Virgin Voyages Adults-Only Cruises: What to Know Before You Sail
If you’re looking for an adults-only cruise, Virgin Voyages is one cruise line that deserves a closer look. Every sailing is exclusively for guests 18 and older, but being adults only is just the beginning of what makes this cruise line different. Virgin Voyages has changed quite a few of the things people normally associate with cruising, from how and where you eat to what you do after dinner.
You won’t find a traditional main dining room, assigned dining times or a huge cruise ship buffet. Instead, dining is spread across more than 20 included eateries, with restaurants that feel like completely different experiences rather than variations of the same dining room. Gratuities, Wi-Fi, group fitness classes and entertainment are also included, which is important to keep in mind when comparing the overall cost with another cruise. See why Virgin Voyages cruising may be right for you.
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The result is a vacation that may appeal to adults who like the idea of cruising but aren’t necessarily looking for a traditional cruise experience. It can also be an interesting change for experienced cruisers who are ready to try something different. Virgin Voyages has a very distinct personality, though, and understanding that personality before you book is far more important than simply choosing it because you like the idea of an adults-only ship.
When I first set out to learn more about Virgin Voyages for my clients, I had tons of questions and I am sure you do as well. Let’s start with answering a few of the most common ones and then we will talk more about why a Virgin Voyages cruise might be the vacation you are searching for.
Before You Set Sail: More Virgin Voyages Questions Answered
Once Virgin Voyages makes it onto your vacation list, the questions usually shift from what makes the cruise line different to the little details that can affect your trip. From what to wear to whether you need a passport, here are a few practical things to know while planning your first Virgin Voyages cruise.
Virgin Voyages doesn’t have traditional formal nights or a fleetwide dress code requiring you to pack cocktail dresses, suits or formalwear. The overall approach is much more relaxed, so you can decide how dressed up you want to be for dinner and evenings onboard. One thing worth packing is something red for Scarlet Night, when many Sailors join in by wearing red.
Passport requirements depend on your itinerary, departure port and citizenship, so this is something you should verify for your specific sailing rather than relying on general cruise advice. Even when another form of documentation may be permitted for a particular itinerary, traveling with a valid passport can make things much easier if an unexpected situation requires you to fly home from another country.
Virgin Voyages uses assigned arrival times to help manage the embarkation process, so you shouldn’t plan on simply arriving at the terminal first thing in the morning. Your specific arrival information will be available before your sailing. If you’re flying to your embarkation city, arriving at least one day before the cruise is also worth considering so a flight delay doesn’t leave you racing to meet the ship.
Yes. Virgin Voyages offers laundry services onboard for an additional charge, which can be particularly useful on longer sailings or when you’re combining your cruise with several days on land. There aren’t traditional self-service passenger laundry rooms, so it’s worth factoring laundry service into your plans if you’re hoping to pack lighter.
Virgin Voyages allows Sailors to bring a limited amount of wine onboard at embarkation, subject to its current alcohol policy. Other alcoholic beverages brought from shore may be held until the end of the voyage. Because cruise line policies can change, check the current Virgin Voyages guidelines for your sailing before packing alcohol in your luggage.
Those little planning details can make your first Virgin Voyages experience much easier, especially when the cruise line does a few things differently from what experienced cruisers may be used to. Now that we’ve covered some of the practical questions, keep reading for a closer look at the adults-only experience, dining, ships and how to decide whether Virgin Voyages fits the way you like to vacation.
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What Makes Virgin Voyages Different From Other Cruise Lines?
Virgin Voyages was designed from the beginning as an adults-only cruise line for guests 18 and older. That distinction matters because this isn’t a family cruise ship with a few adults-only areas tucked away. There are no kids clubs, children’s splash areas or family activities because the entire ship is designed around adults. Restaurants, entertainment, nightlife and public spaces don’t have to appeal to every age group at the same time.
That doesn’t mean you should automatically picture a nonstop party ship. You can certainly find plenty happening at night, but you can also have a long dinner, listen to live music, grab a drink or head back to your cabin without participating in the late-night scene. The nice thing about a larger ship is that everyone doesn’t have to vacation the same way.
Virgin Voyages also feels less structured than some traditional cruise lines. You’re not automatically organizing your evening around an assigned dinner time followed by a scheduled production show. There are still things you’ll want to plan, particularly popular restaurants and entertainment, but the overall experience gives you more freedom to decide what sounds good that day.
