If you’ve never sailed Virgin Voyages before, I’m here to talk about your first time. And trust me, your first time can be a little confusing. You’ve heard there are no kids. You’ve heard there’s no buffet. You’ve heard something about a tattoo parlor. There are people running around in red pajamas. But someone just handed you a glass of champagne, and suddenly you’re wondering, “Samantha, what kind of cruise did you just book me on?”
The answer is the fun kind. Virgin Voyages looked at traditional cruising (assigned dining, formal nights, cruise directors making announcements every 12 minutes, kids cannonballing into pools and pressing all the elevator buttons) and basically said, “Absolutely not.” This is cruising for grown-ups. You eat when you want. You sleep when you want. You go to a workout class in the morning and make terrible decisions at 1:00 a.m. It’s called balance, people.
But here’s why I really love Virgin. You don’t have to be a partier. You don’t have to be 25. And you don’t have to wear sequins, although sequins kind of help. Virgin is really about being able to vacation however you want. So here’s everything a first-timer needs to know.
Is Virgin Voyages Right for You?
Everyone has some sort of stigma or opinion or generalization about Virgin Voyages. If you’ve never sailed, please don’t panic. There is nothing to panic about, unless of course you’re uptight and everything upsets you. In that case, do not go on Virgin, because it runs the gamut.
The same goes if you’re a traditional cruiser who loves the buffet and bingo every night. I mean, there is bingo, but the Diva runs it, okay? She’s out there having a grand old time singing some cabaret and pulling bingo balls. If that’s not your jam, Virgin may not be for you. But if you’re open to that kind of thing, then go, because it’s really cool.
No Kids: Virgin Is 18 and Over
Let’s start with the most obvious one: there are no children. The minimum age is 18. I know you’re probably saying 18 is still a kid, but you don’t really see many 18-year-olds on board, because there isn’t much for them to do. First of all, they can’t drink. Eighteen is that age where you still want a water slide, but you also want to hang out with the cool adults.
People do bring 18-year-olds, though, and I’m about to be one of them. My kiddo turns 18 next year, and that poor kid has lost her mother to this cruise line for the last four years. I’ve been on over 50 Virgin Voyages sailings (and way more cruises than that on other lines), so I promised her that the minute she turned 18, I was taking her on board. On the actual day she turns 18, that’s exactly where she’ll be. She likes to dance, she likes to party and she likes to hang out, so I truly believe she’s going to have the best time.
“Adults Only” Doesn’t Mean What You Think
When I say adult vacation, I’m not trying to scare the living daylights out of you. Adults-only does not mean it’s XXX and everyone’s running around naked. They’re not. Nobody panic.
Back in the day, Virgin did have a much edgier feel, and they have since pulled that back. So if you’re seeing things from four years ago and thinking, “Oh, this is so edgy,” it’s been toned down. Those of us who love a good edge (that would be me) are a little bummed that it’s gone. But for those of you who don’t, don’t worry. It’s truly just an amazing adults-only experience.
One honest heads-up: if you’re offended by the F-word, I promise you it does get said, and many times. It’s just adults having fun.
No Buffet, and the Food Is Phenomenal
There’s no buffet on Virgin, but the food is freaking phenomenal. If you like good food and you want to eat it without paying extra, this is the cruise line to do it on, because when you get on board, nearly everything is included. I know I’ve said this a bazillion times and I feel like nobody listens, so here I am yelling it again: your specialty dining is included. You cannot find that experience anywhere else at this level.
Personally, I’m thrilled there’s no buffet, because I think buffets are disgusting. I once watched a woman at a buffet on a certain cruise line who couldn’t get the guacamole off the serving spoon, so she pushed it off with her finger. The serving spoon that everyone else uses. I left my plate right there and walked away. That’s it. I’m done. I do not do buffets.
Instead, Virgin has The Galley, a cool take on sailor lingo. It has little mini eateries inside, so I like to call it a glorified food court. You go in and order, and everything is fresh and made to order. No scooping up mashed potatoes that have been sitting crusted in a vat for the last 20 to 30 minutes.
Specialty dining is included in your Virgin fare, and everything is made to order.
What’s Different on Board
A Tattoo Parlor at Sea
Virgin was one of the first cruise lines to have a tattoo parlor at sea. Other lines like to talk about theirs now, but Virgin did it first. They work with Squid Ink, and they bring in some really great tattoo artists who come on board for a couple of weeks at a time, so if you follow a specific artist, maybe they’ll be on your sailing.
I’m a travel advisor as well, and I have many clients who get a tattoo on each ship they sail. One client has sailed I don’t even know how many nights, and he has tattoos from almost every sailing he’s ever been on, all up and down his body. He loves himself some Squid Ink.
The Free Arcade and the Social Club
I like to call this area the adult playground (not that adult playground). There’s a free arcade, and you don’t need quarters from the ’80s. You just walk up and start playing Donkey Kong or Mario Kart or Super Mario Brothers, or my personal favorite, that ’80s bar game where you slide the beers down the bar and catch the empties.
In the same area is the Social Club, with TVs for sports, those tall mini shuffleboard tables and, strangely enough for a very edgy cruise, a real shuffleboard too. There are board games, and there are fun sweets: Swedish Fish, Red Vines, cake pops on a stick, Fruity Pebbles bites. I hardly ever buy Red Vines at home, but I walk by the Social Club and ask for a couple, and they hand them to me for free.
That’s one of the things I love most about the vibe on Virgin. It’s sexy and fun and grown-up, and at the same time they make you feel like a kid again.
