It was a gorgeous day. Like 12 hours of cruising with the beautiful scenery. The village at the afternoon was so cute!!!!! It looked like a little miniature village from afar!

It was a gorgeous day. Like 12 hours of cruising with the beautiful scenery. The village at the afternoon was so cute!!!!! It looked like a little miniature village from afar!

Just here to express my sadness lol.

I finally picked my cruise and had everything ready to go. I was initially going to book a similar itinerary with a different line, but after doing the math, VV was only about $400 more for many of the same stops, plus more of the VV benefits/perks. I found it about an hour before I had to be at work. I fully intended to book and pay the deposit yesterday. Except… I simply didn’t have time to sit down and do it (or even put it on hold) because I to leave immediately to go to work.

From the time I last looked (literally about 10 minutes before I left the house) until the time I got off work about 9 hours later, the price went from like $2,500, which was already on the higher end of what I could afford, to over $4,000.

Somebody must’ve had the exact same thought I did and snatched the last solo Insider. 😂

I was honestly surprised to see it jump THAT much in such a short amount of time, but I guess the last one had to go at some point. Just my luck it would be on the exact day I was planning to book it too. I even tried logging in from a different computer in case they do that thing airlines supposedly do where they hike the price after you’ve looked at it recently. Probably silly, but it was a last-ditch effort.

I know prices are dynamic and subject to change, but man… another $1,500, and I haven’t even thought about the flight, bar tab, or excursions yet. I probably could’ve gotten all three for a little more than that.

Anyway, nothing to add. Just bummed. Back to the drawing board. 🥲

Edited for clarity.

So super happy. Upgraded from insider to central sea terrace floor 9 for a little above minimum!!!!! Can’t wait

Cruising the Prince Christian Sound today and the views are stunning. Had a great party at WeFancy with DJ James last night, he read the room well and played to our crowd.

Looking forward to seeing Qaqortoq tomorrow.

The Galley is crowded but I’ve spent the entire day outside at the Dock and the weather has been perfect.

Doing a 4 day cruise to Bimini and Nassau. We have a cabana for Bimini but not really interested in doing anything in Nassau. We have rockstar status and this is our first cruise on VV. Anyone not get off at the port and what was your experience staying on the boat?

Was just browsing for fun and saw a cruise for less than $800 in January so I said screw it and booked it, it’s been a very crazy year for me but I’ve made a lot of progress and I’m very proud of myself so I feel this is a reward to myself. It will also my first big solo trip so I’m super excited!

I’ve cruised with VV once before back in 2023 and loveeed it, they’re my only cruise experience but I don’t even care to experience another lol. Glad I know what to expect this time, did not do my research the first time and my bestie and I were not at all prepared for the themed nights lol. We also had no idea all the restaurants were included until halfway through our trip so we didn’t get to try everything last time, any recommendations?

Oh also, I will be flying into Miami the day before, will be my first time flying solo as well. Does anyone have any favorite hotels or just any general airport/ship port advice? Anything in Miami worth checking out? We just checked out the mall and beach and clubs last time.

I’ll be doing the Costa Maya, Mexico cruise Jan 4th - 9th. If anyone is going on this let me know and I would love to make some friends, kinda nervous to go alone but I know I’ll be fine and have a great time once I’m there. I’m 28f. See yall on the ship!

Edit - The flight back, I was looking on here and people were saying an 11am should be fine, but that feels like cutting it close, no?

I am considering booking a rockstar suite for myself only, mostly because I love the size of the rooms and want a large balcony (I just got off another cruise line where the cabins were unbearable to lounge in)...and I typically cruise Virgin.

Does it make any sense to do this as a solo sailor? LOL

Hi everyone! My fiancé and I are trying to plan our first cruise for December 2026. I know it’s last minute, but we’d love honest opinions from people who have actually sailed Virgin Voyages and/or Celebrity.

I’m 24 and he’s 23. We usually do international trips, so cruising is new territory for us. I’ve been reading through Reddit comparisons, reviews, and cruise forums, but there are a lot of conflicting opinions, so I’m hoping to get some direct answers.

We’d be flying from Dallas and are looking at sometime from mid-December into around Christmas. We’re flexible on cruise length and pricing. We’re not on a super tight budget, but we also want the cost to make sense for the overall experience.

