If a child-free cruise expertise with decadent meals, an upscale seaside vibe and bingo hosted by a drag queen appears like one thing you’d take pleasure in, Virgin Voyages could be your new favourite cruise line.
The brainchild of quirky enterprise mogul Richard Branson, Virgin Voyages promised to shake up the cruise trade — and it delivered by banning kids from crusing, including loads of risque leisure, scrapping the normal buffet and inspiring cruisers to embrace enjoyable and self-care by its “detox and retox” philosophy. Its three (quickly to be 4) midsize ocean ships embrace upscale cruising with all of the accoutrements that allow passengers to discover their interior kids.
What you may anticipate from the road is a fun-yet-classy vibe with stylish decor, every day events and video games and an inclusive really feel that encourages everybody to come back as they’re. Plus, nearly all the pieces — gratuities, fundamental Wi-Fi and all however one restaurant — is included within the value. (You’ll pay further for alcohol and shore excursions.)
Right here’s all the pieces you have to find out about Virgin Voyages’ ships, the place they sail and their onboard points of interest, together with eating, leisure and lodging.
3 issues TPG loves about Virgin Voyages
- Wonderful reveals that rival the very best reveals you’d discover on land
- Inclusivity that makes everybody really feel welcome
- Standout delicacies with almost each restaurant included within the cruise fare
What we might do with out
- Cabins that really feel cheaply furnished with loos which are too small
- Excessive-demand actions that overlap; it’s a must to choose, select and schedule upfront
The Virgin Voyages fleet
Virgin Voyages — which debuted in 2019 with its first ship, Scarlet Woman — operates a fleet of three almost an identical vessels: Scarlet Woman, Valiant Woman and Resilient Woman. A fourth, Good Woman, is about to start crusing in fall 2025.
All the 110,000-ton, 17-deck ships supply 1,330 cabins and 78 suites. At most capability, they’ll carry 2,770 visitors. It offers the facilities of a bigger vessel however with out being so large that it’s tough to handle. (For context, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, which is at present the world’s largest cruise ship, carries almost 3 times that variety of passengers.)
If I needed to examine Virgin Voyages to its different mass-market rivals, I’d say it’s a hybrid of Superstar Cruises and Disney Cruise Line (however with out the youngsters). It options an upscale however not luxurious onboard vibe and boundary-pushing leisure, and it appeals to younger professionals. It additionally encourages cruisers to let their interior kids free with dodgeball tournaments, board video games, arcade play and almost 24-hour entry to free ice cream, sweet and pizza — and all of the enjoyable is supposed for grownups.
Locations and itineraries
Virgin Voyages’ focus is the Caribbean, Bahamas and Mediterranean, with all 4 ships catering to a number of of these areas.
In the course of the spring and summer season months, Scarlet Woman sails round-trip from Barcelona, providing weeklong voyages within the Med. Within the fall, it repositions to its winter dwelling port of Miami, from which it runs weeklong cruises to the Western Caribbean.
Valiant Woman sails year-round from Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico, providing four-, five- and seven-night Bahamas, Caribbean and Mexico itineraries by the spring of 2026. In the summertime of 2026, it should reposition to Barcelona and finally Portsmouth in the UK to supply Mediterranean and British Isles voyages, respectively.
Resilient Woman gives seven- to 11-night voyages from San Juan to the Caribbean and Bahamas throughout the winter months. In the summertime, it heads to Europe to do Athens, Greece-based cruises to the Greek islands, Turkey, Croatia and Montenegro.
When Good Woman begins crusing in late 2025, it should dwelling port in Miami and supply longer voyages of seven to 12 nights to the Jap and Western Caribbean.
As a result of Virgin Voyages is so targeted on bringing unique experiences to its visitors, it has developed a non-public seaside membership on the Bahamian island of Bimini in partnership with Resorts World. Lots of its ships’ Caribbean sailings name there.
The Seashore Membership at Bimini options twin lagoon swimming pools with complimentary lounge chairs, enjoyable pool floats and for-fee cabanas. It offers Virgin vacationers with seaside entry, waiter-served lunch and actions like paddleboard yoga, volleyball and cornhole. Native shore tour choices can be found for an additional price, as are poolside personal cabanas.
Who sails Virgin Voyages?
