Virgin Voyages Reviews 1,300

Just finished a cruise on the Valiant Lady out of San Juan with @VirginVoyages. I know that everyone’s experience is different. People take Virgin and absolutely love it. And others like me…. Not so much. Again this is just my experience. Virgin is overhyped and underwhelming when you cruise with them. They amp up the no kids on board policy which is great but it doesn’t make up for the other issues.

If you are not a Rockstar, don’t expect anything above and beyond. I paid for two people to come on the cruise and because of the government shutdown, he had to stay home. I asked simply if I could have upgraded internet to keep up with my person back home and was scoffed at by guest services. This trip was very tough not having my person next to me and to be treated in that way, hurt. I definitely felt less than. Maybe as a Rockstar, they would be more attentive and less likely to respond in the way they did.

Cleanliness was ok on the ship. The beds by the pool, be careful. I developed a rash from laying on them. Had to see my doctor for it. Parts of the ship smelled like dirty mop water. Areas that looked like they hadn’t been clean in a bit. A few people even had bed bugs in their cabin.

At one of the restaurants, the server handed me a plate which was scolding hot. It burned the inside of my hand that has just now healed. The server after the fact reminded me “oh yeah, hot plate”. The management of the restaurant didn’t seem bothered and I had to go wrap my hand myself. A couple of servers at other restaurants seemed bothered by simple requests from our table… can you bring 2 diet cokes so you don’t have to run back and forth so quickly. Met with rolled eyes and terrible expressions. We were so super nice during all of our meals.

Things were broken. Exercise equipment. Automatic doors to the galley you had to force open with your hands several times. No ice at one point because ice machines were broken.

Gym way underwhelming. Shows underwhelming.

Book as a Rockstar, you might have a better experience.

This is primarily aimed at Virgin Voyages IT systems. Unbelievably crap. It is like it has been purposely designed not to work properly in an effort to ensure that customers DO NOT get their loyalty tier bonuses.

But the most annoying thing is that for years I have personally told them how poor the IT system is and yet years later it is unchanged.

There is also no way of complaining, and Richard obviously does not care as he is getting his money.

The vast number of extraordinary events, extremely cordial crew, and delicious food with immense options, made the experience great!
Since it was our first voyage and cruise experience, we took 2-3 days of 6, to figure out the interesting novel spaces around the ship. An app buddy to connect first timers with experienced sailors would be a great app feature.
Will definitely go on another voyage in Europe!

Its so hard to even start! It's hard to single out just one thing; the entire cruise was absolutely perfect! The room was super clean and spacious with tons of amenities! The red hammock on the balcony and the warm wind in my hair. The food was excellent, top-notch, and the crew was incredibly friendly and chatty. I don't know if I'll be able to go on any other vacation after my cruise on Resilient Lady... I think I'll only be going on cruises with Virgin Voyages from now on!

The cruise was close to Perfect! We thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience from the food to entertainment to “chill time.” The only negative was the bartenders who had a tendency to ignore me when I came up to order. This happened twice on the ship and once at the Bimini resort. My husband had a similar experience. I can only speculate as to why that occurred. I would however suggest that 3 times makes coincidence highly unlikely. Other than that, a great trip and great experience.

This was the first time the five of us took a Virgin Voyage, and we absolutely loved every minute of it.
I was especially grateful that there were single rooms available at discounted prices‼️🫶🏼

During our six nights stay these wonderful employees stood out as going above and beyond & I hope they get some special recognition:

IDA & Fayaz- room stewards
Amjim - 6th floor bar - On the Rocks ~ best drinks
Giam - The dock, super friendly
Vina - redemption spa, lovely massage
Julia - Gumbae- our first night dinner and it set the tone for the whole cruise
Tri- Pink Agave
Lisandro -Virgin store
Jeriel & Kevin- Pizza Place
Naheed - Test Kitchen
The Wake - Lungelo & Surya

Room service was amazing, superfast, and cheaper than at a bar !

Only issue was with getting back on the ship in Cozumel, the captain heard us and offered a free hour of bubbly with a band which was super appreciated!

~If I had to make any constructive criticism, it would be the Test Kitchen. Having to pay $40 extra for what someone considers fancy drinks that compliment fancy food was not a hit in our group. If I am not finishing my adult beverages and or dishes there is something wrong and this was the only meal I wasn't excited about or stuffed afterwards.

But all in all, absolutely,
5 ⭐️'s for the room, the activities, the employees, the food and drink options‼️ 🥇 ‼️ Oh & not having to worry about having cash for anything especially tipping was a bonus.

We will definitely be back.

Food was incredible. Activities were plentiful & entertaining. Entertainment was varied & excellent. Crew were amazing. Good Value considering What's included as standard.Would definitely strongly consider a repeat performance.

