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The bathroom was tight, which is to be expected on most cruises. However, I was surprised that the water pressure was strong and the shower got hot immediately — both were huge wins in my book. You won’t need to bring any converters with you, as there are multiple U.S. outlets and USB ports everywhere you turn. Finally, each room comes with an iPad where you can order room service, fresh towels, and anything in between. The real highlight was the staff members, who catered to every request (in what seemed like) lightning speed.
How to Book a Virgin Voyages Cruise with Points
My friends and I spent the first few hours wandering the decks, sampling ice cream and pizza as we explored the eateries onboard. Virgin Voyages is one of the newer entrants in the cruise industry as it inaugurated its first sailings at the height of the pandemic. With travel roaring back, Virgin Voyages has already been a hit, operating itineraries in the Caribbean, Europe, and further afield. With the right strategy and timing, booking a Virgin Voyages cruise with points can lead to significant savings, making your sea voyage an even more rewarding experience. In an interview with TPG last week, Virgin Voyages president and CEO Tom McAlpin said the average age of passengers on Scarlet Lady's first sailings in the U.K. Was "in the 50s." Some passengers were in their 60s and 70s, he said.
Sea View
The availability of cruises you can book with points pop up and disappear just as quickly. You can typically find them on the Virgin Red Travel redemption. Ft. terminal, is a palm grove inspired design concept developed by Miami-based Arquitectonica. Uniting the energy and style of Miami with nautical nods to the history of sailing, we’re creating a terminal experience with the same incredible ethos as our ships.
Ahoy San Juan! Richard Branson surprises Delta SkyMiles Members with free Virgin Voyages Virgin - Virgin
Ahoy San Juan! Richard Branson surprises Delta SkyMiles Members with free Virgin Voyages Virgin.
Posted: Thu, 29 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Cruise Tips That Feel Wrong (But Are 100% Right)
Scarlet Lady has all the requisite poolside and sun deck bars, including ones offering smoothies and juices after your indoor or outdoor workout. Scarlet Lady's Happenings Cast (ie, the entertainment team) lead Grog Walks around the ship that are a mix of pub crawl and icebreaker games so you can meet your shipmates. They do incur an extra fee to cover drinks, but they're insanely popular and sell out quickly.
Day 5 (Thursday) — Port Day in Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Each guest may bring on board a maximum of 12 sealed 12-ounce or smaller cans or cartons of nonalcoholic beverages (water, sports drinks, soda, non-alcoholic beer, etc.) and two 750mL bottles of wine. You may want to bring some cash to tip the porters who take your suitcases from the pier to the ship and any tour guides who lead your ship-sponsored or private excursion in port. In addition, you will need to check in for your cruise online, fill out the appropriate information and select an arrival time for embarkation day. Pretty much every night there's a themed party in The Manor or out on deck, but the ones you need to pack for are the PJ Party and Scarlet Night. Scarlet Lady's first-night pajama party is optional, but if you do want to get your Virgin vibe going on day one, pack a pair of party PJs and head to the Athletic Club bar on the first night.
Virgin Voyages French Daze & Ibiza Nights Cruise Itinerary
The Deck 6 casino is a hopping place at night, partly because it's located between The Red Room performance space and On the Rocks Bar, with the entrance to the Manor nightclub just opposite. Beginners and high rollers alike can sign up for gaming lessons or poker tournaments at the WPT at Sea Poker Room in partnership with the World Poker Tour. However, hands down the most fun you'll have gambling on the ship is at Bingo With The Diva, Scarlet Lady's resident drag queen. I loved the tucked-away Dock House Bar for a pre-dinner drink and its outside extension, The Dock, for day drinking while lounging on a sun bed.
