Hello, my husband and I are thinking of doing the Seattle round trip cruise with stops in Alaska and BC aboard the Brilliant lady. I’m nervous due to sea sickness. Anyone of have any tips for planning a cruise and excursions. Thank you!

Just got off Valiant Lady yesterday (Oct 13 to 19, NYC to Bermuda round trip). On day 2, I did the "A Journey Through Cognac" tasting at Booty Free and bought a bottle there, with my event fee credited toward it. I was told it would be delivered to my cabin the night before or the morning of disembarkation.

It never showed up. The day before was very rough seas, so I wonder if it just got missed. I only noticed today when I saw the charge on my invoice. I contacted customer service, who said 7 to 10 business days to look into it.

Has anyone had a Booty Free order not delivered on Virgin? How did it get resolved, and is there anything I should do in the meantime?

Going on our 3rd voyage later this year and still have yet to try Test Kitchen because I’m kind of a picky eater: I hate eggs, mushrooms, and seafood but love meat and will eat/try everything else

Is Test Kitchen totally off the table or do you think I could share my aversions and find something that might work?

Hey everyone! We are going on our first cruise in a couple of weeks. Our first stop is Philipsburg, Sint Marteen. VV's itinerary says the ship arrives at 9 am. I booked an excursion with a 9:30 am start time. The meeting point is a 2 min drive or 8 min walk from the cruise port. Is it realistic to think we will make it in time? I imagine that a lot of the excursions don't wait long after the set meeting time. Appreciate your input... thanks!

We will be celebrating my husband‘s 50th birthday on the upcoming Halloween cruise out of Miami. I’m wanting to do some special decorations, etc. 1. Is the birthday package from Virgin worth it? 2. Are the doors for our cabin metal so we can hang magnets? Thanks in advance.

First time trying VV after years of Carnival.

For context, I cruise 2-3 times a year, but I’ve only ever sailed Carnival to the Caribbean. Honestly, I’ve never had a problem with Carnival. In fact, I kind of enjoy the rigamarole that turns most off about Carnival, if we’re being honest.

Lately, my biggest complaint has been the number of under-21s. I say that as a 26-year-old myself, so I’m not exactly decades older than these people, but there’s definitely a difference in life stage and, sometimes, maturity. My last cruise felt almost overtaken by families on vacation, particularly around Father’s Day, with parents who seemed to give zero fucks about what their kids were doing. It got old. This is usually not an issue for me during off season, but I really do enjoy my summer sailings since this is when it's easiest for me to get off work.

Next summer, I figured I’d take a leap of faith and try the famously adults-only Virgin Voyages. I’m excited to experience something different, but I might have taken a bigger leap than I initially realized. I booked an 11-day Mediterranean cruise. This is a pretty big departure from my usual 5–8-day Caribbean cruises, so I’m excited but also wondering what I’ve gotten myself into.

I saw a TikTok (don't shoot me) showing VV’s daily activities, and a lot seemed to be workout classes or paid experiences. As a solo traveler, I like having plenty to do, even if it’s not all high-energy. I’d like more options than Pilates and lounging by the pool.

I’m not expecting nonstop entertainment, and I plan to spend plenty of time exploring ports and relaxing. But at around $3,100 for the cruise alone, before excursions, drinks, and extras, I want to feel like there’s enough included to keep me entertained on sea days without constantly spending more.

I know this sub naturally attracts VV fans, but I’d love some honest perspectives: Is there genuinely enough included to keep a solo traveler entertained, or can sea days start to feel boring if you’re used to Carnival’s constant activity? I’m trying to set realistic expectations before spending a pretty significant chunk of my annual travel budget on this trip.

I was just on this sailing and had a fantastic time until getting off ship! At first I thought maybe I was just a bit hungover, but ended up having to stay in Long Beach for 34 hours due to severe vomiting, nausea, and weakness. The vomiting has stopped, but still experiencing GI issues and generally feeling unwell.

Do you purchase the insurance?

Disembarking tomorrow morning, are we able to take the opened and sealed bottles home with us?

My wife and I are taking our first cruise in December. We sat down last night to book our Shore Things. We have port days on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, coming back Saturday. Because this is our first cruise, we booked a Shore Thing every day one was available -- we don't want to miss anything, since we don't know when/if we'll be back.

