Virgin Voyages

Short cruises often have a lively ‘party atmosphere,’ so I anticipated it would be bustling. I found myself puzzled about the target audience for VV: Was it meant for the young, the old, or those in between? Were they looking for a quiet experience or something more social? I was eager to uncover the answer.

Why are VV different?

Firstly, they are completely adult only but also VV is committed to standing out from other cruise lines, especially when it comes to the food! As food is my favourite aspect of any cruise, I was a bit concerned about how VV's offerings would suit our picky eating habits. For example, instead of a traditional 'Main Dining Room' like those on other cruise lines, VV presents a different dining experience, which I will elaborate on further in my review.

I’ll be honest, embarkation was a bit chaotic. It felt like Portsmouth had never hosted a cruise line before. We checked in, got our wrist bands - (there are no cruise cards with VV) and made our way onto the ship. Cabins are ready as soon as you board (makes a nice change) so we made our way to the cabin, watched the very ‘musical’ safety video and then checked in at our Muster Station. Now time to relax and explore...

All of the following food was included in the price of our cruise...

Gunbae - Korean BB Restaurant

This was the first restaurant we visited and really out of my comfort zone but I’m so glad we did, as it was fantastic. It’s worth noting that in this restaurant, you share your table with other diners (up to 8 people to a table usually), but we had lovely people at our table and it was all part of the experience. Gunbae is loud but excellent fun. The server explained the whole concept to us and made recommendations as to what and how much to order. It’s recommended to order about 4 to 5 plates per couple from the ‘Small Plates’ and ‘Rice/Noodles/Stew’ section of the menus. We sampled Bugak (Nori Rice Crisps), Bindae Tteok (Mungbean and Kimchi Pancakes), Dakgangjeong (crispy chicken in a chili sauce) and Bibimbap (rice, egg and mixed vegetables). The highlight was definitely the Dakgangjeong and I’m still craving for more! The star of the show is the main course where your server cooks your food on an indoor BBQ in the middle of your table. There a vegetable, seafood and meat options. We had the Kalbi (marinated beef short ribs), the pork belly and a variety of mushrooms (we don’t eat fish/seafood) - all were delicious. There’s also a game to play between courses which is led by your server and is great fun. All in all a really fun and tasty experience.

Extra Virgin (Italian Restaurant)

Our second visit was to Extra Virgin, a really elegant Italian restaurant which was a much quieter affair than Gunbae. Our meal started by our server bringing bread and oil to share. The first course was the Antipasto and from the 7 options to choose from, I went for the braised meatballs with smoked mozzarella, tomato and pancetta - these were beautiful and my favourite course of the evening. Next course was the Affettati Misti which was a sharing board of meats and cheeses - the cheese was a little disappointing but there was still plenty more food to come! Next you got to choose from either the Secondo or Pasta section - with 11 choices, it was a difficult one but I plumped for the Pappardelle Ragu which was extremely tasty and very filling! There were 3 choices for dessert (Dolci) where I chose the Ricotta Bomboloni which finished the meal perfectly. There was also the option of Tableside Affogato where your server brings a trolley to the table with an array of gelato, sorbets, toppings and espresso. This also looked lovely. Again, another top class meal and all included in the price of the cruise!<br/><br/>Pink Agave (Mexican Restaurant)<br/>Pink Agave was our final evening restaurant and had a busy atmosphere on arrival but soon quietened down. Our server advised us on what and how much to order. The menu consisted of Botanas (Small Plates), Entradas (Medium Plates), Fuertes (Large Plates) and Postres (Dessert). We were encouraged to order from all of the sections of which we didn’t need to be told twice!! From the small plates we had guacamole with pomegranite seeds and jalapenos plus Esquites (grilled corn, spicy aioli and lime). Next up were the medium plates. We chose Enchilada de Pollo (chicken enchilada with salsa and cream) alongside Papas con Chorizo (Yukon Gold Potatoes with Chorizo, Onion and Garlic) - yum! Next was the large plate option where we each chose Bistec Marinero En Escabeche (rib eye steak, oxaca cheese and chili ancho) - this was beautiful but felt it lacked something as it was served on it’s own. It would have been better served with the potatoes from the medium plate section. Lastly was dessert. I opted for the Chocolate Tacos filled with Dulce de Leche which sounded a bit sickly but surprisingly, they were really well-balanced and just right! Apparently the Capirotada was equally as good (bread pudding with rum & raisins). Another high quality restaurant experience!

