First look at Virgin Voyages cruise line

[darnheather]

I think the restaurant situation sounds intriguing, but I am curious how it will shake out. NCL is closest I can think of this idea, but the one time we went on NCL the non-MDR, free dining venues were always on a wait. If a few of the restaurants are much more popular than the others, you may have to wait for a seat - I don't like to spend my time waiting for a table ever, and especially when I am on vacation.

The report didn't talk about the entertainment on the ship. Anyone know if there will be casinos? Are they planning on doing something different/unique with this?

For me personally my concern, being a bit of an old fuddy-duddy, is that the entertainment will be all revolving around drinking and dancing. I think this may end up being a cruise line I would have loved 20-30 years ago, but am "over" now. I like relaxing venues, trivia ,movies, and shows with plots and good production values...

I am 100% certain there will be a casino and 95% certain there will be Vegas style shows probably with topless or near topless ladies just because it's Branson. I would not expect trivia.

Since we are leaving on our cruise soon I've been trying to think of food I want to have for upcoming birthdays that we won't get on the cruise and I realized that one area that DCL really disappoints me is Asian. So I'll be having Thai food before I leave.

 

[CarolynU]

Well I’ve wanted to visit Cuba and I’m bored with the current DCL itineraries right now so that after my next cruise this month in the Summer I’m defecting to Princess to cruise The Greek Isles, so maybe this is a future option.
I’m almost decided right now to only cruise DCL if I have granddaughter and family in tow! Mind you my daughter is already asking for Summer 2020 DCL so I won’t stray for long, but other cruise lines are for the first time interesting me right now!

 

[Carrie in AZ]

This stateroom decor does not speak to me at all. It doesn’t appear to be luxurious whatsoever. And we very much like buffets. I have zero desire to ever visit Cuba. Sounds like I will never be a customer, but I honestly cannot wait to read some reviews once they set sail.

 

[CastawayCayLover]

I put a deposit down a year and a half ago when they first announced to be able to get first shot at booking this. The fact that McAlpin was heading it up was a big plus for me. Seeing their brand develop since then, I decided it wasn't for us. Much more the South Beach beautiful people vibe, not our style.

Requested my deposit back over 3 week ago and still haven't seen it. Looks like McAlpin didn't bring the full customer service oriented approach he learned at Disney to Virgin. Hopefully my money shows up soon.

 

[bumbershoot]

I personally don’t understand the Richard Branson mystique (or his fascination with mood lighting).

I’ve been on a few delayed flights. The one that didn’t involve massive amounts of grumbling was the Virgin one. With its calming peaceful cycling lighting.

And that one involved delays on the ground up the extent where we were told we had time for food, a bunch of us were seated in a nearby lounge waiting for ordered food, then we were called back to the plane immediately. Half of us boarded, then the airport was shut down for a security incident. The plane was boarded twice as they looked for the person. Finally we the other half boarded. Pushed off, delayed again (sea to sfo).

And no one on the plane had a tantrum. It was amazing

Our table mates from one of our cruises just went to Cuba on Viking. They encountered a tornado, flooding in the streets where cars were floating, power outages and she got food poisoning. Nope, not interested.

Those things, of course, could also easily happen in the US.

 

[Dug720]

Those things, of course, could also easily happen in the US.

Thank you! I hate how people act like natural disasters we humans have no control over could never happen here!

 

[disdel]

I must be the only person in the US that doesn't want to go to Cuba. No interest at all. Nope, not interested.

No, no you're not.

While off-topic,
Add me.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming, the various Virgin brands do deliver a decent product usually at a good value. It looks like that bed arrangement is mostly about cutting square footage in a given cabin. The dining sounds intriguing. I'll reserve other decisions until it becomes a reality.

Back to ports of call - if they offer a day on Necker Island ( Branson's private island in the British Virgins )
I'm in

 

[dcassetta]

While off-topic,

Back to ports of call - if they offer a day on Necker Island ( Branson's private island in the British Virgins )
I'm in

You can book a stay there - https://www.virginlimitededition.com/en/necker-island/booking

 

[disdel]

You can book a stay there - https://www.virginlimitededition.com/en/necker-island/booking

Umm, yeah, those rates are why it'd be cool as a port of call, lol. More than the Walt suite. I've sailed past plenty when chartering in the BVI, it'd be cool to go ashore.

 

[dcassetta]

Umm, yeah, those rates are why it'd be cool as a port of call, lol. More than the Walt suite. I've sailed past plenty when chartering in the BVI, it'd be cool to go ashore.

