Virgin Voyages didn’t just create a regular cruise line for adults only. In fact, you can say that they took the rule book and threw it out the window…or overboard in this case. You’re either going to love or hate this new approach to cruising. We recently completed our first Virgin Voyages cruise and we also spoke to a lot of people about their experiences to get as much feedback as possible. If you’d like to see a daily report of our cruise, scroll to the end.
If you’re ready to book your Virgin Voyages cruise after reading this report and review, drop me a line through my Facebook page Traveling with Jef or through my Facebook group. Virgin Voyages has a great travel agent program that allows me to offer much more free on board credit that you can get through any public offer. Travel agents love working with Virgin Voyages and there must have been about 100 travel agents on my cruise. One travel agent couple I met was on their third Virgin cruise so they definitely like what they are selling.
What’s different?
The big one is no kids which is really nice but it’s so much more than that. There’s no cruise director which is interesting. Instead you have several different people that run different parts of the entertainment. So there’s a person doing the trivia, there’s the Diva who is the resident drag queen and there’s someone called the hostess who sings. There’s also no art auctions or announcements about various things going on around the ship. You’ll hear from the captain on day 1 and the last day. That’s probably about it. While other lines have apps, everything on Virgin Voyages goes through the app. You won’t get printed daily planners delivered to you.
Speaking of the app, the best part about it is that you can send Sailor Services (guest services) a message via the app. The line for guest services is notoriously long on any ship so not having to deal with that was really helpful. While you could of course call guest services on other lines, they usually don’t answer the phone due to that giant line. We had an issue in our room and it was resolved in minutes by using the app.
Who is the ship for?
In our opinion, the ship was designed for well to do millennials that live in a city. Just about everything had a hipster twist to it. The food, music, selfie areas, outdoor spaces and just about everything else seemed designed for people under 40. While there were plenty of 30 year olds on our cruise, I’d say the biggest demographic was probably people in their 50s. There were some seniors on the cruise but much less than other cruises I’ve been on. There was also a good number of LGBT passengers which makes sense since the cruise line has a resident drag queen on each ship.
A ship for foodies
There’s no main dining room, no buffet and no specialty dining room. Instead, there’s a food hall type area called the galley that takes the place of a buffet. Every restaurant is pretty much a specialty dining restaurant. There’s also a pizzeria in addition to a bar serving popcorn, hot dogs, wings and pretzels. If you want something to go, there’s grab and go coolers with various sandwiches, wraps and desserts on decks 7 and 15. The food quality overall is excellent. You can make reservations 45 days in advance although some space is reserved for walk ups.
The cabin
We had a standard balcony cabin on deck 15 towards the back (aft) of the ship. We could hear engine noise and this seems to be an issue based upon the questions I asked other people. Didn’t bother us though but if you’re a light sleeper, you may want to be more forward. The cabin is smaller than what we expected. As a result, the bathroom is smaller. It’s all very European. The small bathroom didn’t really bother me and the rainfall shower was awesome.
The bed on the other hand left a lot to be desired. It was very hard and there was no sheet, only a duvet. The pillows weren’t horrible but they weren’t the best. There’s also no sofa but the bed turns to the side to turn into a sofa. We didn’t try that. The balcony is great and the hammock is amazing. We’ll probably buy one because we like it so much. The other big issue with the room was the air conditioning. Sticking with the European theme, the AC shut off at night and the room got really warm. Since all you have is a duvet, this makes sleeping an issue. This wasn’t just us either. A number of people reported this same issue.
Ready to party?
If you’re looking for a relaxing, chill time, this probably isn’t the cruise for you. The music is loud and partying is the name of the game just about everywhere you go. Granted we weren’t out really late, but we didn’t see anyone getting sloppy drunk. However, it did seem like people went there to party and have a good time. The ship often felt like a floating night club more than a cruise half the time so keep that in mind. Even when we found quiet areas of the ship, loud music from other areas of the ship spilled into the section where we were at. While that wasn’t a problem for us, it might be a problem for others. Of course, other ships can be pretty loud as well but usually there’s a place to escape that. Maybe we missed it but it didn’t seem like there were any quiet areas.
Scarlet Night was the massive party and it’s not just a party. The theme takes over the entire ship and people really got into it. Just about everyone was wearing red and people were partying all over the ship. It culminated with the big party in the pool and it seems like everyone was there. It was certainly an interesting scene to watch. There was also a big pool party at Bimini. So if you like to party, Virgin Voyages is certainly for you.