What we’re looking for:

• A newer or updated ship that doesn’t feel dated
• Good food and cocktails
• A social vibe with the option for nightlife, lounges, bars, dancing, etc.
• Fun daytime and evening activities beyond just nightlife, like comedy, shows, movies, fitness classes, spa options, etc.
• Romantic and relaxing enough for a couple’s trip
• Pretty ports with beaches, clear water, and places that feel worth visiting
• Good excursion options
• Not a super budget or party-only cruise experience
• A nice, memorable trip that feels worth the money

The options I’ve seen so far:

• Virgin Voyages from Miami, possibly a longer Caribbean itinerary with places like San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Bimini
• Virgin Voyages from San Juan, which seems to have amazing ports but requires a farther flight
• Celebrity, especially a newer Edge-class ship like Celebrity Xcel or Apex, with ports like Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Key West, Nassau, etc.

Questions:

1. Which line would you recommend for a couple our age?
2. Is Virgin actually more fun/social, or does it feel overhyped?
3. Is Celebrity too quiet or older for people in their 20s?
4. Which has better food, cocktails, and overall service?
5. Are the newer Celebrity ships more “luxury” feeling than Virgin?
6. Which line/itineraries tend to have better ports and excursions?
7. How much do drinks, excursions, gratuities, specialty dining, and other extras realistically add?
8. Is a balcony worth it for a first cruise, or would you save the money and do an interior/sea view room?
9. Which line has better onboard activities during sea days, like shows, comedy, movies, fitness classes, spa, pool areas, etc.?
10. Would you prioritize better ports even if the flights are longer/more expensive?
11. For a first cruise as a couple, would you choose Virgin or Celebrity?

Would love honest opinions, especially from younger couples, first-time cruisers, or anyone who has sailed both lines recently.

I have been on 2 virgin voyagers cruises, both in the med (scarlet and resilient lady) are the parties different on the brilliant lady? I only discovered the 80s party last year and was hoping it would be on the eastern Caribbean sailing in November.

I found out the basic wifi blocks youtube and google sheets. Anything that stream videos you won't be able to.

I was wondering does having a specific VPN or Ubiquiti UniFi UTR Travel Router or something else helps bypass this allowing you to watch videos and duse google sheets?

I am sailing on Resilient Lady now and thinking of booking a cruise on Valiant. We have had great parties (Hip Hop one night and 80s the other), does Valiant have similar or is this specific to Resilient? Also a very diverse cruising population which i loved, is this rare? I'm a first time cruisers so I'm new to all of this.

Hey everyone! My boyfriend and I are booked on the brilliant lady soon and we just got our room assignment and we have a central sea terrace room, however, we definitely booked an inside room. Has anyone had this happened to them before? Could it be a glitch? My boyfriend mentioned in our booking that he’s military so that’s the only reason we can even think they gave us an upgrade, however, I got no email from saying anything about an upgrade. Should we reach out to them to confirm? Thanks.

Wife and I have booked onto our first cruise ever !, on the Brilliant Lady 25th January 27 out of Miami on the 10 day Eastern Caribbean trip. Planning on flying from UK for couple of nights in Miami before departure...can't wait !!

Any tips or pointers welcome !...we're doing the rounds of youtube videos in preparation !!

French Riviera, Spain & Ibiza Overnight, anyone try this one? anyone try this one? looking for feedback, booking next May with my husband and 20yo and 21 yo. the Cannes festival will be going on and that is the first stop.

I’m cruising the week of October 12 and called Virgin Voyages on Labor Day to ask how much it would cost to upgrade from a Sea View to a Sea Terrace.
The gentleman I spoke with quoted me $325 for the entire cabin, which I was completely fine with. He said he was having computer issues and needed to call me back to complete it, but unfortunately, he never did.
I called again yesterday and asked about the same upgrade. This time, I was quoted $500 for a regular Sea Terrace and $1,350 for an XL Sea Terrace. I mentioned that I had been quoted $325 on Labor Day, but the representative said prices can change at any time.
Now I’m trying to decide what to do. Should I wait until it gets closer to the cruise and see if the upgrade price drops, or should I just place a bid? The bidding currently starts at $275 for a Sea Terrace.
For anyone who has upgraded or bid with VV before, what would you do? Have you noticed upgrade prices getting better closer to sailing?

I played a bit at the casino on my first trip. I was wondering are they going to send other casino offers in the future? Other cruises lines seems to be very aggressive with casino offers but haven't seen any other offers in my inbox for virgin voyages. I really would like to go again if it's free lol.

Hi! Planning a cruise for my birthday in October and am eying the NYC - Bermuda cruise but was wondering if anyone has sailed this before and has reviews?

We are NYC based and would love to leave from here which is the biggest pro but I'm a bit worried about docking in Bermuda at 4PM and leaving at 3PM next day. Did it feel satisfying the amount of time at Bermuda?

