Slow Travel 101 - My Monthly Comments on Cruising

Saturday, August 15, 2026

How do Cruise Lines' "All Inclusive" packages compare with each other?

Norwegian Gem

(Courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Lines)

A while back, I questioned whether NCL still provided one of the best bangs per buck in the cruise industry. With only the basic Free at Sea (once named "More at Sea", and structured slightly differently), I could argue that NCL no longer provided the best value in cruising. With the enhanced package (Free at Sea Plus / FAS+), I am forced to reconsider my position, having sailed on several cruise lines in the past year.

In certain ways, I am comparing apples to oranges with cruise line offerings from NCL, Princess, Holland America, MSC and Celebrity, due to package features being different in each of these areas:

Gratuities: Some cruise lines' "All Inclusive" packages include pre-paid gratuities as part of the fare package.
Internet: Some cruise lines provide only non-streaming Wi-Fi, while others provide streaming Wi-Fi. Additionally, at least one of these lines offers multiple devices per person to be in use at the same time.
Casual/Specialty Dining Options.
Shore Excursion Discounts (purchased through the cruise line).
Other Benefits (Photographs, Express Embarkation/Debarkation, etc.)

For the most part, I will assume that 2 people are sharing a cabin, and that they are moderate drinkers who like taking an occasional shore excursion or two as a couple, and who use the ship's Wi-Fi to access the internet during the cruise. This allows me to compare some subtle differences between how NCL implements its Premium FAS+ package vs. other lines' fare packages, to determine whether NCL's package provides good value for money spent.

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Gratuities:

Of the 5 lines noted above, only 2 include "Gratuities" in their premium fares: NCL Free at Sea Plus and Princess Premier/Princess Plus. (Note: Princess Premier is used for comparisons in this post.) Additionally, has Holland America included gratuities in its "Have it All" fares for early bookings. However, I am not treating "Have it All" as including gratuities, as this benefit is not available throughout the time a cruise can be booked. For simplicity, I consider this a $20/day benefit, although this figure will vary between cruise line and cabin type.

I expect that the major cruise lines will continue to experiment with the inclusion of pre-paid gratuities in their fare packages. As I write this entry, Holland America is adding pre-paid gratuities to some of its cruises when the "Have it All" fare package is selected. However, Virgin Voyages has discontinued the inclusion of pre-paid gratuities. Hopefully, more cruise lines will include pre-paid gratuities in their all-inclusive packages in the future, as this gives the cruiser a better idea of the money s/he is required to spend for the cruise.

Drinks:

Each cruise line prices its drinks differently and imposes realistic, but generous limits on the number of alcoholic beverages one can purchase. (This limit is usually 15 adult beverages per day) To make things simple, I value beverage packages at $35/day, even though individual components may be valued differently by each cruise line. From what I can tell, only one line (Holland America) limits the total number of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages combined to 15 beverages per day. Additionally, NCL also includes coffees from their onboard Starbucks outlets in this price.

Given the litigiousness of many American cruisers, I expect that cruise lines will put more limits on their "unlimited" drink packages. For most of us, the limits will not be onerous, but the amount paid for a ceiling on beverage costs may be so.

Internet:

Most of these "All Inclusive" packages include internet access. But, the internet access included in these premium fare packages varies greatly. One will note that I don't consider NCL's basic "Free at Sea" fare packages as "All-Inclusive", as it only provides 150 minutes of Wi-Fi time. Instead, I consider the "Free at Sea Plus" as NCL's all-inclusive offering, as it includes both a drink package, gratuities, and unlimited internet for a single device.

The majority of the cruise lines offering these all-inclusive packages incorporate non-streaming internet access in their packages for a single device at a time. However, MSC also limits its package tor use on a single device for the cruise (and not a single device being logged on at a time during the cruise). On the other hand, Princess, in its Princess Premier fare package, provides streaming access for up to 4 devices at a time. As a result, one should make sure of how much internet is provided as part of the fare packages before booking a cruise.

Specialty Dining:

Included specialty dining (extra charge venues) varies greatly as well. Celebrity and MSC provide no specialty dining in their fare packages. NCL and Holland America provide a number of "free" specialty meals in their fare packages depending on the length of the cruise, while Princess gives an unlimited number of specialty meals in their restaurants in its package.

On some cruise lines (e.g. Virgin Voyages), the standard quality of complimentary restaurant food equals that of other cruise lines. On other cruise lines, choosing a specialty dining package is the only way to insure that one has a good meal. I expect that the cruise lines will soon actively compete in their specialty restaurant food offerings as a way to provide "elevated" experiences to cruisers who want special treats while onboard their ships.

Shore Excursion Discounts:

And finally, Celebrity and MSC provide no shore excursion discounts; NCL provides a $50 per port discount to the first cruiser in the cabin; while Princess and Holland America provides shore excursion credits of $100, $200, and $300 depending on the length of the cruise.

