Anyone RCI lovers cruise Virgin Voyages?

[matt1]

Greetings all! I’m looking at a cruise for late next fall and found a pretty good deal for a single-occupancy on Valiant Lady in an amidship balcony doing a 14-night transatlantic from Barcelona. For those who may not know, tips, basic drinks, all meals in the +20 eateries and dining venues, and Wi-Fi are included in the cruise rate. The total cruise price comes to around $1680. 
 

I’ve viewed plenty of videos on YouTube and read some reviews and comments over on the Virgin Voyages forum, but wanted to see if anyone here has cruised Virgin, and may have any additional input when comparing the level of service and food to that of Royal Caribbean. 
 

The idea of an Adults Only cruise is very appealing, as are the eleven sea days between Barcelona and Miami. Ports of call to me are sort of secondary, and the ship is a much higher priority. 
 

Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated! 
 

Thank you! 😁

[kwokpot]

I recently completed my first cruise on the Scarlet Lady(4 nt), it being my 98 cruise (30 RCL,25 Carnival,22 Celebrity, and the remaining on NCl, Princess, and MSC). 

 

What I would say is overall I had a great time and already scheduled for another Virgin cruise in January this time a longer 8 day cruise. What I would say is Virgin is nothing like a Royal cruise. 

 

My number 1 beef on the Scarlet Lady is the cabin. I was in the XL Sea Terrace, which is the top cabin below their suites. It pales in comparison to a Royal balcony cabin, especially on the newer ships. Not only is it smaller but the design, albeit modern, resembles a college dorm room with stuff purchased from Target. There's not enough storage, and not even a closet door, just a sheer curtain( No sure why, it doesn't make it any easier to get inside and there's plenty of room for a closet door). The only thing nice about that room is the bathroom. 

 

The food is the number 1 positive with Virgin. I see you're looking at a transatlantic. Realize there's no indoor pool and the thermal suite doesn't have a whole cruise pass, which makes it an expensive proposition. I would much rather sail Royal or Celebrity or even MSC on a TA; those cruiselines have ships that are better setup for a long journey. I view the current design and programming of Virgin to be ideal for shorter journeys.   

 

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by kwokpot

[shoptom]

I found both the food and service were superior on VV.  Their entertainment style like most everything they do is different and the ship layout seems odd, but you have plenty of sea days to explore.

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

I recently completed my first cruise on the Scarlet Lady(4 nt), it being my 98 cruise (30 RCL,25 Carnival,22 Celebrity, and the remaining on NCl, Princess, and MSC). 

 

What I would say is overall I had a great time and already scheduled for another Virgin cruise in January this time a longer 8 day cruise. What I would say is Virgin is nothing like a Royal cruise. 

 

My number 1 beef on the Scarlet Lady is the cabin. I was in the XL Sea Terrace, which is the top cabin below their suites. It pales in comparison to a Royal balcony cabin, especially on the newer ships. Not only is it smaller but the design, albeit modern, resembles a college dorm room with stuff purchased from Target. There's not enough storage, and not even a closet door, just a sheer curtain( No sure why, it doesn't make it any easier to get inside and there's plenty of room for a closet door). The only thing nice about that room is the bathroom. 

 

The food is the number 1 positive with Virgin. I see you're looking at a transatlantic. Realize there's no indoor pool and the thermal suite doesn't have a whole cruise pass, which makes it an expensive proposition. I would much rather sail Royal or Celebrity or even MSC on a TA; those cruiselines have ships that are better setup for a long journey. I view the current design and programming of Virgin to be ideal for shorter journeys.   

 

 

I will say the pricing is great so it's an amazing value. FYI any transatlantic you're not going to find kids on it to any great extent(probably can count the #of kids on two hands), so if that's an issue any cruiseline will do. 

[matt1]

2 hours ago, kwokpot said:

My number 1 beef on the Scarlet Lady is the cabin. I was in the XL Sea Terrace, which is the top cabin below their suites. It pales in comparison to a Royal balcony cabin, especially on the newer ships. Not only is it smaller but the design, albeit modern, resembles a college dorm room with stuff purchased from Target. There's not enough storage, and not even a closet door, just a sheer curtain( No sure why, it doesn't make it any easier to get inside and there's plenty of room for a closet door). The only thing nice about that room is the bathroom. 