Dining Is a Huge Part of the Virgin Voyages Experience
Food is one of the areas where Virgin Voyages really separates itself from the traditional cruise format. Instead of funneling everyone toward a main dining room at dinner, the ships have a collection of restaurants and casual eateries with completely different menus and personalities. More than 20 eateries are included in the cruise fare, so you’re not automatically paying an additional specialty dining charge every time you want something different.
You might choose Korean barbecue at Gunbae one night, Italian at Extra Virgin another, steak and seafood at The Wake, or Mexican food at Pink Agave. The Test Kitchen takes a more experimental approach, while casual options give you places to grab pizza, tacos, burgers, desserts and other quick meals without turning every meal into a sit-down event. The Galley replaces the enormous self-service buffet you may associate with cruising and offers several food stations instead.
I think the variety is especially appealing for travelers who consider meals part of their vacation experience. You aren’t eating in the same dining room every night just because that’s where your table happens to be. Dinner can become part of your evening plans, and a group of friends could spend a week trying completely different restaurants without everyone having to agree on the same type of food night after night.
What’s Actually Included With Virgin Voyages?
This is where comparing cruise fares can get tricky. It’s easy to look at two advertised prices and assume the cheaper cruise is the better deal, but that doesn’t tell you what you’ll actually spend by the time the vacation is over. Virgin Voyages includes several things in its cruise fare that may cost extra elsewhere, so I would always compare the total vacation rather than the starting price.
Dining at the included restaurants and eateries is part of your fare, along with gratuities, Wi-Fi, entertainment and group fitness classes. Essential beverages including still and sparkling water, sodas, non-pressed juices, tea and drip coffee are also included. That means you’re not automatically adding a daily gratuity charge, basic internet package or specialty restaurant charges to your vacation just to experience some of the things that attracted you to the ship in the first place.
There are still plenty of ways to spend additional money. Alcoholic drinks aren’t automatically included, and spa treatments, shore excursions, premium food and beverage choices and other extras can increase your final vacation cost. That’s why I wouldn’t describe Virgin Voyages as all-inclusive. I would simply look carefully at what’s already covered and then compare that with what you would realistically purchase on another cruise line.
What Are the Ships Like?
Virgin Voyages ships have a contemporary feel that fits with the rest of the brand. The spaces are designed for adults to eat, drink, exercise, relax and socialize rather than making room for the huge family attractions you’ll find on some of today’s newest ocean cruise ships. You won’t see towering waterslides or an entire neighborhood built around children’s activities, and that frees up space for a different type of onboard experience.
There are pools and outdoor spaces for relaxing, along with a spa, fitness center, outdoor running track and The Athletic Club. There are also plenty of bars, lounges and places where you can sit with a drink without necessarily needing an activity planned. The ships can be social when you want them to be, but you don’t have to spend the entire day moving from one scheduled event to another.
The cabins also take a slightly different approach. Many feature Virgin Voyages’ signature red hammock on the balcony, and cabin categories range from more straightforward accommodations to RockStar and Mega RockStar Quarters. Choosing between those categories is something I’d look at carefully because the experience and included perks can change as you move into the higher cabin levels.
What Is Entertainment and Nightlife Like?
Virgin Voyages doesn’t follow the familiar cruise formula of putting everyone into a large theater for a traditional production show every evening. Entertainment can include music, comedy, dance, immersive performances and shows where the audience becomes much more involved than simply sitting in a theater seat.
That gives evenings a less predictable feel. You may have dinner, catch part of a performance, stop somewhere for a drink and then discover something else happening elsewhere on the ship. For travelers who don’t particularly enjoy planning every hour of their evening, that freedom can be a big part of the appeal.
Scarlet Night is probably the best-known example. It isn’t simply one show that you attend and then leave. Events and performances take place around the ship before the evening turns into more of a party atmosphere. Red is the unofficial color of the night, so this is one occasion where adding something red to your packing list is a good idea.
Where Can You Sail With Virgin Voyages?
Virgin Voyages offers itineraries in the Caribbean, Europe and other destinations depending on the ship and season, which means choosing the right sailing should start with where you actually want to spend your vacation. I wouldn’t choose a ship first and then settle for whatever itinerary happens to fit its schedule.
