Virgin Voyages - Day 4 & Overall thoughts

Today was our last day.   It was a full day at sea.  We had some activities planned and also more poolside time.

We went up to the Galley for breakfast again which we enjoyed.   Then we got some chairs poolside.  I only stayed for a bit as I had booked an exercise class that morning.
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There were a bunch of exercise classes available throughout the cruise.  You need to make reservations for them in the app and almost all of them did book up completely.  Most are pretty traditional – spin classes, yoga.   But the one I picked was something a little different.   It was called the VHS workout.  The theme was a throwback to the 80s work out videos.   There were even shake weights!   Three instructors alternated leading the workout.   All the music was from the 80s and, in Virgin Voyages style, there were some suggestive moves and comments.   Anyone could do it as there were modifications available through the entire workout. It was fun and a good workout.   

​I showered and changed and spent some time poolside before we headed to our afternoon activity which was afternoon tea.   This was one of the few activities that had an upcharge.  It was $35 per person.  Each person had a choice of their tea and received a glass of champagne.  Then we had a tray of savory and sweet items as well.   I love a good scone and these were sooo good.

After tea, I went to check out some other areas of the ship.   I went to the game area were there are air hockey tables and an area with old video games.  You can play all the games for free and it was fun to relive some classic games.
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I also went looking for a cocktail and wondered over to a bar area.  I looked at the menu and chose one without paying attention to the fact that they were all shots.   I picked “The Jellyfish” and it was actually pretty cool to watch the bartender make it.   The last step was using a dropper to put little drops of cream in that really did look like jellyfish.    I asked if it was a shot you sipped or just all at once.  She said all at once so.. down the hatch!   It was a little sweet and a little strong but went down pretty easy.

Sue and I spent some time in the casino and then went to the Dock to enjoy the sunset.  The Dock is a great location at the aft of the ship.  They have some small bites and drinks.   Great location to relax and especially to enjoy the sunset.

We then met up with friends for dinner.  Tonight we were at the Wake which is the steak / seafood restaurant.   This was my favorite meal on board.   I had a clam chowder for an appetizer.   For our entrees, we each ordered a steak and then our server brought out one of each side to share and a tray of all the steak sauces.   The steaks came with a whole head of roasted garlic.   My steak was cooked perfectly and I liked trying all the sauces.   The twice baked potato and the asparagus were stand out sides for me.   For dessert, I had the lemon cheesecake.   It actually looked like a real lemon… down to the little dimples of the lemon peel.   I am not a huge lemon fan but the flavor was not overwhelming and the cheesecake inside was really good.

   I slacked on photos for this meal.  So you can only see the chowder and the lemon cheesecake.

We wondered around after dinner.  Tried to get a karaoke room but they were full.   Then we walked by the theater and ended up heading into the show.   The show was called Ships in the Night.  The description was vague and I could tell when it started that I was probably not going to get the point of the show.   So I just enjoyed the music and dancing.  The main performer was a drag queen who had a great voice and must have burned 5000 calories throughout the show.   The dancing was very good as was the use of technology with the staging.   Wouldn’t be my top pick for a show but it was entertaining enough.
And that closed up our Virgin Voyage as we would be off the ship in the morning.
 


Overall impressions – Disney Cruise Line will always be my favorite cruise, but Virgin moved up to my second favorite.   Of course, there are pros and cons.
   
​  Cons

• Prior to the trip, the app was not great.   Sometimes it didn’t work at all.  It was hard to make changes, like restaurant reservations.  Thankfully, if you call Virgin or use their online chat feature the staff is very helpful and they fixed whatever I needed.
• Onboard communication.  They made a few announcements during the first day and then said there would not be any more.   Other cruise lines do the same but usually still make a daily announcement with logistics, weather, etc.    Virgin did not make any announcements.  All of the information was sent through push notifications, or it was in the app.   The difficulty was that it was inconsistent or sometimes didn’t happen at all.    If you were a first time cruiser, I think it would have been challenging to know what to do for disembarking.   There was a small section in the app the day before, but you really had to look for it.
• Messaging – Also with on board communication, I thought there would be a way to message other guests on board through the Virgin app but there was not.  You can send iMessages but we had a few members of our group without Apple devices.  We ended up using another app to text, but it would be nice to have that feature in the Virgin app.

 
Pros

• All inclusive nature.  I loved not having to worry about tips or beverage packages or upcharge restaurants.
• Wifi / app.  The app did work well on board.  The wifi was free and worked well the entire time.
• Sailor services.  Onboard you are a “sailor” and the sailor service area was the equivalent of guest services.   There was also an option to sent a message to them in the app.  Their response in the app was about a few hours but they were helpful and took care of whatever I needed.
• The food was so good – from the galley, to room service to the restaurants.  

 
The ship had a really fun, relaxed vibe.  There was a mix of ages.  You do need an open mind for some activities as they can be “adult” but if that isn’t your thing you just don’t do those activities.   We had great weather so being outside was always an option.  If that wasn’t the case, I think I would have possibly struggled with activities that I wanted to do but finding a quiet spot with a book is always an option and I would have been happy with that.
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I give Virgin two thumbs up and have already booked another one for next year.

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Want to set sail on Virgin?   Until the end of March 2022, Virgin has a 20% off sale for all of their cruises (terms and conditions may apply).  Plus I will give you a $50 Amazon gift card with your final documents.   Contact me for a free, no - obligation quote.   christine.surh@mei-travel.com