Hits and misses

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 9

Helpful Votes: 97

Review summary

This was our first trip on Virgin after two on Disney and five on Princess. This is much different and some of that I liked. The service on board is sporadic. Every person I met, or even passed in a hallway was very friendly. They do pride themselves for some reason on a lack of announcements which meant if you had questions you had to ask someone. The employees seem to only know about what they do and nothing else so some were not helpful. The service issues impacted the dining also. In the galley (sort of buffet) they take your order and then somebody else comes and delivers your food. There are about nine different food stand options in the galley and each delivers their own food. So if you order food from multiple places, you will get your food delivered at different times. This can be challenging if one person gets their food twenty minutes before another person when you are dining together. Sometimes it was very quick. Other times, not as much. The food stands in the galley had varied hours so it was difficult to predict when anything might be open. My biggest service gripe was one night in their gaming/sports area. I arrived a half hour before the hockey game to get a good seat and table to watch the playoff game. Five minutes before the game start, the employee came over and placed a “reserved” sign on the table telling me I would need to relocated because it was reserved for a “Rock Star status” group. I don’t really mind the fancy people getting their perks but if they were going to reserve the table it should have been done much earlier so I would not have chosen it in the first place. I was not offered any compensation for getting screwed out of my spot. Moving on to something more positive, the food was excellent. Food in the galley or any other specialty restaurants was all outstanding. Pink Agave was our favorite. The ship itself has some nice touches and some shortcomings. We loved the Dock area at the back of Deck 7. It’s a great area to lounge during the day that has shade, a more relaxed atmosphere, good food and the only not busy bar on board. I liked the gray color of the ship and the wide promenade deck. I didn’t like that the promenade deck had high partitions around a lot of it that limited the sea view. The overall layout was ok but I did find myself getting turned around and that never happens to me. We loved the fun vibe of the ship. It was a very diverse (in any way you could possibly define that) group of people and that made it interesting. The entertainment was a bit frustrating. This is partially my fault for not doing more research but I didn’t know you had to reserve your shows when you first board so we didn’t get to see any of them. They have a standby line but I’m not thrilled with lining up for a chance to see a show so we didn’t partake. They have lots of activities that are fitness related and not near as many that aren’t. Embarkation and debarkation was fairly easy but they should have more seating outside for your arrival if they aren’t going to let you in. I also didn’t know that I had to go to Sailor Services to get a bag tag for my bag before you leave it out for them on the last night. There seems to be some assumption they people will just know the things they don’t announce. Overall we enjoyed our trip. I would do Virgin again but not as a first choice.

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

The Beach Club (Virgin Voyages), Bimini Bahamas

Disembarkation