It made sense to us at first. We want to have a beach day, do some snorkeling, hike the rainforests and see all the sights in St. Lucia (where we originally wanted to honeymoon 15 years ago). But now I'm wondering if we'll be able to enjoy the ship at all. Most of our excursions are halfday -- 9:30 a.m. or so to about 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. ... although we did schedule one for 1:15 p.m. to get a later start and have breakfast on the ship.

I guess my question from those who've taken these cruises before is whether that's too much -- will we still have plenty of time to enjoy the ship, see the shows and eat dinner at all the restaurants? I assume we just come back to the ship around 2 or 3 p.m. after our excursion is finished, so we have the late afternoon and evening. And we have our at-sea day. I'm just not sure whether we'll feel like we ran so much that we didn't enjoy the boat.

Been on a few cruises but we have never visited the Den casino, curious on limits and rules on Blackjack compared to main casino?

I am leaving the 19 so would appreciate some detail as to how bad it is. Even some pics would be appreciated.

Would like to hear from other members of the LGBTQ community regarding the first LGBTQ meet up and how that went for you. Do people seem to click and find people to go to dinner with cocktails, etc..? We are a couple, hoping to meet other couples on our cruise and are wondering how this has gone for others who have been in the same situation as us.

My husband and I just got back from our Mexican Riviera SoCal/Baja Cruise. I’ll admit, I was annoyed that the new stops basically made this a very expensive staycation for us. This was my very first cruise, and I had been thinking about it nonstop for 6 months. To be clear, I was never mad at Virgin for making these changes nor would I have wanted to sail into a hurricane. But after a day of being pissed off, and doing a lot of venting, I came around. Simply being out on the water in the beautiful California weather can make any sullen sailor smile. It’s one of the many reasons I call SoCal home.

Let’s talk about the people. From the moment we set foot on board, it was like we all collectively decided to have fun. We were going to enjoy the heck out of this ship. Itinerary changes be damned. All of us being in the same boat(situationally, emotionally, and physically) created an interesting and immediate bond.

Even though I myself had spent a lot of time in both Santa Barbara and San Diego, many of my fellow sailors had not. I was able to put my local knowledge to good use and provide recommendations to those that didn’t get to research these stops ahead of time. It was fun running into them later and hearing about their adventures. We made a lot of unlikely friends this way that I hope to meet up with again someday.

We’re all adults here. As I mentioned before, this was my first cruise ever. I had resisted cruises in the past because the impression I got was that they herded people around like cattle, announcements calling you to this activity or that, waiting to get off at port, waiting to get on at port, dinner time line up and so on. Virgin isn’t like that. You go where you want when you want. If there are activities you are interested in, it’s up to you to seek them out. Wanna stay up late dancing? Do it! Wanna wake up early for yoga? Do it! Or in my case; get drunk on sangria, sign up for the first karaoke spot, sing, run away, get more sangria, and drunkenly explore the ship at midnight? Do it! The point is that no one is going to hold your hand and guide you to the best experience. Sure they will point you in the right direction when you end up in the front of the ship instead of the back because you used a different set of elevators but you are responsible for your own joy. That is about as adult as it gets.

Room attendants, servers, bartenders, and more. The amazing people that keep this thing running are the most fascinating people. I loved chatting up Joanna at the Dock House late when no one else was around. She would tell us about all of the places she’d been, and how different each voyage can be even if it’s to the same destination. Denzil, one of the servers at the Athletic Club, always remembered us and our drink order. Benjie, our server at Gunbae, who made us try everything and we were glad he did. There was also our room attendant Ivanna that made these newbies feel right at home. Every space on the ship was clean. No bathroom was ever out of toilet paper or paper towels. Empty plates and cups never sat for long before being cleared. It runs like a well-oiled machine. It’s clear these folks like their jobs. I loved seeing a server low key dance back to the bar after delivering drinks or a woman singing along to Rhianna while picking up towels from the deck chairs. Seeing them smiling and happy makes me happy too.

I could go on for several more paragraphs about the food, (which was amazing) or the room, (I already miss my hammock) or even the entertainment (Up With a Twist is worth the $50) but you can find a ton of posts about those things all over this sub. What I mostly wanted to provide was some insight to those with itineraries that are inevitably going to change due to the weather. Yes, it sucks but you’re on a freaking ship that’s basically an adult playground. Play! Jump in the hot tub at midnight. Camp out on a lounger all day and read. Watch the sun set from The Perch. Did I mention the sangria?

