Suite Natured Cruise Cast | Cruise Chat & News
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Suite Natured Cruise Cast | Cruise Chat & News
Is A Virgin Voyages Cruise Really That Wild? - Audio Only 🎧 | Cruise Cast Ep.15
What if you could transform skepticism into delight with just a single experience? Join us as we welcome Gail and Mike, a couple from Liverpool who initially had some BIG reservations about setting sail with Virgin Voyages. Gail, especially, wary from negative press and misconceptions, shares her journey from hesitation to enthusiasm after their four-night trip out of Portsmouth. We'll explore how firsthand experience can radically change perceptions and why giving things a chance can lead to unexpected joys and memorable moments.
Gail and Mike bust the myths surrounding the cruise's vibe, proving it’s more than just a young party haven. From the Mind Mangler show to vibrant nightclubs, the varied entertainment options cater to diverse tastes. We'll also share some lighthearted anecdotes that made their trip unforgettable, adding a dash of humor to our lively discussion.
Wrap up with us as we savor the fantastic dining experiences aboard, including standout spots like Pink Agave and the potential revamp of Razzle Dazzle into an Asian restaurant. Gail and Mike praise the culinary variety and the ease of making dining reservations, which enhanced their overall cruise experience. Finally, we look ahead to the future of cruise travel, touching on sustainability initiatives and industry growth, making it a must-listen for both seasoned cruisers and curious newcomers.
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Cheers, and have a lovely day
Linzi & Mark
Welcome to episode 15 of the Sweet Nature Cruisecast. Hi, I'm Linz. As always, I'm joined by Marky. Hello, Hello. And today we're talking to a couple of virgin virgins following their virgin voyage.
Speaker 3:But first a's mood music.
Speaker 1:Well, it got more virgin-y at the end, I feel.
Speaker 3:I was going to go really virgin Ibiza clubby type thing. Okay, For the mood music yeah, but I can't find any that I like.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, we're still looking, we're still looking.
Speaker 3:We'll keep working on that, shall we introduce our special guest.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then they can give us their verdict on your music.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Do you want to introduce them?
Speaker 1:Yes, I'd like to Go for it. I'd like to introduce Sail with Gail and Mike. Hello, gail and Mike, hello. Hello, we made it, you did, thank you for joining us.
Speaker 4:Our pleasure.
Speaker 1:It's a week after the cruise. That was yeah Well, it's not even a week, yet Is it not a week?
Speaker 3:No, we were still. No, it's not even a week, yet is it not a week? No, we were still. Oh yeah, no, it's monday.
Speaker 4:No it's not on there this time last week yeah yes, yes time flies. Oh, absolutely, brain cells along the way, haven't we? I think, yes, yeah absolutely well.
Speaker 3:As you said, today we're talking about a virgin virgins. Yes, first experience on virgin voyages. Yes, and, to be fair, we've met a lot of them. We did one out of portsmouth, with it being a full night out of the uk, yes, a lot of people have thought, let's, let's get on it and it will be on holiday weekend yeah, which helped as well. But I'm really keen to know because obviously for us we've been on Virgin quite a few times, we've talked about it on the podcast before I'm really curious as to what it was that prompted Gail and Mike to take the jump into the Virgin bit, and I'm curious as to what you think it is that makes Virgin such a different cruising experience. That makes people a little bit concerned as to whether they should go on it or not.
Speaker 4:Do you want to go first? Because I was all very much for it and Gail was very much like the jury was out.
Speaker 2:I wasn't against it. For me, the press that had read about it and also I don't particularly like the look of the top deck, the very small pools. I'm a sunshine girl. So we came to an agreement that we'd go on this four-nighter because chances are we wouldn't get much sun, because Mike wants me to always go and do stuff in the day and I'm like, no, the sun's out, the sun's out. So we said, yeah, we'll do this one. Probably not going to be sunny, we can go and eat all the food that we heard about. That we now know is amazing.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:And then just really have a four-nighter and then, if we like it, we'll do a longer one. Yeah, maybe an ad or something like that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it will do a longer one. Yeah, an edge or something like that? Yeah, yeah, there was. That documentary came up did lots of damage, I think, to the brand, but you're not. I'm not a big fan. On the cruise documentary series. Princess regent did it, no matter how good the cruise ship is. Yeah, the documentary makers it's the nature of what they try to do. Yeah, they're looking for salacious.
Speaker 2:They're looking for things that yeah, they're looking for things that are good on TV.
Speaker 3:If it was just really boring and everyone having a good time and happy, then it doesn't matter for good television. So they're looking for that more sort of salacious side.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I think here, because we've put so many people off, probably a lot of people have been put for a few years, haven't they? And now they're listening to other people go and thinking, oh, let's just try it, yeah, yeah, and that's what we've done.
Speaker 4:Yeah, on our Facebook group at the weekend I put a question on about would you consider doing Virgin Voyages, and lots of people referenced that documentary. Yeah, I bet, just put me off. Yeah, I think it was. You know, they say all the publicity is good, it's good publicity, but I think it turned lots of people off not even just trying it. Virgin yeah, very much like massively. It was like the week our weekend cruise, just just like on steroids, wasn't it? People think it's like that all the time. It's not, is it? I don't think no not at all.