Virgin Voyages cruises attraction to adults — “sailors” in Virgin Voyages phrases — who wish to have a great time, no matter age. They are typically stylish, prosperous and nicely traveled. They love a great celebration and luxuriate in posting their newest whereabouts on TikTok and Instagram.
They’re comfy with who they’re, and so they’re simply as comfy permitting others to be themselves, too. Anticipate your fellow passengers’ vibes to run the gamut from laid-back and informal (however at all times modern) to only plain further (suppose: tutus, fishnets, neon hair and make-up; something goes). You’ll end up among the many likes of seaside bums, rock stars, mermaids and others who will probably develop into your greatest pals on the dance flooring or over a late-night recreation of Mouse Entice or Mall Insanity.
Cabins and suites
All 4 ships supply the identical varieties and courses of cabins: the Insider (inside cabins with no home windows), the Sea View (outdoors cabins with home windows), the Sea Terrace (balcony rooms) and a wide range of RockStar Quarters, that are suites with names just like the Candy Aft Suite, the Significantly Suite, the Cheeky Nook Suite and two TPG Award-winning, 2,147-square-foot Huge Suites, plus a couple of others.
The Huge Suites every supply two bedrooms, a normal one with a king-size mattress and one other with a pullout sofa, in addition to a wide range of guitars and an amp, in case you are feeling like a jam session. In addition they have document gamers with an in depth music library; personal sundecks with eating tables, scorching tubs, loungers and outside showers; premium linens; butler service for issues like categorical swimsuit drying and stocking the complimentary minibar; luxurious toiletries; temper lighting; two full-size closets; and precedence embarkation and disembarkation, plus transfers.
The ships’ RockStar Quarters, together with the Huge Suite, give their occupants entry to the unique keycard-protected Richard’s Rooftop. The stylish however enjoyable outside bar and lounge space gives a free every day Champagne comfortable hour, in addition to personal scorching tubs and cozy couches for lounging.
Of the fleet’s cabins, 93% have ocean views (which means solely 7% are insides), and 86% have balconies. That’s a formidable quantity. Forty-six solo cabins are unfold throughout the within and outdoors classes on every ship.
So far as accessible staterooms, 29 exist on every vessel, in almost all classes. They’re divided into two varieties: totally accessible cabins (for customers of wheelchairs) and ambulatory accessible cabins (for customers of canes, walkers and scooters).
Good in-cabin touches embrace a digital pill that allows cruisers to open their curtains, flip the lights on and off and even name a cabin attendant or contact the entrance desk. Moreover, all balcony rooms have hammocks that permit passengers to nap outside whereas having fun with the ocean breeze in their very own semiprivate areas.
In commonplace cabins, Virgin Voyages launched an L-shaped couch setup that converts right into a mattress at evening — both two twins that take the identical L form because the couch (which may make sleeping awkward if you’re sharing the room with a buddy) or a queen when the 2 twins are mixed. (Solo cabins should not have the L configuration and, as a substitute, supply a stationary full-size mattress. Cabins that sleep 4 passengers have the L setup with pull-down bunks.)
The road deserves props for attempting one thing modern, however switching between the 2 is usually cumbersome for the room stewards. For that motive, passengers usually choose to maintain the furnishings as a mattress at some stage in the voyage, however meaning there’s nowhere to take a seat besides a single chair within the nook of the room.
One other miss is the toilet setup in commonplace lodging. They’re concerning the measurement of an airplane toilet, plus an enclosed bathe. There’s so little room in there that passengers usually complain of whacking their palms and elbows on the bathe door whereas attempting to make use of the toilet sink or self-importance space.
Eating places and eating
Virgin Voyages’ eating is in a category of its personal. It’s uncommon {that a} nonluxury (learn: not all-inclusive) cruise line has such a variety of complimentary meals. In truth, passengers can dine at each single onboard restaurant at no cost — one thing you received’t discover on different mainstream ships. (The one exception is a dinner theater-style eating expertise, which takes place within the nightclub on Resilient Woman.)
As is the case with most of its cruise-related endeavors, this model doesn’t do meals and drinks like the opposite strains do. First, it scrapped the concept of an onboard buffet and changed it with a complimentary meals court docket. Then, as a substitute of a major eating room, it developed greater than a dozen free eating places that includes all sorts of delicacies, in addition to a for-fee dinner theater — all of that are completely skilled at catering to dietary restrictions like vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free.
