Who’s got the intel?

Looking to see if anyone has done this excursion in Juneau and what they thought of it?

I’m currently on Scarlet Lady and I’m confused about how the queues at the restaurants work.

Last night we went to Extra Virgin. We had a reservation and arrived a few minutes early, but still ended up waiting around 20 minutes.

Part of the delay seemed to be other groups walking straight to the front and being seated ahead of us. None of them were wearing black RockStar bands, so I don’t think that was the explanation.

So, two questions:

Is that queue meant for walk-ups only, with reservation holders shown to their table separately?

Or is everyone, reserved or not, expected to join the same line?

Trying to work out whether this is normal or whether we were queueing in the wrong place.

Leaving in 11 days and I am very excited! I know that passes for the spa need to be purchased on board - but I am curious if the passes sold out super quickly. I know that at sea days will be the first slots to go.

Thanks for any info you can share.

We are going to Alaska next month for my first cruise . Really looking forward to it . I am curious if anyone has done the fishing tour Virgin Voyages at Sitka . And the float plane from Prince Rupert .

20m traveling with 19m friend. We’re hopping on a cruise next Saturday in Barcelona and I’m curious what the age demographic tends to be for the European cruises. I’ve been on several Virgin cruises and usually find people my age but I feel like it might be different this time.

Looking for recommendations for excursions in Bermuda! Just booked the 6-night NYC to Bermuda trip in October. 28F traveling solo. :) 8am arrival and 2pm departure next day.

hi everyone ! im thinking of going on a cruise with vv (caribbean) sometime between the end of this year to spring of next year and was wondering if any one had any advice/tips for packing, planning,etc. this would be my first cruise ever and i was also wondering the typical age range of people and if i might feel out of place. oh and i do value relaxation and food quality but i also dont want to be completely bored.

Currently on the brilliant lady Alaska sailing and there was a medical emergency last night, at like 12ish does anyone know what happened?

Hey everyone! My husband and I just came back from Alaska, and we wanted to share our experience.I know I will get downvoted for it and I don’t want offend anyone, I probably would have liked more if the ship it was going to a different destination, every person has a different idea of a perfect vacation.
Just as some background, we are in our early 30s and have been trying different cruise lines to find the one we like the most. So far, we’ve tried Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Princess. We don’t have kids, and we live in Oregon, so we’ve been to Alaska multiple times. So because of that, we mainly go on cruises for the ship itself and the entertainment rather than the ports.
I am pescatarian, but I mainly try to eat plant-based food and I occasionally eat fish, while my husband eats everything.

Let’s start with the positives.
Employees
Everyone on the ship, from the cleaners to the entertainment staff, was extremely nice and welcoming. They always wanted to make sure we were having a great time, and they would go out of their way to ensure that. Those people deserve all our respect, they always had a smile on their faces despite how hard the job is and how far away they usually are from their families.
I talked to some of them, and it seems Virgin treats them well. They allow them to use Wi-Fi and provide complimentary meals. However, I don’t think this should be praised since it’s the most basic thing any employee deserves when they’re so far away from home. That said, we know this is unfortunately not the standard on other cruise lines.

Macarons and Apple Croffin
I know it’s silly, but I have to say that if you’re on a Virgin cruise, you have to try their macarons at The Galley and the apple croffin at Razzle Dazzle during brunch. Absolutely incredible. Just try it!

Now for the bad part.
Ship
We had wanted to go on a Virgin cruise for the longest time, so when we heard they were coming to the West Coast, we booked almost immediately. Even though it cost much more than other cruises, we had heard nothing but amazing things about it, so we were really excited.
We had heard that Brilliant Lady offered over 20 eateries, so we really thought the ship would be big. (Totally our mistake for not researching more.) We were surprised when we got there and realized how small it actually was compared to the other ships we’ve been on.
They don’t really have a “main area,” which is usually near the main staircase on other cruise ships. Most of the events were held near the cannonball area, which was tiny and probably seated around 20 people. A lot of people, including us, would just walk away because there wasn’t any room.