Speaker 4:That four night experience we had was a full, true representation of of Virgin either it was just absolutely one and we'll.
Speaker 3:We will definitely come back onto that because that was such a sort of a snapshot feel of what virgin's like a very intense bit. But having cruised with them quite a few times, we can say that's not normal elements for a normal, yeah.
Speaker 4:But not not the whole.
Speaker 3:Thing yeah, I think. Going back to sort of the documentary, and certainly what you were saying, girl, about probably not being as keen to do and we hear that a lot from couples, don't we? There's one who's always yeah, I'd give it a go, and the other one, no, not entirely sure. Having watched that documentary, what was it, apart from the pool and the top deck that you know you perceived was a bit smaller or not as good compared to others? What was it that put you off? What was the sort of preconceptions you had about Virgin?
Speaker 2:Just the whole vibe of it, that we were too old, really, you know just everything. It was just like it was just way down on my list of ones. We want to say a lot. And it was way up on yours A compromise that had to happen, yeah, yeah. And it was just so on yours A compromise that had to happen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And it was just so often. With these couple of short ones, it was a great one to try.
Speaker 4:Yeah, awesome, and also having the chance to meet you guys, you know, oh, thank you. Apex is the same weekend. That was going to be our yes, it was yeah, so Gail was all more for doing team apex team resilient lady me yeah we had quite a few members of the facebook group who won apex as well.
Speaker 3:Then we're people for that weekend who were going on cruises were pretty much split 50 50. Yeah, and we couldn't really moan about people going on apex when we gave it really good reviews and said awesome it was yeah.
Speaker 4:So we were quite keen to do it. It's definitely worth trying.
Speaker 2:Yes, definitely we're going to be trying it, yeah. We were booked on Apex in COVID, weren't we?
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's made the season. We had a bit of dust, we got a great deal.
Speaker 1:Oh no.
Speaker 3:I'm sure you'll eventually get on? Yeah. So once you decided you were gonna go on the cruise, did you have any sort of further worries that? Have we made a mistake on this? Or were you like, okay, we booked it, let's get excited? And then did you start sort of researching it and ignoring the documentary a bit more?
Speaker 2:I was excited to go and then started reading about having to take my pajamas. All that. I'm thinking, oh my god, all these things is it going to be for us? And particularly with me not being a drinker, it is sometimes difficult when everybody does drink. Yeah, uh, sort of put you off when you're that kind of person because you can only watch people drinking she doesn't not drink, she'll have a drink, but she'll make a drink for like two hours.
Speaker 4:Are you saying she's a cheap dirt?
Speaker 2:man yeah she's very, yes, yeah, yeah, I'm so lucky I really do wish I I like to drink because you know I see everyone having a better time than me.
Speaker 4:It just doesn't go down well, unfortunately no, I've been money to gail for how many years about you should know 33 yeah, I've never seen her drunk, really Never seen her even halfway to being drunk, honestly, wow.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I can honestly say, I have seen Lindsay sober.
Speaker 2:When was that?
Speaker 3:1990. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Are you?
Speaker 3:sober. Are you sober now? Well, you've lost a while, haven't?
Speaker 2:you yeah.
Speaker 3:I'm going to ask you the same question what's that? Because, when we decide, because we, as much as people, are always surprised when we say this we weren't keen on going on virginia it was the beds for me I will say what was it for you that put you off?
Speaker 4:it was the layout the layout of the bed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, the sofa, it was a sofa and then it turned into a bed and I was really concerned. The reason being is I sleep on my front. Mark will say that's weird. I think it's perfectly normal and and I was like I don't know how, I don't know what I think about sleeping on a sofa. I'm not sure I can do that.
Speaker 3:Well, you saw, it as a sofa bed, didn't?
Speaker 1:you like I a sofa? I? I'm not sure I can do that. Well, you saw it as a sofa bed, didn't? I like I can snooze on a sofa. I can't sleep on a sofa because I sleep on my front, so I actually messaged it's more of a sofa, yeah than a nice mattress. Exactly yes so I actually messaged ben and david and I said this is way, before we even started the channel oh yeah, way before because virgin, what first?
Speaker 1:yeah, and I said guys, um, I'm really concerned about the sofa beds, and they were like, don't worry about it, it's really, really comfy well, they'd been on that media press one yeah, it was the only cruise that virgin had ever done before the pandemic hit.
Speaker 4:Ascension's never went, has it.
Speaker 3:So there were very limited audiences too. You could actually ask You'd find someone who'd been on that, and there were like 500 people.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So then he was like oh well, there's some really good pricing. This is for just post-pandemic. I know the first cruise is back and I'm still not sure he went. I've got a solution. I've booked us at Seriously Sweet. The first time on a virgin ship was in Rockstar.
Speaker 3:Which then he won that conversion bed.
Speaker 1:Then it wasn't, it was a proper bed. A proper big king-sized bed.
Speaker 3:So, he set the bar pretty high then. But the pricing at that point it was so good we can't get back in there now. It was only, I think, three nights that we did on that first one. Three or four, yeah, three or four, yeah, and I think for the Rockstar suite at that time it was maybe £800 for the two of us. Wow, that's good, isn't it? For three or four nights.
Speaker 1:You can't get that a night now, I don just very, very cheap for all good value.
