I just went on my first Virgin cruise, and I can’t wait to share all about it! The Crew was so amazing – everyone always said hello, had a kind smile, and was there to make your vacation as best as it could be. All the waiters, attendants, and entertainment crew were amazing, but my favorite small moment was when we were doing puzzles in the middle of a closed cafe, and someone approached us to ask if we wanted something to drink. We asked for cups of water, and while it might not seem like much, it saved us a walk to a drinking station and we could continue to obsess over our puzzle.
Similar to what I did with my Disney cruise, I want to consolidate what I experienced over multiple days as a preview of what to expect since you won’t have access to the schedule until you get on board. Normally, I list the different experiences in the order of “must do” to “nice to do”, but honestly, a lot of the dining, activity, and shows were equally enjoyable so keep that in mind. Let’s get into it!
Dining
- Pink Agave – This restaurant served Mexican fare, but the highlight for me was the smoky ribeye with cheese. Couple that with the guac and a tortilla, you will have the best steak taco! Shoutout to the papas con chorizo as well! The best baked potato dish onboard.
- Razzle Dazzle – This restaurant only exists on 2 of the Virgin ships whereas all the other restaurants are onboard all 4 ships. It’s trendy, with twists on American classic go-to’s and also a heck of a vegetarian/vegan menu. The Nashville hot cauliflower was a surprise hit – it had a delightfully crispy exterior and they were able to lower the spice level if you’re like me and can’t handle too much spice! Another personal recommendation would be to mix the mafaldine and lamb shank – the mixture balances the saltiness of the meat with the creaminess of the pasta. This is also one of two places that serves brunch, and I highly recommend the watermelon and sesame “cream” starter and the bacon. They were two of my favorite things that I ate onboard the ship.
- Test Kitchen – I think this is an iconic Virgin restaurant concept, and it lives up to the experience! You enter a kitchen “lab” where they have a 5 course set for both omnivores and vegetarians. If you have two people in your party, I definitely recommend getting one of each as some of the vegetarian options were even better than the omnivore course. We went twice since we wanted to try 2 of the 3 courses available. Menu C was delicious, but menu B was a bit lackluster.
- Diner & Dash (The Galley) – I ate breakfast here everyday so I was very attached to this location. In addition, it’s also THE place to get lunch and dinner on the ship if you don’t have reservations. We came back early after a port day once and had amazing pork adobo and fried rice here. It’s also open 24/7 so gotta love this place!
- Grounds Club – This was the coffee bar onboard where I frequented to get my Flat Whites and Shaken Espresso (known as the Angelino on the menu). The coffees were an upcharge, but a great treat if you’re craving a fancier coffee.
- The Wake – This was the steakhouse restaurant, and the steaks were fantastic! I ordered a filet mignon and it was cooked to my preference and of good quality. I wish there was a mac and cheese side, but otherwise, it’s a familiar upscale restaurant. The lemon cheesecake was also one of the better desserts onboard.
- Extra Virgin – This was an Italian restaurant, and there was a nice variety of pastas. You could get half portions of the pasta so we got all of them to try. My favorites were the gnocchi, spaghetti alle vongole, and pappardelle al ragu. We were stuffed after the pasta and the apps, but otherwise, we would have loved to try a protein or main dish. Next time!
- The Pizza Place – The pizzas were all freshly made so how could anyone complain about hot, fresh pizza?! The crust was ok, but the quality and quantity of the toppings made up for it. I think it’s truly a fan favorite – I saw so many people carrying pizza boxes around the ship!
- The Daily Mix (The Galley) – This was my go-to breakfast spot for getting toast and avocado to make my own avocado toast in the morning. In the afternoon/evening, it became a salad spot with lots of beautiful green veggies to choose from!
- Well Bread/The Sweet Side (The Galley) – This was the spot to get savory bread, sweet bites, and fruit. I visited everyday to try a macaron or cake, and most definitely to get my scoops of watermelon and pineapple.
- The Burger Bar (The Galley) – This was the other late night spot on the ship so I hope you crave burgers after a late night dance party! It also has a rotating burger of the day if you’re just a fan of burgers.
- Gunbae – This is a Korean BBQ restaurant where you’re seated with other sailors. I think the experience will really come down to who you’re seated with (we had a wonderful time), but I can see it being really awkward with the wrong people. I’ve been lucky to have amazing Korean BBQ so while the food was fine, it wasn’t my favorite restaurant.
- Lick Me Till… Ice Cream – I loved the ice cream flavors, but unfortunately, the texture was more icy than creamy so not my favorite ice cream.
- Bento Baby (The Galley) – They had great to-go options for you to take back to your room or the pool deck, but nothing we tried was spectacular.
Activities
- Scarlet Night – This is the most iconic party on Virgin Voyages, and it lives up to the hype! Everyone is dressed in red, and everyone joins the fun so don’t forget to pack something red! There’s Cabaret-style shows, karaoke, and dance parties. If you have time, it’s fun to visit the Glam Station before for a bit of glitter and pizazz!
- Workouts – A real cool thing about Virgin Voyages is that all the workout classes are included. You do have to sign up for some of them (with a no-show fee) but not all, and they’re a fun option. It’s always a great feeling to do an activity that includes extra movement and gives you extra stomach space. 😉
- Puzzle Challenges – This was a new one for me, but not for other people considering how popular they were! My advice would be to get there 15-20 minutes early. Essentially, you have/form a team to try to complete a puzzle within an hour, ideally completing it first. We did one and got 3rd place!
- Club Caliente – This was the dance party on the last night of the cruise. It was fun but definitely not as crowded/vibrant as Scarlet Night.
- Karaoke Room – This was so cool to see on a cruise, but nothing novel compared to things on land. You could book a time slot for a private karaoke room for free, but make sure to get there early as slots do fill up!
Shows
- Around the World with The Diva – This was a show featuring The Diva, their resident drag queen, and it was a lively show with great jokes, fun music, and dancing.
- UNTITLED DANCESHOWPARTYTHING – This was the last show for us, and it focused purely on dancing. It was definitely fun to dance along, but it was also really cool to watch super talented dancers dance difficult choreography.
- The Magnets – They’re an acapella group, and they were a surprise hit for me! We enjoyed their first show so much, we came to their second since it was a different show.
- Stand Up Comedian – Our comedian was fantastic and so popular that we still couldn’t get seats to his last set 30 minutes before the show since people kept coming back. It’s not as unique as the top shows but still great entertainment and a wonderful way to spend time onboard.
- It’s a Ship Show – This is the variety dinner show that you’ll need to reserve, but there’s multiple time slots. We ate dinner before our show so we were just there for the entertainment. The singers and the dancers were great, but I just don’t think I’m a fan of the variety format. However, the special acrobatic performers were MAJOR highlights and it was worth sitting through to see their performances!
- Cabaret Shows/Lounge Singers – These were great ambiance entertainment sets. It was really impressive how often these singers performed and the catalog of music they knew!
Final Thoughts
I hope this post was helpful for understanding what you can expect on Virgin Voyages, especially on the Valiant Lady! I hear that the ships are similar to each other so hopefully, some of this can be helpful even if you’re not going on the Valiant Lady. Let me know if you have any questions I can help answer!
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