Last year on the Anthem of the Seas I had a Deck 10 extended balcony cabin and loved it. Gotta give it to Royal Caribbean, their cabins are lovely. Virgin Cruises’ cabins are definitely on the  “minimalist” side, and I’m sure it won’t be too bad, and enough room, for a single traveler. 😉 I do wish the balcony furniture had cushions. LOL

As for pools and solariums, I quite literally spent no time at all while on ANTHEM other to take pictures and leave. I just enjoy sitting and people watching, eating, and watching movies and shows. 

 

This is going to be a tough decision. And a completely different experience. 😎

[matt1]

1 hour ago, shoptom said:

I found both the food and service were superior on VV.  Their entertainment style like most everything they do is different and the ship layout seems odd, but you have plenty of sea days to explore.

The food does look fantastic. And on some of the videos I watched Virgin really does have wildly different entertainment shows! 😳

[matt1]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

I will say the pricing is great so it's an amazing value. FYI any transatlantic you're not going to find kids on it to any great extent(probably can count the #of kids on two hands), so if that's an issue any cruiseline will do. 

I looked at quite a few transatlantic sailings in the fall of 2023 for similar cabins, and the prices were $1500-2000 more, and that was before adding drinks, Wi-Fi, and tips. The price is definitely a deal. 👍🏻

[cementhands]

3 hours ago, matt1 said:

Greetings all! I’m looking at a cruise for late next fall and found a pretty good deal for a single-occupancy on Valiant Lady in an amidship balcony doing a 14-night transatlantic from Barcelona. For those who may not know, tips, basic drinks, all meals in the +20 eateries and dining venues, and Wi-Fi are included in the cruise rate. The total cruise price comes to around $1680. 
 

I’ve viewed plenty of videos on YouTube and read some reviews and comments over on the Virgin Voyages forum, but wanted to see if anyone here has cruised Virgin, and may have any additional input when comparing the level of service and food to that of Royal Caribbean. 
 

The idea of an Adults Only cruise is very appealing, as are the eleven sea days between Barcelona and Miami. Ports of call to me are sort of secondary, and the ship is a much higher priority. 
 

Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated! 
 

Thank you! 😁

Almost cruised transatlantic but the more I read about the class system onboard we backed out. Seems if you book room with rock star status you get more. Hopefully in the future we’ll get onboard. All the activities are what interest us. Many workouts opportunities. Sounds great if you get rock star room but they always sell out. Enjoy 

 

[kwokpot]

4 minutes ago, cementhands said:

Almost cruised transatlantic but the more I read about the class system onboard we backed out. Seems if you book room with rock star status you get more. Hopefully in the future we’ll get onboard. All the activities are what interest us. Many workouts opportunities. Sounds great if you get rock star room but they always sell out. Enjoy 

 

TBH I think you're overstating the benefits. Yes, there's a special deck that's only for Rockstars, but that's about it. There's more class system on Celebrity, MSC, NCL. There's no special dining room (even Royal has Coastal Kitchen) so considering Virgin is universally known to have great food choices you're no better off being in a Rockstar room. There's no special indoor bar or club, no special show, no special activities. 

[dunedinmaiden]

Friends of ours (a couple in their 50s), recently got back from a Virgin cruise.  We had dinner last night and I asked them about their experience.  They were in a "Rock Star Suite" but said they wouldn't cruise with Virgin again.  In their opinion, there was virtually no entertainment in the evenings.  They actually said they were bored.

[Bxc53]

38 minutes ago, dunedinmaiden said:

Friends of ours (a couple in their 50s), recently got back from a Virgin cruise.  We had dinner last night and I asked them about their experience.  They were in a "Rock Star Suite" but said they wouldn't cruise with Virgin again.  In their opinion, there was virtually no entertainment in the evenings.  They actually said they were bored.

I've not cruised with Virgin, but I've read numerous reviews and board discussions as we are interested in the TA itineraries .

They seem to focus pretty hard on the nightlife centric 'sailor'. As in bar hop all evening, sleep it off and sweat it out on the exercise programs, have a nice dinner, then repeat. 