Disappointing Service

while I had the same expectations from taking literally the same ship 3 months ago, this experience was a complete joke—largely due to the behavior and attitude of several crew members.

Throughout the voyage, I encountered multiple instances of rudeness and unprofessional conduct from staff. Requests for assistance were often met with dismissive or condescending responses, and on several occasions, I was made to feel as though I was inconveniencing the crew simply by asking for help. Basic courtesy and hospitality—qualities that should define a premium cruise experience—were noticeably absent.

Dining staff in particular seemed overwhelmed and at times visibly irritated with guests. On one occasion, a team member responded to a simple question with an uncalled-for level of sarcasm, which left a poor impression. Even when concerns were brought to the attention of guest services, the follow-up felt insincere and lacked accountability.

I understand that cruise operations can be demanding, but professionalism and respect toward guests should never be compromised. Unfortunately, the lack of genuine customer service overshadowed any of the ship’s positive features. Virgin Voyages markets itself as a modern, guest-centered cruise line, but this experience did not reflect those values.

It takes a day or two to get into the groove. If you’re used to the traditional cruise routine set dining times, massive main dining halls, formal nights you have to unlearn all of that. Virgin throws that old rulebook overboard. The freedom is incredible. The ship feels more like a modern, adults-only boutique hotel than a classic cruise ship. It’s relaxed, it’s contemporary, and you do things on your own schedule. Once we adjusted, we loved every minute.

Virgin Voyages redefined cruising for us, just like Bluevestapty investment has redefined how we grow wealth. Both experiences prove that stepping away from the traditional ways whether in travel or investing can bring unexpected freedom, flexibility, and satisfaction

We had an amazing time with great company and plenty of laughs, but I have to admit, I was disappointed with the overall service on this cruise. It was our first time sailing with Virgin, and unfortunately, it will probably be our last.
Having traveled with other lines before, this was by far the most unfriendly crew we have encountered. A simple “Good morning,” “Good evening,” or “How are you?” goes a long way, yet those moments were few and far between. At times, it honestly felt like some of the crew did not want to be there. We even purchased a Rockstar Seriously Suite, which the wristbands didn't avail us to any elevated hospitality. Upon embarkation we were directed to a lounge where we were supposed to meet our Rockstar Agent. We waited for over an hour and still were not able to meet with her. No one even approached us until 45mins passed. We finally met her in the evening after dinner when returning to our cabin. We also were surprised that they misplaced my luggage. Thankfully I had an apple airtag in my suitcase and saw it was on the ship. Once they returned it the luggage was damaged.
The long wait times to reboard in both Key West and Bimini did not help either, and it is definitely something the hospitality leadership should review. I would suggest they take a page from NCL, Princess, or RCCL on what genuine hospitality really looks like. Another example of poor service was when I went to the upstairs bar at the Manor on Halloween. I asked for two waters with two limes, the bartender plainly said "No" to the two limes, I thought she was joking and I laughed. I asked again and she said "No" again.
That said, the highlight of the trip was without a doubt the people we shared it with. We had a blast together and kept the positive vibes flowing no matter what. Shoutout to The Happenings Crew for doing an awesome job during embarkation and throughout the cruise. They truly stood out.
Sail Date: October 2025

