Virgin Voyages Loyalty Program

[nmoody1]

We currently sail with both DCL and VV. We matched our status, but it wasn't worth it for us as we recieved deep blue extras from VV which was basically the highest tier awarded to anyone who sailed when they very first started - the benefits outshine the Platinum benefits we got with DCL (when that was the highest tier):

- 2 Speciality coffee credit per day (i need this for Cove Cafe!)
- 1 bag of laundry per cruise
- priority boarding
- drinks reception
- extra drinks credit bonus when buying g bar tab
- $100 bar tab
- free premium WiFi
- dedicated sailor services support (ive never used or worked out how you access this).

I really rate the food on VV. I am so bored of the food on DCL and find it to be mononous and underseasoned. It feels like every night its almost the same dish as the night before - with a tweak here ans there - with VV i fond each restaurant is unique - although I will say sonce our first sailing until now, they are falling a bit into "steak on every menu" cruise ship trap. That said, every steal ive ever had onboard has always been perfectly seasoned and cooked well - I guess this is the benefit of not having everyone sit down at rhe same time like on DCL.

I will agree that entertainment is a bit "out there" but we make it an enhancement to our evening rather than base our evening around it - on our most recent DCL cruise (Med, May 25) the lines for shows were INSANE and as we like to be near the front of the theatre. We then usually grab a cocktail and head to bed - on VV we dip in and out of the shows but spend a lot more time socialising in the bars or finding a quiet spot for a drink just the two of us - there is always something going on til at least 1am - where as on Disney i feel it hits 11pm and they are tucking you into bed!

The best way we can describe it is Disney is it is homely. It's comfortable, its familiar, its reliable (a little too reliable when you know what's for dinner or lunch before you even rock up to the restaurant). They guide you through a cruise with announcements and other points of guidance and the whole thing is a scripted show/well oiled machine. It's the same cruise director jokes, the same format every cruise. In a way I hate it as I like things to be mixed up, on the other hand I love it because who doesn't love familiarity and comfort.

Virgin seem to leave you to it. To find your own way through the cruise and very much make it your own. I'd say in a way the staff take a back seat a little and let you forge relationships with other sailors rather than with them - VV staff are working, DCL staff are performing. I think the wait staff take a more relaxed/stepped back approach because they don't need to do back flips and jokes for your tips. It feels more genuine to me - but maybe thats because im European and we have a different view towards service (i should add ive worked on DCL as a server).

 

[plutolovr]

We currently sail with both DCL and VV. We matched our status, but it wasn't worth it for us as we recieved deep blue extras from VV which was basically the highest tier awarded to anyone who sailed when they very first started - the benefits outshine the Platinum benefits we got with DCL (when that was the highest tier):

- 2 Speciality coffee credit per day (i need this for Cove Cafe!)
- 1 bag of laundry per cruise
- priority boarding
- drinks reception
- extra drinks credit bonus when buying g bar tab
- $100 bar tab
- free premium WiFi
- dedicated sailor services support (ive never used or worked out how you access this).

I really rate the food on VV. I am so bored of the food on DCL and find it to be mononous and underseasoned. It feels like every night its almost the same dish as the night before - with a tweak here ans there - with VV i fond each restaurant is unique - although I will say sonce our first sailing until now, they are falling a bit into "steak on every menu" cruise ship trap. That said, every steal ive ever had onboard has always been perfectly seasoned and cooked well - I guess this is the benefit of not having everyone sit down at rhe same time like on DCL.

I will agree that entertainment is a bit "out there" but we make it an enhancement to our evening rather than base our evening around it - on our most recent DCL cruise (Med, May 25) the lines for shows were INSANE and as we like to be near the front of the theatre. We then usually grab a cocktail and head to bed - on VV we dip in and out of the shows but spend a lot more time socialising in the bars or finding a quiet spot for a drink just the two of us - there is always something going on til at least 1am - where as on Disney i feel it hits 11pm and they are tucking you into bed!

The best way we can describe it is Disney is it is homely. It's comfortable, its familiar, its reliable (a little too reliable when you know what's for dinner or lunch before you even rock up to the restaurant). They guide you through a cruise with announcements and other points of guidance and the whole thing is a scripted show/well oiled machine. It's the same cruise director jokes, the same format every cruise. In a way I hate it as I like things to be mixed up, on the other hand I love it because who doesn't love familiarity and comfort.

Virgin seem to leave you to it. To find your own way through the cruise and very much make it your own. I'd say in a way the staff take a back seat a little and let you forge relationships with other sailors rather than with them - VV staff are working, DCL staff are performing. I think the wait staff take a more relaxed/stepped back approach because they don't need to do back flips and jokes for your tips. It feels more genuine to me - but maybe thats because im European and we have a different view towards service (i should add ive worked on DCL as a server).

I'll have to say you explained VV perfectly! DCL wants you entertained 24/7. Sometimes I just want to eat not have a show go along with it. I always find the staff friendly and helpful when I need help, but pretty hands off most of the time. We love the shows because they are very different, and some are more interactive. Just grab a drink, watch, and dance along if you want. We are in our 60s and are taking our 6th VV cruise in August with my daughter for her 40th birthday.