Based on the above chart developed in December 2025 (download here), the top 2 package values come from NCL and Princess, now that NCL has enhanced its basic "Free at Sea" offering with "Free at Sea Plus." I consider that having a streaming internet package with at least 1 device which can be logged on at a time is essential. Although Princess's package is priced $22 more than NCL's package, I consider that being able to eat more specialty meals on the cruise evens the value of these packages for most people. Holland America's package provides decent value, but I don't like the effective limit on non-alcoholic beverages. Finally, Celebrity and MSC are at the bottom of my value list, as I'd have to buy extras to get the value provided by NCL, Princess and Holland America's packages.

Conclusion:

Please note that these fare packages can and will be changed without notice. When we signed up for one Princess cruise under a former set of package inclusions, the Princess Premier package included unlimited specialty desserts, 2 specialty restaurant meals. and was priced $20 less than they charged for the Premier package at the time of our sailing. We were grandfathered in with the benefits originally included in our package. So, if you see a cruise and fare package with benefits you like and can afford, do so quickly, so that you can lock everything in before possible changes can take place.

Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Valiant Lady (Virgin) - Bermuda Triangle Cruise Review (04/16/26 - 04/25/26)

(Valiant Lady - Courtesy of Virgin Voyages)

The Valiant Lady is the sister ship to Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady. It has a capacity of 2,770 passengers and usually sails both European and Caribbean itineraries.

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When we first booked this cruise, our ship was set to sail from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Soon afterwards, we received a notice that the cruise port would change from Brooklyn to the Manhattan cruise terminal. This was a more convenient choice for us, as we could catch a cab to the train station, and then take a cab from Grand Central to the cruise terminal.

Several months later, i read somewhere that Manhattan's Pier 90 was now unsafe for use. I didn't think much on it until I received a notice from Virgin that told us that the cruise would now sail from the Brooklyn cruise terminal. This would be a little more of a pain in the *** for us, but not one which made our lives that much more difficult. (We just hate the traffic jams in Downtown Brooklyn and try to avoid them, if possible.) So now we'd have to reserve an Uber for the trip and hope that traffic moves quickly (for Brooklyn).

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This cruise was booked when Virgin included gratuities in its fares. If booked today, the same cruise would incur $20/day in mandated gratuities. We added Streaming Wi-Fi, which was priced $30/day, so our total cost per person was $1611.00.

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Ground Transit:

Since the cruise now departed from Brooklyn, our staging plans changed to make it easier to reach the ship. We used an Uber to get from my travel partner's house to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

Travel to the cruise terminal normally takes 45-60 minutes. This time, it took a little longer than usual, given that there was some disruption on the BQE, and slow traffic on the side streets leading to the cruise terminal. We left at 12:45 pm, aiming for a 1:30 pm arrival. But we didn't get to the terminal until 1:50 pm. So, our advice to others trying to get to ships in Brooklyn would be to leave early and be willing to deal with the shorefront mess.

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Embarkation

Normally, embarkation is a simple process: Arrive at the ship, pass through security, get one's key card (or RFID chip Medallion/Wrist Band), and board the ship. Virgin handles things a little differently than what we were accustomed to.

Most cruise lines give cruisers assigned arrival times, but do not usually enforce them religiously. This is different for Virgin. We saw people scheduled to arrive at 2:45 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:15 pm, and 3:30 pm being told to wait outside the terminal because they arrived early. Given that we arrived at roughly 2:00 pm, we expected to wait a little, but were allowed to enter at this time.

Unlike our recent experience with Cunard at the same terminal, it took a while for us to snake through security and then reach the check-in counter. We reached it at 2:38, and the lady manning the station made a comment that we were late. (Typical New Yorker with an attitude!) She then had problems attaching Virgin's wristlet holding the RFID token that I'd be wearing throughout the cruise. (Doesn't Virgin know how to accommodate larger wrists?) And, after 50 minutes or so, we were finally on the ship.

But there was one more thing to trip us up - the wristlet. We didn't know that it had to be touched to a certain part of the panel associated with the door to get in to our cabin. We had to ask the cabin attendant to show us what to do. (And, even then, my cruise partner had trouble with her wristlet.)

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Stateroom

(Balcony Stateroom - Courtesy of Virgin Voyages)

(Bathroom Setup - Courtesy of Virgin Voyages)

We chose a guaranteed inside cabin for this cruise, leaving it up to the cruise line to assign our cabin. Normally, this is not the best of ideas, as one can be placed in a very bad location on the ship, such as under the pool deck on summer sailings. We got lucky, and were given a balcony cabin, 10214Z, far from the noisiest areas in any direction.

Storage space in the cabin was adequate for two people, but not without its drawbacks. We did not have enough drawer space. But I am more than comfortable with living out of my packing cubes. (Now, if I only remembered to bring my laundry bag on this trip!)