While I loved the lack of announcements over the intercom system or at the end of shows, I did feel like it was easy to miss out on things on board. They're great for checking the weather, drying swimsuits and eating room service breakfast – but I rarely spend much time hanging out on them. Usually that's because the chairs are upright and made of metal (or metal and plastic mesh) and the veranda is small, and you can't get comfortable. Also note that cabins booked under the offer cannot be upgraded, unless Virgin Voyages subsequently offers the chance to do so. For your points, you'll get accommodations for two on Virgin Voyages' Miami-based Scarlet Lady in a Sea Terrace cabin — Virgin's fancy way of saying a cabin with a private balcony.
Instead, you simply need to keep an eye on the time and head down when the ship is scheduled to allow passengers off the ship — or when you see people already debarking. We later discovered others who took the same excursion and sailed further afield through the same company. We think our detour was due to being the last excursion of the day. Sharing a room with a friend is always a tricky proposition, but even more so in the tight quarters of a cruise ship.
Great Atmosphere & Great Crew!
Citizens will need to check requirements based on destinations visited. Scarlet Lady also brings guest comedians and performers on board, and the ones I saw were top notch, including a young Latina pop group called Bella Dose. Most main performances take place in the multipurpose, rearrangeable Red Room, but more intimate shows take over The Manor nightclub.
You can still get in on this deal by transferring points from one of several major credit card programs to Virgin Red. Programs include American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou. The cheapest rate for a limited sea view cabin on Greek Island Glow or Adriatic Sea & Greek Gems cruise departing on July 2 or 9 is currently on sale for $3,086 — marked down from $4,256.
That's a big upgrade from the ship's entry-level Insider cabins, which are in the interior of the ship and don't have windows. It's also a step up from the vessel's window-but-no-balcony Sea View cabins. The limited-time offer is available through Sept. 30 for Virgin Voyages sailings out of Miami departing now through the end of the year. There may be some opportunities to upgrade your meal at some sit-down establishments, but all of that is entirely optional. Once we were back on the boat, we were getting glammed up for Virgin Voyages’ iconic Scarlet Night — think a full-ship party.
I prefer specialty restaurants with their individual menus, decor and vibe. But I also hate paying extra for meals when food is already included. In this way, Virgin's restaurant concept speaks perfectly to me.
The bartenders were also friendly and more than willing to shake up cocktails sans alcohol. Considering you’re on a floating ship at sea, the spa facilities looked pretty impressive. There were hot and cold plunge pools, Turkish hammam benches, and steam and sauna rooms. If you felt like the cruise was already too rushed, booking an excursion through multiple cities will feel like a whirlwind. While I loved getting a taste of what each destination had to offer, my friends and I vehemently agreed that we should have focused on 1 city instead. My friends and I were curious to see what a Virgin Voyages excursion was like, so we booked a day excursion to Nice, Eze, and Monaco for $110.
The rooms are designed to maximize space, so you can ask a staff member to help convert your bed into a sofa lounger during the day. Otherwise, I thought the rooms perfectly balanced functionality and space, with plenty of storage areas in the closet to organize your belongings. Once we docked in Palma, we enjoyed Spanish tapas and briefly explored the nightlife scene before returning to the boat.
For example, Test Kitchen is a Michelin-inspired kitchen that offers chef-driven menus, which sounded great in theory. The actual dining experience was sublime, but none of the dishes ended up being that appetizing — and this is coming from someone who will eat anything. Dishes like the pea and raw egg yolk dish to a mushroom pate photographed beautifully, but the taste itself didn’t work. Although the boat docked early in the morning, we could book our disembarkation slot up until 11 a.m.
In-app room service ordering was glitchy, but my cabin attendant hadn't left me a printout of the menu, so I never tried in-room dining. The drag show was a hoot, and the DanceShowPartyThing was different than any cruise ship show I've ever seen and a lighthearted fun time. Cruises have been around for decades, but Virgin Voyages aims to bring a fresh take to appeal to a new generation of travelers. Virgin has heavily invested in its technology to bring a seamless experience for its guests, whether it’s requesting room service on your in-room iPad or using your wristband to pay for virtually anything onboard. For a more traditional cruise-style buffet, we frequented the Galley quite often. This cafeteria-style eatery offered everything from sushi to burgers, all day for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night eats.
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