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.

Today was our day at Bimini Beach in the Bahamas.  Virgin has a private area just for its cruise guests on the island. 

We wanted to have as much time as possible on the island so we planned to have room service breakfast so we could be ready to get off the ship at 9 am.
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Room service was very easy to order.   We placed our order in the app the day before and selected a 30 minute time frame for delivery the next morning.   I received a notification that our food was on its way and it arrived right in the middle of our selected time.   It came in two insulated cooler bags.  One had our coffees and all the condiments.  The other had food containers with our breakfast.   We each had eggs, bacon and potatoes.  Then we shared some pastries and fruit.   Everything was great.  The only choice I wish we could have had was for iced coffee drinks.

Virgin’s area of the island requires taking a tram.  We were one of the first off the ship and a tram was waiting.   We hopped on and were over to the beach area quickly.

All six of us had rented a private cabana for the day. While you can book one cabana for six guests, we chose to each get our own.   I could maybe see the cabana working for 4 guests, but I think six would be tight, especially since there are two lounge chairs and a double size day bed. 
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 There are cabanas available by the beach, pool or the “grove” which sort of looks over the whole area.   We all had beach cabanas.

With your cabana, you receive $100 bar tab and a cabana attendant throughout the day.   We actually had two attendants as the shift changed in the afternoon.   Both of our attendants were great.  You have a button that you can push if you need something but our attendant also came around frequently to see if we needed anything.
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At noon, food service begins on the island.  Again, the food is included in your cruise fare.  Our attendant said we could order or he could bring us a sample of everything.   We chose the samples and he was right there with a big tray around 12:30 pm.   When our afternoon attendant came, he said different food items become available after 3 pm so he came back with another tray of samples then.  I liked that the food items were different and varied.  The ribs were the best and I also enjoyed the salad with fried tofu on top.

We had easy access to the beach and the pool area.  We went over to the pool after lunch.   It was a bit loud with a dj playing music and they also started to liven things up with pool floats as well.  It seems to get quieter in the late afternoon.
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Unlike some other cruise line private islands, you can stay on Bimini until around 7:30 pm.  This was a great opportunity to see the sunset from the island.   They also have three large globes that they light a fire in at night.  They had an acoustic musical group that sang at each one as it was lit.   

​We took the tram back and were able to  get some night time photos of the ship.

​We freshened up and met back up with our friends at the galley for dinner.   I tried some of the desserts this time and they didn’t disappoint.  The red item is call the Scarlet Lady and had chocolate mousse inside.  The other item is a vegan chocolate tart.  Our server recommended it and said not to be scared off because it was vegan.   I really enjoyed both.

On day two, the ship was docked in Nassau.  We had no desire to get off and planned to spend the day pool side.
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We went up to the Galley for breakfast.  I ordered avocado toast and a breakfast bento box which had fruit, granola and yogurt.  We both wanted iced mochas from the coffee bar which are not included in the cruise fare.  The server scanned our bands for payment and he was able to get those for us as well.

After breakfast, we grabbed lounge chairs by the pool and basically set up camp for the day.
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One feature of Virgin that I really loved was access to water.  I drink a lot of water so on most cruises I will order a package of water bottles because I do not like the taste of the tap water on the ship.   This is not an option on Virgin Voyages.  To be environmentally friendly, Virgin does not have one use plastic water bottles.  Instead they encourage you to bring your own refillable water bottle and said water would be available on board.   I was dubious about how this would work and even brought packets of add in flavors in case I didn’t like the taste of the water.    I was really pleasantly surprised with the whole situation.   There is a carafe of water in your stateroom you can use to fill your bottles and you can always request more.  Our room attendant must have noticed that we were using it all so she started leaving two of them each day.   You can also go to any bar and they will fill your water bottle for you.   And what was really great was that the water tasted fine.  I did not need my add in flavor packets at all.   So no expense for purchasing a water package and it was easy to get water throughout the day.

​After enjoying the beautiful weather all day by the pool, our evening activities started out with the show Duel Reality.  The story of the show is basically a Romeo / Juliet type story.  The story is told through different scenes that involve acrobats kind of like cirque du soleil.   The acrobatics are impressive for sure and it is an enjoyable show.

​For dinner tonight, Sue and I tried Razzle Dazzle which is considered “veggie forward.”  But don’t let that scare you.  There were non-vegetarian choices available as well.    I had a mushroom tartare as my appetizer which was interesting.  A lot of different kinds of mushrooms including some that were very small and had a sweet taste.   For my entrée, I had salmon and loaded tots.  The salmon was cooked well and was very good.  The tater tots were so crispy and the “cheese” was vegan.  I could tell it wasn’t real cheese but it was still good.   I was all about the dessert here.  I had cookies and milk.  There were flavored milks – I did biscoff cookie milk – and then three different cookies.   They were so good.

​Today was Scarlet Night.   Guests are encouraged to wear red and quite a lot of guests did.   As we walked around the ship, you could see the red squid was invading areas of the ship getting ready for the evening’s Scarlet Night party.   We didn’t make it up to the top deck for the party but it was fun to see all different areas of the ship getting ready.

