Debunking Rumors & Our Thoughts on Virgin Voyages Changes

0:00
Well, it's been quite a week in the
0:02
world of Virgin Voyages, and unless
0:04
you've been living under a rock, you'll
0:05
know that there are new changes coming
0:07
up to do with voyage fair choices and
0:09
gratuitities. Now, it's fair to say a
0:12
lot of these updates have been met with
0:13
a little bit of confusion and
0:15
controversy. So, I thought I'd jump on
0:17
and put this video together to talk
0:19
about the facts and what is actually
0:21
changing. And if there are things to be
0:23
concerned about, let's worry about the
0:25
real things. There is of course a lot of
0:27
genuine feedback from people that find
0:29
these changes a little bit controversial
0:31
and I'm certainly not going to sit here
0:33
and tell you that that feedback is
0:34
wrong. And I'm going to tell you exactly
0:36
what we personally think about these
0:38
changes towards the end of this video as
0:39
well. So stick around and hear what we
0:41
think. I'm David from VV Insider and
0:44
earlier this week I put together a video
0:46
that should explain all these changes in
0:48
a really simple format. So, if you
0:50
haven't seen that video and you're still
0:52
confused about the changes, maybe pop
0:54
along and watch that video first. So,
0:56
many of these changes actually don't
0:57
impact the overall Virgin Voyages
0:59
experience at all. Most of the
1:01
controversy and the problems this week
1:03
have stemmed from the way that this has
1:05
been reported on social media. The very
1:08
first news of this broke over on Reddit
1:10
at 9:00 a.m. And unfortunately, the post
1:13
that went out was kind of halfbaked and
1:15
didn't include all the information. And
1:17
that led to an incredible amount of
1:19
rumors and misinformation flying around
1:21
that we're still seeing on social media
1:23
and on message boards right now. So
1:25
hopefully this video will stem the flow
1:27
of all that speculation. So let's go
1:29
through everything. Let's look at these
1:31
frequently asked questions and let's get
1:33
down to the facts. Vins Insider is the
1:35
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1:36
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1:39
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1:40
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1:42
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1:44
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1:49
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1:53
hear how you can get exclusive perks by
1:55
booking directly with us. Let's jump
1:57
right into it. So let's firstly talk
1:59
about loyalty and perks because this is
2:02
one of the big questions that we keep
2:03
seeing coming up and it's also one of
2:05
the biggest rumors about this whole
2:07
change which is very bizarre to me. So
2:09
let's dig in. So the first question is
2:11
have they cancelled Deep Blue extras?
2:14
No, they haven't. I have no idea where
2:16
this rumor has come from. What I do
2:18
believe it stems from is something on
2:20
Reddit, which of course everything does,
2:21
but I do believe it might stem from the
2:23
new app maybe isn't showing people's
2:25
Deep Blue extra statuses on some
2:27
voyages. I think that might be the
2:29
problem. But don't worry, Deep Blue
2:31
Extras is going nowhere right now with
2:33
this announcement. They didn't mention
2:35
loyalty at all. So, there are no changes
2:38
to the loyalty program. Those that have
2:40
sailed in the past and achieved deep
2:42
blue extras, you will continue to
2:44
receive all that. And anyone who is
2:46
lucky enough to be in Club 485C, you
2:48
will continue to be in Club 485C. There
2:51
are no changes to the loyalty program
2:53
with this announcement at all. Let me
2:55
put your fears to bed there. The next
2:57
question would be does this affect the
2:59
sailing club at all? And like I say, the
3:01
loyalty program still stays and also
3:04
something worth pointing out here is it
3:06
doesn't matter which voyage fair choice
3:09
you choose, you will still continue to
3:11
earn your loyalty status just as you did
3:13
before. So even if you choose the base
3:15
fair or lockers in fair, it doesn't make
3:17
any difference. You're still earning a
3:19
credit towards your loyalty program. So
3:22
you will continue to rise through the
3:24
ranks if you sell more. That will always
3:26
be the case. Next one about those loyal
3:28
sailors that want to sail again. Can I
3:30
use my next Virgin Voyage or MNVV