The Wake (Sophisticated Steakhouse)

We didn’t have enough time to visit here of an evening but we did manage to book in for Brunch. The Wake is a beautiful restaurant that overlooks the aft of the ship and offers stunning views. It’s probably the most high-end restaurant onboard with beautiful tableware. It’s worth noting that you can upgrade your brunch to be bottomless which means you’ll get the same food menu but you can have unlimited wine for 2 hours. We just kept to the standard brunch. There were several starters to choose from but we went for The Wedge Salad (baby gem lettuce, boiled egg, smoked bacon and blue cheese) - a nice light option to start with. The second course had several choices including ‘Mains’ and ‘Benedicts’ - I believe you can choose from both if you wish but we stuck to ‘Steak and Eggs’ from the Mains which came with a potato rosti (best I’ve ever had), braised Swiss chard and Borderlaise sauce. It was a nice meal but not as good as some of the others we’d experienced onboard. Oddly, our poached eggs came out in little cups with the poaching water still in them! There were three options for dessert but we chose to skip this as we were full. It would have been nice to have experienced an evening service at The Wake but we just didn’t have the time.

Of the six main restaurants: Gunbae, The Wake, Extra Virgin, Pink Agave, Test Kitchen and Razzle Dazzle, there were just two we didn’t experience... but there's always next time!

There are other eating options onboard as well as the six main ones...

The Dock and Dockhouse

The Dock and The Dockhouse share the same menu and the only difference in venue is that The Dockhouse is indoors and The Dock is the outdoor terrace area. There’s a small menu consisting of ‘snacks’ such as Shrimp, Octopus, Hangar Steak etc. all freshly prepared and delivered to your table or sunbed. Also, every day there is ‘Opa Hour’ where they bring out a roving Mezze Cart with Greek Specialities for you to try. We loved the Dock for a light lunch with the wind in our hair!

The Social Club

The Social Club offers a small menu of light bites to enjoy whilst you are enjoying one of the quizzes that takes place here. As well as boozy milkshakes (not included) they have a menu of Pretzels, Chicken Wings, Hot Dogs and Popcorn, it’s the perfect place for a between-meal snack.

There is also a sweet counter available where you can grab some Fudge bites, Krispie Treats, Cakepops or a bag of pick and mix sweets. We certainly weren’t used to having free pick and mix on a cruise!

Lick Me 'Til Ice-Cream

The ‘tongue in cheek’ named ice-cream parlour onboard has several flavours, some of which change each day so you may need to visit multiple times! I loved the chocolate one but I have it on good authority that the Malaga (Rum & Raisin) and The Key Lime Pie were equally as good! Free ice-cream... you didn’t need to tell me twice!

The Pizza Place

This is just as the name suggests, a place to get Pizza. You can either eat in or take away. They are freshly made to order and there are several flavours to choose from. This venue is also open until late (2am if I remember right!)

Sun Club Cafe

The Sun Club Cafe is an outdoor eatery on Deck 16 that often gets missed. It’s menu can change but it usually serves Poke Bowls, Bao Buns and other snacks.

Ship Eats

This is VV’s version of Room Service. All of the food is FREE but it does come with a delivery charge. Top Tip: Order a chargeable item such as a coffee or a beer alongside your free food and they’ll only charge you the cost of the chargeable item and not the delivery charge - works out far cheaper!

The Galley

Last but by no means least is The Galley. This is as close as VV gets to having a buffet but it’s different to the norm. The Galley consists of several food stalls, more like a market style food hall. A couple of the stalls, you have to go up to and fetch your food but most of them you can order at your table with your server. Everything is freshly cooked to order for you. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are served here PLUS Burgers are available until 2am and the All-Day Breakfast at Diner & Dash is 24 hours!!!

