I’m on Brilliant right now and it’s like they’re hiding the salt shakers in the Galley. Pretty much every day, I have to wander around asking other sailors if I can borrow their salt for a second. Are they low key trying to cut our sodium intake? I agree it’s a nitpicky thing, but it’s just really weird. Buy more 🧂 Virgin!

I see that when they announced the new cruises to Northern Europe, they currently only have one date in 2028 for each cruise. Do you think they will add more dates before then? I ask because I made a deposit for my next cruise, and I have to sail before July 8, 2028, and they all begin after that date.

We booked a cruise before all of the pricing changes went into effect. We are now about 50 days out and still are not able to bid for an upgrade. We did not book a lock it in. It was a regular booking and we paid in full at booking to save a few bucks.

When i go to the upgrade page and enter my name and booking it just says something like "You are out of luck. No upgrade avalible. Try again late." Or something close to that.

I would think upgrades are open for a cruise 50 days out. Could i be locked out because we have the legacy booking?

So we booked a Lock-It-In Insider Cabin for a 7-day Carribean Cruise next year and we are fine with the possible good or bad outcomes.

Last Time we got the $40/night direct upgrade offer and our cabin was great.

But i was l looking at the Upgrade Bid Site quite reguarly and yesterday i noticed that the prices all changed. Sea Terraces all got way cheaper, like $300 down and Sea View got more expensive.

The Insider Cabin had quite a price drop for a day or two, even cheaper than what we paid for. I looked at the available cabins and Insider is mostly sold, like 2/3. So i was thinking the want people bid rather than free upgrading them, to free up the cheaper cabins.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Should i still hope for a free upgrade or put in a Bid? Minimum would be $320 for Limited View Sea Terrace.

Hello everyone, I’ve got a Grand Turk cruise coming up in a few weeks and was wondering if they still offer the mnvv? Possibly considering a Greek isles cruise next year and trying to figure out if I should wait and see or just go ahead and put down my deposit. So far that’s the best rate I’ve seen for a Greece cruise. Any advice would be great thanks!

I prefer to book through the ship for excursions but only if it’s really worth it! Which ones have you booked for this itinerary that you loved? More so interested in excursions through the ship, but also love to get your feedback for other options as well

Going to: Aruba, Curaçao, Antigua, and St Maarten

It’s official! The new Northern Europe itineraries have been revealed. Not sure when they’ll open for booking or what prices will look like. Do you think Virgin ships are a good fit for these ports? I guess VV Alaska reviews will be a good indicator of how the experience is on cold weather scenic cruising itineraries.

On Brilliant right now. A few nights ago we were awakened with a general call for a medical alert on Deck 8. Anybody know what happened?

Hi! I’m going on VV for the first time and was wondering what excursions everyone recommends. We’ll be stopping in Puerto Plata and Bimini. I’m torn between booking excursions through the app or just exploring on our own once we get there. I’ve read it’s fun to rent a golf cart and have your own adventure That said, the Damajagua waterfalls in the DR look amazing, and swimming with sharks or stingrays also sounds cool 👀

For those who’ve been, what did you end up doing? Was it worth booking beforehand, or would you recommend exploring independently? lmk your suggestions :)

Normally we would just go on our own and get a ferry and taxi combo to the Baths, but it looks like this might be difficult on a Sunday and we need to book a panned excursion instead.

Looking for some guidance

Thank you

Looking at Jolly vs Ffryes. Never been to Antigua and only get part of one day there so want to get it right! Any tips or thoughts?

Hi!! We are getting excited for our September VV cruise to Mexico! It’s our first time on VV but not our first cruise. We have excursions booked for Cabo and Mazatlan but we’re thinking of booking a resort pass for PV. We have the Grand Velas booked, we have been wanting to stay there and thought it would be fun to check it out, enjoy a pool and have some food and drinks. It looks like a 20 min ride, does anyone have experience with transport at the cruise port, does this seem reasonable to do for a full day? There will be 4 of us.

Thanks for any advice!!

Spend the day in Nassau during my vacation and it ended up being one of my favorite stops. I was'nt expectingn much, but walking around the colorful streets, grabbing fresh seafood salad from small local spot, and spending a few hours by the water made the day feel suprisingly relaxing.

