Virgin Voyage Cruise Review – WE LOVED IT!

I absolutely loved my virgin, Virgin Voyage this past month on the Valiant Lady. Today, I am going to share with you my top 10 reasons in this Virgin Voyage Review. I am going to share why I loved this cruise, the staff, the service and this ship.

First, full-disclosure, I’m a non-cruiser. I don’t like them, not like even in the slightest. So for me to LOVE it, it’s a lot. When we did our transatlantic cruise with Cunard in 2019 and were aboard the Queen Mary 2 it was not my favorite. 

There were definite differences in that cruise and Virgin of all the things I loved about that cruise but the itinerary and the length of time we were sailing was definitely not my favorite. Plus, I just felt old and five years ago, I was just 50. I’ve also sailed Carnival, pure Yuk for me so yea, I’m not a cruiser, it’s pretty big. 

Jon and I just finished our Southwestern Caribbean Sail a few weeks ago departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico and I loved that this was our embarkation point. I was just excited to visit this American Territory as well, so right off the bat, it was starting good. I will create an entire series on our visit there as well, it’s too much info to share for this one.

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Here are my Top 10 reasons why I loved Virgin Voyages!

I’ll also give you some feedback on the YouTubers/Content creators that are dissing it and I’ll tell you why they didn’t like it. (Other than clickbait) The answer is mostly, they like traditional cruising. If you are a frequent cruiser I could see how Virgin would mess with your mo-jo. Maybe I’m a disrupter but I loved it for that reason in itself.

(1) It’s all ADULT

Which means 00000 to the infinity of children. You must be 18 or older to sail. Thanks be… I love an AI (All-Inclusive) Adults-Only Resort so I thought maybe I’d like this too. Another reason I love the Adults Only concept was the fact they kind of expect to act like adults. We could be as chill or active as you wanna be. And we were. You were on your own agenda. There were plenty of activities and shows on board where you could party with the best of them OR chill on your hammock quietly. Most sailors on our cruise were fun, fit and our ages. 

Despite all the hullabaloo and chatter online we didn’t see or experience anything shocking except for one French guy who became the chatter on and off the boat – C’est la vie – again it felt like an adult experience. As my European friends say, it shocks us at how prudish you American’s have become.” It was a good laugh and understanding of cultural differences and to live and let live. 

(2) Culinary Cruise Revolution

The food for me was a highlight. I graduated from a Culinary and Hospitality/Tourism school (Johnson & Wales University) and worked in the industry for countless years. Virgin Voyage menus are a fresh and imaginative cuisine concept. I am super excited to share all the options that are available.

Some of my favorites and one, not so favorite. But for one thing the food on a Virgin Voyage is definitely different than most cruise ships out there. Exciting and new and also VERY FRESH! Be sure to check out my next blog/podcast and vlog for travel tips on the Valiant Lady restaurant reviews next up.

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(3) It’s all included!! 

Man, did we LOVE THIS!! Holy cow, what a relief. I tell you what, when they say “All-Inclusive” it really was. Even when we have done all-inclusive resorts on the islands there seems to be these add-ons and a bill at the end. We spent almost as much at the resort as we did to get there. Those surprises kill the vacation. We could see our “wallet” at all times which was really great.

The wrist band access computer chip bracelet was key. Also an actual key to our room and identified us in the eateries. Because I was the one to purchase the loot too, my newly retired husband loved that I was picking up the tab.

(4) The size of the ship

The SHIP is BIG. However as big as the ship is we never felt crowded. It was easy to get service, ask for help, get drink, etc. It was spacious enough that you never felt on top of other people too.

The pool was a bit small for the size of the ship but we had beach days on the island so this didn’t really bother me. The one day we wanted to hit the pool there was plenty of room to sit on the side and enjoy a Pina Colada.

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(5) Our Cabin

We stayed in an XL Sea Terrace.  This cabin was a great introduction to the cabins on the ship. We peeked into a regular Sea Terrace and I think it would have been a bit tight for us. And if you’ve done a bit of research on cabins for a Virgin Voyage then you know about the hammock.

They are the coolest things ever and they fit every size. Bonus, you can also buy one in their shop to take home AND it supports local businesses.

The room is also outfitted with an iPad monitor that works with your tv (movie player), opening your windows and turning the lights off and on. It’s super cool.

Our bathroom in the XL Sea Terrace was also plenty big and way bigger than anything I’ve seen before too. The shower also always had great pressure and had a wand as well. There is not stoop for us lady to shave the legs, but I’ve seen in the suites they have this feature.

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(6)Superb STAFF, Cleanliness & Hand-Sani

The ship is very clean. We saw workers and servers everywhere. There is also hand-sani stations by the elevators and throughout the ship. The staff is spectacular. Shandy our valet was amazing. He literally checked on us every day to see if we needed anything at all and every day had tidied up the room spic and span with fresh water, and towels.

The Staff also would greet you in the hallways with a hello or good day/morning/evening and also the hosts for the restaurants would greet us with smiles and lead us to our reservation. 

While walking around the ship at night we saw teams of cleaning crews and sailor staff vacuuming or wiping things down as the day progressed.

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(7)Entertainment & Shows

One of things we missed out on was the shows. We did get to see Around the World with Carlos and it was GREAT! Hysterical, entertaining and highly talented crew. 

Great 80’s music, lively audience participation and lots and lots of laughs.