Consider Virgin Voyages’ eating venues as upscale land-based eating places. The atmosphere and theme are totally different at every, and so they all serve totally different specialties. One different similarity: You’ll want reservations, and also you’ll need to make them ASAP. In any other case, you possibly can miss out, as common occasions are likely to replenish shortly.
The range can also be spectacular. Virgin Voyages’ restaurant menus characteristic a spread of cuisines.
Standouts embrace vegetarian-forward New American restaurant Razzle Dazzle, The Wake restaurant for seafood lovers, Korean barbecue at Gunbae (which entails a moderately raucous conventional ingesting recreation), intelligent and mouthwatering molecular gastronomy at Take a look at Kitchen, Additional Virgin with Italian meals so spectacular it’ll have you ever making appreciative hand gestures and Pink Agave with its delicious Mexican menu.
Passengers with a hankering for late-night pizza ought to head to The Pizza Place for actually scrumptious pie choices, and anybody with a candy tooth will recognize ice cream from Lick Me Until … Ice Cream and sweet (Swedish Fish, gummy bears, saltwater taffy and Crimson Vines) from The Social Membership.
Room service is out there for a price by way of the Virgin Voyages app.
On the subject of alcohol, gone are the times of drink packages. On Virgin sailings, you prepay your bar tab earlier than you set sail, and the quantity is debited out of your ultimate onboard invoice. Should you go over it, you pay per beverage like at any shoreside bar. Though you don’t must prepay, the road will usually offer you further funds if you happen to do.
Leisure and actions
All through the day, cruisers can chill out by the pool, take a shore tour or select from all kinds of enjoyable actions which are designed to be nostalgic. Play within the arcade, problem your journey companions to a recreation of Hungry Hungry Hippos or pose for pictures in one among a number of social media-worthy spots in your method to seize an ice cream cone.
At evening, the road’s next-level theater and nightclub reveals appeal to giant crowds of passengers who then transfer on to theme events till the wee hours of the morning. Though every of Virgin Voyages’ ships has its personal reveals, they’re persistently glorious throughout the board, that includes top-notch singers and dancers and storylines with sexual innuendo befitting the Virgin model and the fleet’s adults-only atmosphere.
It’s vital to grasp that, with the variety of every day actions provided, you may’t probably see and do all the pieces on a voyage that’s per week lengthy or shorter. (That’s intentional as a result of Virgin desires your FOMO to drive you to guide one other crusing.) You’ll have to decide on which actions with overlapping time slots to prioritize. Additionally, if you happen to don’t enroll nicely upfront, you possibly can miss out as a result of many actions guide up shortly.
Theaters and reveals
A high-energy dance and acrobatics present, an immersive nightclub activation that options three hours of burlesque in a library and an S&M-heavy dinner theater (full with a metaphorical threesome) are just some of the latest leisure choices passengers can expertise on Virgin Voyages sailings.
Most of the line’s choices are the product of partnerships with well-known high-end manufacturing firms and choreographers, reminiscent of The 7 Fingers (“Water for Elephants” on Broadway), famed Brooklyn nightclub Home of Sure and the Weiner Leisure Group, whose proprietor labored on New York’s model of “Sleep No Extra” — an interactive “select your personal journey” efficiency that splits you off out of your group and permits you to wander by a number of flooring of the previous warehouse the place it takes place.
Not all ships have the identical reveals. Resilient Woman gives a plethora of unique leisure, together with an anthology-style nightclub activation that takes place in a “library” (the ship’s nightclub), plus an added-fee dinner theater that {couples} a improbable present with out-of-this-world delicacies.
For lovers of Greek mythology and wonderful acrobatics, dancing and feats of power, “Persephone” is the don’t-miss onboard present. Tying in with Resilient Woman’s Greece voyages, it tells the story of the goddess’ torrid love affair with Hades, the god of the underworld.
Discovered on Valiant Woman and Scarlet Woman, “Duel Actuality” is a contemporary tackle “Romeo and Juliet” that’s punctuated by rival “gangs” and jaw-dropping stunts like aerial acrobatics, hula-hooping and juggling. It’s so well-liked that it’s going to tour on land. This marks the primary time a present created particularly for a cruise vessel has gone from ship to shore.