Speaker 3:Not so cheap.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 3:But yeah, for me I was kind of with Gail in that I thought it was going to be a Club 1830 type holiday, Because that's how they'd advertised it, the early stuff.
Speaker 1:They can say what they want. That's how they pitched.
Speaker 3:They definitely pitched it.
Speaker 3:This was a young person's cruise and it was at sea instagram, yeah and then they realized that they do not have this disposable income to yeah, no, 18 to 30 year olds can afford like sort of money to go on a seven night cruise. All the original cruises as well were all short cruises three and four nights, including from us and then I think after about a year, they were like, okay, that's maybe the market, yeah, um, and whilst we've collectively just done a four-night one, that's now not there is there bread and butter?
Speaker 1:one, but they do.
Speaker 3:They are looking at the ones that are coming increasingly yeah, because our next virgin one that we've got booked 16 nights yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh is it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, which? Yeah, it's not until March 26th, but that'll be a fascinating one, Because it'll be. You couldn't go as heavy as we are.
Speaker 1:Oh, I'd be dead.
Speaker 3:For those four nights and you just yeah we'd have to be down in the IV room on a drip.
Speaker 4:You'd want to go to the bar, tab or loot, wouldn't you?
Speaker 3:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 1:I'll probably empty my bank account. Yeah, you couldn't do it because you'd be destroyed. You'd be destroyed.
Speaker 3:And it'll be really interesting to see how they sort of change the entertainment and the focus for everything, because that four-night one was focused on everyone having a good time. Yeah, yeah, for everything. Because that four-night one was focused on having a good time. Yeah, whilst you have a good time, it's in a different way on the other one. It'll be really interesting to see them. So, having now been on the Virgin Voyages cruise for the first time, were any of the concerns that you had justified? Were any of it worse than you thought?
Speaker 2:Only in the manner. Only in the manner. Yeah, obviously that isn't my cup of tea, no, but like I've said, on any cruise ship, as a club, a disco, you don't want to go in it, you don't have to. No, exactly, yeah, and I know, like we've discussed, that the Vajana Party would have been great out on the deck, wouldn't it? Probably a different kind of night. So, yeah, that was the only thing that really wasn't for me. I'm not a nightclub kind of person.
Speaker 4:I think this week it was outside, wasn't it?
Speaker 1:Was it oh?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I've seen some vlogs already and the party was outside.
Speaker 1:Oh nice.
Speaker 3:We've never managed to have a pajama party outside yet no, or maybe on this one.
Speaker 2:So, apart from the manor, everything else I enjoyed, yeah, really the entertainment. We didn't see all the entertainment we wanted because we got on late the first day, didn't we? But the couple of things that we did get to see really enjoyed them, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Mind Mangler, we saw, we saw him. Have you seen that one?
Speaker 1:oh, yes, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Mind Mangler yeah we saw the one on the last night you recommended to us yeah, misbehaved show, so we got. We just about got in there just as it started, so, um, that was fab.
Speaker 1:That was yeah, yeah, yeah the entertainment on there.
Speaker 3:I mean as far as we've talked about on reviews before, but as far as I'm concerned it is the best entertainment. I'd say there are other cruise lines that do the big broadway, spectacular royal caribbean and disney in particular yeah, royal caribbean. I'm incredibly well. Big budget, yeah, but when you look at that full ship, wide entertainment yeah I don't think there's anyone to compare to them.
Speaker 1:I mean, they still have a lady in a sparkly dress. You know singing standards but it's all with a virgin flair to it, flesh to it, yeah. Yeah, there's no, they still have bingo. They still have bingo.
Speaker 3:It's just done as a drag act with a lot of humour.
Speaker 4:Yeah, did you see any pineapples in the wild? Well, there was plenty of pineapple goers on that for a hundred percent. No, we didn't actually physically see any, did we Not? On the doors and stuff? No, we didn't see any of that, but there was definitely. It was a talk of the ship. I was in the galley on the last morning and some guy went oh, we met a lovely couple from Canada last night and his mate went oh right, what more happened? She said oh, we spent all night in the cabin with them. We had loads of fun. But he was shouting it loud.
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 4:I just think he was doing it for a laugh. Yeah, I think it was the general theme of the ship. It was quite good actually.
Speaker 1:You spent some time in the cabin with cruise boys and cruise monkeys and left me in the corridor. You see A boat.
Speaker 3:Just to put this into context, we all started in that cabin. There were about 12 of us, as well as I was evicted.
Speaker 1:I don't know why. I don't know why I'm so different.
Speaker 3:And you weren't evicted, you went I'm going to go get my own champagne, right, and so I left the room, and then you forgot to go and get. I didn't forget about you, I was just trying.
Speaker 1:Was that on the first date? No, that was the second night, or was it?
Speaker 3:I'm just going to go and try and stand on, yeah all right, but yeah, but I mean going back to your pineapple thing. I think that's one of those big common myths not that it's untrue, but that's exaggerated. Online and on tv, yeah. On facebook groups that, yeah, if you're going on there, everyone's to have a pineapple on everyone. That it's all without sounding crass in your face, and it's really not. Not whatsoever. We saw one pineapple on a door. We did A little tiny magnet, only to be very small.