A Caribbean itinerary can make a lot of sense if you want warm weather, beach time and a good balance between ports and enjoying the ship. European itineraries create a very different vacation because the destinations can become a much larger part of your days. You might spend hours sightseeing before returning to the ship for dinner and nightlife, making the trip feel more like a European vacation that happens to use a cruise ship as your home base.
The length of the sailing matters too. Someone who has never tried Virgin Voyages and wants a fun adults-only getaway may be looking for something very different from a couple planning a longer Mediterranean vacation. Starting with your destination, available vacation time and what you actually want to do during the trip makes it much easier to narrow down the choices.
Who Would Enjoy a Virgin Voyages Adults-Only Cruise?
Virgin Voyages doesn’t have one ideal age group, and I wouldn’t try to decide whether you belong onboard based on your birthday. How you like to vacation tells us much more. If several of these sound familiar, Virgin Voyages may be worth putting on your list.
- Adults who really want an adults-only vacation: There isn’t a separate adults-only pool surrounded by family areas. The entire ship is for guests 18 and older, which changes the overall atmosphere of the vacation.
- Couples looking for something different: Anniversaries, birthdays and simple getaways don’t always have to mean an adults-only resort. Virgin Voyages gives couples the chance to combine time together with several destinations in one trip.
- Friends traveling together: Groups can meet for dinner and nightlife without needing to spend every minute together. Different restaurants, activities and shore excursions make it easy for everyone to have some independence during the trip.
- Travelers who plan vacations around food: If you’re already looking at restaurant menus before you leave home, the variety of included dining options is probably going to get your attention.
- People who dislike rigid vacation schedules: No assigned dining time means you have more flexibility when planning your evenings, and the entertainment doesn’t always follow the traditional dinner-and-a-show cruise routine.
- Adults who enjoy nightlife: Bars, live entertainment, parties and Scarlet Night give you plenty of reasons to stay out after dinner if that’s part of the vacation you’re looking for.
- Travelers who like to stay active: Fitness spaces and included group classes make it easier to keep moving without paying for every class separately.
- Experienced cruisers ready for a change: If you’ve taken several traditional cruises and feel like you keep repeating the same vacation, the differences in dining, entertainment and overall atmosphere can make Virgin Voyages feel fresh.
Who Might Not Enjoy Virgin Voyages?
Adults only doesn’t automatically mean everyone over 18 will love Virgin Voyages. There are some vacation styles that simply fit other cruise lines or resorts better, and figuring that out before booking is much better than discovering it once you’re onboard.
- Anyone traveling with guests under 18: Virgin Voyages is exclusively for adults, so this isn’t an option if children or teenagers under the minimum age are part of your travel group.
- Cruisers who love traditional cruise routines: If formal nights, assigned dining and familiar cruise traditions are some of your favorite parts of sailing, you may miss them here.
- Travelers looking for a very quiet adults-only escape: Adults only and peaceful aren’t necessarily the same thing. There is nightlife, music and a social side to Virgin Voyages that won’t appeal to everyone.
- People who love big traditional production shows: Entertainment is intentionally less conventional. If sitting down for a large Broadway-style show every night is a highlight of cruising for you, another line may fit better.
- Travelers who want a ship packed with attractions: There aren’t giant waterslides, roller coasters and sprawling family activity areas. Virgin Voyages uses that space differently.
- Anyone uncomfortable with cheekier adult humor: Some of the entertainment and overall personality can be playful and more adult-oriented than what you’d encounter on a traditional family cruise.
- Travelers expecting an all-inclusive alcohol package: Alcohol isn’t automatically included. If you’re comparing the trip with an adults-only all-inclusive resort, make sure you’re factoring drinks into the overall cost.
Is Virgin Voyages Just a Party Cruise?
The adults-only label and some of the Virgin Voyages marketing can make it easy to assume the entire cruise revolves around partying. There is certainly an active social side to the ships, and anyone who wants nightlife will find plenty of opportunities to enjoy it. Scarlet Night, DJs, bars and late-night entertainment are all part of the experience.
But you aren’t required to participate in all of it. You can have dinner, see a show, find somewhere for a drink and have a completely different evening from the people who are still dancing hours later. During the day, you can spend time by the pool, head to the spa, take a fitness class or simply relax.
That’s an important distinction because there are plenty of adults who want an adults-only vacation without wanting spring break every night. Virgin Voyages gives you access to the more energetic side of the ship, but how much of it becomes part of your vacation is largely up to you.
