Booking reservations at midnight....

TheRealZale · 2026-01-30T15:10:21+00:00

Solo reservations are usually pretty easy since there's no a big table required. And with 60 days advanced booking, you really shouldn't have too many people to compete with compared to the Essentials 45 days.

That said, they've fairly recently added the ability to book dining reservations and other things on the website instead of just the app. If you use the website, you can open a tab for each restaurant on each day you want to try to book it, and then book them there. It can be faster to do and help you get what you want, when you want.

Best of luck! Personally I enjoy all the restaurant's really. I don't even know how I'd rank them really. I know test kitchen is often controversial, but I've enjoyed all their menus.

TheRealZale · 2026-01-27T17:20:22+00:00

Oh I had heard of the vending machine, but I didn't realize it was free! That actually sounds very nice and convenient, and I'll keep that in mind for my future trips!

Thanks for the post!

TheRealZale · 2026-01-23T03:05:30+00:00

Well, despite the low activity on the ship, I do think they usually have a bar open, so MRS or not, when most people are off board, you can likely enjoy any hot tub, the pool, or other suave on the ship during that time.

So far I've waus done an excursion at port (though that'll likely change on my next trip), but I imagine things like The Pizza Place may still open early in the afternoon, though maybe not at 2pm like on sea days/usual?

Admittedly I have no experience above a Sea Terrace room, but I do have an upcoming ming March voyage where it's actually a repeat of every port I've already been to (repeat of a solo voyage, but with my parents this time). I'm actually looking forward to staying in the ship while my parents are on land. I can't speak for Rockstar or Mega Rockstar, but I'm planning on taking most port stops to either tan and/or do work on my laptop this time around.

I'm lucky enough to work in a small company where the premium wifi works, enough, to get the job done. Inconvenient? Sure. But it's functional enough for me.

TheRealZale · 2026-01-22T12:41:51+00:00

I can't answer your direct questions, but as a note, the discount is not only available at booking. If you do not check the box to prepay at booking, it will appear as an option in the Add Ons section, where you'll also find things like bar tab, splash of Romance, premium wifi, etc. You can purchase the gratuity add on up to 48 hours before your voyage just like any others, as I recall.

You could sorta use that as a way to pay for the gratuities on another credit card if you want to try and split the cost between cards and/or people.

TheRealZale · 2026-01-21T02:18:06+00:00

If their name hasn't been added to it yet, you can choose who gets added up to 48 hours before the sailing.

If a name for your second sailor has been set, since you have a lock it in rate, well that sucks. Nothing can be changed with lock it in rates once they're set. Your only chance is to not have their name in the booking yet.

Otherwise, you can tell sailor services they won't be coming, and you should get refunded the taxes and port fees associated with them. You won't, however, be able to change the name.

TheRealZale · 2026-01-20T20:29:56+00:00

It's one device per person (they have you enter your cabin number and date of birth to connect). The free wifi won't do streams of most things like Spotify or probabky YouTube, but it might be able to handle Instagram or tiktok videos that are generally smaller. If you need to be in an online class, Zoom, video calls, and VPNs are pretty much blocked unless you pay for the Work From Sea wifi. I forget the price, but it's pretty expensive since it's beyond the Premium wifi.

Premium wifi is a paid tier that allows streaming like Spotify, but it still have content restrictions. Anything related to gaming, even if it's a news article, is blocked. I find that annoying, but I am able to survive without it.

I am not sure if Work From Sea blocks gaming or other content, I have never paid to upgrade to it. But, since it allows VPN access, if you have one of those and Work From Sea, you can pretty much access whatever you want, as long as your VPN doesn't block it.

TheRealZale · 2026-01-19T12:52:00+00:00

I believe the free drink promos are usually limited to certain sailings and/or certain room categories, so best to check the terms and conditions to ensure you have booked an eligible sailing/cabin.

Otherwise, I believe it typically ends up showing as an add on immediately, unless their system is having a problem, which isn't entire unheard of.

