Virgin Voyages Loyalty Program

[minniebeth]

Has anyone tried to match their Castaway Club level with Virgin Voyages' Loyalty Program? I was wondering if it is worth doing and how easy the process is. Thank you!

 

[DCL58]

Has anyone tried to match their Castaway Club level with Virgin Voyages' Loyalty Program? I was wondering if it is worth doing and how easy the process is. Thank you!

We did. It was super easy. But we have never sailed with them!

 

[Retiredcruiser]

We did. It was super easy. But we have never sailed with them!

We did as well. Agree it was super easy. We sailed as "rock stars" back in January this year so hard to say if it was worth doing. I would go ahead and do it regardless since it is easy and free. In regards to sailing Virgin again, it wasn't for us.

 

[DCL58]

We did as well. Agree it was super easy. We sailed as "rock stars" back in January this year so hard to say if it was worth doing. I would go ahead and do it regardless since it is easy and free. In regards to sailing Virgin again, it wasn't for us.

Virgin voyages is on our list to try since DCL doesn’t have any 7 night cruises other than on the Treasure.

 

[ddonner]

We did. It was super easy. But we have never sailed with them!

How did you do it? It looks like you need to have a Booking Reference to be able to ask for the matching status.

 

[Girl of the South]

Just curious - why wasn’t Virgin for you? It LOOKS like more “party” than I would like, but did enjoy flying Virgin Atlantic. The food was amazing.

 

[Kwami]

Virgin voyages is on our list to try since DCL doesn’t have any 7 night cruises other than on the Treasure.

And Alaska on the Wonder and Magic, and the Mexican Riviera on the Wonder, and some Australia/NZ cruises on the Wonder, and a whole bunch of European cruises on the Fantasy, and a few Southern Caribbean cruises on the Magic, and a pair of Caribbean cruises on the Destiny...

Are you only considering cruises from Port Canaveral?

 

[Retiredcruiser]

Yes, I believe you are correct in regards to needing a Booking Reference number when processing the matching status.

For VV, the vibe just wasn't for us (retired in our 50s, DCL Platinum) and we were really hoping it would be. We thought the quality of the food didn't match all the hype and we had access to everything they had to offer. I think Chicken and Champagne was the best food experience we had onboard a 6 night cruise. Must have been the Champage as we each only had 1 piece of chicken!

We did the Grog Walk on day 1 thinking hey what a cool idea to see the different bars on the ship, have a drink and meet the bartenders. VV organized the event as an awkward high school dance where you have to find a match with a fellow Grog Walker to a get-to-know you question to be able to get your drink. It definitely felt a little awkward to us. We also had backstage passes to Scarlet Night which again wasn't anything special. I know they explained it in various formats (lectures and dances) but we simply didn't get the let's all wear red "pajamas" and party night. The Duel Reality show was entertaining and offered something different but simply can't compete with a Disney show. The VV staff were also less friendly / welcoming at the restaurants and bars than any DCL cruise we have been on.

 

[Kwami]

We did as well. Agree it was super easy. We sailed as "rock stars" back in January this year so hard to say if it was worth doing. I would go ahead and do it regardless since it is easy and free. In regards to sailing Virgin again, it wasn't for us.

What does it mean to sail as "rock stars"?

It looks like VV just gives you the mid-tier benefits if you have some other loyalty status.

 

[adawnrob]

Has anyone tried to match their Castaway Club level with Virgin Voyages' Loyalty Program? I was wondering if it is worth doing and how easy the process is. Thank you!

I simply took a screenshot of my castaway (platinum ) status and sent that in. I received an email the very next day with a very nice status match. I am sailing with Virgin for the first time this November.

 

[DCL58]

And Alaska on the Wonder and Magic, and the Mexican Riviera on the Wonder, and some Australia/NZ cruises on the Wonder, and a whole bunch of European cruises on the Fantasy, and a few Southern Caribbean cruises on the Magic, and a pair of Caribbean cruises on the Destiny...

Are you only considering cruises from Port Canaveral?

Yes. Only cruises from PC until husband retires. We will do Alaska and Europe in a couple years. Right now, we just want longer cruises out of PC. Not interested in sailing out of Fort Lauderdale either.

We are thinking about trying Celebrity in January.

 

[Girl of the South]

Thanks RetiredCruiser - appreciate your Virgin feedback.

 

[OhhBother]

Yes, we matched and received the "Blue Extras" level. Super easy. We love sailing Virgin! We're on a DCL cruise in September and a VV cruise in March.

 

[Retiredcruiser]

What does it mean to sail as "rock stars"?

It looks like VV just gives you the mid-tier benefits if you have some other loyalty status.

Sailing as a Rock Star with VV is synonymous with sailing DCL Concierge. It comes with priority boarding and booking for activities along with access to Richard's rooftop which is equivalent to accessing the Concierge lounge on DCL. Your room also comes pre stocked with your bar choices which did make it more convenient than parading off to a lounge to get a drink. 1 bag of laundry and 1 speciality coffee per day are also included...something DCL needs to add for Concierge perks !