Speaker 1:But it was definitely upside down, definitely upside down, oh, okay, but that's part of the reason that puts people off as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, because people believe that, that you know there's this party cruise that is for people with certain sort of lifestyles. And yeah, I mean gail just talked about the, the nightclub and the manor. Yeah, that manor, and you could see in our first vlog on it, is really packed when it was busy, because normally that would be on the top deck where you'd ring for like 500 people.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it was really hot in there, wasn't?
Speaker 3:it. It was so hot, so warm, so warm in there.
Speaker 4:The drink was like you know, to the bar and back was just like.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you had to sort of fight your way through, didn't you?
Speaker 3:It's not as an enjoyable experience as it is, I would imagine, outside, because I said as I imagine. So I don't know, um, but you could have gone to plenty of other same other places that evening even at that time like even in your pajamas on the pajamas because people around all the other bars.
Speaker 2:As you know, we came down to see yeah, you're like, you didn't want to put them on. It was like, oh, they're in the jarbies, so yeah, even when we were walking around, there were still loads of people in them. So it was great, and I think probably more so because we were all so late getting on, probably like can't be bothered getting dressed tonight. No, it worked well, didn't it? Yeah, definitely enjoyed.
Speaker 4:Do you think that was the biggest take-up of the PJs on any of your virgin cruises?
Speaker 3:It was probably similar on Resilient, wasn't it last year?
Speaker 1:Yeah, because that was on.
Speaker 3:That was in Athens. Yeah, so even in Athens, where it was 30-odd degrees on the day that we were coming out on that first day, it started raining, so we still didn't have. So we still didn't get it, even in Med at that time of year. But I think that were probably similar at that point. But compared to the first couple of ones, hardly anyone were in them. On those ones Nowadays it's like Scarlet Knight.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's a ship-wise thing that.
Speaker 3:You would feel out of place. I think you just feel as out of place not getting dressed up for Scarlet Knight as you would feel out of play. I think you just feel as out of place not getting dressed up for scarlet night as you would on queen mary 2.
Speaker 3:Not getting dressed up on one of four nights, yeah, yeah yeah because that is the closest that they have to a formal where there is an expectation now, yeah, not just a put a bit of red on yeah, it's like no, you need a mech and effort for this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah and even that, that everybody just wore what they wanted. Like I put a dress on, you had a T-shirt on, People wore what they felt comfortable in. It wasn't like on a normal cruise line where you feel like you know you've got to get your dickie bow on and everyone wore what they're comfortable in, whether it was a tracky bottom or a posh dress.
Speaker 4:That's one of the big pluses for us about the whole thing was there's no one judging anybody. No, no, no one's looking at anyone up and down. No, it's very much like just come as you are.
Speaker 1:Exactly If you want to go. Whatever, the saying is Exactly yeah, if you want to go to dinner in your T-shirt and your shorts, no problem.
Speaker 3:You don't have to wear flip-flops in the restaurant. Well, I think that's a health and safety thing, yeah, but other than that, that's pretty much where they draw the line, isn't it? As long as you've got, as long as you're covered.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Did you like the food, then I know you liked extra virgin.
Speaker 4:I've never known it. I life, I've never known it. I don't know how virgin can churn out so many top quality plates of food across the ship as they do even in, even in the, the galley, yeah, and then and the, the dock and the other places, we just thought everything we ate was really like elevated.
Speaker 3:It was, yes, awesome yeah you made a really interesting comment on uh live. I think it was yesterday when you were talking about Sir Samuel's.
Speaker 1:Oh, it was with Tom and Dom on Tom and Dom, and it was a live.
Speaker 3:You felt that the way was far superior, which is included to Sir Samuel's.
Speaker 4:Yes, I had pretty much the same, exactly the same menu. Yeah, so I can. I can compare both quite comfortably. Um, and it was just head and shoulders. Yeah, nothing wrong with the cunard stuff, but the cunard meal was really good yeah it was better yeah and included in there was better.
Speaker 2:I mean, we did go on the last night on queen anne so it could have been a little bit quieter. But yeah, in the wake the atmosphere was really nice yeah it feels like you're in a really she she restaurant in this big city, doesn't it yeah?
Speaker 4:I also think the um, the, the um waiters and the and the staff in the restaurants they're just so passionate about. Yeah, I mean without exception. We thought or maybe on Exaversion on the first night the girl was amazing and she saved up. I thought, well, we were lucky getting her. And then we went to the camp and they were great and we went away across everywhere we ate. We had the same experience, didn't we?
Speaker 1:yeah, we had the same experience, didn't we? Yeah, I got into trouble in the dock for getting my own cheese box.
Speaker 4:Are we heard about that?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I got into trouble. Where was With the waiter because I wanted some of the blue cheese that's in the takeaway fridge.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I went off to get some and he's like where are you going, ma'am? I'm going to get some cheese. And he's like I'll get it. I'm going to get some cheese and he's like I'll get it. I'm like no, it's fine, I'm here, look, I'm getting it. He's like I'll get it. I'm like I'm doing it. And he was very cross with me for getting the cheese box.
Speaker 3:He wanted to deliver it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and then he wheeled the little trolley over. Then, if you remember, he did.