Virgin’s free arcade lets grown-ups feel like kids again, no quarters required.
No Cruise Director, and No Constant Announcements
There’s no cruise director on Virgin. Instead there’s a whole Happenings Cast, where the talents are separated out: there’s an Artist, a Foodie, a Gamer and more, and each one runs their own kind of events. The Artist is truly an artist, so you get painting classes, and on the longer sailings you may find things like stitching or knitting classes (not on every sailing). If you go to a mixology class or a tasting, you’re going with the Foodie, who absolutely loves that stuff. You’re with someone who is genuinely excited about what they’re teaching you, and I love that concept.
You’re also not bombarded by announcements. This is one of my favorite things about Virgin, and you don’t even notice it until you go on another cruise ship and think, “Wait, why are they still talking? Do I have to hear that?” Nobody is constantly reminding you to head down to the art gallery. You go where you want, when you want. The captain doesn’t even make announcements leaving port: the horn blows and we’re off. It’s an adults cruise, so you’re supposed to be on board at a certain time, and you get on board.
That also means when you do hear an announcement, you’d better listen, because something is going down. The whole place just stops.
You’re Not Kicked Off Early on the Last Day
Virgin doesn’t kick you out of your cabin at 7:30 or 8 in the morning on the last day. You can stay in your cabin until 10:30 at the latest. At 10:30 they’re dragging you out by your ponytail, but you get to enjoy your last night, get up, have breakfast and not drag all of your luggage down to breakfast with everyone else.
What to Wear: You Do You
Virgin has a “you do you” vibe. You do not have to dress up for dinner. If you rolled out of the pool at 7 o’clock because the weather was absolutely gorgeous (and it’s snowing where you’re from), you can go to dinner in your shorts and T-shirt. You can’t go to dinner in your bathing suit, but shorts and a T-shirt are fine. Or if you want to get dressed up to the nines, nobody is stopping you, and everyone is probably going to tell you that you look gorgeous.
Virgin set out to be a premium luxury line. Honestly, it turned out more premium than luxury, but that’s what makes it feel not so stuffy.
And here’s the coolest part: everybody talks. It’s not like a normal cruise line where you just meet someone at the bar. Everyone is an adult, nobody is wrangling children, and everyone is there to have a good time.
No drink package on Virgin: you prepay a Bar Tab and drinks come off it at regular prices.
Drinks on Virgin: How the Bar Tab Works
Virgin does not have a drink package. If drink packages are your thing, that is not happening on board. Instead, there’s the Bar Tab, and I love the Bar Tab. They got a lot of flak for it in the beginning, but after four years people are catching on. I ran a survey in my Facebook group, Virgin Voyages Cruise Tips and Deals, and the majority of people were okay with it. I think if I’d asked four years ago, everyone would have been yelling, “Drink package!”
It truly is a bar tab. You buy a certain amount ahead of time (say $300, $350, $400, $500, even $1,000; I’ve seen people do it), and as you order, it just keeps going down until you get to zero. Once you hit zero, the price doesn’t change. You keep buying drinks at the same price, and now they’re charged to your card.
Prepay and get a bonus. When you buy the Bar Tab ahead of time, Virgin adds extra drink money. At $300, for example, you get an extra $50, and the bonus grows as you go up.
Set your own limit. You can decide, “I only want to spend $1,000 on drinks,” pay for it ahead of time, and stop there. It makes your trip all-inclusive to a point. (Most people probably say, “I’m on vacation, who cares?” and buy more.)
Drink prices are reasonable. It’s not Disney pricing. Drinks run roughly $9 to $16 (a martini is probably about $16), and there’s no added tip, so it’s a true $9 to $16.
The round can be on you. On a drink package, you can’t buy for your friends: “Two drinks only,” and “You were just here.” With the Bar Tab, you can buy a round for everyone.
Use it or lose it. Bar Tab and Sailor Loot both go away at the end of the cruise. You don’t get it back, so plan accordingly.
Do You Have to Party? (No.)
A lot of people get scared because they think Virgin is all about partying and lots of drinking, and they don’t want to do those things. That is not true. You can party it up with the best of them until 3:00 a.m., or you can go to the casino, or to the spa (it’s open late), or, guess what, you can just go to bed. The option is there if you want it, but it’s not a reason to skip Virgin.
What’s the Age Range on Virgin Voyages?
Everyone worries about the age range, but I think that stigma is starting to go away. Honestly, the sweet spot is about 40 to 60. So if you’re thinking, “I’m not 25, and these people are just partying,” relax.
One of the questions I get asked most is from younger travelers: “Am I going to be bored?” Basically, they’re asking whether the old people are going to be boring. And I always laugh, because most of us older folks can dance circles around them. We end up partying harder than the younger crowd. We grew up in the ’80s. We’re a hearty bunch.
Who Will Love Virgin Voyages
Adults who want a grown-up vacation without kids on board
Food lovers who want specialty dining included, with no buffet
Travelers who want freedom: no assigned dining, no formal nights, no constant announcements
Night owls who want to dance until an unreasonable hour, and early birds who want a morning workout class (sometimes the same person)
Anyone who wants to be able to go to dinner in shorts, or dress up to the nines
And who might struggle? Travelers who love a buffet and bingo every night, and anyone who is easily offended. If that’s you, I’d point you toward a different line.
I know you hear me talk about Virgin Voyages a lot. I love it so much because I think they’ve done an amazing job of taking cruising and shifting it, ever so slightly, so that adults just have the best time. If you’re ready for your first sailing, my team at Fabulous Adventures Travel would love to help you plan it.