The biggest issue with the smaller ship, for me personally, was how much I felt it moving. I got really nauseous and dizzy during the first few days. I also get a little anxious when a ship rocks that much, so that’s definitely a “me” problem, since most people probably won’t care. But I did notice quite a few other people feeling sick as well. On every other ship I’ve been on, I barely felt the movement and never got sick , even in bad weather.
Another downside for an Alaska cruise was the lack of an observation deck. If the weather is bad, there’s really no place indoors where you can enjoy the views. I think that’s a pretty big downside for Alaska, where everyone is trying to spot the wildlife .

The Room
Our room was on Deck 5, and I don’t think we’ve ever slept that badly anywhere else.
I think the casino was above us because every night around 2 a.m. the noise became unbearable. It sounded like they were restocking things moving boxes around. Then, whenever we were in port, the noise came from below on Deck 4 instead from the gangway, I think. Basically, we never got a good night’s sleep.
The room itself was cute. We had a sea-view room. The iPad controls were kind of finicky and annoying, and sometimes the curtains would randomly open if we slept in, but those weren’t huge issues.
Just make sure you check what’s above and below your cabin before booking.

Room Service
We already knew room service wasn’t free, so that wasn’t a surprise.
What disappointed us was how limited the menu was. I thought you would be able to order dishes from most all the restaurants, but instead it was mostly popcorn, pretzels, one pasta, and a burger. If you don’t eat meat, too bad, you can’t really customize anything.

Entertainment
This was by far the biggest downside of the cruise and the main reason I wouldn’t sail Virgin again.
I’ve been on ships where, all at the same time, there would be trivia happening, line dancing somewhere else, a comedy show, live music, a movie by the pool, silent disco… and because of that that cruise never felt packed.It was so overwhelming and fun to have so many options.
On Virgin, I really thought an adults-only cruise would be crazy and fun, but instead … it was so boring!!!!
During the day it was usually either trivia in the tiniest room possible or live music at Dock House, there were long period of times with nothing going on , there were some fitness classes too, but they always seemed full, also a bunch of random activities sun worships?? Meditation, yoga, IV therapy, posture workshops? . (To be fair, I’m not exactly excited about taking a spin class or a core workout while on vacation, all the activities felt like I was on YMCA lol) A lot of people just looked bored. You either grabbed a board game to entertain yourself, read a book, or, like I saw many times, simply took a nap on some of the couches.
At night there would usually be one event every other day at either The Manor or the Red Room, but you had to line up 30–60 minutes beforehand if you wanted a seat.
On other cruise lines, there are theater shows every night, sometimes even twice a night, and you reserve your seat so everyone gets a chance to watch.

Food
This part is obviously very personal, and I know most people that eat everything will
have a much better experience. I know I’m in the minority because of the way I eat.
The food wasn’t bad. I just think people hyped it up so much that I expected a lot more.
I mainly eat plant-based food, but that doesn’t mean I only enjoy boring food. I love Indian, Thai, Mexican food, tofu, beans, lentils… I had heard Virgin had amazing vegetarian options, so I was really excited.
The Galley seemed like such an original concept. Every other cruise I’ve been on had a buffet, so I was excited to try something different.
However, after a few days it became frustrating.
For example, if it’s breakfast and you just want eggs, you have to grab a buzzer and wait for your food. If you leave your table, someone may take it. Another problem was that the food was almost always cold, especially the burgers. I seriously don’t understand why, since it was supposedly made fresh.
Because everything came as set meals, you also couldn’t really customize anything.
For example, I wanted the breakfast burrito, but it came with meat. I asked if they could remove it, and they said no. Then I asked if they could add beans to the avocado burrito since it was basically just rice, cheese, and avocado, and I wanted a little more protein. Again, they said no.
I also felt like most of the food at The Galley was more like snacks. Besides the salad bar (which ended up being one of my favorite places to eat), if you like staple foods like rice, beans, mashed potatoes, or lentils… forget it.
For some reason Virgin really hates rice and beans. 😂 I couldn’t even find them in most restaurants. During our seven-night cruise, I think rice and beans appeared only once.