Different passenger favorites embrace “Miss Behave,” a wacky and wild recreation present targeted on the concept that nothing actually issues, together with the factors that the viewers earns (on Valiant Woman and Resilient Woman) and “Miss Titty Kaka,” a racy and hilarious selection present hosted by a resident drag queen (discovered fleetwide on rotation).
Competition Stage gives a sequence of reveals that rotate and always change all through the fleet, bringing a few of the most mind-boggling expertise on board for a restricted time solely. Examples have included an Irish comic who turns cruisers’ lives into hit songs by freestyle rap proper on the spot and an “America’s Obtained Expertise” finalist who does a whole comedy routine together with his mouth taped shut.
Stay music is one other robust level. Virgin ships haven’t historically had as a lot reside music as ships from different cruise strains, however that’s altering. You may anticipate stellar nightly performances within the Champagne bar and in every vessel’s atrium space.
Different inside points of interest and actions
Trivia is scheduled a number of occasions a day, nevertheless it goes on for greater than an hour, and individuals spin a wheel to find out the subject. Bingo is hosted by a drag queen. Afternoon tea is obtainable for a price and comes with a aspect of Champagne.
Extra uncommon pastimes accessible on board embrace bar crawls, espresso tastings and mixology courses (all for a price). Free actions vary from board recreation play and summer season camp arts and crafts to karaoke and ’90s boy band dance courses.
Should you’re keen to pay for enjoyable, you may as well go to the onboard on line casino or make an appointment for a service on the spa, nail salon, hairdresser or barber. Feeling further daring? Schedule a tattoo or piercing session on the onboard Squid Ink physique artwork parlor.
Or, select from one among your ship’s free health courses — one thing for which different cruise strains cost a price. You’ll discover all the pieces from ‘80s-themed aerobics and bungee courses to yoga, spin and HIIT.
High-deck points of interest
Should you’d moderately chill out or be energetic alfresco, choices abound for that, too. Virgin’s ships all supply two swimming pools (the primary pool and the Fitness center & Tonic pool, which has two scorching tubs and an overwater internet for lounging), outside Muscle Seashore-style exercise equipment and a jogging monitor.
For yoga or topless sunbathing, head to The Perch on the topmost deck of every vessel. Or, if you happen to’re booked in a set, head as much as Richard’s Rooftop, an unique sundeck that options loads of lounge area and its personal bar with a contented hour every night.
Organized outside actions would possibly embrace health courses, dodgeball on every ship’s sports activities court docket or stargazing at evening when situations permit.
For extra enjoyable and stress-free pursuits, the ship additionally has a collection of clamshell loungers and an space that can convey you again to your childhood with see-saws, swings and large Tornado and chess.
Kids’s packages
Virgin Voyages is an adults-only cruise line, which suggests nobody youthful than 18 is allowed to sail. For that motive, no youngsters golf equipment or kids’s programming can be found.
What to know earlier than you go
Required paperwork
For worldwide voyages, if you happen to’re a passenger who’s additionally a U.S. citizen, you’ll want a passport that’s legitimate no less than six months after disembarkation day with the intention to cruise. Inexperienced-card holders and non-U.S. residents might want to test necessities primarily based on locations visited.
Should you’re crusing round-trip from Florida or Puerto Rico and headed to the Caribbean or the Bahamas, you’ll have the ability to board utilizing your authentic beginning certificates and a government-issued picture ID, reminiscent of a driver’s license. (Nevertheless, we extremely suggest utilizing a passport.)
Additionally, you will must do some on-line prep forward of time with the intention to test in and choose a time to reach on the embarkation port on the day of your crusing.
Gratuities
Suggestions are constructed into Virgin Voyages’ fares, so that you received’t see a every day service cost in your onboard invoice. You’re welcome to tip further to crew who go above and past, nevertheless it’s neither required nor anticipated.
Come ready with some small payments to tip porters on the pier after they take your suitcases. It’s additionally acceptable to tip anybody who delivers room service (or Champagne) along with tour guides on shore excursions.