Speaker 4:Yeah Well, you then asked if you could get some of the feta cheese that's in the Mediterranean gin and tonic. Oh, in the gin and tonic yeah, it's so good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm a bit of a cheese bunny.
Speaker 4:We saw the vlog last night.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 4:It's very good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it's so good.
Speaker 3:There's so many bits where Lindsay keeps going.
Speaker 1:No, I don't remember that, don't remember no recollection no, remember I saw luke and gavin's, the cruise monkeys, little highlights reel I don't know if you've seen that yet and we come out of it, out of the room. Um, then we near the little hobby horsey things, the carousel horses. No recollection. I don't even remember how I got into the wake on that night.
Speaker 3:I don't remember, I just yeah, you're having conversations with people don't remember how I got there.
Speaker 1:Apparently I was hugging and kissing people as I went through the wake.
Speaker 4:I was just I'll believe that I just no idea, no idea, so yeah.
Speaker 1:So, in conclusion, food very good, I'm gonna bounce that back to you a little bit.
Speaker 3:So that's their first experience of food. On Virgin yes, we've now been on it four times. Four times, yeah. Is your opinion of it still as high as one? First time? For the food yeah, yes, yeah, I love it. Is there anything you'd like to see changed? Because it's pretty much the same as when we first went on it.
Speaker 1:It is pretty much the same. You see, there are gun bay, gun bay. I could take a leave that it's not you've got to have the right table you've got to have the right table and also you're not a massive fan of extra virgin. I like the Afregato station. I've got to say I love that yeah, I love that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I had that.
Speaker 1:That's amazing.
Speaker 2:That's my favourite restaurant, yeah.
Speaker 3:We saw that on yours, I think, the last time we were in.
Speaker 1:It wasn't as good as before times, yeah, Before we were, so last time. So you always judge it on the last one that you went, yeah, don't you? Well?
Speaker 3:yeah, we told you. Well, that's it. You see, this time we went into Pink Agave, love Pink Agave and we now rank that as our favourite restaurant on board, and we never got to go.
Speaker 4:We never got. I wish we had a couple of more days on board, because we just just need another three months now, we don't need to try the food yeah, yeah, yeah, will you, will you rebook?
Speaker 2:yeah 100 yeah, don't know when. They might might slip it in next year, I don't know there's some good um scarlet lady ones in the next year still, they're out of the uk, they're not.
Speaker 3:Yeah they're not. Is that the one that's doing northern france and spain six, nine?
Speaker 1:yeah, it is doing that, but but there's barcelona yeah, one. Barcelona yeah, med ones.
Speaker 3:Yeah, obviously we've got it booked where we're going out of Miami in 18 months' time, but I would like to do a Caribbean one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that'd be fun, that'd be fun Old Beach yeah.
Speaker 3:Caribbean. Well, that's pretty much how they were pitching it originally, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but with all Caribbean cruises I end up feeling worse when I get back because of the flight Of course, yeah. If I could.
Speaker 3:And alcohol. Mike, you were right with where you were thinking.
Speaker 1:If I could cruise back. I'd be fine, I think, if I could make it work it out so that I could go to the Caribbean, then fly up to New.
Speaker 2:York, and now I'm in New York?
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, that would work for me.
Speaker 3:Queen Mary 2, back. Yep, that would be perfect. There you go. So question then about Virgin. Okay, having all of us been on it, we've got a convert in the room.
Speaker 2:We do.
Speaker 3:Do you think that Virgin is for every cruiser? If not, who is it for?
Speaker 2:No, I don't think it's for everybody. It's definitely not for my 80 year old parents there was an 80 year old in the that's, that's where we were on.
Speaker 2:That's the 82 he was, yeah yeah, because my mum and dad do transit landings every year. Yeah, and then they'll come back. The other way yeah, yeah, 83 and 84 um, and I've looked at some of them and I thought, oh, I wonder whether they'd go on it, whether it'd be okay. But no, I definitely wouldn't put anything like 100 pounds. You're putting them on it? Um, definitely not. So I think you've got to be young at heart, haven't you?
Speaker 4:yes, I think your dad is. I think your dad would buzz on it a bit more reserved, a bit like Gail, a bit more yeah maybe yeah but yeah, I think you've got to be young at heart, haven't you?
Speaker 2:I know the age is average 55, they reckon. Yeah, I think you've got to be young at heart haven't you? I know the age is average 55, they reckon yeah.
Speaker 3:I think you're probably older on this, Crookes.
Speaker 1:I don't think so.
Speaker 3:You don't? No, no, but I know that's what Virgin put out, that the average age is now 55 on that witch, 55, yeah, it's such a massive. Again, it's that preconception thing, including from the show where he's pretending, or you know, people are receiving, perceiving it as being at that younger age. Yeah, yeah and, and the reality is, as gail absolutely said, it's just us older folks that want to have fun yeah, now you make that sound weird, you know oh, I'm gonna say girls that want to have fun, I'm gonna go into a cindy lop of it.
Speaker 1:Don't that's. Don't do that, please. Don't do that Please.
Speaker 3:Is there anything? I mean, I've touched on this for you for the food, so I'll start with you and then I'll go to Gail and Mike. Is there anything you'd like to see? Virgin change now, Because we've got Brilliant Lady coming out next year back in the next year. Is there anything you want to see different to? And also, when Scarlet goes in for a refit, what would you like to see them alter?