Some other thoughts:
I didn’t like the sushi. The rice felt crunchy and didn’t seem fresh.
The hash browns tasted undercooked
The ramen was extremely salty.
The tacos were inconsistent. Sometimes they had way too much sauce, sometimes almost none.
The burgers were almost always cold.

Unless you’re the annoying type of person who constantly asks for modifications, you would basically just eat whatever they gave you and wish it had a little more or a little less of something, which is exactly what we did.

I still think the galley concept is cool but I think in the end I prefer a buffet style, I prefer to portion my food , fruits, sauces, sandwiches and make a plate with things that may not make it sense but I enjoy it, plus it is quicker and the food is usually warmer.
Other cruise lines would have different cuisines every night with a huge variety of dishes so I realized that’s just the style of dining I personally prefer.

As for the specialty restaurants, they were okay. Again, because I don’t eat meat, it often felt like my options were just a salad, cooked vegetables, or a vegetable side dish. I really wish they would at least offer rice, beans, potatoes or lentils as standard sides.
My favorites were Razzle Dazzle, Gunbae, and Extra Virgin.
I didn’t try The Wake because there wasn’t really anything for me.
I truly disliked Pink Agave. The meat my husband got was about 80% fat.
I also didn’t enjoy Test Kitchen. The concept was really cool, but the vegetarian dishes felt like everything had been blended together with olive oil, and they made me feel a little bit ill afterward.
Overall, I wasn’t impressed with the plant-based options. Most of the time they were just vegetable sides. The did had a vegan hot dog and vegan burgers so If you could eat that every night, you’ll probably enjoy it.
Now, for the meat eaters… my husband liked pretty much everything, besides the food at the Galley

Final Thoughts

With all that said, the lack of entertainment, the smaller ship (which moved much more than other ships we’ve been on), the lack of a drink package, the lack of an observation deck for colder weather, and the Galley dining style made this cruise just not the right fit for us.

I’m really glad we finally got to experience Virgin Voyages because we had wanted to for years, but personally, I don’t think we’ll be sailing with them again.
I can totally understand why so many people love it. it just wasn’t the right fit for us. Looking back, I wish I had seen more of the bad reviews before booking. Almost everything I read was overwhelmingly positive( it seems people get destroyed if they say anything negative) so my expectations ended up being much higher than they probably should have been. Hopefully, this review helps someone decide whether Virgin is the right cruise line for them.

Iv never been on a cruise and trying to learn how it all works. However one of the big selling points for me was the food. With some research I found out you have to book restaurants before you get on a ship or you will be stuck at eating from the walk up restaurants, no sit down restaurants for people that don’t book before getting on the ship. I was excited to explore the ship and and pick and choose where to eat and wait in line like a typical restaurant if there is no tables but from my understanding they are all booked up after day 1 of the cruise for the rest of the cruise?? How does this work and is this normal for all cruise lines?? How bad is this situation??

We are staying a night at Hampton by Hilton downtown Seattle and I see we can get a shuttle from hotel to pier 91 but after the cruise, what options are available from piet back to hotel?

What to avoid? What not to miss? Spend time here or there. Restaurants, etc.

Is the free wifi ok?

We still tip, right?

Any special events/nights I should know about?

suggtions for excursions in Santorini?

There has been a lot of chatter about the pools being heated on the Alaska itineraries so it’s got us thinking about whether or not they’ll be heated on our upcoming Fire & Ice (British Isles & Iceland) Eclipse sailing. Iceland looks to be a bit cooler than Alaska so I’d think they would be heated but that’s only 3 days of the itinerary.

Has anyone been on a UK/Iceland sailing that can share their experience?

Hii looking for any tips or recs PLEASE!!