3:34
placeholder? Yes, you can. You can use
3:36
that on any of the fair choices. So, you
3:38
can use that MNVV and choose a base
3:41
fair, an essential fair, or a premium
3:43
fair. It's entirely up to you. So, if
3:45
you have an MNVV already, keep a hold of
3:48
it. You can still use it. There's no
3:49
problems there. Now, let's tackle
3:51
selling your Voyage on. So, the question
3:53
is, can I still sell my Voyage to my
3:56
friends and family? The answer here is
3:58
yes, you certainly can, except for the
4:01
fact that you will probably need a
4:02
premium fair in the new system in order
4:05
to achieve that. Because if you're
4:07
selling it to somebody and you're not
4:08
sailing on that voyage yourself as the
4:10
main sailor, you will need to have a
4:12
premium fair in order to switch the
4:14
sailors out. The only alternative here,
4:17
if you're on the essential fair, if
4:18
you're the main sailor and you're simply
4:20
bringing somebody else along on the
4:22
voyage with you instead of the person
4:24
who was coming, you will still be able
4:26
to do that on the essential fair because
4:28
you can change out any fellow sailor.
4:30
You just can't change yourself as the
4:32
main sailor on the essential fair. And
4:33
of course, if this booking is on the
4:35
legacy fair, so something you've booked
4:37
before the 7th of October, you can
4:39
change the main sailor just as you can
4:41
with the premium option. So, if you have
4:43
any intentions of making a booking that
4:45
you're going to sell to somebody else or
4:47
move to somebody else, probably make
4:49
sure you're booking it before the 7th of
4:51
October. Otherwise, you're going to have
4:52
to pay extra for the premium fair. Now,
4:55
let's move on to a new section that
4:56
we're going to call booking and pricing.
4:58
So, the first question in this section
5:01
is are the prices going up? And this
5:03
obviously is a very fair question to
5:05
ask. But first of all, let's look at the
5:07
voyage fair choices. So with the
5:10
essential fair, which is effectively the
5:12
fair that is replacing the legacy fair
5:14
of old, that will still stay the same
5:17
price as today. So that's not changing.
5:20
If you decide to go for the base fair,
5:22
you will receive a small discount. And
5:24
of course, if you want that extra
5:26
flexibility and those additional perks,
5:28
if you go for the premium fair, then of
5:30
course the price does go up because
5:31
you're paying that extra $45 per sailor
5:34
per night. But that is totally your
5:36
choice. But when it comes to
5:37
gratuitities, people's fears here are of
5:40
course if you're having to add
5:41
gratuitities on top of your voyage fair,
5:44
then of course the price is going up
5:45
because you're adding gratuitities on.
5:47
Well, as we explained in our explainer
5:49
video, actually the gratuitities are
5:51
simply a part of what you're currently
5:53
paying for your voyage fair. So when the
5:56
voyage fair is presented on the website
5:58
now what will happen is that
5:59
gratuitities amount will be taken off
6:01
simply to be added on again when you
6:04
prepay for your gratuitities at $20 per
6:06
night or if you decide to pay for your
6:08
gratuitities when you get on board then
6:11
yes it is going to be slightly more
6:12
expensive because it's going to be
6:13
charged at $22 per night. So if you want
6:16
to make sure you're not paying any extra
6:18
than you really need to for your voyage
6:20
just make sure you're prepaying your
6:22
gratuitities before you sail. Otherwise,
6:24
you are going to have to pay a little
6:26
bit more. Now, there is a theory that's
6:27
been going around on comments around
6:29
social media, which is they're simply
6:32
doing this as a stealth tactic so that
6:34
they can reduce the price for now and
6:35
then they're just going to creep that
6:37
price back up. So, you're effectively
6:38
paying what you would always pay plus
6:40
gratuitities. In the conversations that
6:42
we've had with the Virgin Voyages
6:44
leadership, they're not intending to do
6:46
this, but of course they would say that,
6:48
I suppose, if you're going to be
6:49
cynical. But what we will do, and what
6:51
we always do on vvincider.com, is we
6:54
track the pricing of every single
6:55
voyage, if you've never seen this
6:57
before, if you go on any of the voyagers
6:59
on vbvinsider/book,
7:02
you will actually see each of the prices
7:04
for each of the cabin categories listed
7:06
and what the prices were historically.