The bathroom appeared smaller than most I've used on most of my cruises, but it was adequate for our purposes. However, this was made up for in the main part of the cabin, where we seemed to have more space than usual due to the placement of the furniture. Yet, there was one strange quirk: In pushing two twin beds together to make a queen/king size bed, our room attendant revealed a platform not tall enough to be a desk, and too low for much use other than a convenient place to put my CPAP machine and a few other items.

My partner noted that the bed was a little firmer than she'd have liked. So, we asked for a mattress topper to make her feel more comfortable in bed. Both of us noticed that the bed was lower than we're accustomed to sleep on. There is not much that can be done about this issue, as it is a matter of personal preference and not an oversight of the cruise line.

One good thing I can say about the cabin was that there more than enough US/Canadian outlets for use, as well as USB sockets that I could use to recharge my devices.

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First Impressions:

The Valliant Lady has an industrial design feel to it. Several of the casual dining venues appear to have been designed by the IKEA school of product design. I'm not saying anything negative about the ship. It has a modern, casual vibe that reflects the target demographic of Virgin Voyages - somewhere between 30 and 50 years old.

It seems like the vibe Virgin wants to present to people is that of an affluent beachcomber's cruise line of choice. Its furnishings are modern, a little glitzy, but not over the top. There is a sort of pretentiousness around the ship's informality, with most crew dressed in uniform T-Shirts, as well as the presence of beards and tattoos on many of its crew members. It feels as if the line tries to present an image of "hipness" to attract a Millennial customer base. Yet, older cruisers aren't being put off by this style.

Virgin also makes great use of technology, having tablets in each cabin that control almost everything, including the opening/closing of the drapes in the cabin. (This didn't work well in our cabin.) However, its use of technology seems only to promote its "hipness" over function. For example: The tablet that can control almost everything in the room isn't straightforward, and it is easy to get lost when trying to turn the lights up/down when one is in the entertainment section being displayed on the tablet.

Entertainment tends to be non-traditional, with the first show we attended being the "Miss-Behave Show" For lack of better description, I could see the very same show being performed at the Ansonia Baths 50 years ago without many changes. (I'll bet that most of this blog's readers can't guess which two famous artists got their starts there.) Yes, there are singers in lounge areas, but we didn't hang out there long enough to judge their quality.

Both of us were impressed by the quality of the food on the first day of the cruise. If anything, the food would make this cruise worthwhile, even though other things aren't exactly to our tastes.

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Itinerary:

Bermuda

(Map of Bermuda - Courtesy of Wikipedia)

The awkward timing of our Bermuda arrival (3 pm EDT / 4 pm AST) precluded us from visiting some shops in Hamilton, Bermuda's capital. Instead, we took a tram over to the Clocktower mall, strolling through a few of the shops for entertainment.

Given that we've been to Bermuda several times, we didn't need to travel to St. George. When there, we try to see the recreation of a Hag's Dunking, as announced by the Town Crier above. (If you get the chance to visit Bermuda, visit St. George around noon, so that you can see this dunking. It is all for fun, and it's enjoyable cheering for the dunking to proceed.).

Nassau, Bahamas

(Maps of New Providence / Downtown Nassau -

Courtesy of https://www.nassauparadiseisland.com)

(Nassau, Bahamas at Sunset)

I can't say much about Nassau other than I was bored the one time I got off at this port. Given that we're not much into shopping or beaches, it didn't make sense for us to leave the ship at this port. Yet, it is a popular port, and several ships were docked here for the day, with people visiting places such as the Atlantis resort on nearby Paradise Island, or the Margaritaville resort near the port area.

Charleston, SC

(Map of Charleston, SC - Courtesy of https://www.charlestonsfinest.com)

We decided to arrange a carriage ride through Charleston, secured via Shore Excursions Group. Unlike excursions provided by the cruise line, we had to walk a few blocks away from the terminal to a narrow street where two carriage companies were based. Once my partner showed our ticket, we waited a few minutes before being called to our carriage.

When the ride began, our guide told us about the history of Charleston, of its historic buildings, and the role Charleston played in our national history. (I won't go into the history of Fort Sumter here. Instead, I'll note that the people who watched the cannons go off were "treated" to 36 hours of "firework" viewing.) Our guide noted that there were 5 carriage routes, and they get chosen at random to keep too many carriages bumping into each other at the same historic sites, slowing down motor vehicle traffic which must travel on the same roads.

Our guide told us that Charleston has a historic preservation ordinance similar to that used in New Orleans, and how one person spearheaded historic preservation in this city. It is a pleasure to look at the buildings in Charleston's "French Quarter", and I recommend doing so on any visit to this city.

Return to Brooklyn, NYC

As I've said before, returning to a ship's home port is almost always a sad affair.

When one gets back to the Brooklyn cruise terminal, one either has a view of the parking lot adjacent to the terminal, or of Governor's Island with Jersey City in the background. It could be much worse, as one could be looking at the industrial ports in many other cities.