No disrespect, it would have appealed to me 40 years ago.. Now however, we like a mix of entertainment, pool/hot  tub time and  nice leisurely meals. And these days a couple drinks is our limit.. So , unfortunately , Virgin, in its current program not a good fit for us.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Bxc53

[matt1]

1 hour ago, Bxc53 said:

They seem to focus pretty hard on the nightlife centric 'sailor'. As in bar hop all evening, sleep it off and sweat it out on the exercise programs, have a nice dinner, then repeat. 

I can definitely see that happening on the Caribbean or Med week-long or shorter cruises. But I wonder if that still holds true for the longer 14-night one-way trans-ocean cruises, that would seemingly draw maybe a slightly more sedate or older crowd? 🤔

[DandDM]

7 hours ago, matt1 said:

Greetings all! I’m looking at a cruise for late next fall and found a pretty good deal for a single-occupancy on Valiant Lady in an amidship balcony doing a 14-night transatlantic from Barcelona. For those who may not know, tips, basic drinks, all meals in the +20 eateries and dining venues, and Wi-Fi are included in the cruise rate. The total cruise price comes to around $1680. 
 

I’ve viewed plenty of videos on YouTube and read some reviews and comments over on the Virgin Voyages forum, but wanted to see if anyone here has cruised Virgin, and may have any additional input when comparing the level of service and food to that of Royal Caribbean. 
 

The idea of an Adults Only cruise is very appealing, as are the eleven sea days between Barcelona and Miami. Ports of call to me are sort of secondary, and the ship is a much higher priority. 
 

Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated! 
 

Thank you! 😁

Would be interested to hear what you decide!  I was very close to booking a med cruise on Virgin next summer (after an eastbound TA).  The itinerary was awesome and cost comparable to Royal, but chickened out and ended up booking a B2B on Explorer.

 

Cheers,

[Bxc53]

1 hour ago, matt1 said:

I can definitely see that happening on the Caribbean or Med week-long or shorter cruises. But I wonder if that still holds true for the longer 14-night one-way trans-ocean cruises, that would seemingly draw maybe a slightly more sedate or older crowd? 🤔

I have similar thoughts on the TA demographic. We decided to keep an eye on Virgin and see what the upcoming TA reviews reveal. Virgin does seem to be making some changes as they find what their customer base actually is.. Maybe in a year or two they may offer a TA experience more tailored to the (ahem) mature cruiser 🙂. 

[shoptom]

17 hours ago, matt1 said:

I do wish the balcony furniture had cushions. LOL

I just enjoy sitting and people watching, eating, and watching movies and shows. 

 

 

I loved the VV balcony hammock!  In your room they have free movies including still in theater titles.

[ownedbypets]

We have been Royal fans for about 30 years but I am cruising next week on Scarlett Lady. I'll give you my opinion when I get back.

[Norwich Cruiser]

Friends of ours ( well seasoned cruisers on many lines ) sailed vv wouldn’t go again.

[Sancho_proudfoot]

Over here in the UK  a recent TV series ( 6 x60 minute episodes) was focused on the Scarlet Lady  doing its 5 night cruises. 

 

I watched all 6 episodes,  and saw absolutely  nothing to entice me to VV.

[kernow]

21 minutes ago, Sancho_proudfoot said:

Over here in the UK  a recent TV series ( 6 x60 minute episodes) was focused on the Scarlet Lady  doing its 5 night cruises. 

 

I watched all 6 episodes,  and saw absolutely  nothing to entice me to VV.

We watched it too, looked horrible, in fact so much so that we thought in reality it had to be better than what was being portrayed else no one would book. Don't think we'll be trying it though.

[zebra]

Have just watched a couple of episodes of The Bachelorette which take place on the "Valiant Lady" in Europe ...... I was extremely unimpressed. Won't be booking VV anytime soon. Different strokes for different folks, as they say.

[rebeccac]

The number one reason to book VV is the food.  It is pretty much like eating in a specialty restaurant every night, but for no additional charge unless you choose to have one of the "treat yourself" items.  While VV may not ever be my first choice of lines, I would not hesitate to book them again.  In fact, I definitely want to go back on a longer cruise as ours was only a five night.  There was so much that I never got a chance to try out.   I will disagree about the lack of entertainment.  I thought there was a nice variety of shows as well as live musicians.  They even did some trivia at night.  And the selection of on demand movies in the cabin was really nice.  The second reason to book is the crew.  They were absolutely amazing and from talking to several crew members, it seems like they are being treated really well.  