What to other people think?
In order to provide my clients with the more accurate information, I created a poll in the Facebook group for this cruise.
There were over 100 votes. The percentages went as follows: Virgin Voyages is all I’m booking in the future 23%, I prefer Virgin but will consider other lines, 42%, Not partial to either 1%, Prefer other lines 19%, Never again only 1 vote, and then about 10% will choose Virgin when not sailing with their kids.
So as you can see, Virgin Voyages is going to be the primary or only choice for over 60% of poll respondents! That’s pretty good and it clearly shows that they are doing something right. If you add in the people that will choose Virgin when not sailing with their kids, that number jumps up to over 70%!
The biggest complaint in the comments to the poll were the bed and the AC. A few people thought that the Rockstar suite experience was not up to par with similar offerings from other cruises.
Who is Virgin Voyages for?
I didn’t run into a lot of people that were loyal to another cruise line. If you’ve been on 30 cruises with the same cruise line, you probably wouldn’t like Virgin Voyages although I question if you’d really like any cruise line. The first comedian asked who had been on the most cruises. One woman said she had been on 35. My number is somewhere around the 50s but I didn’t raise my hand because I figured a dozen or so people would give a triple digit number. When he asked if anyone could beat her number, no one spoke up. I thought that was interesting. So Virgin Voyages seems to attract people that are “new to cruise” or not very experienced with cruising.
Final thoughts
We certainly had a great time but I do think that their approach is not for everyone. Elderly people probably won’t have a great time and having to do everything on the app may be difficult for some. If you absolutely love everything to do with traditional cruising and the cruise director, main dining room and unlimited drinks are a big deal for you, then this is not going to be the cruise for you. On the other hand, this cruise is perfect for cruisers that want to try something very different, people under 40 and those that never liked the idea of going on a traditional cruise. LGBT people will also have a great time. It’s also great for those that are young at heart, those looks to have a fun party at sea and experienced cruises that have an open mind and want to try a very different cruising experience. Of course, if you want to avoid kids, this is definitely the cruise for you.
Virgin Voyages does a ton of things right. The app, the service, the food, no annoying art auctions and no buffet were great. However, the free WIFI was a joke. Basically not useable. That’s not a perk I can really sell to my clients. The bed, bedding and AC really need to be fixed for an American audience. That might work for Europeans who like hot rooms and uncomfortable beds but Americans expect more comfort. The hammock on the balcony is amazing. I really hope the other cruise lines pick up on some of these great ideas and bring them over.
Got more questions or want to share your thoughts? Join us over at our Facebook group to discuss Virgin Voyages.
Trip report
Day 1
Our boarding time was 3:15 so we got there at 2. I figured they’d let us in earlier. They line you up by boarding time. After a half hour, they let us in. Only took us 15 minutes to get on the ship. Hard to beat that.
Our cabin was ready right away. Its a little smaller than other balcony cabins. Instead of having a bed and a sofa, the bed can be moved to the side so it turns into a sofa. Kinda weird but we don’t spend a lot of time in our cabin anyway.
The bathroom is likewise a little smaller but I don’t feel cramped. The shower has a door which is always nice. There’s a rainfall shower which is great in addition to a handheld shower. The towels are like cheap motel towels. Pretty surprised to see that at this price point.
There’s a fridge in the room with nothing in it which is nice. The closet is strange. It has the smallest drawers ever. Not sure what’s up with that.
The bed is very European. Very firm with no sheet. Just a duvet like in European hotels. The AC is also not incredibly cold and it does shut down at night. Again, very European. That makes the cabin warm at night. We brought little fans which help.
The balcony is nice and that hammock is incredible. Might have to but one for the house. Just gotta figure out how to hang it up.
We went to explore the ship. There’s definitely a funky atmosphere throughout the entire ship. Lots to expose and plenty of places to take pictures. While there’s a big age range they are definitely trying to attract the under 40 crowd.
Although the ship isn’t sold out, it certainly seemed busy. There’s a lot of little venues but since so many are little, it doesn’t take much for the spaces to feel a little crowded. That being said, there’s usually somewhere to go to get away from the crowds.
The arcade is small but free. There’s also free shuffleboard tables and foosball in addition to a ton of boardgames. Looks like a lot of people went right to the karaoke booths to sign up but we’re doing that on day 2 (today). Those are also free.