Speaker 1:um the roundabout. Scarlet Knight bit with the like little wedding and everything and the forced fun bit yeah, I think that's an easy bit to change.
Speaker 3:That's just an entertainment change, isn't it?
Speaker 1:yeah, but that's what I want to change. You asked me what I want to change.
Speaker 3:You don't want to change any restaurants.
Speaker 1:I do want to change restaurants, anything in the spa, oh, the spa's silly, but they're not a hot tub fan. They're not a jet hot tub fan at Virgin.
Speaker 3:They're not. Wait, if you're outside of Richard's rooftop, none of the hot tubs have bubbles in them. No, the big round one does at the back.
Speaker 1:But they're more like for going for a current, and that's for different reasons, which I feel. This is not a late night podcast, so we can't really talk about why we could do a late night version at some point.
Speaker 3:Maybe we should do. Yeah, Maybe I can already hear the intro music. Oh my god.
Speaker 1:Anyway. So yeah, there are a few things, but I still love it.
Speaker 3:I'd like to see the restaurants get a refresh For definite and the menus. I think the menus that's an easy one for them to refresh. But to refresh it and still keep it that quality, that's a different thing.
Speaker 2:Because if you want people to come back On a 7.90, you'll do one of the Most of you want people to come back and, yeah, on a seven night, so you'll do one of the most of those restaurants once you come back. Next time you do want to see something different, don't you? Yeah?
Speaker 3:yeah, it's easy when you, I think, if you're just doing it once, if you've done it twice because even if you're doing the seven night ones, you can go in the restaurant. The menus are big enough, they're not small menus where you can have different stuff and it wouldn't be a problem but if you've done a couple of longer ones, couple of transatlantic, then you probably are going to have tried most of the stuff that you want to try at this point and with all the ships being identical across the fleet yeah it'd be nice to have some a bit of difference definitely.
Speaker 4:yeah, I've heard aour about on Scarlet's, after the refit, razzle Dazzle getting changed into an Asian restaurant. I've heard that. Yeah, I've heard the same rumour for that. Yeah, so what are your thoughts on Razzle Dazzle?
Speaker 3:We really like it. We didn't used to like it.
Speaker 1:I liked it for brunch, but some of the dishes can be quite dry.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the razzle dazzle by night. Oh, that's fun, which is a different menu.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It's fantastic. Yeah, it genuinely is one of the best menus on. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 3:They have some fantastic bit, but again that was of. This is all a meat-free area. Yeah, the first did it and that's what people still think of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and at night it really isn't. No, no, not at all.
Speaker 3:Fantastic. What would you guys like to see changed based on your first experience?
Speaker 4:Well, god, I mean, it was all so good. I mean, how do you improve it? I mean changing it. Yeah, maybe bring an Asian restaurant to summer restaurant, or maybe a Chinese, that'd be good. Yeah, chinese option, but yeah, I mean they're. Obviously it's the big tick for Beijing. Is the food, isn't it most people? So why would you, why do you want to change so much? It's work, isn't it to? Yeah but I think, with them being four identical ships, like I said before, it'd be nice just to that's it.
Speaker 4:Change things up a little bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I couldn't have thought the food, so why no? Why would I want to change anything really? And we didn't try it all, we didn't do no, and we didn't get to Pinta Garvey either. So they're probably Two of your Well, pinta Garvey's your favourite.
Speaker 1:Did you have an ice cream?
Speaker 2:Few, yeah, yeah, and the pizzas as well. I mean, there's just so much, all the pizzas are so good, aren't they?
Speaker 2:I mean because every other ship you go on, you sort of go. Often it's there's a pepperoni and a margarita, yeah, yeah, or they might have a tweak one night, but there you just sort of go pick your own and yeah, it's just really good experiences and about it, they just really thought the food out it's. The only thing I would change would be top deck. I think there's a lot of wasted areas of um stuff that, okay, you might go on the seesaw once.
Speaker 4:Yeah, take a photo, yeah the punch binds or the boxing.
Speaker 2:You know that type of thing, yeah I think they could get rid of quite a bit of that and have a little bit more nicer outside spaces, maybe a little plunge pool, that kind of thing. Yeah, At the back maybe, so you don't have to go in those pools.
Speaker 1:No, did you like that all these soft drinks were included? Yes, yes.
Speaker 3:I was a bit ticked. I don't think there's another cruise line that does that. Is there for mainstream? No, I don't think so.
Speaker 2:And, to be fair, before we got on, I just thought it was in the galley where we'd just have the soft drinks. They have all the carbonated. But it was only when we went to get a drink and I went, oh, I'll just have a lemonade or something, and there was no charge for it. It was behind the bars, the main bars as well. So, yeah, that's good. I mean the Wi-Fi being included, being included because you know we're going on, princess, and it's like literally 280 quid one device oh my goodness, you know.
Speaker 2:So when you compare to what the given included, you know you get a lot for your money don't you?
Speaker 3:you do the headline price looks pricey and then when you break down what you're getting and everything, yeah, it's yeah, it's definitely comparable in pricing to princess when you have the bits back onto it and I I think it is probably cheaper like for like than celebrity um, but it's for me great yeah.