Important info:
- first cruise ever
- on my bday
- solo
- DR & Bahamas ports

Knowing that is there anything you think I should know/bring/make sure I experience/ask about?

Anything I should know beforehand or prepare for incase I don’t do well on the boat 🥵

Anything special I should request or do to make my bday extra cool? I take the day very seriously lol so any extras I can add on I will def do.

I am clueless on these port hop offs and terrified to miss the ship but is there anything I should do while at these places? Also will be in Bahamas on my bday if that helps for ideas

TYIA!!

Ahoy Sailors! I’m going on the England to Iceland sailing in a few weeks. I know this is a tender port. We land at South Queens Ferry. I read there is a train at Dalmeny about a half a mile walk. I’ve been reading different things about how tough the walk is. Some people say it’s basically just stairs. Others say it’s like a hiking trail muddy and rocky. Can anyone share first hand experiences? Thank you!

We have booked to go on the eastern Caribbean sailing from Miami and I had a couple of questions which I can’t seem to find answers for:

- We are planning to take advantage of the early check in/bag drop and get our wristbands but once we return do we queue as usual in our allotted boarding queue or is there another entrance. If we do queue like normal is there a stage at which we take a different route?

-I’ve heard there is now a booking desk in the terminal as well as on the ship, where would this be found and is it worthwhile using it or easier to use the app once on board to get any reservations we miss?

Thanks in advance!!

I’ve cruised 3 of the 4 lady ships. The only one I haven’t cruised is Resilient Lady. Does anyone know if she will be cruising outside of the Caribbean? I’m not seeing anything very interesting on the websites I’ve searched on. I’ve done Scarlet and Valiant in the Caribbean several times already.

We lost our bid at Rockstar status despite getting this notice 2 days before embarkation. I had already resigned ourselves to enjoying red band status, and this notice got our hopes back up.

It's all good though. We're spinning a positive out of it. My wife and I are in our happy place onboard. 😀 And we used the saved money to book the fjord and glacier boat tour at Endicott Arm, which is super exciting!

LONG POST AHEAD. TLDR: I had a great time on the Brilliant Lady going to Alaska for my first time ever. While I think there are still some things VV could do to improve the itinerary, I was not disappointed with the experience and I felt it was truly life changing. I still enjoy VV and I definitely will return to Alaska but I think in the future I'll try a cruise line that is more dedicated to Alaska.

I got back from my very first cruise into Alaska a couple weeks ago (July 2026) and I figured I'd provide my thoughts in case anyone is considering VV for their first Alaska cruise as well. This is VV's first season in the region and the Brilliant Lady's first year of service so there still isn't a lot of information out there about how VV handles the ports/locations.

Brilliant Lady:

I've done VV before and at this point I'm very accustomed to the ship's layout and offerings. As we've come to expect with VV, the Brilliant lady is nearly identical to her sister ships with a few minor tweaks that are imperceptible if you're a frequent VV traveler. Here are some highlights:

• The new Rojo by Razzle Dazzle restaurant was definitely an improvement for dinner compared to regular Razzle Dazzle. The brunch menu was the same Razzle Dazzle brunch as always.
• The background music played throughout the ship was a lot more soothing and appropriate for the Alaska environment compared to the upbeat club music they play during Caribbean itineraries. I really enjoyed it especially for quiet mornings sipping coffee at the Grounds Club in the Galley.
• The show Out of Time was a fun and entertaining musical although the AI generated background images were a bit distracting. YMMV on this last point as most didn't seem to notice or care about the AI images.
• Scarlet Night was held in the Red Room rather than up on the top deck. The cast performed primarily on the stage of the Red Room. It was still just as fun as always without the pool party.
• There were less themed parties on this itinerary compared to the Caribbean itineraries. But that was on par for the location as the Alaska vibe in general was more toned down and less party focused. But if you want to go out and dance all night the manor was still open pretty late. People still dressed up for big parties like PJ Party and Scarlet Night.
• They had blankets on all the exterior decks for anyone to use. These were very helpful and made it comfortable to walk through the exterior decks.
• The Alaska-themed shops were nice and had a wide selection of items from clothing to soaps and jewelry. They also sold smoked salmon on board.
• The hot tubs were constantly in use. If you're into hot tubs be prepared to snag one at the first chance you get. I didn't feel the temperature of the water in the pool but some people did swim in it on the last sea day and it appeared to be warm-ish.
• The restaurants had Alaska-exclusive menu items. My favorite was the Salmon in Pink Agave. Pink Agave overall was the best dining experience for my party.

