Welcome Back to our New Blog Series (and to its new Friday home): Jamie’s Destination “Do”s and “Don’t”s, where our favorite Travel Planning Aficionado shares her wealth of knowledge and experiences about traveling the world! After every trip to a new destination, Jamie gives us her perspective as both a traveler, and a travel advisor, through a quick but comprehensive list of what to do or not do at each vacation location!
As many of you who follow along know, Jamie and almost half of the Love of the Magic Team recently returned from an incredible Virgin Voyages Cruise to Key West and Bimini! So today’s blog will be extra special, since this List of “Do”s and “Don’t”s has contributions from many of our Travel Advisors, making it an LOTMV Team Effort!
So Let’s Go Cruise on Virgin Voyages! But First…
Table of Contents
Jamie and The Love of the Magic Vacations Team’s “Do”s and “Don’t”s for Virgin Voyages Cruising!
Top Favorites, and Jamie and the LOTMV Team’s “Must Do” Experiences
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Try All the Food!
Virgin Voyages truly takes dining to the next level, and not just for cruise dining, but for exquisite cuisine that you would find at top restaurants across the globe. The presentation is incredible, and of course the food itself is delicious; every meal is a foodie’s delight, and an experience in itself!
Favorites from the LOTMV Team included The Wake (Steak and Seafood), Extra Virgin (Elevated Italian), and especially The Test Kitchen (an Experimental Onboard Eatery), particularly with the wine/drink pairing at Test Kitchen.
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Enjoy Sea Days
Virgin Voyages are Adults-Only ships, and as such are specially designed to cater to the interests and activities that adults enjoy, with no space or resources used up for children’s needs or daycare spaces. From spa treatments and exercise classes, to board games and crafts, to the hammocks that hang from almost every Sea Terrace, everyone onboard will be able to find something that tickles their fancy in ways they would most likely not find on other cruise ships. Some of the LOTMV Team’s favorite Sea Day Activities include the VHS 80’s Themed Workout, the Spa’s Mud Room, and napping in their hammocks!
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Splurge on the Sea Terrace or Rock Star Suite
Although the various cruise lines call their cabins with outside spaces something different, whether it’s a Sea Terrace like it is on Virgin Voyages, or a verandah or balcony or anything else, having that space levels up your cruise experience exponentially. And if you can swing a Rock Star Suite, your Virgin Voyages experience will be one of the most chic and extravagant of your life!
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Embrace the Party
Whether you are out until dawn every weekend, or you can’t remember the last time you went to bed later than 9pm, we all have a partier in us somewhere, no matter how long it’s been since her last appearance. And the LOTMV Team is here to tell you that your next Virgin Voyages Cruise is THE place to let your party-side shine! Virgin Voyages goes above and beyond when it comes to the nightlife and party scene on their ships, especially on Scarlet Night, the poolside party with a (you guessed it) RED theme! So don’t forget to bring your favorite red outfit for the occasion!
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Keep an Open Mind and Have Fun!
Virgin Voyages is definitely a different type of cruise experience than you will find anywhere else. It’s a little out of the ordinary, it’s a lot of let-your-hair-down vibes, and most of all, it’s a ton of fun, maybe even in ways you didn’t know you could have fun. All facets of Virgin have always been proudly inclusive of the beautiful diversity that is humanity, so with an open mind and heart, your Virgin Voyages journey may present, not just a new place, but maybe even a new way of thinking, too.
Top Tips that Jamie and the LOTMV Team Learned Along the Way
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Download the Virgin Voyages App Before Boarding
The consensus of the whole LOTMV Team was to have the Virgin Voyages App downloaded to your phone before leaving the port. The sooner you download the App, the sooner you’ll be able to make dinner reservations and spa appointments, and also the sooner you’ll get used to using it, since you do need it for almost everything onboard. Hot Tip: Don’t delete the app while onboard if you are experiencing difficulties with it; instead, go to Sailor Services to have them take care of it for you!
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Plan Your Outfits Well
By now, many of us have experience planning coordinating outfits for our entire family for each day of our Disney trips, and your Virgin Voyages Cruise requires just as much planning ahead! Although Virgin Voyages advertises itself as a more “casual” cruise line, you will likely feel out of place if you show up to dinner in your day wear, or if you’re the only one on Scarlet Night who forgot to bring something red. Appropriate attire on Virgin Voyages is less about formality, and more about embracing the themes! So whatever dressing up means to you, take your VV Cruise dinners and events as your opportunities to go all out, and of course, plan in as much red as you can for Scarlet Night!
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Prioritize and Plan Ahead
With so many Love of the Magic Vacations Travel Advisors all together on a Virgin Voyages Cruise, there winds up being a great variety of unique interests, tastes and priorities among the group. While there were some very specific suggestions (coming right up in the list below), the common thread regardless of the interest or activity was to know what you want to do, prioritize what you want to do, and plan ahead for it.
Here are some specific suggestions the LOTMV Team had:
– Know what activities you want to do, and book them as soon as you get onboard when the app allows it. The popular favorite workout classes and ticketed events fill up quickly, so be ready instead of being disappointed!
