Virgin Voyages Disappointed Me…

[@MartySinger01]

I am so glad to hear someone else voicing exactly what I am currently experiencing. At this moment I am sitting on the upper deck of the Scarlet Lady trying to understand why I am underwhelmed by this experience. My previous cruise experience has been with Celebrity on the Equinox and Edge. I feel the cabin on Virgin is smaller. I have an obstructed view balcony room. I am not a large guy but still found myself having to side step while passing between bed and wall. The bathroom was just a bit too tight. Completely agree about entertainment. The shows and musical acts on Celebrity were much better. They had a polished, professional quality. The food? What the heck are people raving about? Everything in the Galley tasted and looked old. Of course feeding so many people requires to prep ahead of time. What you have to do is do this in a way that your guests don’t realize it. Bottoms shouldn’t be soggy and tops shouldn’t be dried out. I think Celebrity does an excellent job in their open dining. The dinner venues? Hit and miss. Yes the taste profile was exceptional, but more often than not it was not served at proper temperatures for full enjoyment. I still have a couple to try before end of cruise. Service is excellent and has a casual natural feel. I think one thing you missed and this might be what you just can’t put your finger on is comfort. Yes the design is edgy and hip. It does give you a whole different vibe than Celebrity. The problem in my opinion is that none of the spaces offer comfortable places to sit and just enjoy the design. I am not talking about around the pool but the interior spaces. I like to find a comfortable spot pull out a book and read or just relax and watch people. This includes seating in dining rooms. Our meal at Test Kitchen took two hours. The whole time I was sitting in a lunch counter stool. I do have to mention the hammock on the sea terrace. It was delightfully comfortable. Other cruise lines should copy this perk, it is an easy change. When talking with other guests they are quick to say how wonderful everything is, but question them a bit more and suddenly they agree. They have done a great job marketing and convincing you that this is an exceptional experience. I am considering a transatlantic repositioning cruise next and I don’t think it will be with Virgin Voyages.

[@thelifeofacruiser]

It’s disheartening yet I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who shares this sentiment! And you are right, you really can’t find a place to actually relax, there’s a lot of “space” too and while I love not being cramped it definitely leads to this feeling of confusion. And Celebrity will always be my favorite ❤️, I hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise at least, and thanks for taking the time to comment!

[@nastassiamahoney6236]

Totally agree with you! It's way over hyped and did not exceed my expectations😢. The constant fight to get restaurants booked, I only got to experience 'the wake' by the bar so disppointing...the shows are underwhelming, the pools are too small, very few photo ops. The only good thing its sans kids, it's the 1st cruise i ever slept so much

[@thefinerthingsinlife4557]

So, question. Out of 47 cruises, which one is the best adult only cruise? (No kids) Thanks!

[@thelifeofacruiser]

Love this question! While I think Virgin Voyages offers a lot for many, I would probably suggest Viking as an alternative I would choose. It’s difficult to say “best” in this case because these two cruise lines are VERY different- I’d say Viking is more similar to a “traditional” and old-school classic cruise whereas Virgin offers more young-vibe party aesthetic. Me personally, I’d go with Viking as I’ve grown up cruising and prefer that classic style of cruising.

[@thelifeofacruiser]

Which cruise line do you think has the best app? Comment your choice!

[@cruzinwithtom]

Royal/ Celebrity

[@1sexy49erfan5]

Royal

[@MAGAfreedomis1]

We've been on Celebrity, MSC and we're platinum on NCL. We just got off our 2nd 5 night sailing on Valiant. We LOVE Virgin. I believe most people over the age of 35 would LOVE Virgin too. As we grow up, our cruise habits change and Virgin is #1 for my husband and I. We can't wait to sail out of Quebec City in Oct down to Miami on Brilliant Lady. To us there is no other cruise line that compares. Virgin has the BEST food, awesome complimentary internet, unlimited water, soda, and so much more is included in the price, along with tips too. It's the most affordable cruising around. The perks are HUGE and after 4 cruises Virgin puts the cruiser at the top of the list for benefits.