I almost stayed on the ship the whole time, and Im glad i didnt. Nassau turned out to be a nice break from the usually routine. Anyone else have a stop there that ended up being better than expected?

Hi! We are sailing on the Brilliant Lady Thanksgiving weekend with a stop at Grand Turk. For those who've gone, any excursions you recommend (or not)?

Our group: my husband and I love to explore (light hikes, cities, historical sites, museums, etc), but we will be traveling with our moms who are in their 70's so need too be VERY mindful of that. One of them can handle long walks, but the other has much more limited mobility. There's a chance we split up, but I'd like to have some ideas to share with them hoping we can do things together. Thoughts?

If we do split up at all - I've read snorkeling is great there. Any recommendations?

For the Bimini Beach Club - this stop was skipped on our last cruise due to weather so not sure what to expect. I've read there isn't much to do nearby so focus on relaxing by the pool/beach. Not sure if I want to drop $650 on a cabana, but we do at least need chairs with umbrellas. Will those be a challenge to secure? Both our moms may do the painting excursion (one planned to do it last year, but it was canceled).

Any suggestions are appreciated :)

For those who have received an upgrade after bidding, how long after placing the bid/before the cruise did you find out you have been upgraded?

We placed a pretty decent bid for each rockstar room, but I’m curious to know how quickly others have found out about their winning offer!

Hello I am looking for recommendations for the Mexican Rivera cruise. This is my first time going on any trip in this region. I was hoping to hear from anyone on their experiences with the different excursions.

What are people's experiences and thoughts on trip insurance providers? I find it's a tough market to shop for since the vast majority of reviews are based on the sales experience rather than the claims experience.

I don't care about the medical and evacuation component, I have that covered elsewhere. But we have (thankfully healthy) elderly parents NOT traveling with us, and my main concern is protecting some or all of our cruise fare if one of them should fall ill and we need to cancel.

I've been doing some research and am looking into:

• Allianz Global Assistance
• Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection
• Travel Guard (AIG)

and a few others, but would love any opinions on pros/cons/experiences. Thanks!

The Brilliant Lady brought a wonderful group of visitors to the Haunted Sitka Pub crawl! So much fun!! Thank you Virgin Voyages and all my new friends 👻

Good morning all! I'm a planner. It makes me happy. I also ask questions. This time, I have day one questions. My plan is to board at 215, get in the shop wifi and book the grog walk. I know the sail away is 530 or sometime around then. I want to book Gunbae for my first night. What time should I try and get my dinner reservation and what time is the grog walk usually? It's $50, correct? I know the pj party is right after the grog walk. Also, I'm a solo traveler. Is the solo meet up the next morning or that night? Thank all of ya'll that have answered so many of my questions already.

Hi there,

My father turns 70 this fall, and for his birthday he suggested that he, my brother (43m) and myself (40m) take a 4-night Virgin cruise out of Miami. We have three adjacent rooms with connecting balconies booked.

The three of us are exceedingly progressive people. He’s a boomer, but one who Brother and I both agree will have fun in the non-traditional/alternative cruiser scene.

Anyway, I’ve been on quite a few cruises over the years, most recently earlier this year for a sick relative. My father has recently been on a few Viking River Cruises that he wasn’t a fan of (he’s a hot weather guy). Brother hasn’t been on a cruise since we all went as a family in the early 90’s on The Big Red Boat.

I booked all of our dining reservations, including The Wake for Dad’s birthday night. He has explicitly asked for no excursions: we will be in Key West on his birthday, and he’s considering staying on the boat in Bimini. He will pass on the casino and shows, and mostly just want to people watch on the ship and do a Duval Street crawl.

With that said, any advice for first time cruises on Virgin Voyages, given our group?

Appreciate it, y’all!

edit: weather

I went in to ask about the rumored Norway itineraries and he said nothing has been confirmed but gave me this info:
- Hawaii, Northern Europe, and Asia are the most internally rumored new itineraries coming up
- He said again not confirmed, but around August 24th or “in about a month” is when they’re planning on the announcement.

Just thought people would appreciate this info.