There were several opportunities to join in other ship fun too. The pajama party on the first night at sea as well as “Scarlet Night.” This is Virgin’s signature, somewhat formal (or whatever you desire – wear RED night) I loved seeing everyone’s interpretation of what that meant. Again, we were pretty exhausted from our days off the boat so we crashed pretty much before the big parties started.

Other travelers we spoke to absolutely loved it. They shared how fun, interesting and different the activities were, making them feel younger too. 

(8)Something for everyone and anyone on a Virgin Voyage

From Casino to the Game Room there was so much to do on board. There is a lot of fun to be had and several people we met won BIG. $1200 was the highest I heard, there was a pickle ball court, basketball, twister board etc. 

Our friends who joined us read three books on our cruise! It truly is, whatever you want to make it. I was able to attend the early yoga class in the mornings which were great and made me feel less guilty about joining Jon for breakfast later.

(9)Loved our port visits

As many articles I’ve read on Virgin Voyage or vlogs I’ve seen I haven’t really heard this reason why they LOVE Virgin, but it’s one of my favorites. I loved NEVER feeling rushed to “get back to the boat.” If you’ve cruised at all, you know that sometimes arriving at the port by 11:00 a.m. and departing by 4:00 p.m. hardly gives one a good introduction to the island.

Some days we would arrive by 6:00/7:00/8:00 a.m. and we would stay in port until later like 5/6/7 or later. I loved this having almost 12 hours in port, really helped introduce us to the island and give it a thumbs up or thumbs down to come back and do a land tour. 

I have always felt that way about cruising. It doesn’t really immerse you but introduces you to come back and discover more. 

Getting out of the port area – most of the excursions we did were outside the port district which can be, well, quite touristy and I don’t feel helps the local economy. If you’re interested in different kinds of shore excursions let me know, I partner with Shore Excursions Group that offers a lot of small group options too. We absolutely LOVED our snorkeling adventure in St. Lucia with Elvis & our beach day at Tortola.  

(10)Health forward

I also love that this cruise line is health-forward, thinking forward. Another thing that’s really cool is that the sailors love it too. Classes are full, the track is busy and we always saw people in the gym. So obviously the travelers love this as an option too.

All the workouts and classes are included!  Another advantage of Virgin and the “all-inclusive” concept is they aren’t nickel and diming you to death with charges here and there and everywhere. Want to go to Spin Class or use the gym? You can!

The Spa – of course there is an extra charge for spa services, but I do feel like there needs to be for that, everyone would sign up for a massage, right! HA! Who wouldn’t? You can buy a day pass that wasn’t that much either or get your hair done too. 

BONUS PLUS: Hahaha

Getting on and off the boat – from Embarkation to Disembarkation – SO EASY!! I literally timed it from the moment we arrived in port (dropping off our luggage to getting to our cabin it was under 30 min) WHAT!! I know that was some kind of record for a ship this size. 

Each day disembarking to each port was simple too. Of course if you had a tour to catch it might have been a bit rushed but really for just a short time. Small inconvenience for an otherwise delightful day.

On our final day we decided to hang back and enjoy the morning a bit and we were off the boat in 15 minutes. Again, Amazing!!

Here are a few things that need tweaking

However, like anything that’s new, I think with time, patience and grace, the tweaks will be worked out. With anything new or with learning something new there is going to be some imperfection. The naysayers act like they’ve never raised teenagers or toddlers. Come on, man, lighten up.

The app – The app is a bit funky and I’m thinking of creating a YouTube on how to navigate to include for my clients I think this would be welcomed and give a sense of relief. Mostly where to find things and how to sign up, check your wallet, etc. it’s not intuitive at least for this Xer.

Making reservations for shows or dinner – one of the tweaks is also figuring out the schedules of the shows or dinner. As a fellow sailor explained it became a challenge to either attend a show OR attend dinner at a restaurant, they overlapped and you would miss out on one or the other. Food will always win for me. Additionally, if you are traveling with a group or a large party and you would all like to eat together, it might take longer to get served. 

GALLEY RESTAURANTS

EXTRAS worth the EXTRA!

GET the CABANA

On our final day at Sea, we did order a cabana for the day. Best decision ever! It was AMAZING!! It was $350 we split it with our friends and had a server, special menu and enjoy drinks too – very chill day enjoying our own little oasis while watching the world go by.

We were within walking distance of a hot tub and just one floor away from the pool. However, we just relaxed, read, took a nap and enjoyed a few cocktails.

Outfitted with a big Bali/Cabana Bed,relax chairs and lounge with pillows, little refrigerator and a big button. This button let our sailor server know we would like something. Scott from Ireland was amazing and quick to get whatever it is we wanted. 

TRAVEL TIP: if you are considering doing this, be sure to book it on your first day after embarkation as they sold out for Sea Day.

Looking forward to another!

On every sailing, Virgin Voyages will have an offering for you to book a future cruise. Our offer was amazing. For $300 we could put a deposit on a future sailing, we had 60 days to choose a sailing but if we chose and purchased before we left we would also save 65% off and get a whole bunch of sailor loot. Sailor loot is (onboard credit)

We did take advantage of the 65% off second sailor and $250 bar tab and $600 Sailor Loot special so we’ve already signed up for cruise number 2 ourselves. If you are interested in this sailing let me know.

I hope you have enjoyed my Virgin Voyage review. I will be sharing the restaurants and eateries on board soon. Thanks so much for joining me today! Have you been on a Virgin Voyage? What do you think? Let me know by leaving a comment below. 

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