we had never experienced on any cruise line. It is an upcharge experience of $115 per person and includes a set menu arranged by the Executive Chef as well as the wine pairings the chef has chosen to pair with each course. It is also a limited availability experience with reservations only available to be made once on board. We would like to thank our SEM April and Princess Cruises for gifting us this experience for Dad's birthday. I would also like to thank April for saving us a trip to Guest Services on disembarkation morning when a charge for Chef's Table showed up overnight before that last morning on each of our onboard charge accounts.

Chef's Table Lumiere is a unique experience partly because it is limited to twelve participants for each one held. It raises the bar to give you more than simply a dinner in the main dining room with a set menu. The pomp and circumstance that surrounds each step of this dinner is as exciting as the food. While it is a set menu, April took care of alerting the culinary team about Dad not eating seafood. He was provided equally as delectable alternatives and is still raving about his main course. We are not champagne or wine drinkers so we were replenished with still and sparkling water and Sprite as fast as we could drink it. 

In the past, this experience also included an escorted walk by the Director of Restaurant Operations through the galley where passengers would partake of appetizers and a champagne toast. Due to the few remaining COVID restrictions, this part was not available for us. It was announced by Silvio during the dinner with his apologies. He then happily announced that this was the first cruise since the shutdown that they would be allowed to offer the free galley tour to all passengers that is usually held after the cooking demonstration show in the theater. Anyone who chose to participate would have to do so wearing masks and gloves. I heard later from future cruisers that a couple weeks after our cruise, they started allowing the offered bridge tour for Sky Suites with the same precautions. I hope in the future that I'll be on a cruise with that opportunity as well. 


Chef's Table Lumiere dinner starts with a letter from the Executive Chef (in our case Executive Chef Florin Dragan) left in your cabin inviting you to attend with instructions about where and when to meet the Director of Restaurant Operations. This evening, I finally broke out the dress as this is considered a formal affair. It added to the feeling of exclusivity when we arrived at the lounge and were approved to be on the list and let inside by the crew member watching the door. We met up with our ten other tablemates seated at tables by the door and chatted until Silvio arrived. 

After a brief introduction and explanation, Silvio led us down to one of the main dining rooms and past the other diners to the large table in the center of the room surrounded by a shimmering curtain of light. I could hear another passenger remark "Oh I know what they're doing!" as we were paraded past. We followed Silvio's instructions to have each female take a chair while the gentlemen stood behind them for a group picture with him and Executive Chef Florin Dagan. We all oohed as the curtain of light closed in around us. Once the ship photographer took our group picture, we were directed to find our assigned seats with printed name cards. Then the photographer took pictures of each "couple" with Silvio and Florin. These photos as well as printed versions of tonight's menu were left in our cabin later in the cruise.





Champagne was poured for all and after Florin was introduced, Silvio led the group in a toast. Dad took the opportunity to also propose a toast to the wonderful crew that has worked so hard and treated us so well which was met with resounding echoes of approval from the rest of the table. A good part of this experience that lends to its magical feeling is the way each course is presented. Each diner has a crew member from the wait staff who brings out the courses covered in silver cloches. They come out in a parade of their own to stand behind each diner holding the cloche until given the instruction to place them all at once on the table in front of us. A new chorus of oohs and ahhs is heard around the table as the cloche lids are lifted all at once and the Executive Chef explains what is in each dish once revealed. The wait staff then reverses course and parades out while we partake. Both Silvio and Chef Florin hung around to check in, answer questions, and add to the easy flow of conversation but weren't intrusive. 

As we did not sample any of the wine options, I will list them here in the order shown on the menu:

Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label from Champagne, France

Silverado Sauvignon  Blanc from Napa Valley, California, USA

Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, California, USA

Prunotto Moscato d'Asti from Piedmont, Italy


One of the first things those in the culinary industry will point out is that you eat just as much with your eyes as you do with your mouth. Chef's Table Lumiere does lean more toward the fancy gourmet appearance of food with multiple courses. As a result, some dishes will be composed of multiple small bites.


Our first course was a tray of three squares. The first square held a small bite size portion of Sashimi Salmon Tataki with Yuzu Dressing. The second square held a Burrata Mousse with tomato and basil. The third square held a Dry Aged Beef Tartar. I tried each of the three though I don't normally care for salmon or anything tartar. The Burrata Mousse served as mozzarella inside a tiny cherry tomato was both visually and gustatorially pleasing. 


Our next course was a Panko Coated Black Tiger Shrimp. It had a slightly spicy dipping sauce. Can't go wrong with shrimp in my book.


The next course was Homemade Tortellini described as Homemade Fresh Ravioli with Mascarpone Cheese and Spinach.  I'm pretty sure pasta and cheese are my love language.


As a palate cleanser before our main course, we were served these tall martini style glasses with a scoop of Raspberry Sorbet sprinkled with crack pepper. Everyone else took advantage of the planned dish's addition of Grey Goose Vodka which was poured over the sorbet once served. They were encouraged to drink the contents once the sorbet was consumed. We opted to eat the sorbet sans vodka and the crack pepper made for an interesting taste sensation since it wasn't diluted. 


Our main course for everyone but Dad was a Duet of Lobster Tail & Filet of Angus Beef with Lemon Foam & Chanterelle Burgundy Sauce, Roasted Beets and Grilled Vegetables. The lobster tail was already removed from its shell and wrapped in a sort of fried bean sprouts blanket. It was an interesting but delightful contradiction where the same bite had a crunchy layer followed by a tender layer. Dad's entree paired the filet with lamb chops instead. We both agreed that his lamb chops were much better than the lamb we'd had at Sabatini's. Dad couldn't stop raving about his lamb chops. I think if he could have found a way to sneak some home, he would have.


Our next round was Goat Cheese Mousse Mille-Feuille with Caramelized Onion and a Port Wine Reduction. The salty and savory combo in this Saltine like cracker sandwich was delightful.


Our dessert course of Milk Chocolate Mousse with Hazelnut Cremeux looked like modern art on a plate. We all delighted in the whimsical presentation. Coffee and Tea was offered while our dessert was complimented by a small plate per person of Chef Florin's Homemade Gourmandises. I was impressed with how each person had been given a differently shaped piece of chocolate in addition to the truffle and chocolate covered strawberry on these small plates. 


As the dinner came to a close, each female passenger was gifted a long stemmed flower to take away. We all shared our approval and thanks with Chef Dragan before saying our goodbyes to each other. If you decide to partake of this experience on your cruise, plan to not have time for much else the rest of the evening. Thankful for the Sky Suite perk of reserved theater seats, we went straight from Chef's Table Lumiere to the theater for the 10PM show.