[@thelifeofacruiser]

To each their own! That’s what I love about cruising, there’s a cruise line for everyone.

[@nastassiamahoney6236]

Just got off Virgin Valiant lady and I felt like I had to be begging to get into a restaurant. All restaurants were booked out a month before the cruise and no availability on waiting list. It was super frustrating

[@MAGAfreedomis1]

@@nastassiamahoney6236 We also had 0 reservations, nothing was available online, so when we went on our 1st Valiant Lady 5 night cruise we simply headed to Razzle Dazzle, they have at least 4 crew members booking for customers and you WILL get what you want, then on our 2nd Valiant lady 5 night cruise we just walk up to any of the restaurants and they sat us almost immediately. They absolutely do walk up seating. We waited for Pink Agave the longest for walk up and waited maybe 20 minutes, The Wake took about 15 minutes but they sat us. The Dock is the BEST in my opinion. YUMMY and no reservations just walk to the back. The Galley is the BEST too. EVERYTHING about Virgin is #1. I've sailed on 4 different cruise lines and I have been on over 15 cruises, the longest was 15 nights. Virgin IS #1.

[@MAGAfreedomis1]

@nastassiamahoney6236 virgin is #1. It's simple to go to razzle dazzle after you board and make reservations there or simply do a walk up. That's what we do and on both Virgin sailings we've been on we've NEVER had a problem eating with 0 reservations. BEST FOOD at sea along with everything else.

[@therellnevab]

What ship has a big pool deck? Virgin is for a particular crowd of ppl. It's not a rowdy, bustling cruise. It's a cruise for those who want to have a good time without foolish and overcrowding. I can agree that the shows aren't the best but I don't care about shows I like to experience all the ships spaces and areas. I give Virgin 10 out of 10! Oh and the food was exceptional.

[@thelifeofacruiser]

I have no hate towards Virgin, it definitely has its appeal for people! I would have loved it if the food was better and comparable to other cruise lines. As well, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, MSC, to name a few have larger pool decks.

[@teamchiina7111]

Interesting perspective though i largely disagree... As someone relatively new to cruising Virgin is head and shoulders above other cruise lines Ive been on, except Disney and for me the reason is that they are able to focus a specific demographic instead going for a broader "something for everyone" approach. I dont hate kids, but the lack of kids lets things like the test kitchen exist at all, i dont think that concept would fill seats enough to justify the ship soace on a carnival or princess boat. Ive done EU and Miami cruises now on virgin and i find the shorter itinieraries in Miami tend to get/feel a lot more crowded, especially the holiday cruises (Christmas and Fourth of July specifically) but the weeklong and longer cruises, especially our of the WU have a different vibe. What ive rrally found, though, as an extrovert especially, thr vibe of thr passengers has a huge impact on how i remember rach of my cruises... And Virgins demographic is more in line with the type of people I actively choose to be around, on land and sea (more progressive and open minded, younger or young at heart at least, etc.) In the end, they're just different experiences targeting different people though and theres room for all of them in the industry... Hopefully.

[@thelifeofacruiser]

Welcome to cruising! Shorter cruises are notorious for feeling crowded across all cruise lines, it helps with longer cruises and less holidays because it costs more money and prices people out, as well as lessens the rate of kids (which wouldn’t apply here anyways). I would totally agree Virgin is above and beyond in service and relatively technology, but as you saw the food was lacking for me (and for me ranks last of all cruise lines I’ve been on) and the layout/design of the ship. The great thing about cruising is there’s something for everyone! I think for me, despite being younger and enjoying the “youth” of Virgin Voyages, I think a line like Viking (also kids free) is more my style as it has a more traditional cruise ship vibe that I’m used to and grew up on. Thanks for your comments, it’s always interesting to see what different people like and don’t like about cruises!

[@teamchiina7111]

@thelifeofacruiser for sure, I actually loved the food on virgin but I'll definitely give Viking a try, maybe through an affiliate link from you when I book ;)

[@nintendoaddict6649]

Food poisoning or norovirus?

[@thelifeofacruiser]

Definitely food poisoning! My symptoms/time frame didn’t match with norovirus.