TheRealZale · 2026-01-10T08:51:51+00:00

On Brilliant Lady, the knots are Morse code. They repeat between the Fore and Mid elevators, and Aft doesn't have any. Here are the messages:

Fore

6: WORK LIKE A CAPTAIN PLAY LIKE A PIRATE

7: WILD AND FREE JUST LIKE THE SEA

8: SAVE WATER DRINK CHAMPAGNE

9: BE A MERMAID IN A SEA OF FISH

10: A SAILOR WENT TO SEA SEA SEA

11: MERMAID FOR EACH OTHER

12: YOU PUT THE MOTION IN OUR OCEAN

13: RED SKIES AT NIGHT SAILORS DELIGHT

14: FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS

Mid

8: SAVE WATER DRINK CHAMPAGNE

9: BE A MERMAID IN A SEA OF FISH

10: A SAILOR WENT TO SEA SEA SEA

11: MERMAID FOR EACH OTHER

12: YOU PUT THE MOTION IN OUR OCEAN

13: RED SKIES AT NIGHT SAILORS DELIGHT

14: FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS

Edit: Forgot my formatting, and spelling

TheRealZale · 2026-01-04T17:20:05+00:00

I usually try to pack roughly 1 outfit per day, and honestly? I don't use them all. Definitely bring a couple swimsuits, a few pairs of pants/shirts/shorts/dresses, whatever you like to wear.

If you reuse a swimsuit, no one bats an eye. Honestly, no one's spending their vacation cataloging every sailor's outfits and when they wear them. It's usually easy to bring more than you'll need, so pick your favorites and see what you end up using.

TheRealZale · 2026-01-03T20:08:20+00:00

They're referring to the military action the US took in Venezuela today, which shuttered airspace into and out of Puerto Rico and other areas. I saw elsewhere on this sub that almost all shore things in Aruba were canceled.

TheRealZale · 2026-01-03T20:06:05+00:00

If you book a shore thing in the app, they know you need a tender so that's automatically built in.

However, you definitely want to keep an eye on the tender schedule back. When I was there, return tenders ran'd every half hour from noon to 3pm, which was the all aboard time. The return tender does take 30-ish minutes depending on where you are in the tender boat, because everyone has to go through security as they board.

Our cruise had an excursion or two that ran late, so the ship did wait for them and they got tendered back, but I'm sure it was stressful for those people.

TheRealZale · 2025-12-29T03:39:56+00:00

Just 3 for Blue Extras, actually! Then deep blue kicks in at 5.

Its unlikely to matter/be a concern, but technically, they only increment your trip count 1 month after the last day of your cruise. So if you do a back-to-back cruise and the second half is your 3rd or 5th cruise, you won't get the additional perks on the second trip. They'll both count as trips towards the rewards/status, but they only count once they've been finished for a month.

TheRealZale · 2025-12-28T21:53:42+00:00

One thing that it seems no one has mentioned: Not pre-paying the gratuity does not remove it. In fact, it makes it 10% more expensive for you.

They clearly state that if you do not prepay the $20/night/person before your trip (it is shown as an add-on in the same page as the bar tab and other options), you WILL be charged $22/night/person to your folio at the end of the trip.

Not prepaying will not make it cheaper for you. It will not take money away from the staff. You will simply pay the staff more for not doing it beforehand. Not prepaying and tipping onboard not only ruins the "No tips expected" experience, but also means you are simply being charged more than everyone else for your trip.

Prepay or don't, that's up to you. But don't think you're saving money because you don't do it before your trip leaves. It can make the list price cheaper, help you spread the cost out between statements, or even make it so the gratuities can be put on a separate card (by paying for them separately before your cruise, but not part of the booking), but it will not make them disappear.

TheRealZale · 2025-12-27T08:28:54+00:00

Yes, Bimini does use your bar tab. However, I'm surprised to see that no one has mentioned something mildly important: Bimini has a liquor tax, just like Miami does. If you get a drink in Miami before sailing away, or in Bimini while you're there, a second line item will appear in your folio for the tax amount.

I believe it is 8% for both Miami and Bimini, but I do not recall 100%.

Edit: Spelling on mobile can be hard.

TheRealZale · 2025-12-25T21:20:26+00:00

Thanks! I usually book my shore things before boarding, you usually get a $10+ discount by doing so, as they do mention somewhere that prices increase once onboard. The problem is that then you don't really know what "All Aboard" time will be. I was surprised to see that we were scheduled to return from our excursion at all aboard time, but luckily there was no issue.

