Virgin Voyages Post-Cruise Reviews & Thoughts

loveyou3000 on 09/03/2024 - 19:27
Last edited 10/03/2024 - 11:50 by 1 other user

So recently we returned from a Virgin voyage cruise which we purchased for using the Velocity Frequent Flyer points deal.

Overall, we enjoyed the experience (especially for the price paid), however we did have mixed feelings of our overall experience:

Pro's:

  • No Children (BIG PRO!). No screaming/running/coughing children; allowed us adults to rule the ship! :)
  • New boat. Modern rooms/spaces which seemed to be cleaned/maintained well.
  • Food. Restaurant food seemed to be step above RC and other cruise lines; especially when factor in the whole experience in restaurants such as Test Kitchen, Korean BBQ etc.
  • Drinks liked that basic sodas/juices and coffee/ herbal teas was included including lemon, honey & alt milk additives.
  • Staff. Seemed to be happy and treated well.
  • Shower - Found the water pressure and temperature control to be really good.
  • Hammock in sea terrace was really nice to relax in.

Con's:

  • Hard to get times wanted at restaurants. We managed to eat everywhere we wanted, though spoke to some older couples which missed out eating at a few desired places because couldn't get bookings (eating at level 15 instead).
  • App was a bit buggy.
  • No power points in the bathroom for hairdryer.
  • No ironing board in the room, and not much storage space.
  • Boat seemed to lack entertainment venues/spaces compared to other cruise lines, and some event/entertainment areas were too small.
  • Entertainment seemed bit lacking and low budget. Repeat entertainment offerings some evenings from prior nights.

I really enjoyed the edgy-ness of the entertainment, though I could see my parents not enjoying it as much.

When we spoke to others, it seemed that most on the cruise were on cheap/promotional rates, including Virgin Australia staff (free cruise as Christmas present). As a result, we are not so surprised that they are not coming back for the next Australian summer season.

I would love to get others thoughts about the cruise and their experience; things that they liked, things that they thought needed improvement etc, and comparing to other cruise lines (as our cruising experience is quite limited).

Thanks :)

Travel Cruise

Related Stores

Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages

Comments

  • HamBoi69 on 09/03/2024 - 19:51

    Nice! Where did you travel from/to?

    • loveyou3000 on 09/03/2024 - 23:04

      We went on the melb to tasmania (and back) cruise. Unfortunately the itineraries this season weren't the most inspiring, though we still had a good time.

  • Benoffie on 09/03/2024 - 20:01

    What would you say was the average age and type?

    • loveyou3000 on 09/03/2024 - 23:19

      There was a good mix imo. There were young adults (late teens/early 20's) all the way to people in their 80's. There was even a 94 yo on the cruise.
      There were lots of same sex couples also, and it seemed the crew were encourage to push this vibe through their outfits/uniforms & entertainment provided (e.g. drag karaoke, risque performances etc).
      Id say the average age was in the 40's.

  • JimmyF on 09/03/2024 - 22:01
    +1

    Hammock in sea terrace was really nice to relax in.

    Wink wink, I hear they are great fun too!

    When we spoke to others, it seemed that most on the cruise were on cheap/promotional rates, including virgin australia staff (free cruise as xmas present).
    As a result, we are not so surprised that they are not coming back for the next Australian summer season.

    Yep, I think them not coming to Australia next season is totally about them not being able to sell the rooms and nothing related to the bogus story they gave.

    Which is disappointing, as I know a few people wanting to go on it, just wanting till next season! Me being one of them.

    • loveyou3000 on 09/03/2024 - 23:26
      +1

      lmao… not gonna lie… that dirty thought did cross my mind, though unfortunately I was cruising with a friend.
      I'm sure they would be fun!

      Yeah I agree that the red sea conflicts were just a convenient excuse for them not to come back next summer. Id say once their 4th boat (Brilliant lady) gets online there will be a chance that they come back in summer 25 or 26 (hopefully with better itineraries).

      I knew a few people that wanted to give them a try also, so I think after only 1 short season, it was a bit premature to pull the rug.

      • JimmyF on 10/03/2024 - 09:40

        lmao… not gonna lie… that dirty thought did cross my mind, though unfortunately I was cruising with a friend.

        Oh well yes can see why you didn't get to try it out! But I hear its a pretty common thing :)

        I bet Richard had a big say in putting them in!

        Yeah I agree that the red sea conflicts were just a convenient excuse for them not to come back next summer.

        Yeah everyone else is getting here. It just seems they can fill the ships in the USA without too many issues, so chasing some money.

        I knew a few people that wanted to give them a try also, so I think after only 1 short season, it was a bit premature to pull the rug.

        A lot of people I knew had been put off from the price and the cruise itinerary. ie leaving Aus and being dumped in NZ having to make your own way back for example, or huge dollars to visit Hobat.

        I hope they come back, I want to give them a go!

        Also want to try Disney cruises too, but they are also eye watering for price!

  • djkelly69 on 09/03/2024 - 22:02

    Isn't it only one ship not coming back here next year? Or do they only have one here?

    • loveyou3000 on 09/03/2024 - 23:32

      Virgin only have 3 ships at the moment, and I think this ship (resilient lady) was supposed to home port in Greece (during their summer) then come to aus/NZ during their winter.

      It was the only one scheduled to visit Australia during our summer.

  • AussieDaddy on 10/03/2024 - 02:14

    Speaking of these cruises, are there deals for single folks for a reasonable price? They seem to be targeted for couples and groups traveling together. Thought about it a few times, but the advertised prices are usually for 2 people etc.

    • JimmyF on 10/03/2024 - 09:37

      Generally there is a base 'room' cost which is equal to 2 people, so 1 person is the same cost as 2 people going, as you are taking up the same room space etc. So take a friend if you can, all rooms can have the bed split into singles.

  • Strabo on 10/03/2024 - 16:21

    We just did the Melb to tassie trip and would agree with most of what you said. We liked it because the demographic was much better and loved the no kids.

    Highly agree the food was well above average and liked that there was food available for free 24 hours a day unlike other cruise lines. We too got late dinner times but because we could get snacks inbetween it didn't phase us too much.

    Entartainment issues mentioned above were spot on, they just don't cater for a ship full of people in their limited spaces. On a longer cruise you might get more of a chance of seeing something…..

    In the end we found them very pricey though, compared to other cruise lines and therefore less attractive. Eg we looked at taking advantage of the onboard cruise deposit offer which was very attractive but the only cruise left from australia was to New Zealand and we were looking at $10K for a balcony room for 12 nights - versus $6-7K at the most for similar on the other cruises…..

    • loveyou3000 on 15/03/2024 - 16:04

      We ended up eating 2 meals a day with snacks in between also (so could try everything), so having an early or late dinner didn't really phase us either.
      We found it pretty easy to get last minute bookings at the wake or razzle dazzle for breakfast/brunch, and it seems most restaurants have some space for walk-ins - so it would always be worth asking if cant get a booking via the app.

      Yeah although we got good value with the promo, I am not sure if I would normally fork out $3500 for a 5 night virgin cruise (plus extra for drinks etc).
      Having no kids, modern boat, and all food included was really good, though think you'd get better value going with different cruise line and getting some of the extras.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join