Wi-Fi
Whenever you sail, you’ll obtain free fundamental Wi-Fi entry for 2 gadgets per particular person. Speeds are first rate, however if you happen to’re anticipating to stream films or TV or make video calls, you’ll must pay to improve to the ships’ premium Wi-Fi possibility.
Carry-on drinks coverage
Every passenger is permitted to convey as much as 12 sealed 12-ounce (or smaller) cartons or cans of nonalcoholic drinks like juice, water, soda and sports activities drinks. Every particular person of authorized ingesting age (see beneath) might also convey two 750-milliliter bottles of wine. Cruisers will not be allowed to convey their very own liquor or beer on board.
Any drinks you convey on board should be transported in your carry-on baggage. Drinks in checked luggage will probably be confiscated and returned on the finish of your crusing. Liquor purchases made ashore can even be held till the tip of the voyage.
Smoking coverage
Smoking and vaping are solely allowed within the Deck 6 smoking room outdoors the Crimson Room and in a chosen outside space on the starboard aspect of Deck 16 by the doorway to Richard’s Rooftop.
Passengers smoking of their cabins or on stateroom balconies are topic to a $500 superb and potential disembarkation and not using a refund.
Laundry
Virgin Voyages’ ships should not have self-service laundry rooms. As an alternative, cruisers have the choice to ship their garments out for urgent, washing and folding, or washing and urgent. Particular person gadgets price $4 every for press solely, $5 every for wash and fold and $6 every for wash and press. Or, you are able to do a whole bag of washing and folding for $30.
Eco-cleaning (moist washing however with much less water and eco-friendly detergent that’s simpler on materials) is out there for $7 per merchandise. Categorical turnaround (returned by 5:30 p.m. the identical day when picked up earlier than 11 a.m.) is $20 further for each common washing and dry cleansing. Nonexpress gadgets will probably be returned the next day by 5:30 p.m.
Electrical shops
All cabins are outfitted with a mixture of shops, together with North American, USB and common (for European locations, the UK and lots of different international locations).
Normal balcony cabins have two USB ports close to the beds, together with a North American outlet. Desk and self-importance areas every have two extra USB ports (one among which is taken up by the charging cable for the cabin’s pill that controls the TV, curtains and temperature), two extra North American shops and one common outlet.
The loos aren’t outfitted with shops, so that you’ll must fashion your hair and use any electrical razors on the self-importance.
Most of the public areas — together with The Grounds Membership espresso bar and The Galley meals court docket — even have tons of shops accessible for charging.
Foreign money
All Virgin Voyages ships function on {dollars}. Hyperlink a bank card to your account (which you are able to do by way of the app previous to embarkation day), or put up a money quantity from which you’ll debit for purchases made on board.
As an alternative of keycards, passengers will every obtain The Band — an adjustable wire bracelet that serves as your room key and gadget to make onboard purchases. The one time you’ll obtain a card is if you happen to’re booked in a set that features entry to Richard’s Rooftop, an unique personal sundeck.
Ingesting age
Though Virgin Voyages’ ships permit anybody 18 and older to sail, the ingesting age on board is 21 years when ships are docked within the U.S. In worldwide waters and in locations like Europe, the place the ingesting age is eighteen, the onboard ingesting age is eighteen.
Costume code
Virgin Voyages has no official gown code and advises passengers to come back as they’re, whether or not it’s a shiny gown or denims and a T-shirt. Nevertheless, the common passenger enjoys wanting stylish and classy, even when dressed down. The ships haven’t any formal nights, however most individuals do grow to be one thing a bit nicer for dinner.
Remember to convey one thing crimson for Scarlet Night time — a mix atrium spectacle, pool celebration and nightclub rave that occurs as soon as per crusing. Different themed nights embrace a pajama celebration and an ’80s bash, so pack accordingly.
Virgin Voyages’ loyalty program
Virgin Voyages’ Crusing Membership is a loyalty program completely for Virgin Voyages cruisers. It has three fundamental ranges. Solely the best gives perks which are tremendous noteworthy, however a few freebies stand out with every tier.
Factors are earned by taking full-priced cruises; one voyage, no matter value or size, earns you 1 level, so long as you haven’t acquired a big low cost. Whenever you attain Crusing Membership standing (after one crusing), you’ll get reductions on cruises and early entry to promotions. On the Blue Extras degree (after two voyages), you’re entitled to 1 free specialty espresso every day of your crusing and a free bag of laundry.
