Independent. Honest. Obsessed.
One brand. All the answers. From what to order at The Wake to where to spend your one day in Mykonos — written by someone who's actually been.
What you'll find here
Educate you about everything on the ship, then prep you for every port. When you're ready to book, one button — directly with Virgin.
20+ included restaurants. We tell you what to book Day 1 and what to actually order.
Shows, late-night spots, and the corners of the ship most Sailors miss.
Pre-boarding moves, what to pack, and where to be on Day 1.
Port-by-port restaurant, hotel, and what-to-do picks — with maps you can take ashore.
On the Ship
No main dining room. No buffet. 20+ included restaurants run by real chefs, with menus that change. Knowing where to eat — and when to book — is the difference between a good cruise and the best meals of your year.
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Virgin gives you 20+ included eateries — no main dining room, no upcharges, no buffets. Here's where to book first and what to actually order.
Modern steakhouse + seafood with a sweeping aft view.
The Wake is the closest Virgin gets to a classic special-occasion room — two-story windows over the ship's wake, white tablecloths, and a menu that splits cleanly between prime cuts and raw bar. Book early for sunset; the back-of-ship view is the whole point.
Veggie-forward by day, indulgent by night.
Black-and-white striped diner energy. Brunch is the move — the menu pulls double duty with a 'naughty' and 'nice' column for each dish. Skip the line by booking dinner instead; the room is quieter and the cocktails hit.
Modern Mexican, mezcal-forward.
Easily the most stylish dining room on the ship — pink leather banquettes and a wall of agave. The food is genuinely good, not just cruise-good. Bring a friend who wants to split everything.
Handmade pasta, casual trattoria.
The most reliable room on the ship. Pasta is rolled fresh that day, the room is warm and loud in the best way, and you can usually walk in for an early seating. Order family-style.
Tasting menu in a working culinary lab.
Half-restaurant, half-cooking school. The tasting menu changes seasonally and leans experimental — pickled, fermented, smoked. Worth it once per cruise; not for picky eaters.
Korean BBQ with a drinking game built in.
The most fun reservation on the ship. You grill at the table, and the host runs a Korean drinking game between courses. Book it with people you actually like — you'll be there 2+ hours.
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No magicians. No production-show cheese. Virgin's entertainment is closer to a downtown theater festival — book what looks weird first.
Romeo & Juliet retold as cirque-style acrobatics.
The headliner show on most itineraries. 60 minutes, no intermission, genuinely jaw-dropping. Book the first available night so you can re-book if you love it.
Two-story nightclub that turns over at midnight.
Earlier in the night it's a live-music lounge with a DJ warming up the floor. Past midnight it becomes the actual club on the ship. Dress up — Sailors do.
The signature deck party. Wear red.
Every voyage has one Scarlet Night. The whole ship leans into it — DJs across multiple decks, dancers, and a pool-deck moment around midnight. The dress code is suggested, not enforced, but you'll feel out of place in anything but red.
Karaoke suite you book by the hour.
Private rooms, free to reserve, ridiculously fun with the right group. Book it on Night 1 for later in the week.
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Where to actually spend your time. Some of the best spaces on the ship are easy to miss on Day 1.
Top-deck retreat, sunset cocktails.
All the way up and forward. Quieter than the pool deck, two bars, fire pits at night. The single best sunset spot on the ship.
Outdoor lounge built to look like a Mediterranean harbor.
Hanging beds, low-slung sofas, mezze plates and cocktails. Great for late afternoon between port days.
RockStar-only outdoor lounge.
If you book a RockStar (suite) cabin you get access. Quiet hot tub, free pours, and arguably the best deck on the ship.
Thermal suite — book a day pass on a sea day.
The hydrotherapy pool, salt room, and cold plunge are open to anyone with a day pass. Worth it on a long sea day; cheaper if booked Day 1.
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The things that aren't in the brochure — what to book before you board, what to skip, what to actually pack.
Reservations open ~45 days out. Set an alarm.
Dining and entertainment reservations open before you sail. Lock in The Wake, Gunbae, and one Test Kitchen slot first; everything else is flexible. Drink package is rarely worth it unless you're a heavy drinker — wifi and gratuities are already included.
Skip the room rush. Eat at The Galley.
Cabins open at 1pm but boarding starts at 1. Drop your carry-on, head straight to The Galley food hall (open from boarding), and use the first 90 minutes to book any reservations you missed online.
Less than you think. The shop on board is good.
Loot Mart sells genuinely cool branded basics if you forget anything. Bring: one outfit for Scarlet Night (red), one for The Manor (the ship leans dressy at night), and reef-safe sunscreen for beach stops.
Destinations
Where to stay pre-cruise, where to eat in port, and what's worth your one day on land — for every stop Virgin makes.
Explore destinations
Virgin's home port. Worth a pre-cruise night, easily two.
Virgin's Terminal V in PortMiami is one of the easiest embarkations in the industry, but Miami itself deserves more than a single morning. Stay south of downtown to be close to the port; head north for the design crowd.
Quieter, closer to the airport, and arguably easier than Miami.
Port Everglades is 5 minutes from FLL airport. If you're flying in the morning of your cruise, fly into Fort Lauderdale. The beach scene is calmer than Miami and you can stay walking distance to the water for less.
Services
Most travel agents are generalists. We're the opposite — all in on Virgin Voyages, because going deep beats going wide.
Every dining venue, every show, every spot — what's worth your time, what to book first, and what most Sailors miss.
City-by-city guides for every Virgin port, with restaurant, hotel, and what-to-do picks.
One button to Virgin. Same price as going direct — your traffic credits us so we can keep writing.
Your guide
Jason MacMenamin
Independent Virgin Voyages specialist
About
The travel world is full of agents who'll book you anything — and know almost nothing about any of it. We took the opposite bet. One brand. All in.
Virgin Voyages is the most interesting thing to happen to cruising in a generation. No main dining room. No nickel-and-diming. Wi-Fi, tips, and basic drinks included. Ships that feel more like boutique hotels than floating shopping malls. But it's also different — and different is what trips people up.
The more our guests know before they sail, the more likely they are to love every minute of it. That's the whole job. We educate, you decide, and when you're ready to book, you go directly with Virgin.
"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."
— Jacques Yves Cousteau
Contact
Picking an itinerary, choosing a cabin tier, or planning a pre-cruise stay — happy to talk it through.
Book directly with Virgin Voyages. Same price, better-prepped you.
