Bermuda Triangle Cruise 2026 - Afterthoughts (04/26/26)

 

Now that I'm back on dry land, I now have a chance to look back on this cruise.  Strangely enough, an old phrase from a Russian novel comes to mind:

 "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way"

From having friends who are polyamorous, I learned that good communication, honesty and openness are the keys to successful relationships.  In the case of cruising, good communication is essential to having a good cruise experience.  On disembarkation day, Virgin Voyages turned a good cruise experience into a disaster by poor communication.

Will I take a cruise on Virgin again?  Maybe.  But I'll have to see how they respond to a complaint letter I plan to send them.

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A question posed by an old, cynical joke was:

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

This same question reflects my feelings about the cruise.  If I could ignore the last hour or so onboard the ship, it would have been an excellent cruise.  Even then, communication issues were black spots on a very white sheet of paper.   Virgin depends too much on its app to notify people of things going onboard the ship.  Instead of simple announcements that the ship has made port, and that passengers can leave the ship for shore excursions, they only send quiet messages to cruisers via the app.  If one doesn't constantly look at their phone, one can't know what's going on.

- - - - - -

RQS and I have some time before we can schedule another cruise with Virgin.  Before then, we will be taking another cruise with Princess, and maybe a cruise with NCL Virgin won't be back in NYC until autumn.  And then, it has no cruises sailing out of New York scheduled for 2027.  Will they be in New York in 2028?  I doubt it.  And even if they were, I'm not sure if I'd sail with them again.  I don't want to deal with another experience as ugly as our disembarkation experience, even though (for us) it lasted only 15 minutes.  I'd have no problem with Virgin if it had good communications with its cruisers.  But it doesn't.  It is not a cruise line that holds up its customer experience by both belts and suspenders - they don't use both Plans A and B for communicating with its cruisers. 

PS: I got a response on my email to Virgin.  They actually looked into the details of my issue.  Hopefully, they will correct things for the next time something similar occurs.

 

 

 

Bermuda Triangle Cruise 2026 - Disembarkation Day (04/25/26)

 

The problem with cruising from Brooklyn is that when one arrives back in port, one has a better view of Jersey City than one does of New York City.  Yes, Governor's Island is also in this picture, but Jersey City predominates the view.  But it could be worse.  It could be Akron, Ohio from the rails.

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We got home earlier than expected, but not because anything went according to plan.  Our ordeal started at 6 am, both of us getting up early, so we could vacate our cabin by 7:30 am.  We were out the door by 7:15 am and in one of the ship's restaurants by 7:30 am.  That was our first defining issue for the day, as the restaurant, Razzle Dazzle, was vegetarian.   

Razzle Dazzle may serve good food, but none of its breakfast offerings appealed to me.  So I ordered something close to what I'd get in an omnivore breakfast - scrambled eggs, mushrooms, tiny potatoes, and "Impossible" sausage patties.  Luckily, they had a "Naughty" item on the menu - Maple Bacon, which I ordered. As expected, this meal didn't satisfy.  The Impossible sausage patty had absolutely no flavor and not satisfaction quotient.  So the eggs, bacon and the mushrooms were the only things that kept my stomach from growling for the next few hours.  Heck, I couldn't even get a glass of orange juice without paying a premium for fresh squeezed juice.  And to make things worse, the restaurant was way too warm, considering it was a chilly day outside.

Leaving this forgettable joint (and I hope to do so soon), we proceed to the 6th floor to exit the ship. And this is when the real problem began.  We had booked a 9 am disembarkation, knowing that many of the early birds would be off the ship before then.  Well, we went upstairs at 8:45 am and found ourselves at the end of a line that stretched from mid-ship to the rear of the ship and back because they weren't letting anyone off the ship.  Since I can walk forever, but not stand in one place for long, I had RQS stand on line while I waited in the casino for the line to move. The line started moving 15 minutes later, and we were out of the cruise terminal at 9:15 am.  From what one crew member told me as I was finally exiting the ship, the delay was caused by issues related to a CBP contraband sniffing dog and the luggage transfer process.  In order to prevent passengers from arriving at the pier before their luggage made it to the pier, they held up disembarkation to accommodate a complete restart of the luggage transfer process.  AARGH!

Next, we decided to take the ferry.  Walking past taxi drivers that were hungry for a fare, we barely made it to ferry dock for a 9:22 ferry.  And then, we had trouble with the ferry app (mostly caused by being in a rush and still having our phones in airplane mode).  We held up the ferry while personnel tried to help us.  And then the ferry screwed up, heading towards Pier 13 in Manhattan instead of Pier 6 / Atlantic Avenue. So we arrived at the stop where we'd summon an Uber as it started to rain a bit.  Luckily, it was a short walk to shelter with our bags.