7:08
So, you can actually see where the
7:10
prices have gone up or down. Now, what
7:12
I'm going to try and do, I build and
7:14
develop these things. I'm going to try
7:16
and see whether I can show the pricing
7:18
with the gratuitities included so that
7:20
you can get a real idea of where the
7:22
prices have moved and together what we
7:25
can do as a community is keep an eye on
7:27
these prices and really hold Virgin
7:29
Voyages to this promise where they're
7:30
not going to be creeping that price up.
7:32
Now, of course, we're all fully aware of
7:34
inflation and prices. So, prices will
7:36
creep up eventually anyway, but what we
7:38
don't want to see is that gratuitity
7:40
cost just simply being tacked on in the
7:42
next few months. So, let's all take a
7:44
look at that and keep an eye on VV
7:46
Insider for that price tracking updates
7:48
to see make sure that those prices
7:50
aren't creeping up and if they are, let
7:52
us know and we'll be keeping an eye on
7:54
it too. But if we're going to take the
7:55
Virgin Voyages leadership at their word,
7:57
we've got nothing to worry about.
7:58
Another question we've seen banded
8:00
around is will that base price be
8:02
actually discounted? Well, from some
8:04
conversations that again we've had with
8:06
the Virgin Voyages leadership, we
8:08
believe the base price will be priced at
8:10
about 5 to 10% less than the essential
8:14
fair. Now, this will obviously come down
8:16
to inventory management. If there's a
8:17
sailing that is particularly popular,
8:19
they probably won't reduce it that much,
8:21
but we're certainly going to have to
8:22
keep an eye on that. But it's all going
8:23
to boil down to whether that discount is
8:25
worth it. As a lot of people have
8:27
pointed out over the past couple of
8:29
days, the fact that you've only got 15
8:31
days to book your dining is not
8:33
necessarily a fantastic thing. It's
8:35
likely that most of the restaurants will
8:37
be booked out for all the times that you
8:38
want by 15 days comes along. But if it's
8:41
worth it for that discount, if that
8:42
discount is worth it, then you may as
8:44
well go for it. But really, that's going
8:46
to be your judgment call. So when you go
8:48
on the website and you look at the
8:49
prices, what are you going to decide to
8:51
do? Do you want to have that extra
8:53
dining window or do you want the cheaper
8:55
price? That's going to be entirely up to
8:57
you. Another question we've seen a lot
8:59
is, "I'm thinking of making a booking.
9:01
Should I do it now?" Well, in our
9:03
opinion, yes, you really should. And
9:05
that's not because the changes coming on
9:07
the 7th of October are horrendous. It's
9:09
simply because Virgin Voyages are
9:10
valuing those that are choosing a legacy
9:13
booking by giving them that 60-day
9:15
dining window. If you book after the 7th
9:18
of October, you would have to pay for
9:20
the premium fair to get that option. And
9:22
also, you're able to change the main
9:24
sailor name out as well. So, those are
9:26
two pretty significant perks of the
9:29
premium fair that you'll essentially get
9:31
for free if you make your booking before
9:33
the 7th of October. So, if you're
9:35
planning on making a booking, again,
9:37
head over to the VV Insider website,
9:39
that's vbvincider.com/book,
9:42
and we can make sure we can get that
9:44
booked in before the 7th of October to
9:46
secure those legacy perks. Not only
9:49
that, you'll be supporting our website
9:51
and the work that we do here. So, you've
9:53
probably seen we've been working very
9:54
hard over the past week. So, we very
9:56
much appreciate your appreciation, but
9:58
also you'll be joining our Red Diamond
10:00
Club, which means that you'll get ad
10:02
free access to our entire website, all
10:04
of the tools, all of the guides that we
10:06
have on there. And also, you'll collect
10:08
diamonds as part of our loyalty program
10:11
as well. So, there is literally no
10:13
better way to book a Virgin Voyages
10:15
vacation than vbvinsider.com.