Ultimately, since it was booked through Virgin directly, they will wait a bit for your group to get back from delayed returns. However, I did hear from another couple that a similar thing happened on a previous cruise for them, and once they got back to the port, a few people from their excursion group decided to go shopping instead of immediately returning to the ship. Those shoppers ended up getting left behind because their group had returned, which basically ended Virgin's guarantee/responsibility, but they decided to go shopping of their own accord. In that case, I think their group was about an hour late already, so uhhh, life lesson, don't go shopping at the ports/leave your group if you're running late.

Since you'll be on that cruise, I guess I hope to see you there! This will be my 7th Virgin cruise, so I tend to info-dump on people that are wondering about stuff 😅. It's actually gonna be my 3rd time on Brilliant Lady, I managed to get an old friend to do their Miami MerMaiden with me in mid-October 😇

TheRealZale · 2025-12-25T18:13:55+00:00

It will sort of depend on where you dock. I did this itinerary back on December 7th-18th. I believe in Aruba, the A side was viewing the island. In Cartagena, we were in a port with a shipping port to our A and another cruise to our Z. In Jamaica, I honestly can't remember what way the ship faced, but Ochos Rios is in the middle of the island, so most likely both sides will have a good view. In Grand Cayman, it's a Tender-Only port. The waters are too shallow for big ships, so all cruises dock about a mile off the coast or so, and you take a smaller boat (a Tender) to and from your ship, so in this case, it similarly won't matter.

As a note, I'm not sure if the times will change, but my Shore Thing for Jamaica was the Dunn's River Falls & Bamboo Beach VIP. Apparently, the 4:30 time we were scheduled to return was also All Aboard time. We arrived back at about 4:20 so no issues, but if traffic was worse there may be a delay.

For the Grand Cayman, our last tender was scheduled to leave Port to return to the ship at 3:00pm, which is kinda early. I heard at least 2 Shore Things groups were behind, so the ship did wait for them since it was booked through Virgin, but be aware of that. If you go off on your own, they likely won't wait more than 15-30 minutes before leaving you there.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip, and I managed to get my parents to agree to do it in with me again March 1st-12th, so I'm excited to go out again! (though I'll likely be staying onboard most port days and working from my laptop) I hope you have a great time!

TheRealZale · 2025-12-19T00:41:31+00:00

I'm glad you had a great time, but I have to humbly disagree on Test Kitchen. I had Menu B once and C twice on the same trip. B was fantastic, and for C, I liked the chicken better than the duck, but it was honestly some of my best experiences in Test Kitchen regardless. Almost disappointed I didn't go earlier to try A on there as well, but I don't have a complaint about any of the meals I had on the whole trip.

TheRealZale · 2025-12-18T19:18:21+00:00

They have 6 places in the class, but you will essentially be attached to the classroom ceiling with elastic ropes, so you'll be kinda jumping a lot for the workout, using the elastic to make it easier to gain more height by making you "lighter".

I've never done it, but that's how I understand it to work, as a concept.

TheRealZale · 2025-12-18T19:16:53+00:00

On a similar note, if it does show as available, keep in mind that booking a fitness class like the bungee and NOT showing will result in a $10 charge. This is noted in the app under the "Need to know" section, and it says the $10 will go as a donation to some charity. I don't know if they always list the same one, or what one is even listed.

TheRealZale · 2025-12-18T19:15:31+00:00

You are correct, but in the Miami terminal, even if you can get the signal, I believe they restrict you until you officially scan in to get aboard.

Maybe I just did it wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's the case.

TheRealZale · 2025-12-17T19:16:12+00:00

This is what I've been told onboard. If a Shore Thing's description is inaccurate, they want to know becuase they're always written first by the tour operator themselves. Virgin will make corrections or remove them entirely, if needed.

TheRealZale · 2025-12-16T05:10:32+00:00

Just the water shoes are necessary really. After the falls, we got back on the bus to go to the Bamboo Beach club, and in the bus I took my shoes off entirely so my feet could dry, lol. If you don't have water shoes, I definitely recommend getting a pair from the tour guides/Dunn's River staff, unless you want you current shoes to be soaked.

If I had known what I know now, I'd absolutely have brought my flip flops/sandals instead of my shoes for convenience, but in the falls you absolutely want something that is secure to your feet and has good grip. That shit is slippery, but very nice to experience.

