What I LOVED (and hated) about cruising with Virgin Voyages…

In this post today, I’m going to run through some of the things that I loved, and also some of the things that I didn’t, about cruising with Virgin Voyages. One thing’s pretty clear as soon as you step onto a Virgin cruise ship - these guys do things pretty differently to most other cruise lines out there - some will love this, but others need to be prepared before going onboard, to avoid being potentially unhappy with some things!

If you’d rather have these points in video form, then head over to the below video on my YouTube channel! On that note, please do click to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel - it massively helps my content to reach more people, and therefore my channel to grow!

I LOVED - the ship!

Up first, we need to talk about the ship itself. While there are some elements on these ships that are controversial, and don’t worry - we’ll come back to this point(!), the Virgin ships are absolutely gorgeous. In a busy port with other ships, these ones really do stand out thanks to their unique silver and red paint jobs, in addition to the unique furniture on the balcony - I’ve never looked up at a cruise ship in port and been able to see thousands of hammocks before! It's so unusual!

Looking beyond the exterior of these ships, the insides are equally as amazing. They don’t feel like a traditional cruise ship at all, and infact I’d recommend that you prepare yourself to board a luxurious city hotel resort for the week, rather than a ship. I’ve found the overall standards to be impeccably high onboard - far higher than what I might have thought with the price I paid for my pesky little Inside cabin upstairs - anyway, we’ll come back to that later… It’s so clear that Virgin have tried to make this ship feel ‘different’ to their competition and, in my opinion, they’ve certainly succeeded. As an example of a really unique interior, here’s the bar space within Razzle Dazzle, one of the onboard eateries - wow!

I LOVED - No drinks packages!

Next up on the things I’ve loved about the Virgin product, and this one might be controversial, is the lack of a drinks package. When Virgin launched cruise ships, they raised eyebrows throughout the industry as they boldly confirmed that they wouldn’t be offering ‘drinks packages’ onboard their ships. First up, what is a ‘drinks package’? Well, this is essentially where you pay a set price each day, and some cruise lines will allow you to drink an unlimited amount of certain drinks. Some cruise lines have introduced limits to their packages, meaning you can only go through, for example, 15 drinks a day. I know - 15 drinks a day seems a lot, but I’m always amazed at how many people do meet their limits…!

Personally, I’m not a massive fan of a drinks package because, whenever I have one, I have this ridiculous feeling that I have to get my money's worth,  and I end up drinking so much more than I would normally…!

Virgin don’t offer any of these packages, and instead claim that their pricing is fair across the ship. From what I saw onboard, I’d absolutely agree with this! A top tip for drinks on a Virgin cruise - instead of offering drinks packages where you pay a set price each day, Virgin offers you the ability to buy what they call a ‘Bar Tab’. This is a pre-paid amount that you pay for your bar bill upfront, and if you purchase this in advance of your cruise, then you’ll get a little bonus on top to, I guess, reward you for paying in advance.  We’re not talking massive bonuses - it’ll be along the lines of you pay for a $200 Bar Tab and Virgin will gift you an extra $25. If you know you’re going to get through this financial value of alcohol, I’d always advise paying for the Tab - after all, everybody loves a free drink!

I LOVED - No tannoy announcements!

Another thing I’ve really enjoyed about the Virgin product is the lack of tannoy announcements. This one might sound funny if you've never cruised before, but I’ve spent a lot of time on cruise ships over the last few years, and I often get completely fed up of the tannoy announcements blasting across the ship. These are fine when it’s a safety announcement, but I can’t entertain cruise lines booming into all cabins to start selling bingo tickets first thing in the morning, or letting me know that the ship will be docking in 30 minutes time - please just let me sleep! 

Virgin don’t do announcements during your cruise, unless they absolutely have to. This means you’re not going to have really annoying ‘up-selling’ taking place over the speakers, no weather reports when you’re in the middle of dancing to your favourite song by the pool, and nobody telling you what’s going on around the ship in the evening when you haven’t even had your shower yet! Now, while I’ve loved this on my recent Caribbean cruise, I’m not sure how I’d feel about it for a more ‘significant’ cruise route. For example, if I were to take a Virgin cruise through the Suez or Panama Canals, I’d really love announcements to guide me through what I was actually experiencing - I think I’d feel a little lost on my own trying to decipher what was around me. So, on this type of cruise, it works to have no announcements, but if I was to do a more 'bucket list' itinerary, I'd probably much rather listen to that tannoy...!