10:18
So, head over and we can try and help
10:20
you book your perfect voyage. And that's
10:22
whether it's before the 7th of October
10:24
or after the 7th of October. We'll
10:26
always make sure we make the best plans
10:28
possible for you. Now, linked with that
10:30
previous question is, I've got a sailing
10:32
coming up in 2026 or 2027. Should I
10:35
cancel it? Am I going to have to pay
10:36
more? Well, no. Do not. It's going to be
10:39
exactly the same as what you agreed to
10:41
when you signed up in the first place.
10:43
What's more, because you've signed up
10:45
for that legacy fair before the changes
10:47
came into place, you're actually getting
10:49
a 60-day dining window. So, it's
10:51
actually even better than the one that
10:53
you signed up for in the first place.
10:55
And rest assured, you're not having to
10:57
pay those extra gratuitities when you
10:59
get on board because again, you've
11:01
already paid for it. You paid for it as
11:02
your all-inclusive fair. It's only if
11:05
you make a booking after the 7th of
11:06
October that you'll need to start paying
11:09
those gratuitities separately. One thing
11:11
I will note here is that if you do make
11:14
a change to your booking after the 7th
11:16
of October, you will be asked to select
11:18
one of those new voyage fair choices.
11:21
So, for example, if you want to switch
11:23
the name of a sailor out, it will be
11:25
then up to you to decide whether you
11:27
want to go on base, essential, or
11:29
premium. In that instance, you will then
11:31
be locked in to that new fair choice.
11:34
So, just make sure if you're making any
11:36
amendments to your bookings, do that
11:38
before the 7th of October as well.
11:40
Otherwise, you're going to have to
11:41
choose one of these new fair options.
11:43
And of course, that also means you'll
11:44
have to pay your gratuitities
11:46
separately. So, the cost of your voyage
11:48
might come down slightly, but of course,
11:49
you're going to have to pay those
11:50
gratuitities anyway. Next question is,
11:53
are those sale and save weekly
11:54
promotions still available? If you're
11:57
not familiar with what the sale and save
11:59
promotions are, those are the promotions
12:01
that offer the best value when it comes
12:03
to Virgin Voyages. Generally, they're
12:05
the cheapest type of sailings possible.
12:07
And actually, they're often offered on a
12:08
huge range of different itineraries.
12:11
They're well worth taking a look at. And
12:13
nothing changes in this regard. They're
12:15
still going to be publicizing these sale
12:17
and save offers well into the future.
12:20
So, if you do want to snag a bargain,
12:22
you'll now not only be able to get that
12:24
really good price, you'll also now have
12:26
the benefit of choosing whether you want
12:27
a base fair or an essential fair, or if
12:29
you'd like that added flexibility and
12:32
those premium perks, you can choose the
12:34
premium fair. So, you still have the
12:36
weekly sale and save offers, but now you
12:38
have that added level of flexibility.
12:40
Let's move over into dining. So, the
12:43
first question is, will I need to eat at
12:45
the galley every night? Well, of course,
12:47
this is a bit of a glib question, but it
12:49
might be a fair question for those that
12:51
only have a 15-day dining reservation
12:54
window, like those that are booking on
12:56
the lock it in rate or the base fair.