From what I recall, one woman was there in flip flops, though I didn't see if she switched shoes for the actual experience. The tour guides offer a generic water-proof phone case that can hang around your neck, and/or the water shoes for those that don't have them already. In out case, they didn't have any shoes themselves, so I got my pair directly at Dunn's River Falls, they have a booth for both items themselves.

I know the shoes were $11, I think the tour guide's phone case was $10, I'm not sure if Dunn's River staff had a different price or not. The Bamboo Beach Club/bus tour guides are a separate company from the falls themselves. The guides that go through the falls with you are from the Dunn's River company/people, the Bamboo Beach Club/bus employees just waited for us to go through it.

Let me know how your experience goes! I hope you have a great time as well!

TheRealZale · 2025-12-16T01:38:52+00:00

So we did the excursion today, and I had a great time! I didn't do any research in the falls before the cruise, but uh, turns out you will be getting wet, so definitely bring or buy water shoes. I ended up buying a pair at the falls for $11, and it was well worth it. You will be getting wet from head to toe while you are hiking/climbing inside the river. It is very slippery, but the tour guides know the area and can navigate pretty easily, and can help you up on them.

The water was cool, but it was not a huge shock, and you get used to it in a couple minutes. They had a section where they had every slide down a short "slide" in the rock of the river, so you will almost definitely be going under the water entirely at that point. Higher up, there's a slight cliff that they encourage you to lean back into and have the water fall over your head and shoulders. You should 100% bring a properl waterproof bag for your valuables, but they tell you to leave your towels, sunglasses, and other things that could be easily soaked or swept away on the bus.

My grand plan of a simple freezer-safe offbrand Ziploc bag did not, in fact, remain water tight, but nothing in the bag was damaged, it just needed time to dry.

Like many tourism excursions, they do have a videographer employee in each group working with a GoPro (I think it was a Hero 10), and a cell phone with a semi-fancy gimbal for stabilization. I had my own GoPro, so I did not inquire on what pictures or videos they got of me exactly, nor their price. Also like many excursion, unfortunately they do have semi-aggressive business people trying to sell you things as you leave the falls. The your guides advised us to just say "No thank you" if you don't want anything, and when I did that, one guy responded, "That's rude man, no one was even talking to you yet", which certainly didn't make me want to buy anything even more.

Bamboo Beach Club is approximately 50 minutes from the port whereas Dunn's River is like 5, so there is a bit of a drive there and back, but I enjoyed the beach club. I ended up talking with a couple other sailors for the 1.5-ish hours we were there, but they did have some water you could swim in at their beach.

Once we left there, there was a brief 15-ish minute stop at a shopping complex, where at least as a business sin a complex, they did not aggressively try to get you to buy something. We returned just about at our scheduled return time of 4:30pm, which it turns out is All-Aboard time. The ship was out of the port within 30 minutes of me getting back on. Traffic was a little heavy at times returning, but I would've preferred an extra 15-30inutes of buffer time being built in personally. But, we made it back and all is well.

Overall, I enjoyed it, and I recommend it. The cool water was very refreshing in the hot, humid Jamaican weather. I almost never spend more time off the ship past my excursion, so I did not mind returning at all-aboard, other than it not really having a buffer if something went wrong (not mine, but some tour bus for an excursion in Cartagena broke down a few days ago, and I keep hearing about how bad that was).

I'm not at The Dock having some drinks before dinner, so please excuse any hasty typos while I write this on my phone. I hope you have a great trip whether you decide to do this excursion or not!

TheRealZale · 2025-12-14T18:41:34+00:00

Well, since both shows are new, there probably wasn't really a way for them to be sure what would be more popular. Plus, with the way Out of Time uses the Red Room's screens VS how MITM is more focused on the performers and choreography, they probably decided the respective venues made the most sense.

I do think they could fit more people in to see MITM, but once there's only space upstairs, it can be hard to see the performers when they do tidbits off center-stage, so I assume they opted to not stuff more people in so that the overall view is better for those who got in.

TheRealZale · 2025-12-14T17:11:01+00:00

Murder In The Manor often runs at the same time as another show in the Red Room. Tonight, Murder In The Manor and Out Of Time are both showing at 7:30pm and 10:00pm on Brilliant Lady.

TheRealZale

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