Entertainment

I’ll be honest, we didn’t go to any of the shows or parties put on by ‘The Happenings Cast’ (VV’s name for the entertainment team) so I can’t tell you anything about them. What I do know is that there’s plenty of entertainment to choose from. We saw ‘The Mind Mangler - Member of the Tragic Circle’ show which is a mickey take of a mind-reading show but very silly - we enjoyed it a lot. We also saw a visiting Comedian from the UK and a couple of live bands. We also went to ‘Bingo with the Diva’ which is essentially drag-queen bingo. It is great fun and the prizes are huge but the tickets are expensive at $35 per person. However, the lady behind me won $1650 and that wasn’t the top prize! Another thing that we enjoyed was The Groupie which is your own private Karaoke Booth that you can hire (free of charge) per hour. It seems to be something that many aren’t aware of. There are 3 booths, one that takes 2-4 people, one that takes 4-6 people and one that takes 8-10. You just need to pop to ‘The Groupie’ in the morning and put your name down for your chosen time. We really enjoyed it, the hour went very quickly, lots of songs to choose from and nobody could hear us murdering them!

Entertainment is really varied onboard. I’d envisaged it would be loud and ‘in your face’ but I was wrong. Yes, there are parties: Sailaway Party, Pyjama Party and the famous Scarlet Night but they’re only in one part of the ship so if you want to join in, you can - if you want something more chilled then there are other offerings too: bands, magicians etc. In fact, some of the bars were so quiet in an evening, you wondered where everyone was! Presumably, they were all partying!

During the day there were quizzes, challenges, dance classes (90's Boy Band Dance Class, not your usual ballroom class!), sports games etc. We particularly liked the Social Club where there was a big cupboard full of board games and people would sit at one of the many tables enjoying Jenga, Scrabble etc. with their friends or sometimes with people they’d just met. We took part in a Puzzle Challenge which turned out to be very competitive! Teams of six competed against other teams to see who could finish a jigsaw the quickest - sounds boring but it really wasn’t!

Out on deck there were the usual deck games (shuffleboard etc) alongside an adults playground (think adult size swings and see-saws!), a boxing ring and much more. It’s certainly difficult to be bored on Virgin Voyages. Equally, there were many quiet areas where you could chill with a book.There’s so much more to Virgin Voyages than what I’ve detailed here, like the huge choice of bars, the designer shops, the tattoo parlour, the casino, the retro arcade (machines are free), the coffee shop, the two-storey night club, the vinyl shop (complete with record player for you to try them out), the HUGE choice of fitness classes and gym equipment... the list goes on.

One thing to explain is how the drinks work as it’s VERY different to other cruise lines. ‘Essential Drinks’ are included in the price of your cruise so these are basic tea/coffee (not from the coffee shop as these are chargeable), basic fruit juices, water and fizzy soft drinks such as Fanta, Coke etc. All other drinks are a chargeable extra. You can purchase ‘Bar Tab’ in advance of your cruise and this gives you a little bonus extra to spend too. This is NOT a drinks package though, it’s just an amount that you use to buy your drinks. You can keep an eye on your bar tab through the app to see how much you’ve spent. As a guide, when we were onboard it was approx $8 for a beer (a can, not a pint) and $40 for a bottle of wine so it’s easy to get through your bar tab quickly!

Would we travel with Virgin Voyages again?

The short answer is Yes but in all honesty, probably only if we’d got a really good deal so that we didn’t mind so much about paying the drinks prices!

Who is Virgin Voyages aimed at?

This is what baffled me before I went on the cruise and I’m still not sure. I think the answer is ‘Everyone’. Looking around the ship there really was the biggest mix of age groups and lifestyles I’ve ever seen on a cruise and everyone got on really well.

What is the dress code?

There isn’t one at all. You’d see people dressed up to the nines and you’d see people very casual (not scruffy) and everyone just mingled in and nobody judged! It was refreshing.

What were my favourite things about Virgin Voyages:

• The Food was amazing and no extra charges
• The fact it’s adults only
• The Chilled vibe

What was I not so keen on?

• Portsmouth was not a great port for embarkation
• The lack of a drinks package
• The toilets had weird signs that made it difficult to know if you were entering the correct one!

All in all, it was a fantastic ship with a great vibe and amazing food!