Virgin Voyages vs. an Adults-Only All-Inclusive Resort
I think this is a much more useful comparison than simply putting Virgin Voyages against another cruise line. Someone searching for an adults-only getaway may be deciding between a cruise and staying at one resort for the week, and those vacations feel very different.
At an adults-only all-inclusive resort, you arrive, unpack and settle into one destination. Your favorite pool chair may become your spot for the week, you get to know the restaurants and staff, and there isn’t necessarily any reason to leave the property unless you want to explore. That can be exactly what you need when relaxation is the priority.
Virgin Voyages gives you the same convenience of unpacking once, but your surroundings keep changing. You might spend one day at a beach, another exploring a city and another enjoying the ship. Then you return to the same cabin each night without having to move your luggage between hotels.
Neither one wins automatically. If you want to settle in and completely unwind, the resort may make more sense. If you like the idea of combining an adults-only atmosphere with several destinations and more nightlife, Virgin Voyages becomes a much more interesting option.
Is Virgin Voyages Only for Younger Adults?
I wouldn’t use age as the deciding factor when considering Virgin Voyages. The 18-and-older requirement tells you who is allowed onboard, but it doesn’t tell you who is going to enjoy the vacation.
Someone in their 50s or 60s who loves trying new restaurants, listening to live music, meeting people and staying out late may fit the experience far better than someone in their 20s who wants a quiet, traditional cruise. You also don’t have to participate in every party or spend the entire night at a bar to enjoy the ship.
Instead of asking whether you’re too old or too young for Virgin Voyages, look at the things that actually matter. Do you want adults only? Does the dining setup appeal to you? Are you comfortable with entertainment that’s a little different? Would you enjoy having a social atmosphere available without being required to participate in it? Those answers are much more useful.
How Do You Choose the Right Virgin Voyages Cruise?
I’d start with what you want the vacation to feel like rather than immediately comparing ships and cabin categories. Someone dreaming about warm Caribbean beaches is starting from a completely different place than someone who wants to spend their days exploring Mediterranean cities.
Once you’ve narrowed down the destination, then you can look at the itinerary, number of nights, departure port and time of year. After that comes the ship and cabin. This is also when it’s worth comparing the standard cabins with Sea Terrace options and the RockStar categories to see whether paying more actually gives you benefits you’ll use.
Price matters, of course, but I wouldn’t choose a sailing simply because it’s the cheapest one available. A great price on an itinerary that doesn’t interest you isn’t much of a deal. The goal is finding the combination of destination, ship, cabin and overall experience that matches how you want to spend your vacation.
Is a Virgin Voyages Adults-Only Cruise Right for You?
Virgin Voyages is more than a traditional cruise with the children removed. The adults-only concept influences how the ships are designed, how dining works, what happens after dinner and the overall personality of the vacation. That’s what makes the brand worth considering even if you’ve cruised many times before.
The biggest question is whether those differences line up with the way you like to travel. Maybe you’re excited about trying a different restaurant every night without paying specialty dining charges. Maybe you want a cruise where everyone is at least 18. Maybe you’re planning a getaway with friends and want plenty happening after dinner. Or perhaps you love the idea of visiting several destinations but still want an adults-only atmosphere waiting for you when you return to the ship.
Ready To Book Your Next Cruise Vacation?
Ready to unpack once and wake up somewhere new? A cruise can be a great way to explore multiple destinations in one vacation, but choosing the right cruise line, ship, itinerary, and stateroom can make a big difference in your overall experience. Whether you’re dreaming about sailing through the Caribbean, exploring Europe by river, planning an adults-only escape, or looking for a fun family cruise, there are plenty of options to consider.
As your travel agent, I can help you sort through those choices and find a cruise vacation that fits the way you like to travel and your budget. From selecting the right itinerary and stateroom to helping with the details leading up to your sailing, Shoreline Journeys Travel is here to make planning your cruise easier. Simply fill out this contact form or send me an email, and I’ll be in touch with you shortly to start planning!
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PHOTO CREDITS: Virgin Voyages Travel Advisor Assets
All-Inclusive Resort Photo: Shoreline Journeys Travel
Your post definitely sways me into going on a cruise. How many clients confess to being afraid the boat would sink, like the Titanic? I know I’d would be!
Well since there aren’t any icebergs in the Caribbean where the majority of the cruises take place, that it isn’t a likely scenario. 🙂