I LOVED - No kids!

You’re maybe getting the picture that I quite enjoy some ‘peace and quiet’ when I cruise. Lets talk about another aspect I loved, and for this I need to apologise to anyone watching this video who hates the ‘no children’ policy that Virgin uphold. Personally, I absolutely LOVE it!

I love it because it makes the dining rooms much quieter, it means the entertainment can be a little more ‘risky’, and it also means that parents who escape for the length of their cruise can really let their hair down. In the real world, I don’t have kids, but I’ve absolutely loved meeting so many parents on Virgin ships who delight in the fact they can escape as a couple and have a cruise vacation without the children. I really hope this is something that Virgin continue to operate with, as it’s a really clear differentiating factor from the rest of the market.

So many people ask me if Virgin is a cruise line that would be appropriate for children, and my answer would probably be ‘no’. I don’t think Virgin’s policy is in place to allow the entertainment to be more ‘on the edge’ - I genuinely think it’s more to allow the adults a place to relax without children involved. Honestly, it’s GREAT!

I LOVED - the food!

Next up, can we talk about the food? We’re going to cover food in both the things I’ve loved and also things I haven’t (so stay tuned), but I’ve genuinely found the food onboard Virgin ships to be absolutely fantastic. No mass produced Main Dining room food, and no stale buffet food that’s been sitting under a heat lamp for a little bit too long - you all know what I'm talking about! Everything feels like it’s made completely fresh to order. On that note, you might need to give your breakfast a little longer to arrive when you’re eating up at the Galley - which is what Virgin calls their ‘Market hall’/buffet-style food venue - it’s not all sitting 100% ready just for you to grab like it would be on other cruise ships.

If you’re looking for a food recommendation for your cruise, then please book into Gunbae - the Korean restaurant. I’m not going to give too much away, but the food in here is so tasty, and it’s always such a good way to meet some fellow cruisers on the first few nights of your trip. The only word of warning for dining in here is that you’ll be sharing your table with other cruisers, so this is one venue that you won’t get your ‘table for 2’ by the window - you'll always be sharing with other people!

I LOVED - the fitness facilities, and FREE classes!

Ok, let’s move on from food - shall we talk fitness? This is another thing that I’ve LOVED while cruising with Virgin - there are SO MANY fitness options onboard this ship. You’ll find multiple gyms onboard, in addition to indoor and outdoor training facilities. Fitness classes are also included on Virgin cruises, so why don’t you try booking into something you’ve always wanted to try? Who knows - you might be about to find your new favourite hobby…

On the subject of fitness, it’s brilliant to see so many fitness options both indoors and outdoors on Virgin ships. It’s relatively standard practice to go to the gym on a regular cruise ship, but Virgin have actually installed outdoor gyms on their ships - well done, Virgin!

I LOVED - the running track!

Another aspect of the fitness offering on Virgin ships that I absolutely LOVE is the onboard running track. You’ll find this towards the back of the ship all the way up at the top. The benefit to this running track versus what you’ll find on lots of other cruise ships is in the name - it’s an actual running track! Lots of cruise ships have a colour-marked part of the top deck for people to run around during certain times, but on here it’s a whole separate section, allowing you to run without worrying about tripping over a sun lounger, or running into a holiday-maker during your workout who just isn’t watching where they’re going… 

I LOVED - the onboard vibe!

Ok, the last thing I’ve loved about cruising with Virgin before we move on to look at the things I haven’t is the onboard vibe. Everything about this ship and style of cruising just makes me switch off and. relax - it’s just such a chilled environment!