– If you want to spend a Sea Day by the pool (especially in one of the coveted fancy poolside loungers), plan to arrive EARLY to the pool, by 8:30/9am the latest!
– If you’d like breakfast delivered to your room, pre-order it the night before, ideally as you’re getting ready for your evening activities (although the app allows you to book in-room breakfast until 2am, all of the good time slots will be long gone by then)
– Speaking of Room Service, there is a $5 charge unless you order a drink with a cost. Hot Tip: Order an Espresso shot for $3 and you’re good to go! Definitely a win!
– Always grab a paper itinerary in the morning from one of the coffee stands or Sailor Services locations. Contrary to popular belief, the paper itinerary will actually have any schedule updates and changes before the app reflects those modifications.
– If you would like the Sofa Conversion to occur to your bed, it must be requested via the iPad in your cabin (as it is not an automatic daily occurrence).
– And if you’re really good at planning ahead (or have a Travel Advisor who is *wink wink*), pre-purchase your Sailor Loot (or onboard spending money) whenever Virgin Voyages has a sale that gets you free Loot (because who doesn’t love free money?).
– Finally, you can also plan ahead for your next Virgin Voyages Cruise while onboard! Doing so gives you access to incredible promotions and onboard credits that are not available to you once you disembark.
Top “Must-Don’t”s, or Things Jamie and the LOTMV Team Would Do Differently
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Do Not Wait to Reserve What You Want
Although Planning Ahead was just mentioned, it’s worth reiterating that you cannot expect to get the dinner or spa or fitness or event reservations you want most by waiting until the last minute. Some activities can only be reserved once you’re onboard, and you should be ready with the App downloaded (as mentioned above) when you step on the ship, and some (like dinners) can be made beforehand. As with any vacation, know what’s available and know what you want, so that your favorite LOTMV Travel Advisor can help with whatever she can pre-boarding, and you can get your top picks as soon as you’re onboard.
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Do Not Skip Nap Time
Yes, this sentiment is usually aimed at parents with toddlers, but in this case, nap time is helpful, and probably necessary for adults, too! Virgin Voyages Cruises have an extraordinary nightlife scene, and you don’t want to miss out on any of the fantastic nighttime activities by tucking in early. There’s a time and place for going to sleep early, and Virgin Voyages is not that time and place! The cabins on VV even have special room darkening features to make sleeping during the day easier, so you don’t miss anything at night. If that doesn’t tell you when all the action happens, I don’t know what will! Hot Tip: your Sea Terrace Hammock is a great nap spot, too!
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Do Not Under-Pack
Again, there is a time and place to pack lightly, and your Virgin Voyages Cruise is not it! Sailors come onboard with fully themed outfits for every activity, meal and event, and while going full-out on theming isn’t everyone’s style, you won’t want to miss your chance to try a look or outfit you’ve always wanted to try, but never had the right opportunity for: VV is that opportunity! So dig out those sequins and that fringe gathering dust in your closet, grab those accessories you bought with the hope of having an excuse to wear them, and let yourself shine! And if you missed it earlier, DO NOT FORGET SOMETHING RED!
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Do Not Expect Your Virgin Voyages Cruise To Be Like Any Other Cruise Experience
Virgin Voyages Cruises are a wholly different experience than any other cruise you may ever have been on. And if you are a cruise virgin, and Virgin Voyages is your first cruise ever, do not expect any cruise you take after to be anything like it. From the whole Cruise Line being Adults-Only, to the late-night parties, to the carefully curated cuisine, to the eclectic entertainment, Virgin Voyages is a Cruise Line like no other. But again, as mentioned above, come onboard with an open mind and heart, as your most fabulous and authentic self, and you’ll likely be booking your next Voyage with Virgin before your Lady Ship pulls back into port.
And…That’s a Wrap on Jamie and The Love of the Magic Team’s “Do”s and “Don’t”s of Cruising with Virgin Voyages!
Ready to Plan?
Now that you have a whole Team’s worth of Tips and Tricks for Experiencing Virgin Voyages, are you ready to celebrate yourself on an Adults-Only Virgin Voyages Cruise? Contact your Love of the Magic Vacations Travel Advisor today or email hello@LOTMV.com
Looking for more of Jamie’s Destination “Do”s and “Don’t”s?
So far, we have:
Jamie’s Destination “Do”s and “Don’t”s: Paris and Disneyland Paris
Jamie’s Destination “Do”s and “Don’t”s: Italy
Jamie’s Destination “Do”s and “Don’t”s: The Disney Wish
Jamie’s Destination “Do”s and “Don’t”s: Grenada
Jamie’s Destination “Do”s and “Don’t”s: Disney’s D23 Expo
A new list comes out the Friday after Jamie returns from her latest trip!
And don’t forget to check out our Inspiring Itineraries as well, featuring a Perfect Plan for your next vacation, and highlighting a new destination each month!
Contact your favorite Love of the Magic Travel Advisor or email hello@LOTMV.com to start planning today!