[kwokpot]

23 hours ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

Friends of ours ( well seasoned cruisers on many lines ) sailed vv wouldn’t go again.

It was precisely designed for people that aren't seasoned cruisers.

[Doug S]

I was not a fan. We cruised Scarlet Lady just after Thanksgiving and won't be back. Entertainment tried to be edgy, but was more cringy than edgy. I am not a prude, but it was just not entertaining to me. Very few music options. Was truly bored at times. If you are single wanting to mix with a late night crowd, maybe it would be different for you.

 

The shops, public areas, pool, entertainment venues, were just odd. No grand, impressive venues. For a taller guy the ceilings seemed a bit low and claustrophobic in many areas We got relocated to an accessible cabin without our knowledge, and it was actually very roomy and nice, but had a lot of wasted open space - minimalist furniture design. Strange part of the accessible cabin was that it was literally the longest walk possible to get to it. All the way forward and farthest removed from the elevator. 

 

I like to get away from my phone when cruising. A break from it is refreshing. VV you have to use their Ap for many things, so everyone is always looking down at their phones. Even with that the communication was very sketchy. 

 

Many say food is great, but for us it was a mixed bag. some very good, some not. Not a fan of the Galley (food court). Options were fairly limited, and hard to just sample a bit from all the stations. Not enough quick snack options around the ship either. Missed the convenience of a Sorrentos/Cafe promenade. The dining experience was not nearly enough to bring us back.

 

Positives - child free was a nice change. Staff was very nice and tried hard. Enjoyed the Private Beach club on Bimini. The mermaid videos on the elevators were mesmerizing. The boarding / disembarking was very smooth, even with covid testing to board. The more casual dress code was also good. Wrist bands worked well for us. No pesky photographers everywhere. Muster video and check in was a breeze

 

Didn't mean to make it a review. Main point is if you like way Royal rolls, VV may not be your cup of tea either. 

 

Doug

 

 

,   

[matt1]

Thanks again for all of the great input. Since Anthem of the Seas was the last ship I sailed, I can’t help but keep comparing the entertainment and dining options against that of Valiant Lady. 
 

One of my biggest hesitations on booking this cruise is the dining - I’m definitely a dress-down casual diner using the buffet for practically every meal, with the occasional Italian or other specialty restaurant to break up my routine. Going in and surveying the options, grabbing what I want, and my eat-and-run kind of mentality (I thank all those years in the military for that) all weight significantly on the ships I choose. Sitting down and ordering from a menu for multi-course meals sort of kills it for me. And The Galley on Valiant Lady appears to leave a lot to be desired.

 

Having watched quite a few videos on the dining options, ships with a full buffet (like what was on Anthem of the Seas) win every time over the sit down venues on Virgin. 
 

And as the last post indicated, I don’t consider myself a prude either. But the risqué entertainment is way out of my comfort range, as are late nights (I’m usually in bed well before 11pm even on a cruise) and LOUD anything - and being on the ship for 14-nts I don’t want to resort to in-cabin movies as my sole method of leisure. On Anthem I loved the Music Hall and two70, and truly enjoyed just simple daily events like Trivia or stage shows (sort of like The Beatle's music celebration or We Will Rock You). 
 

With all of that said, I think that I’m talking myself out of this. ☹️

Edited August 18, 2022 by matt1

[rebeccac]

5 hours ago, matt1 said:

And as the last post indicated, I don’t consider myself a prude either. But the risqué entertainment is way out of my comfort range, as are late nights (I’m usually in bed well before 11pm even on a cruise) and LOUD anything - and being on the ship for 14-nts I don’t want to resort to in-cabin movies as my sole method of leisure.

 

The risque stuff is very easy to avoid.  I am also in bed early and I found plenty besides the in-cabin movies to keep myself amused.  That being said, the only way to truly know what you personally think of Virgin is to sail Virgin.  Perhaps, if you wish to try VV, you might be better off on a shorter cruise rather than a TA.  We have been on 8 different cruise lines now.  None of them are perfect.  There are things we like about each and things we don't like, but ultimately we have never been on a cruise that we hated.  Being on a ship is my happy place.