When given the opportunity to take a cruise on Virgin, I wholeheartedly said yes!
I had been hearing a lot of great things about this cruise line from my fellow travel agents, and wanted to give it a try. I booked myself a 5 night itinerary called “Dominican Daze” which consists of 2 sea days and 2 stops, one in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, and one in the Bahamas, with access to the private “Beach Club at Bimini”.
The terminal experience in Miami where this Voyage departed from was effortless. There is parking at the port, I opted to get dropped off. I had an assigned boarding time, and the whole check in process took about five minutes (I had done my online document upload and my health form before arrival). Upon walking onto the ship , I immediately sat down in what’s called the roundabout and opened the Virgin Voyages app (an essential piece of software) and booked myself some dining reservations at the 6 sit down restaurants on board, as well as some exercise classes and looked at available spa treatments. I had booked a couple of dining reservations before I arrived, but as I booked two weeks out, there wasn’t a lot left to grab ahead of time. There were multiple reservations available for EVERYTHING as soon as I connected to the ships wifi. I booked dining, a breathing class and multiple shows on board.
With that it was off to find my cabin, a sea terrace cabin on deck ten. You can see the room by clicking the link below!
I took a walk around the ship to get acclimated, and signed up to attend the solo travellers meet up. As I was by myself, I thought it might be a good idea to meet some of the other solo travellers to at least have some folks to get acquainted with at the start. This was a great little event, hosted by one the “happenings cast” . On most cruise lines you have a Cruise Director. On Virgin, all the events are hosted by this group of talented individuals, who run shows, host small events around the ship, and are full of knowledge and surprises
Then it was time to sail away, and a great sailaway party hosted by the cast, with free champagne around the pool.
Here are some of the differences on Virgin Voyages –
No buffets. There is the Gally- a food court of sorts with multiple stations and then the 6 six down restaurants and a pizza stop and an Ice cream shop – In total 20 eateries. They will put together your food for you when you order it, it isn’t just sitting out there.
No upcharge for signature restaurants – The six venues are included in your fare, no extra for fancy dining, room service available as well.
No tipping. There were no gratuities added to my fare, and there is no tipping on board either. You can tip a bartender or a casino dealer, but thats it, and no one asked for one.
“Essential” beverages were included, soda water, coffee, juice etc. Specialty coffees, smoothies , etc and all alcohol are extra.
BAR TAB- unlike other lines, where you pay for a drink package, on Virgin you purchase a bar tab. Is starts at $300 and they will throw in $50 when you buy $300. Also unlike other lines, you can use it however you want, for anything you want, no limit on brands and its not limited to just you . You could buy anyone you wanted a drink, and those in your cabin share it, so you don’t have to buy two packages.
WIFI – standard WIFI is included, I upgraded to advanced, it worked great for ship WIFI, and only went out occasionally, mostly during some inclement weather we encountered on our last night
I could go on and on about each detail of this cruise, but I’ll give you a couple highlights
Food- I ate in every venue, and there were some stand outs.
Extra Virgin- This italian eatery was a favorite with a three course offering, braised meatballs with pancetta to start, Pork and Beef Rugu pappardelle for pasta course, and a porcini coated NY Strip for main.
Gunbae- This Korean BBQ has seating for may at one table around teh griull, so you may sit with people you don’t know. We all hit it off and had a great time! Be prepared for a little game of Buzz at the end of your meal.
The WAKE – Steak and Seafood, I had breakfast here and got steak and eggs, which was amazing, swapped dinner here for Extra Virgin, because I already had the Wake steak for breakfast, and of course ended up with another steak !
The big fail for me was Test Kitchen, mostly for the menu, which was a tasting menu of creative and interesting things, that sadly, just didn’t do it for me. Everyone raves, and if you like the menu (there are two, which one you get is random depending on what night) you will love it! As I’ve been told by friends of mine, I eat like a 10 yr old, so it didn’t surprise me this wasn’t for me , but I had to try it . Pictured are Tuna Tartare, the scallop , venison, and of course Dessert!
The other venue I visited was Razzle Dazzle , which I hit for Brunch as well as Dinner .
Highlights were the pork belly appetizer and the short rib pastrami
I could go on and on about the shows and the experiences, the amazing crew, the fantastic Happenings Cast, SCARLET NIGHT ( big party!) but here is what I’ll tell you.
This is a cruise experience that is top level, with amazing accommodations, incredible service, and great food.
I have a special going on for future cruising on Virgin.
$300 off your cruise, 600 in Sailor loot ( onboard Credit) and Ill throw in another hundred for a total of $700. It is combinable with every promotion available at time of booking, and you have two years to sail. The cost is $300 which goes towards your deposit, and not the $300 that comes off the rate.
This deal has 12 days left. It is Fri Sept 22 at time of this writing.
If you want in, email me at [email protected] or give me shout at 207-956-3949.
Let’s Sail!
