Virgin "Experience" Question

[LTCSteve]

On several forums I have been told that the Virgin Cruises "Experience" is quite different than other "traditional" cruise lines, but nobody gives any examples! Other than most of the usual charges are included in the price and nobody under age 18 is allowed, why is Virgin different? Thanks for your advice!

[wadethegringo]

Many examples are everywhere. No buffet, no main dinning room. All specialty restaurants are included in fare, tips are in the fare. Soft drinks are included. Reasonable prices on drinks. No drink package that everyone in cabin has to purchase. Many more.

[yarramar]

No nickeling and diming passengers, no art auctions, no photographers in your face at every turn, no announcements over the intercom in 3 languages for hours every morning, no formal nights and more.

[CroozFanatic]

To an alien visiting from outer space....it is 99% similar.

[cantgetin]

The changes are somewhat subtle and are really nice.  6 restaurants that would be "specialty" restaurants on any other line all included in the cruise fare, reservations recommended but not essential.  A food court sort of area where you sit at a table and a server takes your order, does the running around for you, and brings it to you.  You can go to the area and point to breads, desserts, or tell them how to make your custom salad, but there is nowhere that you can serve yourself or get near the food like at a buffet.  Most of the food is made when you order, so it hasn't been sitting in a steam table for hours.  There are a couple of "grab and go" areas where there are prepared foods in with labels in "to go" boxes...grab a box and take it anywhere on  the ship.  Most places can customize your order. The Pizza Place has a menu, but they will make your pizza any way you want IF they have the ingredients. There is a large salad area in The Galley where you can have them make it "your way."

 

Entertainment is a bit more edgy  If you are looking for a cut down of a Broadway show, choose a different line.  The entertainers are really good.  There is not the "dinner at 6, show at 8" concept.  You choose your dinner time.  Shows are repeated several times (depending on length of cruise), so you can choose your show nights and times.

[LTCSteve]

Thanks for all of the replies...I am looking forward to the cruise, excuse me, the Voyage!

[Cloud9 Bob]

Excursions are  more reasonably priced.

Crew is happier and it shows.

You can get a tatoo on board.

Water stations in place of one time use bottles.

They actually have Naragansett beer in bottles and tap.

If you leave from Miami, you may even meet Yakov before entering the embarkation corrals 😊

 

Edited August 22, 2022 by Cloud9 Bob

[_tacocat_]

the biggest differentiators are the crew and the food.

 

the crew is phenomenal because they're allowed to be themselves - hair, tattoos, makeup, piercings, whatever!  they seem to get perks that crew on other lines don't have like free wifi and ability to dine in the galley and actual restaurants (at times) vs. being sequestered to the crew mess.  while i'm sure there is some hierarchy for safety/operational reasons, there are no stripes on anyone's uniforms.  instead of a cruise director, they have 12 or 13 Happenings Cast members whose job is to make sure guests are having a good time/have things to do.  If you want recommendations, find one of them and they can give you some tips.

 

i had only been on 1 cruise before VV and that single cruise 10+ years ago turned me totally off from crusing until my husband convinced me to try VV.  on NCL, the included food was inedible, and passenger hygiene left a bit to be desired- i basically ate pretzel rolls from the buffet the whole time.  VV has great food, and lots of variety.  real mexican and real italian (vs. americanized stuff), pretty damn close to traditional korean BBQ, great pizzas, poke bowls, ramen, tacos, and so much more.  mmmmmmmm.

[cantgetin]

Yes, the crew on VV has commented that they are paid about three times as much as they made on other lines, even with tips counted on the other lines.  THey have a single crew mess, not one for crew and one for officers, and that makes them feel like everyone is more approachable.  They love the free wifi as that means ability to communicate with family at home.  They also get toiletries and laundry products at no cost--again, something else they don't have to pay for or shop for.  All this adds up to the happiest crew I've seen on any ship.

 

Food quality and availability is the best I've seen anywhere.  It may take you a day or so to figure out that fruit boxes are available in the morning and sushi to go in the afternoon...so if you want an afternoon snack of fruit, grab a fruit box in the morning and pop it in your fridge till afternoon!  There are "to go" things available all day, but the contents change as do the hours of the various outlets.  There is always something good open; it is just a matter of what time it is!