Here is where we had our miracle.  Our Uber was there in 2 minutes, and then there was NO traffic on the BQE (in our direction).  We were back at RQS's place by 10:30 am - a new record from the terminal!  Finally, we could rest and catch up on sleep.... 

Bermuda Triangle Cruise 2026 - Sea Day #4 (04/24/26)

 

I woke up early this morning and found that the tablet that controlled everything in the room had run out of juice.  I couldn't change the temperature without getting out of bed and using manual controls, I couldn't adjust the lights to allow me to see where I'm going, and I couldn't turn off the TV, to which I had fallen asleep.  This could have been a big problem.  But, given the time of morning and the state of the TV, I easily managed things until the tablet was recharged.

- - - - - -

Today is the last day of the cruise, and a day that I always feel down when thinking about it.  I'll pack up everything, save a few necessities and put them outside to be picked up at the pier the next morning.  It was in the 80's when we left on this cruise and it will be in the 40's when we return.  I expect RQS will be freezing when we get off the ship.  As for me, I know I'll be feeling cooler than I want to feel.

We got out of the cabin late enough to barely make it to breakfast.  And then, the wait staff fouled up RQS's order by not bringing RQS her omelet.  This would be the last breakfast/lunch we'd have onboard the ship, and we will miss having someone cook for us and clean up the mess we made.

After resting for a while, RQS went out to see a comedian perform his act while I stayed in the cabin.  RQS came back early, and we took our naps before going to dinner at 6 pm.  This would be our last dinner on the ship, and we had some great dishes.  One problem - they neglected our drink service.  So we ended up going to the Galley for an after-dinner cup of tea.

Back at the cabin again, we packed our bags and left them in the hall to be delivered to the pier when the ship makes port.  It was a great cruise, and we look forward to the next cruise on this line.   

 

 

Bermuda Triangle Cruise 2026 - Charleston, SC (04/23/26)

 

Last night, I had an interrupted sleep.  But I managed to have a few good hours before waking up at 8 am.  Even though I was up early for me, I didn't feel tired.  Instead, I felt like my allergies to pollen were winning a battle with me, as we were nearing land as I was coming to consciousness. 

- - - - - -

Charleston's historic district is beautiful, and should be experienced slowly.   The last time I was in this city, it was raining, and a bus tour made everything blend into one boring, gray mess.  Today, it would be bright, sunny, and not overly warm - a perfect day to visit this city.  Both RQS and I were looking forward to our self-arranged shore excursion.

We went up to the Galley (Virgin's substitute for buffets found on other cruise lines' ships) to have a quick breakfast.  And this breakfast was good.  Both of us had the "Grab and Go" Salmon, while I ordered Scrambled Eggs and Sausage.  We were sated, and ready to go to find our excursion.

Getting off the ship was easy.  But it was a 10 minute walk from the ship to where the carriage ride started.  While on the way, I noticed that I forgot my sunglasses.  So I bought a cheap pair in the Charleston Market on the way to the carriage ride.  

There are 5 routes which carriage rides are allowed to travel, and they are assigned at random to prevent too many carriages from disturbing motor vehicle traffic on a single route.  Today, we took the "Yellow" route, chosen at random at a station near the market.  Much of Charleston's history blended into something easily forgotten, but I remembered one thing of note: Like New Orleans, Charleston has laws which require buildings in its historic district to be maintained with historical accuracy.  If a building is to be painted, a commission must approve the paint - and have it reflect colors used in the building's past.  External structural elements must conform to reflect how a building looked in the past.  Too bad that more American cities didn't do this to preserve their historical districts.

- - - - - - 

We got back on the ship around 12:30 pm and started looking for lunch.  The Pizza Place would be closed until 2 pm, so back to the Galley we went.  Of course, I ate too much, wanting a little bit of everything.  To make things more "interesting", they had the wrong menu available in our section of the Galley, and we ended up getting things we didn't plan on getting.  Although I missed my Duck Ramen, RQS got her Pastrami on Rye.

And then it was time to rest until dinner.  

Again, RQS made herself at home in the hammock, while I worked on my other blog.  By the time dinner time came, we were ready to feast, yet not eat too much.  So, it was down to to Pink Agave for another Mexican meal.  Was the food good?  Yes.  Yet, I miss the two Mexican joints down the hill from me, as more of their food is "stick to your ribs" cooking.

 

Bermuda Triangle Cruise 2026 - Sea Day #3 (04/22/26)

 

There is something nice about waking up to a nice sunrise while at sea.  Although the sun is not visible in the picture above, it is bright, and the cabin was fully illuminated.  There was no way for us to stay asleep.  Both of us were up before 6:15 - something rare for two people who are rarely out of bed before 9, except for bio-breaks.

