tidefan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2007
I’ll throw in my .02, why not…
First off, we love DCL, we really do. I am Platinum and DW is already Pearl.
We also love cruising in general. We have sailed most major cruise lines a number of times, though admittedly, we have not sailed either NCL or Celebrity.
As I am writing this. I am currently on Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady. This is my 4th Virgin Voyages cruise, and honestly, it is quickly becoming our favorite line (though we like DCL as mentioned before as well as Princess). Virgin is unique among lines in many ways that I think the OP may enjoy.
First, it is an 18+ cruise. You definitely notice the absence of children and teens.
Second, most everything sans alcohol is included upfront, including all gratuities. You never are expected to tip anywhere on the ship. Your fare is higher upfront and that goes into paying the crew a much better wage so that they do not have to be dependent on tips. I know this is a more "British" way of doing things (thanks Richard Branson!), but I much prefer it. Additionally, this extends to everything. For instance, when one buys a $10 cocktail at a bar, it really only costs you $10, not $11.80 (after adding an 18% gratuity). This also means you don't have to sign for everything, which I also enjoy (Princess has this feature as well if you do their "Plus" package).
Third, Wifi is included in your fare. And it works.
Fourth, there is no MDR, but there is also no "upcharge" Specialty Dining. It's all Specialty Dining, and it's all included. Also, soft drinks are included, such as on DCL.
Fifth, like Princess, Virgin utilizes an RFID enabled wearable as your roomkey, etc. All you have to do is tap.
Sixth, there is a hammock on every balcony. Before our first VV cruise, i had thought it a gimmick, but it really is amazing and makes me wonder why more lines dont have them.
Seventh, all in-room Movie options are included (and a big library to choose from!). None of that $12 to watch a Movie in your stateroom (looking at you, RCCL).
Eighth, the "private island" area Beach Club at Bimini is very well done. I line that it incorporates pools very well. The food is amazing on-island as well. Additionally, you can use your…
Ninth, the "Bar Tab". VV does not have a drink package. You can either purchase or through promotion acquire a Bar Tab that can be used for drinks. On our current cruise, we had $300 in promotions for our Bar Tab. What is nice about this is that, unlike lines where you feel you have you drink as much as you can to get your money's worth, you can just go about what you normally would do. So, for instance, on a port day, where you are not on the ship that much, you may not even have one drink. However, that means you may not feel as bad splurging on that bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape the next night…
Tenth, the shows are great, and dare I say, IMHO, Duel Reality is the best show on any ship I've been on. (If you are wondering, the honor of the worst show I've ever seen on a ship…. that goes to CATS on Oasis OTS)…
Eleventh, as a child of the 1980's, i very much appreciate that they put an Arcade on each ship. And I appreciate that all those machines are free. Yes, you can recapture your youth on a tabletop Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga machine!
Finally, and quite frankly the biggest differentiator about VV is the quality of the food. I'm not saying it's Victoria and Albert's or something like that, but it is consistently very good to excellent. Everything is freshly prepared. Even the buffet area is not a buffet, but rather more of a food court idea where
you have the food made for you there.
I will say, that as much as we have cone to like Virgin, it's probably not for everyone, but I'd definitely give it a try. I'll also back up what a number of posters have said about DCL in that you may have a very different experience on the Magic/Wonder. FWIW, the Magic is our favorite DCL ship and much of that is due to the layout and how it handles crowds.
All this said, everyone's tastes are
different, so you really just have to make your own decisions about what you like and dont like.
First off, we love DCL, we really do. I am Platinum and DW is already Pearl.
We also love cruising in general. We have sailed most major cruise lines a number of times, though admittedly, we have not sailed either NCL or Celebrity.
As I am writing this. I am currently on Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady. This is my 4th Virgin Voyages cruise, and honestly, it is quickly becoming our favorite line (though we like DCL as mentioned before as well as Princess). Virgin is unique among lines in many ways that I think the OP may enjoy.
First, it is an 18+ cruise. You definitely notice the absence of children and teens.
Second, most everything sans alcohol is included upfront, including all gratuities. You never are expected to tip anywhere on the ship. Your fare is higher upfront and that goes into paying the crew a much better wage so that they do not have to be dependent on tips. I know this is a more "British" way of doing things (thanks Richard Branson!), but I much prefer it. Additionally, this extends to everything. For instance, when one buys a $10 cocktail at a bar, it really only costs you $10, not $11.80 (after adding an 18% gratuity). This also means you don't have to sign for everything, which I also enjoy (Princess has this feature as well if you do their "Plus" package).
Third, Wifi is included in your fare. And it works.
Fourth, there is no MDR, but there is also no "upcharge" Specialty Dining. It's all Specialty Dining, and it's all included. Also, soft drinks are included, such as on DCL.
Fifth, like Princess, Virgin utilizes an RFID enabled wearable as your roomkey, etc. All you have to do is tap.
Sixth, there is a hammock on every balcony. Before our first VV cruise, i had thought it a gimmick, but it really is amazing and makes me wonder why more lines dont have them.
Seventh, all in-room Movie options are included (and a big library to choose from!). None of that $12 to watch a Movie in your stateroom (looking at you, RCCL).
Eighth, the "private island" area Beach Club at Bimini is very well done. I line that it incorporates pools very well. The food is amazing on-island as well. Additionally, you can use your…
Ninth, the "Bar Tab". VV does not have a drink package. You can either purchase or through promotion acquire a Bar Tab that can be used for drinks. On our current cruise, we had $300 in promotions for our Bar Tab. What is nice about this is that, unlike lines where you feel you have you drink as much as you can to get your money's worth, you can just go about what you normally would do. So, for instance, on a port day, where you are not on the ship that much, you may not even have one drink. However, that means you may not feel as bad splurging on that bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape the next night…
Tenth, the shows are great, and dare I say, IMHO, Duel Reality is the best show on any ship I've been on. (If you are wondering, the honor of the worst show I've ever seen on a ship…. that goes to CATS on Oasis OTS)…
Eleventh, as a child of the 1980's, i very much appreciate that they put an Arcade on each ship. And I appreciate that all those machines are free. Yes, you can recapture your youth on a tabletop Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga machine!
Finally, and quite frankly the biggest differentiator about VV is the quality of the food. I'm not saying it's Victoria and Albert's or something like that, but it is consistently very good to excellent. Everything is freshly prepared. Even the buffet area is not a buffet, but rather more of a food court idea where
you have the food made for you there.
I will say, that as much as we have cone to like Virgin, it's probably not for everyone, but I'd definitely give it a try. I'll also back up what a number of posters have said about DCL in that you may have a very different experience on the Magic/Wonder. FWIW, the Magic is our favorite DCL ship and much of that is due to the layout and how it handles crowds.
All this said, everyone's tastes are
different, so you really just have to make your own decisions about what you like and dont like.