I didn't say it was affordable, just possible! The rates are a little

 

[mevelandry]

Saw this today and thought DCL-ers might be interested: https://thepointsguy.com/news/first-look-inside-richard-bransons-virgin-voyages-cruise-ship-cabins/

Looks pretty cool, and very interesting that the whole ship is adults-only. Would any of you Disney-loyalists ever consider something like this?

It looks nice but we'll see what kind of rates, entertainment, service and itineraries they have to offer.

 

[kiford]

Sounded mildly interesting until I saw the cabins. Small and pretty basic. My stateroom on DCL has a separate seating area so I'm not sure why converting my bed to a couch is better. Just means that the cabin is obviously smaller. Also, I've never entertained anyone in my stateroom. Even when we cruise with friends, we always go to a lounge or somewhere that there's more space. What I also don't see in this room, although it's hard to judge just by a photo or two, is storage space. It looks quite barren; I see a small closet but no drawers. I suppose they could be out of sight but it's hard to see where they could be stashed. Also can't say I'm a fan of the funky lighting. Especially weird comment about how the lighting will automatically change depending on time of day and where you are to highlight the location. Uh no thanks. I can handle my own lighting.

The report didn't talk about the entertainment on the ship. Anyone know if there will be casinos? Are they planning on doing something different/unique with this?

I noticed this too. Maybe you're supposed to find your own entertainment in your room given what they say about the bed conversion . Is that an indication that they expect that the lounges and bars won't be large enough to accommodate everyone and there's little else going on to spread people out around the ship?

I've also never been particularly a fan of "anytime dining" which usually translates into having to schedule your dining, hopefully getting what you want when you want it, or standing and waiting to get a seat. What I like about assigned seating is that I know when and where I'm going to eat and I don't have to think about it or schedule it when I'm on vacation. I prefer to do my planning prior to my trip, not during it.

I like the adults-only aspect to the cruiseline but I suspect that this isn't going to be something for us. But I'll be interested to see what it's really like once it's fully launched.

 

[mj2vacation]

Called today. We have a deposit down from early on, it’s fully refundable, so why not.

$4100 to $4400 (balcony rooms) for 2 adults Wednesday to Sunday

There will be a reveal of a “mystery” stop in a few days.

 

[dcassetta]

Called today. We have a deposit down from early on, it’s fully refundable, so why not.

$4100 to $4400 (balcony rooms) for 2 adults Wednesday to Sunday

There will be a reveal of a “mystery” stop in a few days.

That's pretty pricy for a 4-night cruise!

 

[Pens Fan]

Deck plans:

 

[tinkerone]

Solo Insider This cocoon-like cabin is perfect for fans of late nights and sleeping in until after lunch. It’s super cozy and ideal for solo travelers. Standard cabin amenities, check. No window, no problem. Sleeps one. Interior: 105 square feet 9.75 square meters

OMG, that's like sleeping in my bathroom.....minus a window.

 

[darnheather]

Solo Insider This cocoon-like cabin is perfect for fans of late nights and sleeping in until after lunch. It’s super cozy and ideal for solo travelers. Standard cabin amenities, check. No window, no problem. Sleeps one. Interior: 105 square feet 9.75 square meters

OMG, that's like sleeping in my bathroom.....minus a window.

I love sleeping in a very small space. On a ship like this I wouldn't be in my room very much anyway. The prices are FAR more reasonable than I expected especially for a solo. I'm not saying I'm going to jump on it but I'm certainly going to watch and see.

ETA: I take back everything I said about them not having MDRs or buffets. The restaurants they've revealed so far look amazing!

 

[dcassetta]

I love sleeping in a very small space. On a ship like this I wouldn't be in my room very much anyway. The prices are FAR more reasonable than I expected especially for a solo. I'm not saying I'm going to jump on it but I'm certainly going to watch and see.

ETA: I take back everything I said about them not having MDRs or buffets. The restaurants they've revealed so far look amazing!

I'm not sure how much sleep you would be getting - some of those singles are right above the "kick-***" nightclub!!

 

[Chrissy-Mickey]

What I'm surprised about is the ship having only one pool!

 

[GatorMomInNC]

If I were solo I would have no problem with a little cocoon of a room - hopefully affordable. I think $500 per night per passenger seems very high.

There is a casino. I don't see a stage for "shows" but appears to be some music venues. Lots of gyms and workout places, yoga places, etc. A spa turns into a night club with DJs at night (yikes!)? So sounds like drinking, dancing and working out on these cruises. This is definitely geared to younger crowd, which is fine, but not my cup of tea. At those prices, I'm guessing young professionals (DINKS).