Disclosure: I set sail courtesy of Virgin Voyages, however, all opinions are my own
This spring, we had the opportunity to go on an 8 night cruise with Virgin Voyages. It is an adults only cruise, and we sailed out of Miami. I had heard so many great things about this line, I couldn’t wait to experience it for myself. After having a couple of months to think about everything we experienced, I came up with several things we LOVED about the cruise, and a couple of things we would change. Let me know if you have any questions!
Things We Loved:
1.) Richards Rooftop: This was hands down our favorite part of the cruise, but the key is you have to book a suite or be a VIP to have access to this special place on the front of the ship. But yall, it’s totally worth it! You get special access to this area where you can lounge, enjoy hot tubs, and have your own bar. We even had food from one of the quick serve places brought to us. It was always quiet and not crowded. There is also a daily champagne (free) happy hour! You also get a concierge crew member to help you book excursions, restaurants, and answer questions for you during the cruise, as well as access to a private retreat on Bimini! There are other perks as well, that I didn’t mention, so check our Rockstar status on the website!
2.) Bimini:
The Beach Club at Bimini is the “private island” in Bahamas that Virgin uses. It’s no actually owned by them, but when a Virgin ship is in port, they have exclusive access to the Beach Club. This was our favorite day of the trip. There are beach loungers, a huge pool, food, bars, music, and the water was so clear and inviting. We had amazing weather and didn’t want to leave!
3.) Dual reality Show:
Everyone said this show was a must do, but honestly I didn’t think I would love it and didn’t really know what to expect. I was BLOWN AWAY. Some of the most talented performers you will ever see do amazing stunts and tricks in a sort of Romeo and Juliet show. Do not miss this.
4.) Hammock’s on the Balcony:
Again, this was something I had heard people rave about but didn’t “get it” until I was in one drifting of to sleep for an afternoon nap. This is the most comfy hammock I have ever been in, and swaying with the ocean makes it even better. 10/10 recommend at least one nap here!
5.) Restaurants as Opposed to Huge Dining Room:
On other cruises I have been on, I always feel super rushed at dinner because everyone is eating at once and the poor servers are running around bringing course after course then trying to get you out so the next seating can come in. Virgin has “regular” sized restaurants with plenty of reservation times, so you would show up as you would to any restaurant back home at your designated time. I like this a lot better because you get a change or scenery and also I never felt rushed.
What We Would Change on Virgin Voyages:
Obviously no cruise or ship is perfect and everyone has preferences, but there truly isn’t’ a lot I would change about our trip on the Valiant Lady. I came up with three things, the first two are super minor but I wanted to be fully transparent. The third was preference as I know a ton of people loved every bite of food, so take this with a grain of salt!
1.) More pool space:
I feel that this is a common complaint on ALL cruise ships I have ever been on, but we never once went to the pool because it was so tiny and always super crowded. It just looked like human soup. For that many people I feel it should have been three times the size or had one or two more. I don’t know the “rules” for pools at sea so I am sure they have a good reason, but just stating info based on what I saw.
2.) Bigger Bathrooms:
We were in a sea terrace, and the bathroom was ttiinnyyyy. Shaving my legs was nearly impossible and i was basically on the toilet trying to wash my hands. I get claustrophobic so always had to have the door open haha! I heard the XL sea terrace has a bigger bathroom so maybe spring for that upgrade.
3.) Food quality/taste:
This is one that you will hear both sides of the spectrum on, and honestly, that’s normal since everyone has different tastes and expectations! There were some things that were AWESOME and we loved, and a lot of things that were just bland or didn’t seem of good quality. It was kind of all over the board and inconsistent, and I would give the food an “overall” rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was certainly not bad by any means, but some people rave about it, and YES some dishes were rave worthy and delicious (and especially drinks!), but as a whole, it was just “ok” for us. The food on Bimini was probably the biggest let down, I just didn’t like the flavor and ended up very hungry when we got back to the ship (but I had a ton of great drinks on Bimini!) Food is PLENTIFUL onboard so you will never run out of things to try, so try it all!
So there you have it, my official opinion on Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady. Would I sail again? 10000% yes! We had way more fun than we were expecting we would, and truly loved the ship, the people, the ports, and experience. If you have the opportunity, you should definitely do it, I’m ready to go back!
Related: 7 Disney Cruise Line Myths
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