12:58
Now, it's worth saying that the galley
13:00
dinner is not the worst thing in the
13:01
world. Actually, the options that they
13:03
have in the galley for dinner, the
13:04
dinner specials are often really, really
13:06
good. And they do have a beef Wellington
13:08
normally happens on the last night, and
13:09
it is really delicious. So, if it is on
13:11
there, give it a try. But, I know what
13:13
you're trying to say. you're saying all
13:14
the restaurants are all going to be
13:15
booked out and I'm going to have no
13:16
options available to me. Now, the
13:18
reality will really depend on how busy
13:21
your sailing is going to be. If it's a
13:23
really busy sailing and it's a sailing
13:26
where you don't have any overnights and
13:27
ports, for example, you might struggle
13:29
to get a dinner reservation, in which
13:31
case you might need to just play it by
13:33
it and try and make bookings when you
13:35
get on board. Or you can always go up to
13:38
the restaurant on the night. Often they
13:41
might have some walk up availability
13:43
towards the end of the night, so later
13:45
on. It's always worth asking the
13:47
restaurant managers what they can do at
13:48
the time, but dining reservations will
13:51
work just as they do today. So some
13:53
availability will be held back so that
13:56
when you get on board, you can start
13:57
making some dinner plans. So best of
14:00
luck if you are in one of those locked
14:01
in rates or those base fair rates. You
14:03
might need a bit of extra luck to get a
14:05
dinner reservation, but hopefully it's
14:07
not all doom and gloom. The next
14:09
question is about the Rockstar and the
14:11
Mega Rockstar suite cabin categories.
14:14
Now, this is something I did gloss over
14:15
in my explainer video, and I do
14:17
apologize because there has been a lot
14:19
of comments about this, but let me clear
14:21
something up. So, some of our viewers
14:23
were really worried that if you booked a
14:25
Rockstar or a mega rockstar suite and
14:26
spent all of that money, why do you now
14:29
have to compete with those that are in
14:30
the lower level cabins that have simply
14:33
paid an extra $45 a night for premium?
14:36
because we all get a 60-day dining
14:38
window now, don't we? Well, actually,
14:41
no. So, this is something I neglected to
14:42
mention, but now Rockstar and Mega
14:45
Rockstar sailor will now have the chance
14:47
to book their dining 120 days in advance
14:50
of their sailing. That is a huge time
14:52
window, and it is, of course, way higher
14:55
than the premium fair window. So, don't
14:57
worry if you've paid that extra to be a
14:59
rockstar or a mega rockstar. You will
15:01
always have the edge in booking dining.
15:03
And that's one of the perks that you get
15:05
by paying for those really expensive
15:07
suites. And this is for every Rockstar
15:09
and Mega Rockstar. So even if you booked
15:10
in the past, come the 7th of October,
15:12
your dining window will be extended to
15:15
120 days. So you can start making your
15:17
dining if your voyage is coming up in
15:19
the next 120 days. Or if you're booking
15:21
from the 7th of October onwards, you
15:24
will get 120 days dining window as well.
15:26
Regarding other changes for Rockstar and
15:28
Mega Rockstar, the only other thing to
15:30
mention is that Mega Rockstars will now
15:32
receive work from sea wifi. Another
15:35
question on dining windows. Some people
15:38
have messaged us to say, "My dining
15:39
window hasn't changed yet. It should be
15:41
60 days." It will be 60 days, but you're
15:44
going to have to wait until the 7th of
15:45
October. From what we understand,
15:47
because there's obviously so many
15:48
bookings in the system, they might need
15:50
to do this over a period of time in
15:52
batches. So, we're not sure what time
15:55
it's going to be on the 7th of October
15:57
and it could actually spill over into
15:58
the following days, but don't worry,
16:00
keep checking your app and you can see
16:02
whether your dining window has been
16:03
extended or not. But don't stress about
16:06
it. You will be getting that 60-day
16:08
dining window if you've got one of those
16:09
legacy bookings. Now, a couple of
16:12
questions on Wi-Fi. So, the first
16:14
question that we have here is, are the
16:16
Wi-Fi devices per cabin or per guest?