I genuinely think that Virgin Voyages have one of the most refreshingly diverse approaches to so many aspects of their business, and it’s something that I’d love to see more companies - yes, cruise lines but also land based companies - focus on in the future. They’re a perfect example of a company who encourage their crew and passengers to ‘truly be themselves’, and just live their best lives. During my cruise, it’s been so great to see such a WIDE range of passengers on here - from low 20s all the way up to their 80s, and they all seem to be having a ball. What’s even better is that this vibe continued when we docked at Bimini to head over to Virgin’s beach club - the whole day was SO relaxed, everyone seemed to love their time ashore, and if you'd like to see more check out this video which is when we headed over to Bimini and I gave you a full tour!

Anyway, that’s it for some of the things I’ve loved about the Virgin product during my cruise. However, not all things are great, so let’s now move to look at some of the aspects of this experience that I haven’t loved.

I HATED - the swimming pool!

First, can we talk about the swimming pool? The main swimming pool on the top deck of a Virgin cruise ship is, in my opinion, ridiculous.

While cruise ship pools are rarely huge, they’re normally big enough to at least go for a little swim in. This pool, however, should really just be described as a plunge pool. My advice here? Honestly, consider saving yourself the hassle of carrying your hair net in your luggage - you’re probably not going to be doing lengths in here. It’s a great pool for dipping your toes in the water while sipping your favourite drink granted, but that’s where the greatness ends for me, I’m afraid. So yes, leave the hairnet of the swimming cap at home in your drawers!

I HATED - Dining reservations…!

Next up, let’s return to the topic of food. As you know, I’m a BIG fan of the food on these Virgin cruise ships, but what I’m not a fan of is how difficult it can sometimes be to book into restaurants. One thing I didn’t realise before this cruise was that you can actually book restaurant reservations before you board your cruise - at the point of writing this post, you could book your restaurants up to 45 days before boarding the ship, so set your alarms and get ready to book the top spots on the app way in advance!

If you want my advice, I’d recommend that you try to book Pink Agave, the onboard Mexican, and the Wake (the onboard Steakhouse) before your cruise because both of these were SO busy during my cruise, and it was almost impossible for them to squeeze me (as a solo traveller) in for dinner. Save yourself the hassle - book online before you go!

I HATED - my cabin!

The next thing that I haven’t enjoyed about the Virgin product takes us into my cabin. It’s important that you think about, when booking your cruise, how much time you’re actually going to spend in your cabin. I thought I’d spend no time at all in there, but I was actually quite wrong on this cruise - I found that I’d like to retreat back with a glass of wine, and really regretted on multiple occasions not booking a balcony, or at least a cabin with a window. Think when you book your cruise - will you be happy booking on the inside? If yes, then crack on and save yourself a good amount of cash, but if you think you might fancy a window or (even better) some fresh air from your room, you might want to consider upgrading into a balcony!

I HATED - the prices at the shops…!

Another thing that I need to give a ‘thumbs down’ to on Virgin is the pricing strategy in the onboard shops. I’ve been on a lot of cruise ships, but I’ve never seen pricing quite like some of the areas on these ships. Believe it or not, if you need to buy after sun following a day out on the top deck enjoying the sun, you're going to have to be prepared to spend over $20 a bottle. Yes, $20! I’ll leave some of the other prices up to your imagination, but my overall advice here is that you’re not going to bag yourself a bargain on your Virgin cruise, so maybe get ready to purchase a little treat for yourself, and don’t worry about bring half an empty suitcase onboard to fill your on-ship purchases…

I found that the shopping area onboard was all generally pretty expensive. If you needed to buy perfume, cologne, hair products, Virgin Voyages merchandise, or anything else, then you’d expect to be charged a pretty penny for the privilege of doing so…

I HATED - leaving the ship!

Ok, the final thing I didn’t enjoy about my Virgin cruise? Having to leave the ship and go back onto dry land and go home!

Well, not really ‘go home’ in my case, because I was jumping onto another cruise ship at the next dock in Miami. However, for the purpose of this conversation, 'go home'! I’ve had a ball on my Virgin cruises, and have loved understanding more about the product. Stay tuned to learn more, or head over to the Virgin Voyages section of this website!

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please support me by subscribing to my YouTube channel. You can do that by searching ‘Fraser at Sea’ over on YouTube, or just click here!