[AdoraBelle]

3 hours ago, cantgetin said:

Food quality and availability is the best I've seen anywhere.  It may take you a day or so to figure out that fruit boxes are available in the morning and sushi to go in the afternoon...so if you want an afternoon snack of fruit, grab a fruit box in the morning and pop it in your fridge till afternoon!  There are "to go" things available all day, but the contents change as do the hours of the various outlets.  There is always something good open; it is just a matter of what time it is!

I watched some YouTubes today that showed that grab n go section. I saw what looked like a charcuterie & cheese snack box that would be about $12 in my local Wegmans, and something labeled “callebaut dark chocolate, crunchy pearls and pistachio crumble”. I’m not sure exactly what it was, maybe a mousse, but I love callebaut anything. Anyway, I was thinking at the time that I could basically happily survive on just that grab and go stuff. Imagine the rest of the food.

[CruisingWalter]

On 8/20/2022 at 7:23 PM, LTCSteve said:

On several forums I have been told that the Virgin Cruises "Experience" is quite different than other "traditional" cruise lines, but nobody gives any examples! Other than most of the usual charges are included in the price and nobody under age 18 is allowed, why is Virgin different? Thanks for your advice!

 

The changes are more subtle than in your face.

 

No cruise director, they have a Happenings Crew with various 'leaders' like The Gamer, The Foodie, The Diva who all run their own elements of cruise entertainment and activities. Also no daily announcements of any kind except to let us know when we can leave the ship in port. If you want to see the 'morning show' you have to go down to Deck 6 in the Roundabout around 10:30 in the morning to see the live show that is performed there. They don't do that silly 2am pre-taped morning show.

 

No photographers. No nickel and diming you to death with every food or drink item. No upselling you at every corner. And the crew is well paid, and they have free WiFi so they're not being overly sweet hoping for that tip at the end of the cruise. You already paid a gratuity and they know that. That is a noticeable change. 

 

It's a very intimate ship. No three story atriums or four story main dining rooms. Almost all the public spaces are single story so the ship feels much smaller than it really is. It's almost like a mega yacht or a private resort vs. a cruise ship. There is more seating than I think I've ever seen with so many nooks and crannies with seating everywhere. The ship feels like it's designed to encourage socialization with fellow passengers vs. 'showcasing our big beautiful ship.' It's like it's your private resort, kick of your shoes and stay a while. 

 

The intimacy carries into the restaurants where they are not just huge boxes with hundreds of people in sight. There are walls, cubbies, nooks, crannies so you feel like you're eating with dozens of people in a more intimate restaurant. 

 

Incredibly laid back. No dress code, shorts are fine at dinner, though most everyone was at least business casual. Because you're going to actual restaurants each evening, you really feel like dressing up vs. going to the Main Dining Room where you feel more like cattle. 

 

No children is a HUGE difference in the experience and you don't realize just how much until your first full sea day. It's much quieter without the kids and we can be adults and have fun without worrying about 'saying something wrong in front of the kids.'

 

Of course the main entertainment is basically unlike anything else out there, but the small venue entertainment will be very familiar. Singers, small bands, guitarists and the like.

 

You're treated like adults, not cattle. Because so much is included, it's more freeing and the crew truly works to let you have a good time. 

 

The one thing I will add, we did the Rock Star experience, Cheeky Corner Suite, because of a 200% FCC when our first cruise was cancelled due to the shutdown. We upgraded from a Sea Terrace to the suite. Now having done that Rock Star experience I can say it's not necessary to have an exceptional experience on that ship. No matter what cabin you book, everyone on the ship eats at the same restaurants, has access to all the same lounges/bars, has all the same inclusions except Rock Stars get a fully stocked bar. Yes the balconies are larger and we have access to a concierge (Rock Star Agent) with some priority boarding perks. But for me, there's honestly not enough value in paying that extra for the suite when so much is included for everyone. I'll be fine booking the Sea Terrace for future bookings. 

 

My only complaint about VV was our 5 day cruise was too short. Hoping to book an 8 nighter on Valiant Lady when she comes over for the winter season. 

 

 

[cantgetin]

A friend defined it as "as ship for people who don't want to line up and be told what to do."

 

[CruisingWalter]

8 hours ago, cantgetin said:

A friend defined it as "as ship for people who don't want to line up and be told what to do."