- - - - - -

Neither of us got moving until 8 am, and we ended up waiting an hour before we could have Brunch at the Wake.  While there, we enjoyed another filling meal, and had another nice chat with people sitting at nearby tables.  (I'm going to hate looking at the scale when I get home.)

I can't say too much about what we did until dinner.  Both of us needed to rest, and RQS hung out in the hammock on our balcony, while I edited some things for my cruise blog.  After that, I decided to rest for a while, trying to catch up on some needed sleep.

For dinner, we went back to the Test Kitchen, where we had some artistic food dishes.  This time, I enjoyed the selections more than the lat time we ate there, as smoked salmon was one of the 3 appetizers, while a lamb chop was the main course. Once done with dinner, it was off to one of the lounges to listen to some music.  Sadly, seating in the area left much to be desired.  But the music made the effort to reach the lounge worthwhile. 

- - - - - -

Sometimes, one doesn't have a lot to say about a cruise day.  And this was one of those days. 

 

 

Bermuda Triangle Cruise 2026 - Nassau, Bahamas (04/21/26)

 

On Virgin Voyages' ships, "The Galley" replaces a ship's buffet area with a bunch of mini-restaurants, each serving a certain specialty. (I won't list them by name here.  Instead, I'll list their functions.)  First, one finds the salad station, where salads are produced according to menu listings.  Next is a burger station.  There is a taco station, a sushi station, and a ramen soup station.  What they all have in common are two key things:

• Simple menu selections mean that dishes can be mass produced without customization.
   
• Cruisers never touch the food before it gets to the table, reducing disease spread. 

As much as I admire Virgin for reworking the concept of the buffet, they have not solved a key problem: How can a cruise line design in adequate seating capacity for busy hours?  Given the nature of The Galley, Virgin has added a new problem: giving cruisers quick service after sitting down in the Galley.

RQS and I have been looking for sit-down dining options for breakfast and lunch that are not connected to the Galley.  It is not easy, as many others are flocking to these venues as well.  And this is one of the things I don't like about cruising with Virgin.

- - - - - -

Today's port stop was Nassau.  We had no intentions of getting off the ship here.  So we took a leisurely lunch in the Galley and then relaxed in our cabin.  RQS was doing her watercolors while I was working on my cruise blog.

Around 6 pm, it was time to go to dinner.  Wayfaring signage on the ship is terrible, and we asked for instructions on how to get to our restaurant - and got lost for a few minutes.  But we ended up in the right place and had a nice meal.  I know when I next get on the scale, I will be shocked of the weight I gained.  But for now, I might as well enjoy the delicacies I'm having that I won't be able to get when I return home.

  

 

 

Bermuda Triangle Cruise 2026 - Sea Day #2 (04/20/26)

Instead of focusing on the nature of a typical sea day on this ship, I will start out by talking about Virgin Voyages' RFID wristlets.  I figured that most of my readers would like to see something different for a change. 

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Three cruise lines I've cruised on have similar technology in place on their ships:

• MSC
• Princess
• Virgin

Of these, I find Princess' use of technology to be the most user friendly, with Virgin coming in a close second.  Why does Princess rank a little higher than Virgin, when Virgin integrates modern technology into every possible touch point with its cruisers?  The answer is simple - Virgin has taken away options that older people might want by forcing people to use its app for everything.

When I booked this cruise, I expected that most of my sign-in process could be done with a PC interface.  This was far from the case.  I had to use the cell phone app to capture information from my driver's license and my passport - even when I had scanned copies of the same documents I could upload from my PC.  And then, their scans of my driver's license and passport had to be redone just before our cruise, as some glitch in their back office systems rejected what I had previously submitted.

Although I am comfortable with modern technology (though I don't use many of the apps my niece might use), I still prefer a "belt and suspenders" approach where more humans are involved in processes.

- - - - - -

Today, we woke up early (due to RQS receiving a call she had to take), but wandered down for brunch around 11 am.  We waited on a queue for 45 minutes before sitting down to eat.  At this point, I was starving, as my blood sugar level was likely too low for comfort.  Luckily, we were seated by noon, and a nice couple from Canada sat down next to us.  We had a nice conversation on current affairs (including the insanity of our Orange Monster) while eating lunch.  As part of the conversation, I made my TG nature known, and they were curious about it.  I answered a few questions, and it was back to normal.  I hope we see them again before the end of the cruise.

Later on, it was time for dinner.  And tonight, we went to the ship's Korean BBQ.  This was a disappointment for reasons not related to the quality of the place.  Instead, it was a loud and lively environment for dinner at a time I really wanted a quiet, relaxing environment to savor some food.  The people around us were nice, and we enjoyed the conversations over dinner  But the main courses were muddy in flavor, with me not being able to taste much of a difference between beef, pork belly, and octopus served at the table due to the marinade used in its preparation.  At least, we'll remember not to choose this restaurant if on a Virgin ship again.