With this being said, disembarkation was the worst experience we have had on any ship, and all because Virgin didn't bother to provide important status updates to its cruisers. I can overlook the lack of announcements on the PA system when a ship makes port on time and is ready to let passengers off the ship for scheduled shore excursions. But I can't overlook the lack of announcements for when passengers are expecting to leave the ship at a specific time at the end of a cruise, and are being held back due to issues at the pier.

When we arrived in New York after 9 days of cruising, we had selected a 9 am disembarkation time. That would give the people who wanted to leave the ship early the chance to do so, while we should have walked off with ease. We had a leisurely breakfast in one of the ship's restaurants and walked to the gangway to leave the ship. One problem: There was a line from the mid-ship gangway to one end of the ship (and back) that wasn't moving when we got there. No one bothered to notify cruisers that they were being held up due to an issue with a contraband sniffing dog which resulted in the entire luggage transfer from ship to pier to be restarted from scratch. (I found this out by asking a crew member at the exit what had happened.) Cruisers could have been told that their departure time was delayed, and people could have enjoyed extra time in the ship's restaurants before disembarking. But all we heard were crickets. This is inexcusable! At least, I know that Virgin is aware of this, due Virgin's response to a letter I wrote them after the cruise.

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Technology:

Virgin Voyages presents itself as a high-tech cruise company. Its focus on cell phone app dependency leaves much to be desired for older people like me. For example, when I attempted to check in, the App balked when processing photos of my driver's license and passport. Several days before this cruise, I received a message notifying me that they needed fresher pictures - likely due to issues with their backend systems. Even though I got this resolved, the people at the cruise terminal had trouble with putting the Virgin wristlet (and its encased RFID chip) on my wrist. Given that my wrist is not that large, I'd bet that they put design over function in the design of the wristlet.

On the ship, the wristlet functions like a keycard. Unlike Princess's Medallions which unlock cabin doors at a short distance, Virgin's wristlet must be touched to a spot on the plate identifying the cabin number. This can be an annoyance when carrying stuff back to the room with both hands, and can not turn one's wrist to have the wristlet contact the door plate.

Once in the cabin, everything can be controlled by a tablet, whose charging station is by the desk area of the room. This is a nice idea, but one which is flawed - how many people want to carry the tablet to bed, when one wants to watch the TV in the room? Luckily, old fashioned light and temperature control switches exist in the cabin, but they seem like a redundancy after seeing the tablet as an all-in-one control mechanism. (But as an older person, I feel more comfortable using these old fashioned mechanical systems then I do the more modern "smart devices".)

However, I have one big nit to pick with the dependency on a single tablet device: What happens when the tablet's battery runs out, like it did one night after we fell asleep. When I woke up, I found that I couldn't control anything in the cabin. This can be a problem when one wants to reset the cabin's lights to maximum brightness, and is stuck in darkness.

Virgin puts form over substance with everything related to technology - including its app. For example, the internal app chat can be unreliable. As a result, most sailors use WhatsApp or other Wi-Fi-based apps (Facebook Messenger, iMessage) to communicate with crewmates and home. Additionally, when making Brunch reservations at The Wake or Razzle Dazzle, one has to start the process of reserving for dinner, then change the setting to select Brunch. Ideally, this would have been a simple drop down from the top of the screen.

One nice thing about the fare package we had - it came with browse enabled internet access for one device per person. The internet was slower than I expected, but more than adequate for most purposes.

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Entertainment:

In-Room Media:

Although there is an adequate supply of free in-room movies and TV-Series, there is a lack of "live" TV channels. For news outlets, they have CNN (international) and Fox News on tap. The one thing I missed was a "Navigation" channel which displays the weather, the time, and the ship's position on a global map.

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Red Room:

The Miss-Behave Show:

How do I describe this show? Do I describe it as a flamboyant cabaret? Do I describe it as something which could have been done at the Ansonia Baths when Bette Midler and Barry Manilow performed there? Do I describe it as a game show where the points don't count, but the laughter does? One thing I can say: it's not a traditional show that you'd recommend to your grandmother - even if she'd go on her own. Yet, for almost an hour, it's worth spending some time enjoying some adult laughs here.

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Comedian: Rodney Laney:

As people who know me well know, it's very hard to get a laugh out of me. I find most comedians boring, as they stay too long on one theme and never shift to new areas where they can mine laughter. Rodney got those laughs and more!

Rodney's show does not depend on foul language. Yet, his routine is not appropriate for children. As such, he's a perfect fit for Virgin Voyages. For example, he talked about times where being alone with a child could frighten him - one of which is being the only adult in a hot tub when a young child decides to enjoy a warm soak. (No, I won't summarize his routine here. But you can easily imagine some very awkward circumstances with a black man and a white girl.) Later on in his routine, he talked about getting a prostate exam. Again, this is something not appropriate for children to hear.

Both my partner and I enjoyed his show, and look forward to seeing him again in the future - hopefully, before we leave the ship.

