Thinking about booking a Virgin Voyages cruise? Before you do, there are a few things worth knowing — because Virgin does cruising very differently from Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean, or pretty much anyone else in the mainstream market.
Some of those differences are genuine upgrades. Some just take a little getting used to. And a couple of them could absolutely affect whether this is the right cruise line for you. We’ve sailed Virgin and we’re giving you the honest version — not everything is amazing, not everything is terrible. That’s not helpful to anyone.
We’re Kris and Mel from Dockside Travel. We’ve been cruising for more than 20 years across Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and now Virgin. Here are 10 things that make Virgin genuinely different, plus a bonus point tied to a very recent itinerary situation that got a lot of attention online.
10. Adults Only — 18 and Up, Full Stop
Virgin Voyages is an adults-only line. No family sailings, no kids club, no water slides, no school-break energy. And that changes the feel of the ship immediately.
If you’ve sailed Celebrity, you’ll know it often skews fairly adult depending on the time of year. Virgin takes that one step further by making it the rule across the entire brand. The result: quieter pool decks during the day, later nightlife, more grown-up entertainment, and a general atmosphere that feels more relaxed and more social.
For couples and adult friend groups, that’s a significant plus. But if cruising with kids or grandkids is part of how you cruise, this isn’t the line. Better to know that before booking than after.
9. All Restaurants Are Included
On most cruise lines, included dining gets you the main dining room and the buffet. Specialty restaurants — the steakhouse, the Italian, the Chef’s Table — cost extra. Good options, but you’re paying a cover charge every time you sit down.
On Virgin Voyages, the restaurants are included. Steakhouse, Korean barbecue, Italian, Mexican-inspired, upscale dining spaces — no cover charge. That’s a real difference, and for many people it adds genuine value to the fare comparison.
That said, it doesn’t mean you can ignore planning. Reservations matter, especially on shorter sailings. The Wake in particular can book up quickly. Get into the app or website as soon as your dining window opens and lock in your dinners. But overall, this is one area where Virgin genuinely stands apart — in a good way.
8. Bar Tab, Not a Drink Package
This one confuses a lot of first-time Virgin sailors. Virgin doesn’t offer the classic unlimited drink package model. Instead, they use something called Bar Tab — think of it as prepaid drink credit, not an all-you-can-drink package.
You load money onto your account before sailing, and Virgin adds bonus credit when you buy in advance. The published bonus structure runs from an extra $25 on a $200 bar tab up to an extra $250 on a $1,000 tab. Cocktails, wine, beer, specialty coffee, and fresh juices all draw from this credit. Water, soda, tea, and basic drip coffee are already included — so your bar tab really is just for the extras.
The important watch-out: unused bar tab credit is non-refundable. Don’t load $1,000 because the bonus looks attractive if you’re realistically only going to have a few cocktails a day. For some travellers this setup works very well. For others who prefer the certainty of a true unlimited package, it takes some adjustment.
7. The Galley Is Not a Buffet
Virgin’s casual food space is called The Galley, and it’s a food hall — different stations serving different things — not the giant buffet line you’d find on Princess or Royal Caribbean. It feels more curated and less cafeteria.
Our tip: on day one, walk the whole space before you grab anything. It takes a few minutes to understand the layout. One detail a lot of first-timers miss is the Ahoy flag at the table — raise it and someone comes to take your order. You don’t have to wander around hunting for things yourself. That’s a genuinely nice touch.
Honest Dockside take: we enjoyed The Galley, but we still think Celebrity and Princess are stronger for overall variety and flow, particularly on longer sailings. The format is different, and some cruisers will prefer it — but if dining variety matters a lot to you, that’s worth factoring in.
6. The App Is Central — But Not Perfect
On Virgin, the app is meant to run your sailing — restaurant reservations, shows, excursions, room service, itinerary planning. When it works well, that’s genuinely convenient.
We’re going to be honest: we did not find the app especially intuitive. The Wi-Fi on our sailing was actually fine — good, even. The issue was more around design and user experience. It wasn’t as polished as some of the competing cruise line apps we’ve used.
Our workaround was simple: we often just walked to the restaurant or spoke to crew directly, and that was easier. So download the app before your trip, log in, and do as much setup as you can before embarkation day. But if it frustrates you on board, don’t keep fighting it. Go talk to a human. Virgin’s crew was excellent with us.
5. Pack Something Red — Scarlet Night Is Real
If you remember nothing else from this article, remember this: pack something red.
Scarlet Night is Virgin’s signature ship-wide event and there’s genuinely nothing like it on the mainstream lines. It’s an evening of entertainment, performances, atmosphere, and energy — and everyone leans into the same theme. The only rule is red. Not formal, not fancy. Just red.