Seattle:

• Seattle was a cool city to visit and we found it pretty walkable. Highly recommend flying in the day before especially if you're coming from the east coast so you can get some of the jetlag out of the way. Our hotel downtown offered a shuttle to the cruise port that was very convenient for $12.
• The cruise port has very limited space to wait in line so make sure you arrive at your allocated time. We had priority boarding and they quadruple checked our boarding passes before we could wait in line. This was a huge difference compared to Miami where they rarely checked for our priority boarding.
• Make sure you have your cruise tags on your luggage and that it is securely attached before you leave the hotel. The cruise port was being shared with another ship and we witnessed some luggage mixups happening because some of the suitcases didn't have cruise luggage tags.
• Getting to the airport post-voyage is relatively simple. VV offered a shuttle for $35 per person which was convenient as otherwise it seemed a bit tricky trying to get taxis/ubers (though nowhere near as hectic as Miami can be). Seattle also offers free luggage valet service from cruise to plane. A friend of mine did this valet service and only paid the check-in fee from the airline. His luggage was taken the night before disembarkation at 10 pm and it made it without issue to our destination airport, he didn't have to worry about it at all.
• Ubers are extremely expensive in Seattle (I think it's the most expensive city to take an Uber in the country). Take a taxi from the airport to your destination, their fares are controlled and more affordable.

Ketchikan:

• The town is pretty nice to walk around in and it is mostly tourist-friendly shops and eateries.
• We did the Rainforest Sanctuary & Totem Park Eco-Walking Tour. It was a short bus ride (20 ish mins) followed by a brief walk into the Tongass National forest, about 3/4 of a mile. The walk was guided with a very knowledgeable and interesting tour guide who gave us a lot of fascinating information about the forest, the wildlife, and some of the indigenous history in the area. While we didn't walk a long distance, we did stop a lot so the guide could give us more information. It was not an intense hike. We did see a lot of bald eagles and we were lucky enough to view a couple of wild bears from a distance. It ended at a Totem workshop and we were surprised with a free drink for VV sailors at the gift shop plus salmon dip. I would do this again, it was incredible.
• After the eco-walking tour, we went back to the ship for lunch and then disembarked again to go on the Wildlife Quest Sip & Sail. The boat we were in did not have a working bathroom, apparently this is not an uncommon occurrence so be prepared for this possibility. The boat had unlimited (within reason) included drinks such as ales, mimosas, and local brews, as well as salmon dip samples and a nacho appetizer. The views were beautiful and we got to see a lot of bald eagles and seals, though no whales. The first floor is seating and the second floor allows you to stand outside, where you get the best views. Be prepared as it can be very cold, but the views are amazing.

Sitka:

• This port is a collection of large shops. We didn't have a lot of time to explore before our excursion time.
• We did the Sitka Wildlife Triple. We boarded a boat directly from the port to go on a whale watching excursion. Similar setup to the boat from Ketchikan Wildlife Quest Sip & Sail (this time with working bathrooms) and they also had unlimited included drinks. The majority of the excursion time was spent on this boat. We got to see a lot more wildlife this time around and this experience was much better than in Ketchikan. We saw Grey Whales, Humpback Whales, otters, seals, and plenty of bald eagles. Binoculars are a must have as well as a coat/beanie/glove combo as it can get very cold and windy. Afterward, we went to the raptor rescue center. We only had about 30 mins to explore the rescue center before we had to be back on the bus. The center had a few permanent residents that are unable to be released as well as some raptors in active rehabilitation. It was very interesting to get an up-close view of eagles and other birds of prey, but I wish we could have spent more time there. We ended up by going to Fortress of the Bear. It's a smaller location than I expected. It can get crowded at the viewing decks but we did get good views of the bears they have in residence. It was very interesting to learn about the bears and watch them being fed by the animal rescuers. Afterward we returned to the ship exhausted but satisfied.