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Food Venues and Availability

Virgin Voyages is known for the quality of its food. To many, each of its restaurants is the equivalent of a specialty restaurant on other cruise lines, and comes included in the price of the fare. There is one problem potential cruisers on this line must be aware of: reservations for most of the restaurants must be made before getting on the ship, as they are all very popular.

Note: All food photos are at the end of this entry, so that the narrative is easier to read.

Breakfasts, Lunches and Other Indulgences:

The Galley:

On embarkation day, we rushed to the Galley for a late lunch. This food venue substitutes for the buffets found on other ships. And both of us were impressed by the quality and variety of food being offered. Unlike the typical cruise ship buffet, one can raise a "flag" which reads "Ahoy!" and a server will come to your table to take your order. Unfortunately, service was slow due to typical embarkation day issues. But the server made sure he did his best to deliver the food we wanted in a timely manner, even suggesting other dishes which could come quicker than the ones we originally ordered. (For example, it would take a while for the sushi preparer to make a small bento box that I first asked for, and the server suggested another dish that I might like).

The next day, we went to the galley for lunch and found that the service was slow. Once we looked around, we understood why this is so. This venue is designed for people to go to each food station and have food served to them - cruisers do not ladle food onto their own places. (I like this practice, as it reduces the risk of disease transmission.) However, to provide table service, servers must run around to the various Galley venues to pick up food before returning to a cruiser's table in the Galley, and this can take some time.

Luckily, there are some "Grab and Go" stations in the Galley where one can pick up salads and fruits. I found this quite advantageous when I wanted something light to eat, and didn't want to spend the time waiting for my food to be delivered to my table.

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Pizza Place:

To close out our first evening, we went to the ship's Pizza Place, a dining venue where one can get freshly made pizza to order. Both of us ordered the daily special pizza, the "Wise Guy", with peppers and sausage on top. Yum! It's not the pizza you'd get in a New York "red sauce" joint, but the ingredients were fresh and high quality, with the resulting pizza being better than 95% of the pizzas one usually finds at sea.

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The Dock:

During mid to late afternoon at the aft end of the ship, one will find the Dock offering casual Mediterranean Mezze dishes. It's a great place to visit when one is feeling a little peckish, and doesn't want a heavy meal. The first time we visited this place, we enjoyed a variety of small dishes including the lamb sausage skewers.

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Lick me until Ice Cream:

After our first lunch, we decided to get some ice cream from downstairs. As one would expect on a 85 degree day in NYC, there was a line at the Ice Cream station. The ice cream was very good, better than many ice cream shops, yet nothing to get overly excited about.

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Dinners:

4/16 - Pink Agave

Pink Agave is Virgin's Mexican style restaurant. The first several pages of its menu focuses mainly on the drinks that its bar can prepare. (I have not bothered to reproduce them here.) Since we weren't planning to have alcohol tonight, we had to ask where the food menu was. (It was located on the last 2 pages of the menu, after 5 pages of mixed drinks.) However, the menu layout was more than made up for by the service in the restaurant.

On our first night on the ship, neither of us were very hungry. So we just ordered main courses and desserts. I had the duck in mole sauce while my partner had the fish. Both were excellent! And then dessert came. My partner and I decided to split 4 desserts, so that we each could have a taste of all of them. This was sheer indulgence, as neither of us could find fault with any of them. We were more than sated, and ready to go back to our cabin to chill out.

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4/17 - Test Kitchen

The Test Kitchen is Virgin's "experimental" restaurant where they give cruisers a choice of two tasting menu selections: Omnivore and Vegetarian/Vegan. There is virtually no menu other than a single card which lists the 5 courses for each of the two selections, 3 appetizers, 1 main, and 1 dessert. One can't say, I'll pick 3 from column A and 2 from column B, as was once common in some American "Chinese" restaurants. And this will throw many people for a loop, as most people will want more dinner choices than provided here.

The selections for the day are designed (no better word for this) by a Michelin star chef. (Note: I have never eaten in a Michelin starred restaurant. Based on these dishes that are only available on Virgin, I will soon place a 2 or 3 star restaurant on my foodie bucket list.) I was impressed by the artistic presentation of each of these dishes, as I have never seen as beautiful and complex arrangement of ingredients as seen in these dishes. To best put things, dishes served here best represent the art of food.

My partner and I chose the Omnivore dishes and were impressed by both the presentation of each dish and the taste of each dish. Yum! What started out as little bites ended up to be a filling meal! And to close out the meal, we had both our "omnivore" desserts plus the Vegan dessert (supplied as a bonus by the waiter).

Sadly, I can note one problem with this format. One has to know which one of 3 meal choices (Menus A, B, or C) will be available on each day of the cruise. Otherwise, one can get the same menu on a repeat visit to this restaurant.

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4/18 - Extra Virgin

Extra Virgin is this ship's Italian restaurant. Don't go here if you are expecting a typical "Red Sauce" joint. Instead, expect a modern take on classic Italian recipes that does justice to the Italian food genre.