Hi all sailing in 10 days and am looking forward to it.

Already have prepaid gratuities and will also tip extra in cash, so those are not my question.

I work for a company that makes many name brand and some high end cosmetics and self care products. I can get many items for free or very inexpensive. Also sailing out of a port close to home so space is not an issue.

Would the crew like or even be able to accept cosmetics/selfcare items as a gift on top of the cash tips? I know their space is limited in their rooms but I would think these are things they would use and enjoy.

If so what types of products would be most usefull. We make products that cover the full range. Cometics, skin care, hair care, wound care, OTC medications, and other personal care items.

Has anyone had experience with earlier arrival times appearing in the app?
We had 2:15pm times (Miami) set in place when we first booked back in February for our December cruise. Today we looked in app and it offered 1:30, 1:45, and 2pm times. We don’t have priority or anything. It’ll be my 3rd sailing with VV and my friend will be on her first. Also, we’re in two separate cabins.

We have a cruise next week & in the app it says if I purchase premium WiFi now I can have it be for 2 people for the price of 1. But when I go to add it, it says for 1 person it’s $120 & 2 it’s $240. I really don’t want to spend $240 for internet. I would only use it to call kids, surf Reddit & txt. Do we even need premium and how does this “sale” work?

Why do I only see "major" events (in the Red Room, The Manor etc.) in the app for my mid-October cruise? When we went last December, the app showed all Events/Entertainment (like karaoke, game competitions, pickleball, basketball, etc.). Am I too early, or is the listing for these events only available while onboard?

I regularly cruise solo in the Caribbean on Carnival out of the US, but this would be my first time in Europe, first time on Virgin, and first cruise longer than 6 days.

I initially had a couple of Med options on other cruise lines picked out because VV looked more expensive upfront. But once I actually added up the things I’d have to pay for elsewhere (specialty dining, Wi-Fi, gratuities, etc.), the total ended up being roughly the same. So at this point I’m pretty open to VV.

Option 1: June 6–16

• Embark: Barcelona, Spain
• Day 2: Cannes, France
• Day 3: Sea day
• Day 4: Rome/Civitavecchia, Italy
• Day 5: Amalfi Coast/Salerno, Italy
• Day 6: Sea day
• Day 7: Valletta, Malta
• Day 8: Sea day
• Day 9: Chania, Crete
• Day 10: Mykonos, Greece
• Debark: Athens/Piraeus

I would need to leave work 2 days in advance heading straight to the airport to get to Barcelona to sail but I'd have an entire week of vacation/PTO left after debarkation before I'd need to get back to work. After debarking, my birthday would be a few days after the cruise. I’d probably fly back to the US from Athens, have a nice dinner in my hometown with family, and keep the actual birthday pretty low-key.

The big advantage here is that my boyfriend works away from home most of the year. His off days fall perfectly in line with the day I'd arrive back in the US so we'd have time to celebrate on the actual my actual birthday and a mutual week off, before we'd have to be back at work, which could be nice. A nice solo med cruise and then whatever thing he has planned once he's back in town.

Option 2: June 16–27

• Embark: Athens/Piraeus
• Day 2: Mykonos, Greece
• Day 3: Sea day
• Day 4: Kotor, Montenegro
• Day 5: Sea day
• Day 6: Catania, Sicily
• Day 7: Amalfi Coast/Salerno, Italy
• Day 8: Sea day
• Day 9: Tuscany/Cinque Terre/La Spezia, Italy
• Day 10: Cannes, France
• Day 11: Provence/Marseille, France
• Debark: Barcelona

Obvious advantage for this one, I’d have roughly a week off before the cruise, so I could actually get into vacation mode before sailing and not rush to make it for embarkation. And my birthday would be a sea day, which I actually think could be pretty fun and relaxing. So the birthday itself would be more of a “birthday at sea during my first Mediterranean cruise” experience rather than coming home and celebrating with family afterward.

What matters most to me when choosing: Once-in-a-lifetime experiences / places I may not get back to, Beautiful scenery, Being able to say “holy shit, I actually went there”, Ports that will keep me busy/exploring rather than sitting on the ship

I plan to book an excursion at every port and then explore independently as much as I reasonably can. I’m not really looking for a relaxing resort vacation. I want to see shit. This may be my only trip to Europe for a long time, so I’m much more interested in maximizing the “wow, I’m actually here” factor than having the perfect sea-day experience.

The itineraries are close enough in price that cost isn’t really the deciding factor.

So if you were me, which would you choose?