And now for something different . . .
Whether you love cruising, have a ‘been-there, done-that’ attitude about it, or never really considered it for a vacation, Virgin Voyages offers a compelling experience for travelers. Admittedly, I was a little skeptical, but I came back from a recent Caribbean sailing a fan. Here’s why:
How they do things, front-end edition
My home for 5 days: Scarlet Lady.
Their first distinctive is being adults-only—the only American big-ship line to say ‘no kids.’ (Viking does, too—but minus the fun factor and on smaller vessels.) Virgin’s fares may initially look higher than competitors, but more is included, and their rules on fares are less restrictive (like swapping out a passenger later than anyone else allows). There are discounts both for paying booking early and for paying in full.
Drinks are reasonably priced, and they’ve implemented a prepaid ‘Bar Tab’ instead of the standard drinks package. They’ve also built a stunner of a cruise terminal in Miami. A wearable disc gets you into your room and serves as your wallet on board and at their beach club in the Bahamas—a minor thing (and Princess did it first), but majorly convenient. [Seen below: my, what a big ship you’ve got there. And my, what a big terminal you’ve got there. Also pictured: the ship’s lobby, my drink.] [Well, one of them.]
How they do things, ship-board edition
The staterooms feel more like a contemporary hotel room than a stodgy cruise cabin, and most feature a bed than can be swapped each day into a ‘sea couch,’ (see above) and then back to a bed. [You order that on the in-room tablet, ask your attendant, or DIY it.] The various ‘rock star’ suites are cooler still, and the common areas look more like a bar or coffee house or night club you’d want to go to at home than what you typically find on a ship. Many bonus points. [Seen below, many views from my standard balcony, or sea terrace in VV-speak, cabin.]
There’s definitely more of a party vibe on board, but the non-partier (raises hand) can still enjoy the experience. Some of the entertainment has a racier bent than other lines’, but if that’s not your bag, there are other options. But the real game-changer is . . .
The Food
Cruise-line dining relies heavily on main dining rooms and buffets; all except the luxury lines charge for ‘specialty’ dining in their restaurants. Virgin did away with both the buffet AND main dining rooms and instead features six restaurants, a food hall with multiple high-quality mini-restaurants, and the standard pizza and burger places—all of which are included in your fare. My favorite meals: Mexican at Pink Agave, and both dinner and brunch (a must-do) at The Wake, which gets its own photo gallery. [Seen below, various meals, drinks, desserts from around the ship.]
[Seen below, dinner (incl. a quirky Caesar, Aperol spritz, clam chowder, salmon, and lemon dessert), brunch (steak and eggs), and its dessert.]
Virgin cruises to the standard locations in the Caribbean, as well as some further-out islands, as well as destinations in the Med., northern Europe, Asia and Australia. One destination for the party set: Ibiza, and an overnight stop there.
Always willing to be the canary in the coal mine for you people, I liked a lot of my Voyage. Sir Richard’s latest success story gives longtime cruisers something new fresh—there were several older couples on board, which I didn’t expect—obviously long-time cruisers, who were having a blast. Virgin could also make cruisers out of those who’d previously turned their noses up at the megaship experience. Maybe that includes you, hmm?
To find out more about cruising with Virgin Voyages, or get started booking your first voyage, shoot me a message here. [And see below, a quick video tour of my cabin.]