We had really high hopes for this trip, and i wish i could give it a better review, because they did do some stuff really well (ship decor, gym, parties, pools, drinks etc).
The biggest issue is they basically starve you, unless you want to eat disgusting slimy or tasteless buger or eggs. It should be called a Weight Watchers Cruise.
They only have 5 dinner restaurants for 2500 + people. They promise you reservations but dont deliver. We tried to make reservations weeks before our cruise and they were booked. They said you can make them on the ship-which is a lie. They PROMISED on their website and via emails that there are more than enough reservations and dinner restaurants for all guests, which is a big lie. We Tried every night and were on all the waitlists and basically starved every night. There were 50-70+ cabins/couples on the waitlists every night. Also, almost no breakfast options are available on the ship-only like two small food truck type places with a few items. The Room service has only like 5 items on it and it’s absolutely disgusting inedible food. They also say it’s all inclusive-which is also a lie. We planned on buying alcoho of coursel, but they charge you $44 a day in gratuity (not mentioned on most of their website, during booking, after booking, or via emails), plus the coffee and pressed juices and a lot of the food is only available for purchase. We spent like an extra $1500+ on food and alcohol.
The pool service food is the same nasty food as the room service menu, so we ended up starving by the pool also.
The service takes insanely long (room service, food service, and cleaning service). Like im talking 1-2 hours for snacks and water.
Another thing, the beds are extremely uncomfortable. We were both in pain the whole time and barely slept (we had very upgraded suite by the way).
Also beware, because of weather they obviously change a lot of excursions and plans, which is fine. But we have waited 10 days and we still haven’t been refunded over $1000 for excursions they canceled. You have to pay in advance for your excursions, and they charge you right away. if they cancel, they say you will be refunded, but it doesn’t happen anytime soon. It’s already a week plus after our trip ended and we still have not been refunded. And we have contacted them about it.
Another enraging thing that you should absolutely be aware of, is you will spend 240+ dollars on Wi-Fi. What they do not tell you, is you absolutely have to upgrade the Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi that they claim is free, only works for their app, and does not work for the rest of your phone. So you will have to buy an international plan while you are out at sea. Also, their “free” Wi-Fi does not work on the app once you leave the port. They say it’s $160 to upgrade (which is so absurd), but that’s only for one device per cabin, so we ended up having to pay an extra $80 to add my phone to the WiFi ! So we ended up paying $240 for Wi-Fi. Another thing they do not add, is once you pay for the Wi-Fi, it disables the rest of your phone. You have to turn your Wi-Fi off in order to use the rest of your phone, every single time. So not only did we pay $240 in Wi-Fi, we ended up having to pay another $75 for both of our phones to have international plans the whole time. It’s absolutely absurd. They should put it on their website and in the emails that you will be spending an extra 300+ dollars for Wi-Fi and service.
I’ve also never heard of an app disabling the rest of your phone. You’re literally unable to use your phone if it’s on the Wi-Fi. You’re only allowed to use the app.
To top it off, on the last day, everyone had to carry their luggage and suitcases down 5 to 7+ flights of stairs. They don’t have enough elevators for everyone on the ship. So I saw people with canes and elderly people and everyone just lugging 40 to 60 lb suitcases down flights of stairs, sweating. It was a horrible experience, leaving the ship. It blows my mind that they don’t have enough elevators to accommodate everyone on the ship. We struggled with the elevators most of the time, having to wait 5 to 10+ minutes and sometimes just walking multiple flights of stairs instead of taking the elevators. Which would’ve been manageable I suppose, if we wouldn’t have had to lug four suitcases down six flights of stairs. It truly made the experience way way less enjoyable. You’re supposed to leave a vacation feeling happy and somewhat relaxed, and said we were exhausted and sweaty and frustrated.
All in all, unless you’re looking to sweat, work, pay a ton of extra money, not have your phone work, and basically starve the entire time, I don’t suggest using this cruise line.
A lot of these things could definitely be fixed if the cruise line cared enough. Hopefully my feedback will help them change some very important things.

Virgin Voyages offer great cruise experiences. Food options are best of other cruise lines I sail. Crew is amazing. They truly love their jobs and are always smiling and friendly. This is a great ALL adult experience.

Food was amazing, staff very polite. However the most of the time the service in the restaurants was a little slow, which seems to be due to being understaffed

It it often took 1.5-2 hours for dinner, which is a long time, sitting solo. One time, I was in and out in 30 min. which was fantastic. However that only happened once and I praised the crew for it.

But you do feel you waste time, when you wait for almost 2 hours for a meal. There's plenty of things you want to do on the ship instead.

VV is always a fun time! The entertainment highlight for me was the band, ‘Undecided Future.’ They were so much fun and had everyone dancing and singing along!

Perhaps at parties and DJ events, have more music and dancing for the sailors and less entertainment by the crew members. We love them, but we’re there to party and have fun 🤩!

The restaurants are nice, but they seem to focus more on fancy than being fulfilling. The pizza place and makers are always a favorite 😍!

I would like to see a little more vegetarian variety and foods like Mac & cheese, baked potatoes, lentil soup, and other options that don’t include meat or eggs. Also, go easy on the salt as many soups and the gravy were too salty.

The crew is awesome, second to none! Overall, I enjoyed ‘the grown folks’ cruise 🥳 and can’t wait until the next one!

This was my very first cruise, so I tried to tune out the noise of friends that cruise all of the time. All of the check points for embarking, getting on and off at various locations and disembarking were easy and hassle free. The food was ok in the beginning, however it got better as the days went on. There were a lot of food options and everything was easily accessible and we knew what items were not included in our package. Staff was friendly, professional and helpful when needed. I loved that it was an adult only cruise. I definitely will be taking another cruise soon. Based off of videos and speaking with experienced cruisers, I wish, I could have experienced some of the secret/exclusive parties or events. Other than that, I had an amazing time!!

The staff, the service, the food, the ship - BRILLIANT LADY IS JUST SUPER BRILLIANT!!!! I am so blessed to have experienced such an incredible cruise ship experience - Virgin is BEST OF THE BEST and I can't imagine attempting another cruise line.