Near the arcade is a casual restaurant counter serving popcorn, wings and more importantly candy! I’m basically a giant 5 year old so free saltwater taffy, Swedish fish and gummy bears is very exciting. Haven’t tried the wings yet but they look good. They also have pretzels and cheese but the cheese has peppers in it so that’s not for me.
We went to dinner at Extra Virgin which is the Italian restaurant but it’s more hipster Italian than your old school Italian restaurant. See my review on the page for more info but it was good. Certainly better than most food in the average main dining room.
We then went to the comedian in the Red Room. It’s a good sized venue. The line to get in was pretty long but by the time he started there was still dozens of seats available. He was OK, not the best. Hopefully the other comedians are better.
We then went to the around the world in 80 minutes show put on by the resident drag queen the Diva. I had no idea what to expect. The line to get in was also long. This was in The Manor which is a smaller venue. I got the last two seats. The good news is that there’s more than one show as there’s one on day 2.
The show was hilarious. One of the funnier things I’ve seen in a while. Lots of singing which was actually pretty good, a lot of humor and a lot of audience participation. I highly suggest checking out anything the Diva puts on.
After that we packed it in for the night. There was a pajama party that we could have gone to but we were wiped so that wasn’t gonna happen.
Overall, a very different but fun experience.
Day 2
We had breakfast at the Galley. Already discussed that. We then went to hang out by the pool for a while. It was really busy. So much so that if someone got up from their chair for a second, someone else asked if it was available within 30 seconds. Not a lot of shade but we found some. As we live in Florida, pools aren’t that big of a deal to me compared to when I lived in NJ.
We then went to lunch at the Galley. Covered that already as well. After that we went to this coffee-themed game show. It was hosted by The Diva and it was really funny. The only negative is that it was held in the Roundabout. There’s no soaring atrium like other ships so this small space is the closest thing to an atrium. Problem is that it’s just not set up for any type of show. If you’re sitting anywhere, you probably won’t see much. Instead you have to stand. Seems like holding shows and performances there was an afterthought. Not the end of the world but a poor design choice.
We then went to use the karaoke room for an hour. We reserved the time slot that morning. There are three different rooms available and each one holds a different amount of people. I am not a karaoke person and I’ve never actually done it. Despite that, it was a lot of fun. We could stop and start songs, goof around and do whatever without anyone watching. Highly recommended.
Dinner was at Razzle Dazzle. I can’t even begin to tell you what type of restaurant this is. Eclectic I guess? Anyway, I had the fried chicken and biscuit. Chicken was good but the biscuit was amazing. A little dry but once they got me some butter it was incredible.
After dinner we went to Dual Reality which is kind of like a circus show meets modern dance. It was supposed to be a take on Romeo and Juliet but there was something about a game and a referee. The basic plot elements were there but the specifics were a little confusing. Regardless, there was a variety of performers doing different things and they were all really good. It was very unique. Highly recommended.
Again, a fun and chill day. The WiFi continues to be horrendous but since so many people are off the ship at the moment, it’s not bad.
Day 3 Puerto Plata and Scarlet Night
After breakfast we went to walk around the town. While I’m sure several things were closed for Easter, I felt like there wasn’t much to do there outside of Taino Bay (I’ll get back to that). A lot of the town seems run down. However, there are several Instagramable spots like Umbrella Street, Kite Street and Pink Street. See my pics. There’s also a cathedral and an old fort. Took us about an hour and a half to do everything.
After getting lunch on the ship I went back our to explore Taino Bay and use the lazy river. Taino Bay is this huge cruise port area filled with shops, restaurants and a big pool area. See my pics for more. The highlight for me was the lazy river which was one of the bigger ones I’ve been in. One lap takes 20 minutes. The current could be a little stronger but it was great. I went around 3 times.
I think VV did a poor job of explaining that area to people. There weren’t a lot of people there and I heard several people ask if the lazy river was free. The whole pool area seems like it would cost money so I can understand the assumption.
After all that sun and walking around I needed a nap. We decided to go casual for dinner so we went with pizza and wings. The pizza took a while but they gave us a buzzer so it was nice to not have to wait in line like Carnival. The pizza was about on par with Carnival so it was good. The wings on the other hand were awful and the Buffalo sauce was bland. Not my deal.
