Virgin Voyages is an adults only cruise line that is currently offering four to seven night cruises to the Bahamas and Caribbean from PortMiami and also cruises in the Mediterranean.
After taking the very first Virgin cruise from Miami when the cruise line first debuted, I have recently taken several more cruises on different ships in Virgin’s fleet. I have cruised from both Miami and from Barcelona with Virgin.
After sailing four times on Virgin, here are my seven reasons why you should take a cruise with one of the world’s newest cruise lines.
No Nickel and Diming – One of my favorite things about Virgin Voyages is that there is no nickel and diming on the ship. Cruise fares include ALL restaurants, daily gratuities, WiFi, basic beverages (Coke etc), and fitness classes. On my cruise, it was a few dollars extra to pay for the fastest WiFi but basic WiFi is included. You do pay extra for drinks and specialty coffees at the coffee shop.
It’s so nice being able to dine at any of the six specialty restaurants onboard and not have to pay extra.
Restaurants/food – I’ve been on around 80 cruises on over 15 different cruise lines, and the food on Virgin is probably my favorite out of all of them. From The Wake (steak and seafood) to Extra Virgin (Italian) to the Galley, I’ve never had a bad meal onboard. The six main restaurants on board are:
- The Wake – Steak and seafood
- The Test Kitchen – Cooking lab/restaurants + experimental bar
- Extra Virgin – Italian
- Pink Agave – Mexican
- Razzle Dazzle – Vegetarian
- Gunbae – Korean BBQ
For lunch, I highly recommend eating at The Dock, one of my favorite parts of the ship.
Another small detail that I love is that you can get 24/7 breakfast in the Galley. If you want an omelet at 10 pm, you can get an omelet at 10 pm.
The Galley also has a sushi station, ramen, grill, salad bar, taco bar, and more. There are also many grab and go stations where you can take sushi, salads, sandwiches, and fruit back to your room.
No Kids – As I stated in the very first sentence of this article, Virgin Voyages is an adults only cruise line. You have to be at least 18 years old to sail on one of their cruise ships.
I love my four year old son more than anyone but sometimes it’s nice to take a vacation where there are no kids.
Beach Club – All of Virgin’s cruises from Miami visit the Beach Club in Bimini. The Beach Club offers Virgin guests a “private island like experience” that is exclusive to their cruisers when one of their ships is in port.
With two pools and plenty of beach, it is the ultimate place to either party or kick back and relax. On my first cruise, our ship stayed in port late and we had bonfires on the beach when the sun went down. It was a really cool experience.
View Cruises Offered on Virgin Voyages
Cabins – The staterooms on Virgin are my favorite on any cruise ship. While there isn’t a lot of storage, it wasn’t an issue on my shorter cruises.
Just about everything in the cabin can be controlled with a tablet that is in the room. You can adjust the brightness and color of the lights, shut and open the curtains, change the thermostat, and control the TV all from the tablet. It’s so nice and handy that I hope other cruise lines adapt the “smart cabin” on their next new ships.
There’s also a hammock on every balcony and it quickly became my favorite place to sit back and chill on sea days. Seriously, every cruise ship balcony should have a hammock.
Ship’s Theming – While the layout of the ship and the pool deck leave something to be desired, I love the theming throughout the ship. On different nights of the cruise, the ship will be transformed like on Scarlet Night. You really never know what to expect and it’s a nice change of pace from other cruise lines.
For Something Different – If there’s one thing that Virgin succeeded in, it’s that it is something different and unlike any other cruise line. If you are looking for something different from the traditional cruise experience, then check out Virgin. If you want the traditional cruise experience, then Virgin is not for you.
View Cruises Offered on Virgin Voyages
Bonus Reason – No Formal Nights – While many cruisers love formal or elegant nights, I personally don’t care for them. While there are no formal nights on Virgin, most guests tend to dress nice for dinner.
I booked Virgin Voyages thinking that I was going to hate it, but it grew on me thanks to the cabin, restaurants, and the Beach Club.