In our case, a few of us may have interpreted that a little too enthusiastically. The gentlemen in our group showed up in full red tuxedo jackets and bow ties. The ladies had absolutely no idea. The reaction was worth every penny. But a red t-shirt is enough. A red dress is enough. A red golf shirt is enough. Just don’t be the person unpacking on day two realising you forgot the one thing everyone told you to bring.
4. No Traditional Cruise Director
If you’ve cruised a lot on the mainstream lines, you’ll notice this fairly quickly. There’s no central personality leading announcements, games, and events. Instead, Virgin spreads that energy across an entertainment cast. The atmosphere feels more theatrical and a little less traditional cruise ship.
The entertainment itself leans more adult, more playful, and a little more daring. There’s more edge to it — more of that cabaret-meets-nightlife feel. If you want the classic cruise director style, Virgin isn’t trying to be that. But if you’ve ever felt traditional cruise entertainment could be a little too predictable, this might be exactly the change you’re looking for.
3. Quiet Days, Lively Nights — It’s Both
One of the biggest misconceptions about Virgin is that it’s either a non-stop party ship or a quiet luxury experience. The truth is it’s a mix of both, and understanding that helps you set the right expectations.
During the day, Virgin can feel very calm — relaxed deck spaces, no constant announcements over the speakers. At night, the energy shifts. The bar gets livelier, the entertainment gets louder, Scarlet Night goes late, and The Manor can feel like an actual nightclub.
If you want total peace all day and all night, this may not be your line. But if you like the idea of quiet, relaxed days followed by genuinely fun evenings, Virgin balances that well.
2. Wristband, Not a Key Card
Virgin uses a wristband instead of a traditional key card. It sounds minor, but it catches first-timers off guard more than you’d think. Your wristband opens your cabin, handles purchases, and gets you on and off the ship. Wear it — don’t carry it around in your hand like a key card.
Once you get used to it, it’s easy. Day one reminder: tap the door. Don’t stand there looking for a card slot.
1. Don’t Compare Fares Casually — Sit Down and Do the Maths
This is probably the most important thing to understand before you book Virgin Voyages. Don’t compare fares casually. Sit down and actually compare what is included.
Virgin uses a tiered fare structure — Base, Essential, and Premium — and what changes between tiers isn’t just price, it’s flexibility, booking windows, Wi-Fi, and in some cases drink credits. At a broad level, all fares still include the big Virgin selling points: restaurants, entertainment, group fitness classes, and the basic drinks (water, soda, tea, drip coffee). But your dining reservation window opens earlier as you move up the tiers, and Premium includes stronger Wi-Fi benefits and a bar tab credit.
One thing worth knowing if you’ve read older reviews: gratuities are now shown separately at booking rather than buried in the fare. So when you’re comparing prices, make sure you’re comparing total trip cost, not just the headline number.
Virgin can look more expensive or cheaper than other lines at first glance, depending entirely on what you compare. The only fair comparison is the all-in number. Add gratuities, Wi-Fi, specialty dining costs, and drink spending for the other lines — then compare. That’s how you figure out whether Virgin genuinely offers better value for your style of cruising.
Bonus: Virgin Is Still a Younger Line — and It Shows Occasionally
One thing we noticed on our Virgin sailing was that operationally the line still felt younger than the big legacy players. Not that the product isn’t good — in many ways it really is. But some of the logistics still feel less mature.
On our sailing, embarkation and disembarkation were not as smooth as what we’re used to on Celebrity, Princess, or Royal Caribbean. We also noticed at some ports that Virgin didn’t always seem to be in the most desirable docking position. Whether that’s down to timing, port relationships, or availability, it added to the feeling that Virgin is still building its operational muscle.
And then there was the recent Valiant Lady sailing that was supposed to go to Bermuda and ended up diverted to St. John, New Brunswick. To be clear: weather happens, every cruise line changes itineraries for safety, and they should. Safety always comes first. But the situation became a talking point because it reinforced what we already felt — when plans change on a newer line, the youth can show a little more in the handling and passenger communication.
The takeaway is not “don’t sail Virgin.” Not at all — we’d sail them again. The takeaway is to go in with realistic expectations. Buy travel insurance. Read the fare rules. Understand the compensation policies. And if you’re sailing out of New York or anywhere with shoulder-season weather, don’t pack only shorts and swimwear. That’s just smart cruising, regardless of who you sail with.
Final Thoughts
Virgin Voyages is a genuinely interesting cruise line. Some of what they do differently is better. Some of it is just different. And a couple of things may be the exact reason you either book Virgin or decide it’s not your style.
If you’re considering Virgin, we’d love to hear which ship or itinerary you’re looking at — drop it in the comments on the video. And if you’ve already sailed Virgin, tell us what surprised you most.
If you’re sailing from Miami, check back for our Miami port guide — getting to that port smoothly is more of a challenge than most people expect.
Dockside Travel 