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yes, I believe you are correct in regards to needing a Booking Reference number when processing the matching status.

For VV, the vibe just wasn't for us (retired in our 50s, DCL Platinum) and we were really hoping it would be. We thought the quality of the food didn't match all the hype and we had access to everything they had to offer. I think Chicken and Champagne was the best food experience we had onboard a 6 night cruise. Must have been the Champage as we each only had 1 piece of chicken!

We did the Grog Walk on day 1 thinking hey what a cool idea to see the different bars on the ship, have a drink and meet the bartenders. VV organized the event as an awkward high school dance where you have to find a match with a fellow Grog Walker to a get-to-know you question to be able to get your drink. It definitely felt a little awkward to us. We also had backstage passes to Scarlet Night which again wasn't anything special. I know they explained it in various formats (lectures and dances) but we simply didn't get the let's all wear red "pajamas" and party night. The Duel Reality show was entertaining and offered something different but simply can't compete with a Disney show. The VV staff were also less friendly / welcoming at the restaurants and bars than any DCL cruise we have been on.

Most people who seek out Virgin Voyages come back liking it, they sought it out mostly for the adults only aspect. We almost sailed them (though they are still on our list) in 2023 but opted to go with Seabourn, price-point wise they were roughly the same at that time (we were going to sail in a rock star suite if with Virgin Voyages) but completely different types of ambience.

So I guess considering your review I have to wonder what made you want to go with Virgin Voyages in the first place when you've been with DCL that much?

 

[Retiredcruiser]

Most people who seek out Virgin Voyages come back liking it, they sought it out mostly for the adults only aspect. We almost sailed them (though they are still on our list) in 2023 but opted to go with Seabourn, price-point wise they were roughly the same at that time (we were going to sail in a rock star suite if with Virgin Voyages) but completely different types of ambience.

So I guess considering your review I have to wonder what made you want to go with Virgin Voyages in the first place when you've been with DCL that much?

Good question. We want to see new destinations DCL doesn't offer and the hype around the food turned our heads to say why not give them a try. We were hoping to book them for a leaf peeping trip along the east coast for example. The prices were super reasonable and even with the ability to get an additional discount while onboard including for a rock star suite (something DCL doesn't do for Concierge) we had to pass. We are off to the British Isles in Sept. with DCL and then trying Celebrity next March still in search of a cruise line to augment DCL with.

How did y'all like Seabourn?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Good question. We want to see new destinations DCL doesn't offer and the hype around the food turned our heads to say why not give them a try. We were hoping to book them for a leaf peeping trip along the east coast for example. The prices were super reasonable and even with the ability to get an additional discount while onboard including for a rock star suite (something DCL doesn't do for Concierge) we had to pass. We are off to the British Isles in Sept. with DCL and then trying Celebrity next March still in search of a cruise line to augment DCL with.

How did y'all like Seabourn?

I have also heard people generally like the food on Virgin Voyages, I think a lot of buzz more surrounding how the dining is more flexible that sort of thing. The food aspect was in part why we thought about Virgin but it was also, like you mentioned, thinking about the hype they were getting. The appeal of making the ship more for the adults is high.

As for Seabourn we just completed in April our 2nd cruise with them. First was a 7-day one in 2023, second was a 12-day one both in the Mediterranean but different parts. We almost booked a RT Tahiti cruise for next year with Seabourn but ultimately didn't because the ship used wasn't all verandah like the two ships we've been on and that was a tad too much upcharge from ocean view to verandah was more than we wanted but that speaks towards your other destinations comment.

We've loved the experience, however we, like you felt with Virgin, are not the typical target audience as my husband is almost 36 and I'm 37 so we're technically more the audience Virgin wants lol. This most recent cruise everyone we ran into was interested in why we would have chosen Seabourn but I would just respond it suited us. Relaxed, easy dining (you dine whenever you want during operating hours of the restaurants), etc. To some it can be viewed as boring I mean the ships don't have what you'd might see on Royal Caribbean or such with slides, race tracks and the like but that was an appeal to us. I think if we had done Virgin Voyages we would have gone in with wanting a more lively cruise whereas with Seabourn you get a more understated cruise. I would also add that we liked the whole feeling never opening our wallet, you don't tip (as in it's not expected nor required) on Seabourn, nothing costs extra unless you want certain wine packages (but there's plenty of included wines) or Dom Perignon type thing, no food places cost extra, etc.

I wonder if you're going to be on the same DCL cruise as my other DISer friends who are doing a British Isles cruise in September, theirs is the 8th-15th. Ironically we'll also be there at the same time as my DISer friends but doing it as a road trip through England, Scotland and Wales from the 8th-20th though sadly we won't have the overlap in cities to be able to visit/get together with them.