16:19
So, some of the Wi-Fi options. So, for
16:21
example, basic and classic, you get one
16:24
device. Now, that is one device per
16:26
sailor. So, do not worry, you're not
16:27
going to have to sign in to one of your
16:29
phones and then try and use that phone
16:31
for every single thing you need to do on
16:32
the internet. Don't worry, everyone gets
16:34
one device. So, you're able to log in on
16:37
your phone. You'll have access to it. If
16:40
you need any more than one device, then
16:42
you're going to have to make sure that
16:43
you're on the premium Wi-Fi or the work
16:45
from C Wi-Fi. If you head over to
16:48
vvincider.com, we have a full guide on
16:51
all the Wi-Fi options and what they mean
16:53
and how to use them. So, if you've got
16:55
any more questions about Wi-Fi in that
16:57
regard, head over to the website. And
16:59
here's a question related to something
17:00
I've just mentioned, which is why do
17:03
rock stars only get classic Wi-Fi? And
17:05
this is something if you've seen the
17:07
illustration, the grid laid out, this is
17:09
quite confusing. So, those choosing a
17:11
lock itin rate or have chose the base
17:14
voyage fair choice, you get the basic
17:16
Wi-Fi option. If you choose the
17:18
essential fair, you get the classic
17:20
Wi-Fi option, which is the one that
17:21
we've all been used to today. If you
17:24
move over to the premium fair option,
17:26
you get premium Wi-Fi. Then, if you step
17:29
up and go to Rockstar, for some reason,
17:31
you then get classic Wi-Fi. That doesn't
17:34
really add up. And it's something that
17:35
we did ask the Virgin Voyagers
17:37
leadership at the time. I do think that
17:39
they need to revisit this. I don't know
17:41
why the Rockstar rates are getting any
17:43
less than the premium rate. I really
17:46
struggle to understand this, but yes,
17:48
you are just getting the classic Wi-Fi
17:50
if you're sailing as a Rockstar sailor.
17:52
Unless, of course, you've got your
17:53
loyalty perks of your Deep Blue Extra,
17:55
for example, you get your premium Wi-Fi
17:57
anyway, so you don't need to worry about
17:58
it. But if you're sailing as a rockstar
18:00
and you haven't built up that level of
18:02
loyalty yet, you're going to start off
18:04
with classic Wi-Fi and you'll have to
18:06
pay if you want premium Wi-Fi or work
18:08
from sea, for example. So, it's a bit of
18:10
a weird one that and something we'll be
18:12
keeping an eye on because we're not sure
18:14
that we understand that. Now, a couple
18:15
of miscellaneous questions here. So, one
18:17
of them is all around the locket in
18:19
rate. So if you're not familiar with the
18:21
lockatin rate, this is the sort of GTY
18:24
guaranteed cabin category that Virgin
18:26
Voyages have offered in the past. So
18:29
this traditionally was always the most
18:30
basic fair that you could possibly get
18:33
and it means that you don't get a cabin
18:34
assignment. You'll get your cabin
18:36
assigned before you sail. Now that lock
18:38
it in rate plan is still available but
18:40
will now be limited to basically the
18:42
perks or the lack of perks that you get
18:44
with the base voyage fair choice. So,
18:47
it's led people to worry and wonder
18:49
whether their lockets in rate booking
18:51
that they already have will be
18:52
downgraded to these 15-day dining
18:54
booking windows and the basic Wi-Fi.
18:57
Well, actually, don't worry. If you book
18:59
before the 7th of October, and again,
19:01
you still have time to do that if you
19:02
want to. Vivianider.com/book.