Speaker 2:And I think the main drinks prices, because we've just been on Cunard, obviously that's in our minds how much his wine was on there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, the bar prices were reasonable yeah.
Speaker 3:One beer, yeah, and they're generous with the measures as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they are.
Speaker 3:Yeah absolutely.
Speaker 1:Absolutely yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so we just couldn't, we just couldn't. I'm still buzzed off it. We had a few more days on there, really, so it's the next time, isn't?
Speaker 3:it any other thoughts on Virgin, anything else you guys want to sort of say about it?
Speaker 2:there's only one thing I'd say the booking of the food, the restaurants 45 days out, yeah, the booking of the food, the restaurant's 45 days out, yeah. I think that gets people all stressed. It does they say in the end, there's only 20% or 30% allowed to be booked. They should just let a lot more, or tell people, because we only found that through Facebook and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:It was dead. Stress, I mean, I was up at five o'clock, wasn't I? Oh bless you. Yeah, I did it while he was snoozing. But yeah, it is a stressful thing, isn't it, when you first go on the first time. So I think you either let people know the percentage or just let people walk in advance. If you want to, yeah, I completely agree with you.
Speaker 3:We we didn't book a single restaurant this time just to walk, just walk up, yeah yeah and what was your average weight?
Speaker 4:were you waiting, or did you have to wait much or peak times?
Speaker 3:no, I mean, when 10 of us turned up at the wake, we had to wait about a minute. Yeah, yeah, so yeah, but we did steal. We did steal tristan justin's table. Yeah, yeah, we did. Yeah, to be fair, they said they weren't going. We did, yeah, it's not our fault. We decided to turn up.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 3:We shared a table.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we loved it and the sabres were good for ten, oh yeah.
Speaker 3:Shall we move on to some news stories? Yes, please. News story number one, and as northerners, we might agree with this or we might not. Royal Caribbean this week gave away free Wi-Fi on a seven-night Western Med from the Rome so that people could book the Oasis concerts.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm sure they got All right, I'm sure they got booked.
Speaker 4:Yeah, okay, good old.
Speaker 3:Starlink then yeah, I'm not sure how many people were trying to book it at that point well, it's a nice little story it got them a lot of good free press. But is it because obviously wifi on there, like with other ones, like you said, with Princess and others and Royal especially, is expensive for their good internet connection? Good connection, yeah. Are they now setting an expectation for any time there's a major concert? So when Ticklow announces her next concert?
Speaker 1:No, because there's not a Taylor of the Seas. There is in the West, so no.
Speaker 3:Okay, so until they do Taylor of the Seas, then Taylor of the Seas or Fleetwood Mac of the Seas.
Speaker 1:I don't feel it's going to be a problem.
Speaker 3:I also don't see fleetwood reforming that abba of the seas. There's voyage of the seas.
Speaker 1:That's what abba's concert's called, isn't it? I don't know, I might be wrong on that, I think you might be right, actually.
Speaker 4:Okay, you don't have to worry about that we often say it's for oasis, we're into them or not?
Speaker 1:no, we like to blur, but we're going to get a lot.
Speaker 3:Don't say that we remain impartial. We also like Oasis and lots of other bands from the north and the south of England and Gorillaz.
Speaker 1:We like them yeah, we do all Gorillaz are great.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I like a lot of Oasis songs but I won't dive in for I but I don't really dive for any concert tickets.
Speaker 4:I said on these days go and see live bands. Go for a cruise for less, Mike Exactly. It's crazy pricey, that's what I'm doing with my money, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Second year start.
Speaker 4:My son got a ticket, did he? Yeah, there were a few at work that got some of it.
Speaker 3:I mean, they're doing Quite a few concerts, aren't they? And they're in big venues.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but the dynamic they were in Heaton Park in.
Speaker 4:Manchester. So that's yeah, and they've done that.
Speaker 1:That's like a homecoming One, that for them.
Speaker 3:Isn't it? Yeah, yeah, have they done that before? When the original Right? I bet they're good. Yeah, if it's available to watch on TV at some point, I'll watch it. Yeah, maybe.
Speaker 4:Maybe they'll do Glastonbury. Probably not. It'd be interesting to know how many people on Oasis for that. Mickey thing. How many actually got tickets and got through and got some?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:You'd have to have a follow-up story to that, wouldn't you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, it'd be really interesting to know New story too. Okay, so norway has now confirmed that it's going to introduce its net zero emission rules. Okay, on cruise ships yeah the first. There's two parts to it. The first one's coming in in 2026. Oh so okay, but that's for smaller ships and ferries. I think it's up to like 10,000 kilos or tons or whatever. Okay, relatively small, probably not 10,000 ton. That seems quite big. But the smaller ones. But that's really soon. That's like 18 months away.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's not really.
Speaker 3:But the bigger ones, which affects all the cruise ships, is 2032. Which seems further away, but it's only eight years, and by that point the ships have got to be able to plug in when they go into the ports and certain ports that are in the heritage site. They're not going to allow them unless they're zero emissions ones.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:So how ships like, for instance, QM2. That's not going is going to cope into there, because the fjords on QNADS we did it. It's an iconic cruise for that particular one. Yeah, and it'll be interesting to see what happens on that. But those ports do rely on tourism, yeah, so, but the cruise lines, despite all the grief that they get and we saw it, we all collectively saw it first hand when we were going into Amsterdam yeah, the cruise lines are trying to push forward. We're doing better. I think they're doing better than the airline?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so hopefully they can continue to work.