We had an amazing time on our cruise around the Greece Islands. This was our first time on Virgin Voyages. We had a lot of trouble with the app. Which is essential for everything from start to finish. It would not accept our credit card. I eventually managed to sent up a bar tab with my debit card. However this some became an issue with I booked a treatment at the spa. The app would not process the payment and it blocked us from access our bar tab. We visited sailors services on more than one occasion. They assured us I would get off tag shop. But the morning of departure my account was blocked again and I was not able to get off the ship. Had to once again explain this to staff. Thankfully this all happened on the last day of the cruise. All the staff are amazing and the food is fabulous! Five stars for them. But Virgin need to sort out their app and scrap the bar tab system for a drinks package!

We took the cruise line Virgin, our first time cruising with this line for a 13-day cruise. It is a brand-new ship, the Brilliant Lady.
We likely will not take them again for various reasons I will list, but many people love them and continue to book trip after trip with them. Their claim to fame is no children on the cruise. We have never seen more than two or three kids in all our other cruises, but we are often traveling when they are in school. We had heard that this ship was made smaller in order to easily pass through the Panama Canal, in doing so it seemed that they reduced space for its guests. Very limited space made it challenging to get into some of their venues. At one venue the first floor barely seated 100. We were in the overflow on the second floor, unable to see over the first row who were seated, we had to watch it on a TV screen. The nightly entertainment was mostly comedians, one magician, one awesome show with lots of costume changes, and one acrobatic show that was excellent.

Our room was nice and large but had limited drawer space. We chose a balcony and really enjoyed it as 1/2 of the days on ship were at sea. The weather was cold for our trip, so it was nice to look out through the slider. A nice touch on the balconies was a hammock.

Because of the cold weather, people were not using the outside seating, so it was crowded and difficult to find a place to sit in the interior of the ship. The hot tubs were lukewarm and no jets, so they didn't help with fatigue from walking in the ports. The exercise venues were usually booked up as again they only had limited space for a dozen sailors. I was able to attend one outside and it was excellent except quite cold. Because of that, they moved it back inside and then it was filled up or sold out so I couldn't attend again. The sailors aboard ship were mostly physically active, and so because of the space allowed they could not participate in most activities. Only one pickle ball court with people lined up frustrated at not getting to play. Their dance exercise classes were great, but very crowded in the space which made it difficult to move.

They do not have any buffets, instead, walk-in eateries. It was extremely difficult to find seats when one went to eat at peak hours. Instead of having a main dining room, we had access to all 5 restaurants on board at no extra charge. You had to make reservations ahead of time. It being our first time we had no clue that one had to make their reservation at midnight when they first made them available a month prior. So, most of the time we had our evening meal after 9:00 p.m. Many people we talked with also had this problem and sometimes the Virgin AP didn't work properly. They advised us to go to sailor services, and they were able to book 2 brunches and 2 restaurants dinners that we had not been able to get into at all. The dinner times were still after 8:30. Also, Virgin requested that their sailors only eat at each restaurant once for a 7-day cruise or twice for a longer cruise.

We are plant-based eaters and although they did have some vegan options on their menu it still was quite a challenge. Other cruise lines fine dining allowed us to place our order the night before and then the chef would make it vegan. Virgin really didn't accommodate us like others have, many of their items were premade. Finding vegetables on the ship was almost nonexistent and when they did have them, they were overcooked and swimming in oil. In the restaurants their menu said there were veggies, but when the plate arrived, they were in a puree as a decoration. There was a nice assortment of fruit on the ship.

The Test Kitchen was our favorite! Exotic food with flavors that burst in your mouth, decorated and cooked to perfection. They had great vegan options. Ariel, our server who we requested after the first time, made a dining experience that was fun. He was experienced and was diligent to every sailor in his care. He became family and was hard to say Goodbye to.

Their employees were awesome, many were new as the ship, but they gave their all into making us feel special.

Perfect cruise company to have a vacation with! Huge selection of food, including all restaurants for free with a different type of food. Good program with evening shows. Plenty of sport and entertainment activities. Huge rooms with balconies. Definitely recommend!

This was our first virgin cruise and it was just ok. As a group traveling together we felt disconnected with our rooms being far apart, the entertainment was ok, Lola’s Library was good, long but good and I heard Persephone was also good, but other than that it was meh. I felt like most entertainment was catered to certain types of audiences not necessarily me and my husband.

The food was decent, but interestingly enough the ramen restaurant and tacos would close by 3. I spoke to one of the managers who told me they don’t want waste so they don’t open late. That they only get about ten people ordering in the evening when they used to have it open. That was weird because I heard and spoke to at least 15 other folks looking for something like tacos or ramen late night.

I don’t know this was different. I’ll stick to RCL, Holland, Norwegian and Celebrity.