19:04
But if you book before the 7th of
19:06
October on a lockitin rate, you still
19:08
keep the same perks as you do today. So,
19:10
you'll still get the classic Wi-Fi just
19:12
as normal. So, if you booked that lock
19:14
it in rate before the 7th of October, it
19:16
still very much works like one of the
19:18
essential fair options. The only
19:20
limitation is, of course, you're not
19:21
able to make any changes or get it
19:23
refunded. And of course, you won't know
19:25
what cabin you'll be assigned until very
19:27
much up to the point that you stay or
19:29
lock it in terms as you're used to. A
19:31
question we've been getting on
19:32
gratuitities. Can I remove the
19:34
gratuitity on board? Well, the answer to
19:36
this is yes, you can remove gratuitities
19:39
on board, but what will happen is you
19:42
will need to speak with sailor services
19:44
and sailor services will try and rectify
19:46
any service problems first. So, they
19:49
will only be removing gratuitities as an
19:51
exception, not the rule. Now, Virgin
19:53
Voyages are trying to discourage people
19:56
from removing gratuitities because it is
19:58
seen as a mandatory charge. So, removing
20:00
gratuitities will be heavily
20:02
discouraged. This is still an area
20:03
that's a little bit unclear to us. So,
20:05
we'll be bringing you more information
20:06
about this over the coming weeks. And
20:08
then one last note on gratuitities,
20:10
which is if they're now separate, can
20:12
you at least prepay them? But yes, if
20:14
you're wanting to just get the
20:15
gratuitities out the way, effectively
20:17
just works like any other day in Virgin
20:20
Voyages where you've just got the
20:21
all-inclusive plan. Just prepay it
20:23
before you go on board. If you prefer to
20:25
have that all-inccluded pricing, you're
20:28
basically replicating it just by paying
20:30
it with your voyage. If you prefer it
20:32
that way, then just go ahead and pay
20:34
everything together. Why not? So, those
20:36
are the frequently asked questions out
20:37
the way. I just wanted to spend some
20:39
time here before I close up just to let
20:41
you know what we think about these
20:43
changes cuz it's something that we've
20:44
been asked in private messages and
20:46
things like that. And I'm very happy to
20:47
talk about it. Look, we don't work
20:49
directly for Virgin Voyages. We simply
20:52
get the information out about Virgin
20:54
Voyages. They don't pay us any money to
20:56
do this and we pay for the majority of
20:59
the voyages that we're on. I will be
21:01
honest, we have been invited on board a
21:03
couple of times, which is very nice, but
21:04
we still have our own opinions and we
21:06
will always bring things to you as they
21:09
are. We're certainly not dressing things
21:11
up for the sake of it. We're presenting
21:13
facts and information from Virgin
21:15
Voyages. You can make your own opinions
21:17
about these things, and you certainly do
21:19
in the comments, and I will always
21:21
encourage you to continue doing that as
21:23
well. So, here's what I think. The
21:25
Voyage Fair options, I think, make a lot
21:27
of sense. Do I see the need for it? Not
21:29
necessarily. Do I think it's a horrible
21:31
thing? No, I don't. Because actually, it
21:33
is nice to have the choice to pay less
21:35
if you want to. And I think some people
21:37
do like to be a little bit bougie and
21:39
get those extra perks in there. And
21:41
actually, something that the Virgin
21:42
Voyages leadership told us, which
21:44
actually resonates, is that the data
21:46
shows people are way more satisfied with
21:48
a voyage if they prepay for things in
21:51
advance. So things like the bar tab, for
21:53
example, those that have a bar tab going
21:55
into a voyage end up leaving the ship
21:57
feeling way more satisfied than those
21:59
that were paying for every single drink
22:01
as they went along. But actually, the
22:03
premium might make a lot more sense for
22:05
those that just want to get the payment
22:07
out the way. Get your premium Wi-Fi
22:09
sorted, have a little bit of bar tab,
22:11
have that flexibility and the peace of
22:13
mind. Yes, it's more expensive, but some
22:15
people don't mind paying that extra.
22:17
Would we do it? Probably not. We'll
22:18
probably stick with the base. We don't
22:19
mind. But really, it's entirely up to
22:21
you. If you feel like you'd rather pay
22:23
less, pay less. If you think that you
22:25
want that flexibility, then pay more.