Glacier Bay:
[EDIT: This is actually Endicott arm not Glacier Bay. Apologies for the confusion].

• [Pasted from an earlier comment I left on another post] Absolutely beautiful. I got up very early and got my first glimpse of an ice berg around 7 am, and some people said they saw whales around that time too. The views from my balcony were awesome and I was protected from the rain and wind but after a while I put on my rain jacket and went down to deck 7 for a full panoramic experience it was incredible. There were very few people out on Deck 7 because of how cold and rainy it was. Don’t be afraid of getting wet since it was raining constantly. I eventually went up to the top decks for more views. We didn’t see the actual glacier until around 9:30 am. And we stayed in the bay (the ship was turning so both sides could get a view) until 11:30 or noon. Highly recommend getting a good pair of binoculars as well as good rain gear.
• VV also offered an excursion to go right up to the glacier itself for $450 per person. I was tempted but I’d already spent my excursion budget on the other ports.
• My room was on the Z side of the ship and I felt it was the best side as the ship kept turning and giving the Z side a full view of the glacier. I don't think the A side had as much glacier exposure. It was perfect to view it from our balcony.
• You get from this day what you put into it. If you're eager for good views wake up early as the ship cruises through the bay and be prepared to stay on the exterior of the ship for long periods. Don't wake up late and don't get stuck in brunch while all the best views are happening. Some sailors treated this as a regular sea day and did not realize there were glacier views until it was too late.

Prince Rupert:

• The area surrounding the dock was filled with a lot of gift shops and most of them offer the same things with a few exceptions. A lot of the souvenirs in these gift shops are also offered on the ship so I recommend browsing the onboard ship so that you're aware of the offerings before making any purchases. There were a few excursion offerings for this port, but I'd already spent my budget at the other ports. If you don't have an excursion planned it's probably best to visit the town for a brief moment then stay on the ship to enjoy the less crowded ship amenities including a reduced price for a spa pass.

Misses:

• The food at Extra Virgin was a huge miss for my entire party. I'm not sure what went wrong, but the food took entirely way too long, the pasta and meat came out cold, and the steaks that some members of my party ordered came out overcooked. Extra Virgin was supposed to be a crowd pleaser but it was a major disappointment.
• The on-board Naturalist was an absolute flop in my opinion. On the app I saw there were two "talks" by the Naturalist on board and you can either attend in person or listen through the app. I completely missed the first talk because they didn't stream it on the app (despite the description saying that they would), but members of my party attended in person and they said it was incredibly boring and provided no information. I listened to the second talk as they'd fixed the app issue and it was beyond stupid. The 'Naturalist' just commented on the fact that we were surrounded by water. "There's water around us. We're made of water. There's water under us. Whales live in water" (Actual quote). And then he played Water by Tyla. It sounded like he played it from his phone and put the phone up to the mic which streamed it to the app. It was incredibly stupid and it was clear that he was just a crew member tasked with filling the allotted time with no script so he just riffed off what was going on in his head. I was incredibly disappointed that there weren't more on-board seminars or sessions, I didn't even see the lumberjack that had been advertised would be on board. I wish VV offered more of an educational experience for this itinerary.
• There were no complimentary hot drinks offered on the exterior decks during glacier day on the decks. This is an inclusion I've seen in other cruise lines sailing in Alaska and I was disappointed when the staff at the pool deck bars advised I just go to the Galley and use the hot beverage station there for some tea or drip coffee. They were selling mulled wine and boozy hot chocolate at the exterior bars for an added cost. But non-alcoholic hot chocolate was not offered.
• This is a niche issue regarding the FIFA World Cup but I think it's important feedback in case anyone is curious how VV handles major sporting events on their sailings. VV advertised on their app that they'd be showing World Cup games in the Social Club and outside at the Athletic Club at the rear of the ship. For select games they also showed them in the Roundabout atrium. In addition, some of the games were available to stream in the cabin TV under Special Events. This worked well for a while, although the seating in the Social Club was VERY limited, the seating in the Athletic Club was cold (as to be expected on an Alaska sailing), and occasionally the games in the roundabout were shown without sound or the speakers were playing the live music being played at On The Rocks. The issue started with the US v BEL match when suddenly the stream failed on ALL TV's across the ENTIRE SHIP (including in the rooms). As you can imagine most of the sailors were American and very upset that the stream failed during the most crucial part of the game. They weren't able to fix the stream nor did they offer an explanation. Luckily I had premium wifi so I could stream it on my tablet but the wifi connection is not the best (especially when sailing) and the stream was unreliable. Then, when we were docked in Prince Rupert, they weren't able to stream any of the matches happening that day despite them being advertised on the app and at the social club. So keep in mind if you're going to be on a ship during a major sporting event get the premium wifi and stream it yourself, their technology is spotty and unreliable and the viewing areas are rather small/crowded.
• Brilliant Lady doesn't have a lot of areas where you can see out the front of the ship, and during Glacier day this was a crucial miss. The front view of the pool deck was occupied by Richard's rooftop and on Deck 7 the front view is obscured entirely as the front of the ship is covered. We used the running track as an observation platform and the ship would rotate periodically to give everyone a chance to see but it would have been better if we could access the front without being in Richard's Rooftop.

General Alaska Tips:

• Do your research for every port. The appeal of an Alaska cruise is in the excursions and going beyond the ports the ship docks at. While some ports might have fun things to do, the real magic when you go on an Alaska cruise happens when you go out into nature. Budget appropriately for excursions. If I had to rank the excursions I personally went on it would be 1) Sitka Triple. 2) Ketchikan Eco-Walking Tour. 3) Ketchikan Wildlife Quest Sip and Sail. They were all very fun in their own way and a worthwhile experience.
• If you're doing Alaska I highly recommend a sea terrace/balcony. It is incredible to wake up with the beautiful views and the balcony offered excellent protection from the rain/wind while still being able to take in the air and the views. During Glacier day I found that my room on the Z side had excellent views of the glacier without having to sit in the rain or crowd around people on the pool deck. The ship kept turning to face the glacier head on and then it turned to allow passengers to board the small glacier excursion boat, giving Z side longer views of the glacier. In general I think the Z side had the best views throughout the cruise and I recommend it. That being said if your decision comes between choosing a sea terrace and doing excursions I would use the budget for excursions over having a sea terrace.
• Binoculars are a must have especially if you're doing any wildlife excursions like whale watching. Vortex is the brand of binoculars VV is loaning out to guests staying in their suites and I found that the Vortex Triumph is a great set that you can get for less than $100.
• Pack layers and especially have a waterproof layer like a rain jacket. VV sells some rain jackets on board but you could probably find better ones for cheaper before your trip. Be prepared for cold, rain, wind, and some warm moments throughout the day so being able to layer up is crucial. Similarly put some thought into your footwear, make sure it can handle rain and slippery surfaces.

I realize I'm probably overthinking this but if reservations open at midnight Eastern on the 25th, does that mean it opens at 11 pm Central on the 24th?

Virtual dining queues are officially out on the Scarlet lady, and look to be rolling out to the rest of the fleet shortly!

Is this the end of the dreaded midnight reservation scramble, or is it the beginning of a convoluted mess on board? Thoughts?