On our first night here, we decided to sample as much as humanly possible without being too piggish, as if we were to say: "One of everything, Please." We enjoyed the Calamari and the Meatballs for appetizers, and then a Charcuterie board. I hate saying this, but even though the Calamari was good, it could not compare with one of the better NYC Italian restaurants I go to for special occasions. The charcuterie board was good, but I was very glad that it didn't spoil our appetites for what was to come.

When our main courses arrived, we both knew we couldn't finish what was on our plates. My partner's spaghetti with clams was piled several inches high, and my two mains, the seafood pasta in sea urchin sauce and the roasted monkfish, even the waitress knew we had likely ordered more than we could handle. But I wanted to taste the pasta, and I knew the monkfish would not be enough to sate my appetite.

Dessert was another example of trying more than one thing. I had the Olive Oil Chocolate Cake and the Vanilla Gelato topped with Espresso. Both were yummy, with the biggest surprise coming from the Gelato and Espresso. Both worked well together for me.

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4/19 - The Wake

This restaurant serves as the ship's steak house, having several types of steak on the menu. And this would be the night my carnivore instinct kicked in. First came the appetizers, Clam Chowder and a Bone Marrow that my partner and I split. Then came my Hanger Steak with sides of Creamed Spinach and Twice Baked Potatoes. I couldn't finish it all. And finally came my dessert, Lemon Cheesecake. (My partner had the Coconut Panna Cotta, which I'd have ordered if I were a fan of Coconuts.) Every dish was excellent, although the Chowder and Potatoes just didn't cut it for me. (The chowder was more like a clam and shrimp bisque with clam and shrimp meat tossed in, while the potatoes had a taste I just didn't expect in this dish.) Would I eat here again? Yes! But I hope that I can justify ordering the Grand Plateau seafood platter (see below) at some future date.

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4/20 - Gunbae

This restaurant is Virgin's answer to Korean BBQ. As much as the food was good, and the group we were seated with was friendly, I found it hard to like. One goes to this place expecting to party and play a drinking game at the end of dinner. This is not a place where one goes for a quiet meal - and that's what I was in the mood for this night. (Don't get me wrong. This is a good place to eat. I was just not in the mood to "turn on" for the evening - even with a great group at our table. But I did so, and still enjoy myself.)

My partner and I went to the restaurant for a 6 pm seating, and had to wait a few minutes for a group to be assembled. Instead of the original seating we were directed to, we requested to be seated at one of the booths due to the discomfort of the chairs at our first table. I made sure that my partner and I were seated at one end of the booth, so that we could take bio-breaks without disturbing others. And this would be a wise move for us towards mid meal.

The waitress, Nelly, asked us whether any of us had any allergies before taking our orders. And then each of our 4 groups ordered appetizers. We split 3 appetizers: Shrimp Rolls, Crispy Chicken, and Braised Short Ribs. Of these 3, the shrimp rolls were forgettable, the chicken merely acceptable, and the short ribs fantastic. Following this, Nelly steered our group into sharing every main course on the menu. And this is where I found the flavors muddy and forgettable. Only the shrimp stood out because of its texture.

One thing I must stress here: DO NOT EXPECT TO HEAR ANYONE SPEAK DURING DINNERS HERE. People at other tables will be expected to play a drinking game at the end of their meals. This game involved trying to keep count without always having words to identify the number. When someone made a mistake, all of us were expected to shout GUNBAE! at the top of our lungs. This got in the way of placing our dinner orders as well as having conversations with our table mates.

Once we were finished with dinner, it our time for us to play the drinking game. No, we weren't expected to get drunk. Instead, we were expected to treat this experience as if we were a bunch of Koreans having a good time. As for me, I could have skipped the drinking game and moved onto dessert a little more quickly. Although the game was fun, I was in the mood for dessert - which came soon afterward.

Would I go here again? Maybe. But only if I were in the mood to turn on my outgoing self, instead of my observer personality.

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4/21 - Extra Virgin

This would be our second night at this restaurant, and we knew what to expect. Both of us ordered different items. My partner ordered the Chicken Liver Mousse, while I ordered the Tuscan Farro Soup. Since I rarely eat anything to do with liver, I can't say much about this dish.

First came the Charcuterie board. Both of us enjoyed it, though we didn't finish everything, and then came my soup. I was not impressed by the soup, as it is merely a fancier version of Pasta e Fagiol that I can get in a New York "Red Sauce" joint. Was the soup good? Yes, but it was lighter and less hearty than the soups I became used to in New York.

Next came dinner. My partner had the Monkfish, while I had the Gorganzola Steak. I had the Spaghetti and Clam pasta dish while my partner had the Pappardelle al Ragu. The steak lost a little something topped with the cheese, but it was a good steak and was presented well. In regard to the pasta, my dish was perfect. Yet, after a taste of my partner's dish, I wished I had also ordered the Pappardelle. Both of us had the Gelato, but neither of us bothered with the espresso - the flavors of the gelato were much better without it.