 

 

Now THAT is a good summation of the VV experience we had on Scarlet Lady. 🙂 

[greenenvy]

17 hours ago, AdoraBelle said:

I watched some YouTubes today that showed that grab n go section. I saw what looked like a charcuterie & cheese snack box that would be about $12 in my local Wegmans, and something labeled “callebaut dark chocolate, crunchy pearls and pistachio crumble”. I’m not sure exactly what it was, maybe a mousse, but I love callebaut anything. Anyway, I was thinking at the time that I could basically happily survive on just that grab and go stuff. Imagine the rest of the food.

 
It’s a chocolate mousse cup and it’s delicious!

Edited August 23, 2022 by greenenvy
Added picture

[cantgetin]

I haven't seen anything quite like the mousse above, but yes, you could easily live on the "grab and go" selections if you choose.  Do remember that they change throughout the day, so check back more than once!

[kwokpot]

4 hours ago, cantgetin said:

I haven't seen anything quite like the mousse above, but yes, you could easily live on the "grab and go" selections if you choose.  Do remember that they change throughout the day, so check back more than once!

 

[CruisingWalter]

On 8/20/2022 at 7:23 PM, LTCSteve said:

On several forums I have been told that the Virgin Cruises "Experience" is quite different than other "traditional" cruise lines, but nobody gives any examples! Other than most of the usual charges are included in the price and nobody under age 18 is allowed, why is Virgin different? Thanks for your advice!

 

We just posted a 30 minute review on our YouTube channel that might give you some more insight on what the ship experience is really like vs. the perception. Beyond my original written answer above, this might be helpful for you as well as it does answer some of those 'differences' question.  https://youtu.be/-R0imB73ajg

 

[CruisingWalter]

On 8/24/2022 at 8:26 AM, cantgetin said:

I haven't seen anything quite like the mousse above, but yes, you could easily live on the "grab and go" selections if you choose.  Do remember that they change throughout the day, so check back more than once!

 

Oh yeah, that mousse was there most days at the Grab N Go in The Galley. So freaking good. 🙂

 

[CruisingWalter]

On 8/23/2022 at 12:45 AM, AdoraBelle said:

I watched some YouTubes today that showed that grab n go section. I saw what looked like a charcuterie & cheese snack box that would be about $12 in my local Wegmans, and something labeled “callebaut dark chocolate, crunchy pearls and pistachio crumble”. I’m not sure exactly what it was, maybe a mousse, but I love callebaut anything. Anyway, I was thinking at the time that I could basically happily survive on just that grab and go stuff. Imagine the rest of the food.

 

You can totally survive on the Grab N Go. I think we went through at least four of those charcuterie boxes over the course of the cruise. Those were legit, really awesome. With a few slices of bread you could make amazing sandwiches if you wanted to. There are least two Grab N Go stations. One on Deck 7 as you walk out onto The Dock at the aft of the ship. And one in The Galley on Deck 15 as you head out to the pool area. 

 

They're loaded with breakfast items in the morning. The Grab N Go lunch and charcuteries during the day and I'm honestly not sure if they're still running at night as I didn't look But The Galley is running at night which is essentially a huge grab N go. 🙂 

[AdoraBelle]

I have now had the mousse. OMG.

 

[greenenvy]

On 8/24/2022 at 8:26 AM, cantgetin said:

I haven't seen anything quite like the mousse above, but yes, you could easily live on the "grab and go" selections if you choose.  Do remember that they change throughout the day, so check back more than once!

The mousse is in the top left of the picture. 

[LandlockedCruiser01]

The "grab and go" contains are all plastic on top of plastic, and I'm sure the utensils used to eat all that food are plastic too.  I hope Virgin Voyages recycles those containers and utensils properly, without virtue-signaling by using paper or sugar straws.  (Looking at you, Carnival!)

 

I'm as unwoke as it gets.  But I can get behind "innovation" if it's done right.  Even so, I'd much rather see reusable china plates and metal utensils, like on old-school lines.  It takes only one idiot to leave a plastic container on the deck, where it gets blown into the ocean by wind.

Edited September 5, 2022 by LandlockedCruiser01

[AdoraBelle]

The grab and go containers are reused. They’re more like lightweight home Tupperware than something you’d get at gas station snack section.

 

There are no plastic utensils, the grab and go coolers have regular silverware and cloth napkins right next to them.

 

‘Virtue signaling’ is a concept invented by people who don’t want to make the effort.

Edited September 5, 2022 by AdoraBelle