Speaker 4:it Will the LNG ship go into that category Only if they can plug in, mike, they will qualify as long as they can plug in.
Speaker 3:When they get into the dock, the car run on their own generators when they're in there, which is fair enough, because I've seen some of the older ships when they're in there, which is fair enough, because I've seen some of the older ships when they're in there and you're in these stunning ports and you can just see this blooms of smoke coming off the top of the older ones.
Speaker 4:It doesn't sit comfortably with me when you see that really.
Speaker 3:No, it doesn't, and you must have seen it in Liverpool as well, when they pulled up in that city. It's not necessarily what you want to see, and Liverpool, by comparison to the fjords, is a proper big city as opposed to a little port. So yeah, I get why they're doing it.
Speaker 4:It all comes down to numbers, won't it? And economics. If these food lines, if the fjords element of what their business isn't generating the cash, enough cash to reinvest into the, If the fjords element of what their business isn't generating the cash, enough cash to reinvest into the new regulations. You might find someone just fall by the wayside. It's a shame yeah.
Speaker 3:We'll see what happens. Yeah, final news story, and this is Royal Caribbean again. They're getting twice this week no virgin, no princess in our news. Okay, I'm sure that we're back to normal now. Okay, they've now confirmed that they have ordered their fourth icon ship. What else is Along with that's at the Finnish shipyard I think it's Mea Turku, something like that. Yeah, and they've also put options on a fifth and a sixth one.
Speaker 1:What grief?
Speaker 3:And the new ones are now going to launch in 2025 with Star. I do find it weird that we've got Star Princess and Star. Yeah, where's that? Have the seats? Surely one of you could have come up with a different name. It's just going to confuse us all next year.
Speaker 1:However, look out for five-star reuniting, because you're going to be able to book your tickets.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, yeah, we'll better get five star tickets systematic wow we're in for that, and then we've got new ones launching 2026 and 2027, now with the fourth one and then, presumably, if they're still going as well as they are, 2028 and 2029. How, what do you guys think about? Is that? Because obviously that's the only one that's out of the Icon class? Is it something you fancy doing? Is it just too big?
Speaker 2:I think it's just a little bit. We've been on Symphony and I think that's really. We love Symphony, but I think that it's all the family stuff, that when you see the top decks and stuff, yeah, really.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:They when you see the top decks and stuff. Yeah, really, yeah, yeah, they're obviously billing them and making the money, aren't they?
Speaker 4:Well, they're making the money. Yeah, To be all Right the price is on.
Speaker 1:Oh my goodness, I know, I know.
Speaker 3:Oh, the price on Icon's absolutely Ridiculous, Absolutely insane though.
Speaker 4:I mean, you would hope by the time they get the fourth ship out yeah, absolutely, just you shouldn't be able to go on region cheaper than royal yeah, it's. It doesn't make any sense. If you'd have said to me six or seven years ago, when the kids were, our kids were like teenagers, we'd have been all over this class of shit and we really enjoyed symphony, didn't we? Yeah but now she's got no desire to go on it.
Speaker 3:No on anything we know the families who family ones who've been on it, have loved it, yeah, and so it's fantastic. I'm not necessarily sure it's for us, which is weird because oasis is still one of my favorite ships.
Speaker 4:You love oasis, yeah yeah, I think it's on. It's moved on to another level, hasn't it all the bright colors everywhere it's I don't know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, no, it's very yeah but I'm sure at some point.
Speaker 3:One of us will try it yeah uh, and then we can tell everyone else what we think on it. But it'd be nice for them to sort of get I know we've got independence coming over here next year because we've got our group cruise on it it'd be nice to get an oasis class ship or something like symphony or wonder harmony one of the bigger ones over, going out of the uk yeah, that'll be good.
Speaker 3:I don't expect we'll get an icon class anytime soon, no, but maybe we get an oasis, one sort of going forward well, suppose it's a good sign of the how healthy the cruise industry is, isn't it yeah?
Speaker 1:exactly yeah.
Speaker 4:It's good news really. Well, you look where we were four years ago, and it's well.
Speaker 3:We have a cruise industry ever again, and we've now got a cruise industry that's probably more buoyant than it's ever been pre-pandemic yeah. Yeah, it came back far stronger than I think anyone expected, um, which is fantastic. If you love cruising, yeah, there's never been a better time to cruise, albeit getting more expensive, very expensive yeah, well, that brings us to holidays I know I
Speaker 2:know you've got no yeah and you're like, oh, off to work till next year. Yeah, yeah, it's going to work, isn't it, yep.
Speaker 3:It is Well, that brings us to the end of the CruiseCast. Well, cheers, darling. Oh, you nearly lost your glass there. That would have been a tragedy.
Speaker 1:Cheers girls and Mike Go.
Speaker 4:Mike Thanks. Thank you for joining us today. Get up again. Bye.
Speaker 3:Fantastic, see you, and we'll play out with the music.
Speaker 2:Cheers.