But it surely’s cruisers on the Deep Blue Extras tier (after 4 cruises) who actually see the advantages. They earn all the pieces from Blue Extras, plus an extra specialty espresso every day, free urgent for 2 clothes gadgets and one free specialty laundry merchandise. Actually spectacular facilities embrace a $100 bar tab credit score, a free improve to limitless premium Wi-Fi and precedence boarding for themselves and their cabinmates.
Don’t confuse this program with the Virgin model’s different loyalty schemes, reminiscent of the final Virgin Crimson rewards membership and Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership. Word that these are separate from Virgin Voyages Crusing Membership, and cruises won’t earn you factors in both of them. Nevertheless, if you happen to’ve earned sufficient factors with Virgin Crimson or Flying Membership, you may redeem them for Virgin Voyages sailings.
How a lot does a Virgin Voyages cruise price?
As a result of Virgin Voyages contains a lot — fundamental Wi-Fi, gratuities and meals in any respect however one restaurant — in its cruise fares, you may anticipate its sailings to be a bit pricier than you’d discover with most different mainstream cruise strains. Nevertheless, that is actually a case of getting what you pay for, because the expertise Virgin gives is a minimize above different nonluxury merchandise.
Pricing for probably the most fundamental cabins normally hovers round $200 per particular person, per evening, with suites ranging from roughly $600 per evening. On the time of publication, costs for Resilient Woman sailings begin from $814 per particular person ($163 per evening) for an inside cabin on a five-night Mexico crusing, round-trip from Miami. Suites can be found from $2,067 per particular person ($517 per evening) for a four-night Bahamas voyage, additionally round-trip from Miami.
On Valiant Woman, Mediterranean sailings in an inside cabin begin at $1,589 per particular person ($227 per evening) for a weeklong cruise, round-trip from Barcelona, calling on ports in France, Italy and Spain. For a set on a seven-night itinerary with the identical ports, additionally round-trip from Barcelona, passengers can anticipate to pay no less than $4,416 per particular person ($631 per evening).
For Resilient Woman’s Adriatic and Aegean Sea cruises, you’ll shell out a minimal of $1,617 per particular person ($231 per evening) for per week in an inside cabin. The ship travels round-trip from Athens and visits ports in Greece, Croatia and Montenegro. For a set on the identical weeklong itinerary from Athens, the going price is $4,572 per particular person ($653 per evening).
guide
You may guide Virgin Voyages sailings instantly by the cruise line. You may both buy a cruise your self on the line’s web site or name 954-488-2955 to talk with a Virgin Voyages agent who may also help you. If in case you have sufficient Virgin Crimson or Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership factors saved, you should use them to pay to your cruise.
You may as well guide a Virgin Voyages cruise by a journey agent if you happen to choose the extra customized service they provide.
Some third-party journey firms, reminiscent of United Cruises, additionally promote Virgin Voyages sailings.
Backside line
Virgin Voyages gives a lighthearted-but-upscale adults-only expertise that’s costlier than what you’d pay for different premium cruises. Nevertheless, passengers obtain their cash’s price by way of inclusions like gratuities, Wi-Fi, glorious eating and phenomenal reveals that push numerous boundaries.
The road’s midsize ships cowl areas in Europe, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, and so they appeal to a crowd that’s laid-back and accepting however which prides itself on feeling and looking good.
If drag queens, merpeople, boy band dance courses and video games of large Tornado attraction to your sense of enjoyable and journey, Virgin Voyages would possibly simply be the cruise line for you.
Wish to be taught extra about Virgin Voyages? We’ve received you lined.
- Virgin Voyages Resilient Woman ship assessment
- A primary have a look at Virgin Voyages Valiant Woman
- Virgin Voyages Scarlet Woman ship assessment
- drink on Virgin Voyages cruises
- Why Virgin Voyages has the very best leisure at sea
- The perfect locations to go to with Virgin Voyages
- Each Virgin Voyages bar, ranked
- Getting a tattoo on a cruise ship
- All you have to find out about Virgin Voyages’ health courses
- act like a child on Virgin Voyages
- This cruise line permits you to order Champagne by shaking your cellphone