​What we did do was check out The Groupie.   This area consists of 3 private karaoke rooms.   We walked in and found three clipboards with hour long slots listed and you could sign up for a time slots.   There were no crew members in the area and it seemed like the honor system.   While there were some names on the lists, there was no one in the area so Sue and I hopped in a room.   There is a big screen, two microphones and a tablet where you can pick your songs.   We had a lot of fun and sang all sorts of songs.  We went back on the last night and all of the rooms were full.   They need more rooms!

Virgin Voyages is a new cruise line for guests 18 and older.   I was excited to give it a try on a 4 night sailing from Miami.

     My sister and I traveled from NY to Miami the day before the cruise – which is always the best idea so you have a cushion in case of travel delays.   We had a 2 pm embarking time so after a relaxing morning at the hotel, we made our way to the port.   A rapid test was required at the port.  We had received an email the day before with a form to complete for the text.

    Virgin Voyages just opened their own terminal at the port of Miami.  It was so nice.  Plenty of space and very well organized.   There were plenty of crew members available to provide directions.  From start to finish, it took us about 20 minutes from arriving to the port to getting on board.
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   On your Virgin Voyage you will use “the Band.”   You wear it all the time throughout your voyage.  It is your room key and you will use it for any purchases you make on board.   

​    We went right to our cabin and our room attendant came right over to introduce herself.   The room is set up as a queen bed but can be split into two single beds that meet at one end.  We asked if we could have the beds made up with our feet at the meeting point which was no problem at all.   Our attendant showed us two buttons in the room.  If you press the “do not disturb” button, a red bar lights up under your room number outside.  If you press “please service,” a blue bar lights up to indicate you would like your room made up.   Our attendant explained that she should be in once a day to make up the room but if you needed anything else, you can make a request in the app or on the tablet in the room and it will be dropped off to you.
 
   With the bed made up as two singles, there was plenty of space in the room.   Storage was a little lacking.  There are some shelves and a closet area.  Suitcases do not fit under the bed so you need to stand them in the closet area.   The bathroom was definitely my biggest negative to the room.  It was super small.   As my sister said, “You could sit on the toilet and put your feet in the shower.”   We made it work but it was tight.    The balcony had my favorite feature of the whole room – the hammock.  It was so comfy and easy to get in and out of.   

After dropping our carry on bags, we went up to the Galley to grab something to eat.   There is no buffet on board.  Instead, there is a food court type area.  Right now (due to COVID), you chose a table and a server will come and take an order for anything available in that area.  You can order from multiple areas at the same time.   We ordered a burger and fries.  They were made fresh and arrived nice and hot.
 
  Then we went exploring a bit and found a cabana type seating area on the top deck.   It was also time for a cocktail.   There are no beverage packages on Virgin.  You can pay per drink on board or you can add money to your “bar tab” prior to your cruise and Virgin will give you a bonus.  The amount of the bonus will vary based on the current promotion.   We added $300 and Virgin gave us a $100 bonus.   You can share it within the cabin – and we discovered it is basically an on board credit so you can use it for other items, such as spa treatments.    Tips are all included with drinks which made it so easy.   They just scan you band and you are good to go.  No little pieces of paper to sign or tips to add.

    Since cruises have restarted after COVID, the traditional muster station drill has been revamped.   For Virgin, there is a video that you need to watch either in the app or in your stateroom.   We grabbed a drink and a seat and put it on in the app.   Virgin made their safety video into a rock music video.   It was amusing and as is their theme, it was something different.    At 4:30 we needed to go to our muster location where they checked us off, gave a brief lifejacket demo, and we were done.  Easy and fast.
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   After we finished that we went to our cabin to find our suitcases had arrived.  We unpacked and relaxed a bit – yes, I was in the hammock – until it was time for dinner.

​  Our dinner for tonight was at Extra Virgin, their Italian restaurant.   We were travelling with 4 other friends, and we had all decided to eat all together this night.   The food was excellent, with the exception of one dish of mine.   I had a braised meatball appetizer which was outstanding.  For my pasta dish, I had spaghetti with clams.  They make their pasta fresh.  The portion was huge though the clams were a little small.   For my main course, I had a brussel sprout dish over polenta.   This was a miss for me as it was very spicy.   For dessert, we all had the affogato which is made table side.  You can chose from three fresh made gelatos and then there are toppings and a shot of expresso poured over.  I had vanilla gelato with pine nuts.   

  After dinner, Sue and I hit the casino for a little bit.   It is smaller than other ship casinos, but it is smoke free which is a plus in my book. 

  Then we decided to have a little ice cream snack before bed.  The name of the ice cream shop is “Lick me ‘til…Ice cream”   Yes, you read that right.   Little innuendoes like that were common throughout the cruise so the easily offended may not want to sail.  To me, it’s all in good fun.   And the ice cream was yum.  Again, it is fresh and they have some interesting flavors although I went with a more typical butter pecan.
 
​And with that, we called it a night for day one.

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.   [email protected]