One thing of note: Service on this visit was not as good as on our first visit to this restaurant. Serving staff neglected to pay attention to how many sodas I asked for when ordering. (Since service is slow and the restaurants on the ship are slightly understaffed, I tend to order enough beverages to last most of the way through dinner so that I don't have to keep flagging down waiters/waitresses.)

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4/22 - Test Kitchen

Tonight's meal was a little bit more traditional than one would expect from the Test Kitchen. However, this doesn't mean that the meal wasn't artistic or unusual. Our first appetizer was the corn dish. What would first appear to be a small portion of Corn on the Cob was more of a Corn Mousse decorated to look like a corn cob. Sides of bread were served with the corn, so it could be spread on the bread as if it were butter. This was delicious! Next up was the Salmon, delivered to us fresh from the smoker. As much as I didn't smell or taste the smoke, the salmon was another success with me. And then came the Shrimp dish, served with pasta made from egg whites and shrimp. It was an interesting dish, but not one I would ever expect to eat again - even in a Michelin starred restaurant.

Next up was the main course, the lamb. Although described as a different part of the animal, the dish comprised of an aged lamb chop with some ratatouille on the side. This was well prepared and befitting a tasting menu, but it left me wanting a plate of lamb chops with mint jelly that i could easily make at home. (I craved something that would stick to one's ribs, and not something artistic that pleased the eyes more than the stomach.)

Finally came the dessert, Strawberries and Pistachio. This was a very tasty way to present the two items: Strawberries, Strawberry Jelly, Ground Pistachios for texture, and some White Chocolate to add another flavor texture. I wish the portion was bigger, as this dish (and the salmon appetizer) were the two dishes I enjoyed most in this meal.

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4/23 - Pink Agave

Tonight was the second time we visited this restaurant. And we ordered some different things this time. First up was the Guacamole (and Chips). This was Guac and Chips done right - fresh guac and "home made" fried mini tortillas. Yum! Absolutely no complaints here! Next was the Seared Shrimp and Chicken Enchiladas that we shared. The Shrimp was great, but the Chicken Enchilada was missing something that would make it "pop!"

Our main courses came next. I had the Sea Bass while my partner had the Duck. Both were excellent in their own ways. But I would have chosen the duck had I wanted something that rich to eat. Finally came dessert: We both had an off-menu special, the Flan Cheesecake. This was well worth the calories. (Don't tell my doctor.) And we also had the Chocolate Tacos, which we enjoyed the first time around.

The one thing I noticed was that service wasn't as attentive as it was on our first visit here. Was it bad? No. The waiter remembered our names (thanks to modern technology), and remembered my desires for multiple beverages on a single order. It's just that we noticed the catering hall style of operation that this ship's restaurant depends on.

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4/24 - The Wake

Our second night at The Wake had us ordering specials not on the menu. We both ordered a Wedge Salad (not pictured below), the Potato and Leek Soup with Shrimp and Caviar garnish, and the Short Ribs. There's not much you can say about a good wedge salad, and this one was good. The soup was tasty, and we'd both order it again. But the Short Ribs stood out. Not only was there a sizeable portion of meat on the plate, and every bite was fantastic. One could easily peel the meat apart with a fork - it was that tender. The two sides that I ordered, the Creamed Spinach and the French Fries were good and complemented the short ribs well. Finally, the desserts came. My partner and I split a Sticky Toffee Pudding, and I had a chocolate dish called The Wake. Both were very good, and I'd order them again.

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Disembarkation:

This process should have been relatively straight forward and painless, as with most cruise lines. Both "self-assist" and porter service was available. However, one should be aware of a wrinkle in this process that makes Virgin's disembarkation different from other cruise lines' disembarkation process. Most cruise lines give cruisers new tags to attach to their luggage on the final night of the cruise. With Virgin, the same tags a cruiser attached to their luggage to identify which cabin to which bags are delivered are used to identify spaces at the cruise terminal where the bags will be placed after the cruise ends. With this difference being noted, one still places their luggage in the hallway before 10 pm on the night before disembarkation, so that they can be found in the cruise terminal the next morning.

Disembarkation day itself should have been painless. It wasn't due to the instructions we were given. Instead, it was Virgin's inability to communicate to people onboard the ship how a dockside problem was affecting passengers on the ship. This was a big stain that turned a beautiful cloth into a cheap dishrag. Useful, yes. But not something special anymore.

Miscellaneous

One of the things I noticed throughout the ship was a focus on what is best called "Industrial Modern" design. Very little on this ship is colored in earth tones. Instead, shades of white, black and gray predominate, save where Virgin chooses to use the colors of red and blue (such as in the hallways and elevators). It is not an unattractive color palette. It is simply different from other ships on which we have cruised.
On the wall of each elevator bank is a phrase written in Naval flags. I took the time to translate the one below for us landlubbers:

"Doth suffer a sea change", William Shakespeare.