22:28
And crucially, if you're happy with the
22:29
way things are, stick with the essential
22:31
plan. Nobody's forcing you to do
22:33
premium, so just stick with the
22:34
essential plan. Yes, you're not able to
22:36
swap the main sailor out, which is the
22:38
one real drawback here. But other than
22:40
that, you probably won't notice that
22:42
much difference. We have heard a couple
22:44
of people being a bit worried that
22:46
because the premium now exists then
22:47
there'll be fewer dining options for
22:49
everyone on essential. But if you think
22:51
about it, there will be of course people
22:53
choosing the base option as well. So
22:54
you're not competing with the base
22:56
people. So really it does balance out
22:57
and I think in theory we should see
22:59
things not being the calamity that I
23:02
think people are painting this out to
23:03
be. So we'll just have to wait and see.
23:05
I've said many many times in the
23:06
comments and thank you for all your
23:08
feedback and I try to reply to
23:10
everything that I possibly can. But one
23:12
thing that I have been saying over and
23:13
over again is it'll be really
23:15
interesting to see how this plays out in
23:16
October because it will. Let's see what
23:18
all of these changes actually mean in
23:20
reality. Let's see how it all goes. And
23:22
let's keep a close eye on the pricing as
23:24
well. One thing I did want to mention is
23:26
I am a little bit confused about the
23:28
gratuitities thing. And I don't know
23:29
whether this is a culture thing. We live
23:31
in the UK. Tipping is not necessarily a
23:34
thing here. I think we're still getting
23:36
our head around having to tip people in
23:38
restaurants to be honest. So, the idea
23:40
of having gratuitities separated on a
23:42
vacation is just very alien to us.
23:45
Obviously, we've cruised a lot in the
23:47
past, so we kind of get it, but I know
23:49
it will be quite an affront for those in
23:51
the UK that aren't quite used to sailing
23:53
or anyone from a culture where tipping
23:54
isn't necessarily a thing. Gratuitities
23:57
are one of those things that is a little
23:58
bit of a mental hurdle for a lot of
24:01
people when they're looking at the cost
24:02
of a vacation. So, there is a lot of
24:04
feedback about gratuitities and
24:06
honestly, I can see where you're coming
24:08
from. I really can. But one thing I will
24:10
say, getting very frank, I really
24:12
honestly don't think these changes are
24:13
as catastrophic as everyone is making
24:15
out. People are saying, "I will never
24:17
book Virgin again. I'm going elsewhere."
24:19
I would love to understand which cruise
24:22
line you're going to. Because honestly,
24:25
everyone charges for gratuitities. There
24:27
are very few cruise lines that don't,
24:29
and the cruise lines that don't, boring.
24:31
They're not Virgin Voyages. The
24:33
experience that you're going to get on
24:35
board is going to be very, very
24:36
different. I would love to know where
24:38
you're heading if you're deciding not to
24:41
sail on Virgin Voyages. Please tell me
24:43
in the comments because if there's this
24:44
wonderful experience that you would get
24:47
on Virgin Voyages and it's cheaper and
24:49
you're getting gratuitities included and
24:51
all the rest of it, I'd love to know
24:53
because I can take all of these things
24:54
down and move over. Let me know. We'll
24:57
be sticking with Virgin Voyages and I'm
24:59
not saying that because we get extra
25:00
perks or anything like that. We'll be
25:02
sticking around. You can count on that.
25:04
But continue to let me know your
25:06
feedback in the comments. And again,
25:08
I'll try and reply to as many as I
25:09
possibly can. And I'm sure there'll be
25:11
tons more questions coming up over the
25:14
next week or so. So, if you've got any
25:16
more questions that you'd like us to
25:17
cover either in our article over on
25:19
vbvinsider.com or you'd like me to
25:21
address here on YouTube as well, then
25:23
just let me know in the comments and
25:25
we'll be taking a look at that. Now
25:27
remember, if you're like us and you're
25:29
sticking with Virgin Voyages for now and
25:31
you want to make the most out of your
25:33
next booking, then head over to
25:35
vvincider.com and we can make sure you
25:38
get the best deal on your next Virgin
25:39
Voyage and we'll also make sure you get
25:41
those exclusive perks that I was telling
25:43
you about as well. Okay, that's
25:45
everything. But until next time, happy
25:47
sailing.
25:49
[Music]
25:56
[Music]

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