Made it all the way through adding sailor details and tried to select payment option and got screen that said “This cabin may have already sailed away…” and prompted me to refresh. Tried that a time or two and got the same result. Tried a different browser and then tried on my phone - Same result.

Tried without going through My Next and was able to get past that screen to where it put the room on hold for 24 hours.

The room is the same type I had when I booked My Next Virgin Voyage and I’m within my 2 year window.

Any suggestions?

Currently debating a couple of different itineraries for 2028.

One visits Ocho Rios. My research has found very mixed reviews. For context, we aren’t interested in any shore excursions, just having a day walking around and spending some time at Ocho Rios beach. Some reviews say the beach is lovely, others say it’s average at best and everywhere in Ocho Rios you are constantly hassled by street vendors (including on the beach). This really puts me off.

Anybody have any personal experience?

Four Lady Ships. Thousands of Sailors. One incredible afternoon in the Caribbean!

Virgin has shared some exciting plans for the February 16 meetup, but I’m curious what everyone would love to experience.

A massive synchronized deck party?
A special musical performance?
An exclusive dinner or cocktail experience?
Something completely unexpected?

Personally, I think it would be amazing to have a special moment where Sailors on all four ships feel connected, even though we’re celebrating from our own decks.

And, I would LOVE to meet Sir Richard personally!

What would make this event unforgettable for YOU?

If you have a Chase credit card, look into booking your VV cruise with Chase Travel. You get the essential fare, a varying on-board credit (based on the cabin type you book), plus free laundry!

On top of that, by using Chase Travel you get 5% cash back on your card.

As a solo traveler, I can never apply promotions for solo cabins, so I was happy to see I got some perks booking with Chase.

I hadn’t heard about this in the past, so thought I would share for my fellow sailors!

We loved the blanket that was in our room and saw it in the shop last October. I think? it was about $100 - does anyone know offhand or on a ship that can look and advise? We are looking at booking another cruise for the new year and I can't stop thinking of this blanket. Am hopeful it is actually in the shop and that it isn't inflated past that by too much.

If anyone is on the Virgin cruise starting tomorrow to Grand Turks and Bemini, the gal in the green dress is turning 40 so please wish her a happy bday. She has no idea about Reddit or any of this.

I'm considering giving Virgin another try as a solo traveler, but I'm hesitant because my first experience was nothing like the amazing solo experience I constantly hear about.

I had a late boarding time around 3:45 and rushed to the first solo meetup. The crazy part is I literally WALKED PAST the 50+ solo sailors without realizing it was them. When I got to the listed meeting spot, I was told they'd already left for Sail Away.

The meetup was supposed to last about 30 minutes, but apparently they stayed for only 5 or 10. There were two people facilitating it, but neither stayed behind for later arrivals. I also had no idea how important that first meetup and Sail Away were for getting connected.

I still tried. I went to the solo dinner that night, the gathering the next morning, and another one that evening. The next morning especially felt poorly facilitated. I asked the hosts about a WhatsApp/group chat and was basically told that if one existed, the passengers created it themselves.

After three attempts over two days, I gave up. I was on vacation and didn't want to spend it chasing people around the ship trying to figure out who had the WhatsApp link.

And to be clear, I wasn't expecting Virgin to give me five new best friends. I travel solo and enjoy doing things by myself. What I like about a good solo program is having a temporary community. People to have dinner with, sit by the pool with, go to a show with, or message, "Anyone doing trivia?"

That's what disappointed me. It felt like if you missed that first-day connection, there wasn't much of a way back in. I think there should be a Day 2 reset where new people are introduced, plans are shared, and someone helps people get into whatever group chat has formed.

There were things I liked about Virgin. The food was good, I enjoyed some of the entertainment, I got a substantial complimentary cabin upgrade, and I loved having no kids onboard. But I still left wondering why my experience felt so different from the "magical" Virgin experience I always hear about.

I'm considering trying again, and now I know to board as early as I legitimately can, get to that first meetup immediately, follow everyone to Sail Away, and find the group chat.

But that's also what makes me hesitant. Should a good solo experience depend that much on getting the first few hours exactly right?

For people who didn't immediately find their group on Day 1, what happened? Were you able to get connected later, or did you have a similar experience?

And please, no "you didn't try hard enough." I tried three solo events over two days, asked the hosts how to get connected, and approached people myself. At some point, I wanted to enjoy my vacation instead of chasing the solo group around the ship.