As we walked around after dinner we could see that they were getting ready for Scarlet Night. Blowup octopus tentacles and fish were all over.
We went to the 7pm comedian. He was OK. He had a horrible British accent (which he admitted was the worst you can have in the UK) and he clearly couldn’t handle a 45 minute set so there was a lot of filler. Some of his jokes were funny but overall not my thing.
We then went to the 15 minute show that explains what Scarlet Night was all about. It was a singer that said something about an octopus falling in love with a sailor? Meh. I think they could have just said it’s a fun party and this giant octopus looks cool.
There was then another comedian but as we were making our way to that show I can see that Scarlet Night was definitely getting into full gear. Everyone had red on and there was a lot of partying.
This comedian was from Scotland but his accent wasn’t bad. He’s definitely more professional and he did a great job. Best comedian so far this cruise.
After that we went up to the pool area to wait for the big Scarlet Night party. A lot of people had the same idea as all the chairs on deck 16 overlooking the pool were taken. If you’d rather watch the party, deck 16 is where to go. If you want to be in the party, head to deck 15 where the pool is.
I feel like 90% of the ship was there. The Diva and the hostess kicked off the night with the shows performers dancing around the pool. They then got in the pool and splashed everyone. They then invited everyone else to join them to dance in the pool so there was a mad rush by people to remove their shoes. At that point it just turned into a full on dance party. Really fun.
Between all that and all the sun, I slept 9 hours. Probably could have slept 11.
Day 4 Sea Day
This was a pretty chill day. Worked out after breakfast. Then we looked around for some shade. That’s very difficult to find on this ship. We did find some nice chairs on deck 7. The lifeboats are right there but you still have a view of the ocean. They’re a little short for me so I had to find a little table. Stacked some towels on it (so my feet weren’t on the table) and it worked out.
We were there for a few hours relaxing and reading. Shuffleboard was right there so we taught another couple how to play. They then destroyed us. Lol.
Went to our karaoke at 4pm that we reserved. That was fun but again, so glad no one else heard us.
Dinner was at the Wake, the steakhouse. I got the filet which was so good I had a second one.
The show tonight was Ships in the Night which is more of a traditional production show. It was good. The singer himself was good but the song selection wasn’t the best. The dance was great. They really try to include a plot in everything and I think it would work better with just a theme but that’s just me.
We called it an early night after that.
Days 5 Bimini
We saw no rush to get off the ship so we got off around 10:30 and took the tram to the beach club. By the time we got there we could only find one umbrella left. The only reason I think no one else took it was because it was closed. They probably assumed it was broken. It was nice but nothing compared to all the other private islands. This of course is just a private area and not an island so it’s impossible to compare them.
That being said, the water is incredible but for some reason, it was cold. Guessing there was a current bringing water in from the north. Probably be much warmer a week from now. There’s also two pools but I found them to be pretty cold as well.
Regardless, we had a nice time just relax at the beach. Overheard complaints about the cabanas which loomed like a joke to me. A lot of people complained about the lack of chairs. I just don’t think this place is big enough for this ship.
I was hoping for normal lunch food but Virgin has to try to do everything upscale so I waited to get lunch on the boat. We left around 2 and I finally got a chance to hang out at the pool since there was hardly anyone there. The pool is small but the water was a good temp.
Dinner was pizza again. It took over a half hour. I think they forgot about us because it wasn’t until I said something that our pizzas were ready. While we were waiting I got a pretzel with cheese and a hot dog from Social Club. The hot dog was good but the pretzel with cheese was awesome. I’m sorry I waited until the last day to figure it out.
Heidi then played trivia so I was in the arcade while she was doing that. I beat Sunset Riders and I played a round of Golden Tee Golf.
There really wasn’t a lot going on in the early evening that interested us so we decided to call it a night early. I really wanted to see Untitled Dance Party Thing but that was at 10. After that was a 15 minute circus act. Kinda late for the last night.
Day 6
You have to be off the ship at 10:30 so it was nice to not have to get up early. We chose a 9:30 slot. Got to breakfast around 9 and there was pretty much nowhere to sit so another couple allowed us to sit with them.
Went down to deck 7 at 9:30 and got right off the ship. No big crazy line or anything. Couldn’t have been easier. Customs was a 2 second picture stop. We were in the car by 9:45. Doesn’t get any easier than that.