Our First Virgin Voyage Cruise

First of all… WOW!

We had an amazing time. So, how do you pack a five-day experience into bite-size pieces that are truly helpful to communicate the full experience? It’s a great question, so here’s how I’m going to approach it.

Embarkation
Experience [with breakdown]
Disembarkation

Here we go!

EMBARKATION [boarding the ship]

This was, by far, the smoothest experience we’ve had boarding a ship.

Virgin Voyages has you schedule a time so the boarding experience is spread out. What does that mean? NO BIG LINES! It was incredible. We showed up about 30 minutes early “just to see” and went straight through to the ship. My guess is 10 minutes tops… and that was to stop and take photos. I really couldn’t believe it!

EXPERIENCE [everything on the ship]

This section has several elements, so I will categorize it to make it more coherent.

Food
- No buffets!
- EVERYTHING is included!! [Though, there are a few options you can purchase for extra]
- It’s amazing… Michelin-rated chefs inspire several of the restaurant’s menus.
- There was nothing we didn’t like, and we wished our trip had been longer to enjoy more of the food. This was a first for us. Typically, we get tired of the food.
Entertainment
- The entertainment was top-notch… for the most part.
- A couple of the entertainers seemed to REALLY dislike kids (this was an adults-only cruise). It wasn’t the norm, but for those of us who have kids, we weren’t impressed by this.
- There are incredible musicians, artists, and acrobats. One of the acrobatic performances had me in tears because of the intensity and talent. It was awe-inspiring!
Excursions
- We went on the Dominican Daze, so our first port was the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, our snorkeling adventure was canceled due to weather the day before. We had to choose something that hadn’t been sold out if we wanted an excursion. We landed on an excursion with a couple of tours, thinking it would let us experience the local culture a bit. I would give it a 3 out of 5 rating. Mainly because the bus was pretty uncomfortable, our tours were super touristy and not actually of the production. It was fun, just a little underwhelming. Remember, this is “what was left” of the excursions. We did talk to several people who had much better experiences.
Bimini – Private Beach
- This was a “good” experience. It would have been better with better weather. It was cloudy and super windy.
- The food was tasty!
- Ship internet (which, by the way, is included in the price) worked here!
- The ship tab also worked here, so it was an extension of the ship experience on all accounts… ON THE BEACH!!
Sleeping Quarters
- We loved the quarters! We were on a base-level balcony and felt comfortable in these rooms, even as two tall people.
- A tablet could control the lights, curtains, and TV. We thought this was super intuitive! You will want to check out various lighting options and even “thematic” room options!
- The shower has two options… a shower wand or an overhead rainshower-type feature. Even at 6’5″, this was pretty comfortable.
- There are more power outlets than most ships.
- Every balcony has a hammock. Stacey LOVED this!
Staff Experiences
- Looking back, I still can’t believe how genuine the staff was… and they all seemed to be super focused on ensuring your experience was good. It was enjoyable at every level, and we felt valued guests the whole time.
General Environment
- There was a good energy. Well, great energy.
- We are not “party people,” per se, so we were concerned about the general “stereotype” that went with Virgin Voyages. There were opportunities to do that, but there were no pressures to experience things that way. We sincerely felt this was a place for all adult stages/phases. A place where you could have fun, be yourself, and experience “getting away” in your way!

DISEMBARKATION [leaving the ship]

Similar to boarding, un-boarding was simple and something to be scheduled. Our flight was much later, so we were not in a rush. Before we disembarked, we had time to schedule a brunch (some steak and eggs).

The line was a little longer hopping off the ship, so we had to wait for about 10 minutes in line. Once we got off the ship, security was all facial recognition, so again, it was fast and easy. We were in our Uber in no time and on our way to the airport.

Various Photos