From what I can tell, there is a different phrase on each elevator bank's walls. This is a nice way of reminding people that they are at sea.
On this run, the ship didn't change its reference time when entering Bermudian waters. This is not a problem for me, but it may confuse others who are cruising on other ships.
There are almost no announcements in the cabins. One might expect to hear on the in-room speakers that the ship has docked and people may leave the ship at any time. On this ship, this does not happen.
Although my partner and I are not gamblers, we noticed no odors from tobacco smoke when walking through the casino area. Was this because the ship limits smoking only to a specific area, or is it because there are a lower number of smokers on this ship than on other cruises we've taken?
Both my cruise partner and another cruiser noticed that there were no photographers trying to take pictures of cruisers. This is a welcome change from other cruise lines, as I rarely have any interest in having onboard photographs taken, when I won't be looking at them a year from now. (Note: My partner and have had our photographs taken in the portrait studio, so that we'd have something nice to frame and put on our walls.)
My partner and others noticed a seeming lack of available restroom facilities in the public areas of the ship. Assuming they were there, most were too well hidden to be noticed without help from the ship's crew.
In our room, we found 2 carafes filled with water. They were refreshed on a daily basis. This was a nice touch, as we didn't have to use the bathroom sink to fill our water glasses for drinking.
Although the ship has laundry service, they employ reusable bags (think of suit/dress bags, half length) on a hanger with the bottom open. One is is expected to put laundry to be cleaned in the bag, then tie the bottom for the contents to be carried off to laundry service. What would have worked better would be a zipper or cord tie at the bottom of the bag to keep things more secure. (Next time, I plan to use masking tape to secure the bottom of the bag, so that I do not lose space due to tying the bottom of the bag to hold the items inside.)

Note: As part of Virgin's loyalty program, cruisers get one free bag of laundry after their third cruise. This is a nice perk, considering that after 6 days, one can easily fill a bag with dirty laundry.

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Conclusions:

This vacation was good value for the money. Since we are not heavy drinkers, it was easy for us to eschew alcoholic beverages on this cruise. In fact, the only added expense I had to pay was my share of a streaming wi-fi upgrade bought by my partner which made it possible for me to use my computer on the cruise.

There are things I don't like about Virgin Voyages, such as its' attempts to be "hip" and forward leaning in all affairs. To me, there is something to be said for the traditional, more formal era of cruising that this cruise line avoids. Entertainment such as the "Miss-Behave Show" is a good example of this. No traditional cruise line would have such unstructured entertainment such as this show.

On future Virgin cruises, I will need to factor in an added $20/day in gratuities plus the cost of upgrading wi-fi to premium service levels. But to have a great foodie cruise, this cruise line is the one to sail on!

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Postscript:

At the time I started writing this entry, the Valiant Lady appears to be spending a short time out of service after arriving in Europe on its next cruise. After a couple of weeks of downtime, it will spend the summer cruising in Europe before returning to North America and New York for a few cruises. From there, the ship will sail to Miami for its winter cruising schedule.

Hopefully, Virgin will consider the New York City cruises a test run to determine whether to base a ship in New York City for part of the year. Ever since MSC left the NYC market, there is a marketplace void that I hope gets filled soon. It would be nice to see New York's cruise terminals used to their capacity again.

However, with the disembarkation day problem noted in another area of this post, I will carefully monitor message boards regarding Virgin's cruises to see if something as bad as our disembarkation happens again. If so, I will avoid cruising with Virgin because it is not right to keep cruisers in the dark when important issues arrive that affect cruisers.

Additionally, I had a minor issue requiring help. Sometime on the last day of our cruise, after I checked my account for the last time, a $25.00 charge was applied to the account for a product I didn't purchase. Virgin's Sailor Services was sent a copy of the Final Folio. After 3 days, I sent a different memo to someone higher up in the food chain, and got a response - they actually actually looked into the problem, and noted that communications were not up to snuff. And then, a week after I filed my claim for the $25.00 charge, I got another letter from Sailor Services saying that they are looking into the erroneous charge. It looks like someone may actually care about cruisers on this line - something I didn't get on my first cruise with MSC several years ago.

A question posed by an old, cynical joke was:

Besides the assassination Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

This same question reflects my feelings about the cruise. If I could ignore the last hour or so onboard the ship, it would have been an excellent cruise. Even then, communication issues would still be tiny black spots on a very white sheet of paper. Right now, I think I'll take another cruise with Virgin if they sail out of NYC again. Yet, the memory of the last hour on the ship may haunt me a little for the next couple of cruises with this line. I gave MSC a second chance, and I think Virgin deserves the same.

Follow-up: I had sent a letter to Sailor Services regarding the $25 charge, and had no response within 72 hours. So, I sent a letter to one of the Virgin higher-ups. They responded, actually investigating the complaint to my satisfaction. A few more days later, and my $25 was refunded to me. So, if Virgin sails out of NYC again, I will likely schedule a cruise with them and give Virgin a second chance.

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Miscellaneous Food Photos: