We were excited to try Virgin to see if the changes they’ve made to cruising made it better or worse. And, honestly, it depends on what you like about cruising. We aren’t people that club, so we didn’t find ourselves taking advantage of the late night parties as often as others. I like that there’s no main dining. They need more room storage. There was no shortage of plugs in the room. There were so many spaces inside the ship to crab a seat and hang out.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
There were plenty of signs and people directing you where you needed to go. We were able to drop off our luggage at 11am, walk around Gothic Square, and come back for our 230 embarkation time. Whole process once we got there took about 20 minutes.
They start everything later than other cruise lines. I was fine with that because it meant that our cabin was ready as soon as we got on. (And it meant a later disembarkation at the end of the week).
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
There is no main dining on Virgin. Or buffet. It’s all individual restaurants and The Galley, which is more like a food court vibe.
All of the food was very good. The steakhouse, The Wake, was fine. But I’ve had better steakhouse experiences on other lines. Granted, you had to pay more for those.
Gun Bae, Korean BBQ, was one of our favorites. Get the seafood corn dog. Hell, get five orders of it. You won’t be disappointed. And drinking games are included with dinner.
We went to Pink Agave, their elevated Mexican food, twice. We just had to try everything on the menu. The appetizer bowl of corn has an elote (street corn) feel, and was one of my favorite things on the ship.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I wish the pools were bigger or there were more. It always seemed super crowded and not relaxing at all. The ship loses a lot of deck space since there are so many balconies. So the available space that is on the ship is important.
The Social Club was a fun spot to hang, have some board game time, arcade, or even some lively karaoke at night.
The fitness center is large. I wish there were more classes. All of them were sold out before we even got in the ship.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Entertainment is completely different than what you’ll find anywhere else. Be prepared. The circus show was amazing. The dance show was fun. Even bingo with the Diva was a good time.
The house band was always rocking and had a full house.
The blues band was a great way to chill, have a drink, and enjoy the evening.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Service in spaces was great. For the most part. Breakfast and lunch at the Galley are a hot mess because it feels like servers don’t know who needs to order and who doesn’t.
Where we felt the difference was just walking around. On every other line I’ve been on, if you walk past a crew member, they are going to greet you. This wasn’t the case on Virgin.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
When you first enter, it’s beautiful. But as you start to unpack, the issues unveil themselves.
There’s not enough drawers. At all. There a chair in a corner that could easily be another wardrobe. The closest space is huge but only comes with six hangers. The bathroom is tiny. The towels have to be hung on the towel rack above the toilet JUST right or the toilet lid won’t stay open.
It is nice that you can control the room (tv, lights, curtains) by the pad in the room.
And when you enter your room after being cleaned, the lights will turn on and the curtains open automatically.
The hammock was my favorite part. I had to wake up at 6am every day to take medication, so I would go out after and watch the sunrise and fall back asleep in the hammock.
Ship tip
You’re going to get out of it what you put into it. If you let go, join the groups of parties going on, it will be a blast.
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