 

[brentm77]

I am so bored of the food on DCL and find it to be mononous and underseasoned. It feels like every night its almost the same dish as the night before - with a tweak here and there . . .

This is exactly how I feel and I've received pushback when I've said something similar here. It's hard to explain, but you did it well. The menus are almost predictable—a very simple formula for each with slight variations. It doesn't help that they are super light on the seasoning/spice, because they lean towards pleasing the more sensitive pallets. By the time I'm done with seven days, I can't wait to try something off the ship because it feels like I've had the same dinner every night.

As for Virgin, my family was talking about it last night. We have another Celebrity cruise booked, but I want to sail Virgin after that.

For those considering Celebrity, I think their Edge-class ships are a fantastic alternative to DCL for adults. For a better price, you usually get a very similar experience in service, with better food. The ships are very nice and just as clean as DCL. There's no smoking inside anywhere either. The biggest downside for me is that the ships feel more like a hotel inside and less like a ship, which is something I love about DCL. But I highly recommend people give it a try if they want relaxation, good service, and good food.

 

[tidefan]

So, I've just returned from a 10-night Virgin Voyages "Starry Nights in Greece and Croatia" cruise and I have to say, we have definitely moved to where Virgin is our "go-to" line of choice. We had done a 9-night Greek Isles cruise on the Magic 3 years ago and it was one of the best cruises that we've ever done... until now. (Full disclosure - we did a 12-night British Isles cruise a couple of years ago on the Regal Princess that was amazing as well). This cruise, I think, has surpassed almost every other one that we've done. Some observations...

First, let's acknowledge that Virgin is an adults-only cruise line, so if you have kiddos under 18, this will be a no-go. However, if you are all 18+, it's really something you should consider.

This was my 7th (and DW's 8th) VV cruise, so you can tell that we like it. However, there were certain things on this particular cruise that we noticed that really made VV stand out, little things of the type that DCL used to do. For instance, on our day in Santorini, the night before, we get a push notification that all sailors (that's what VV calls passengers) will be given complimentary Cable Car tickets. If you were on an excursion (which takes you to the port with bus access), your excursion guide would give you complimentary Cable Car tickets back down. In Corfu and Dubrovnik, VV provided complimentary, continuous bus transportation from the pier to the old town. It was a really nice touch.

All this is in addition to the things mentioned before. Included gratuities (including on things you don't think about, like the drinks... a $10 drink is $10, not $11.80 after an 18% tip...), included WiFi, included soft drinks (you will be happy to know that at least on Resilient Lady, VV has now included Diet Coke in addition to Coke Zero on the machines!), included Gelato (I could eat Brown Butter Financier Gelato all day...), no MDR - all dining is included and was exceptional, the amazing hammock on the balcony, the free arcade games, the wonderful Deep Blue Extras perks that @nmoody1 mentioned above. It was all just wonderful.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention how great the itinerary was. One thing that I thought was miles better this time around than last was that this cruise was round-trip out of Athens/Piraeus instead of Rome/Civitavecchia. We actually stayed in Piraeus pre-cruise and our hotel was next to the Piraeus metro and it was a 20 minute ride into town (Monastiraki Station). Contrast this to the hour and a half that it takes to get from Rome to Civitavecchia. But besides that, it was just so convenient to be right there in the Greek Isles instead of having to go around Italy to get there. We were able to do many more stops in this 10-day cruise. We stopped in Santorini, Bodrum (Turkey), Mykonos, Dubrovnik (Croatia), Kotor (Montenegro), and Corfu. The Mykonos stop was an overnight, so we were actually there 2 days. This allowed us to visit Mykonos Chora during the day, go back to the ship for dinner, then back to the Chora for night, which was amazing, and to visit Elia Beach the following day. I could go on about how amazing all of the different stops were, but this post would go on for a good while...

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention that for the 2 of us in a balcony cabin for a 10-night sailing with all of this, it was around $5,500. Compare that to what a Verandah cabin would run on a similar 10-night DCL sailing...

 

[brentm77]

So, I've just returned from a 10-night Virgin Voyages "Starry Nights in Greece and Croatia" cruise and I have to say, we have definitely moved to where Virgin is our "go-to" line of choice. We had done a 9-night Greek Isles cruise on the Magic 3 years ago and it was one of the best cruises that we've ever done... until now. (Full disclosure - we did a 12-night British Isles cruise a couple of years ago on the Regal Princess that was amazing as well). This cruise, I think, has surpassed almost every other one that we've done. Some observations...

First, let's acknowledge that Virgin is an adults-only cruise line, so if you have kiddos under 18, this will be a no-go. However, if you are all 18+, it's really something you should consider.

This was my 7th (and DW's 8th) VV cruise, so you can tell that we like it. However, there were certain things on this particular cruise that we noticed that really made VV stand out, little things of the type that DCL used to do. For instance, on our day in Santorini, the night before, we get a push notification that all sailors (that's what VV calls passengers) will be given complimentary Cable Car tickets. If you were on an excursion (which takes you to the port with bus access), your excursion guide would give you complimentary Cable Car tickets back down. In Corfu and Dubrovnik, VV provided complimentary, continuous bus transportation from the pier to the old town. It was a really nice touch.

All this is in addition to the things mentioned before. Included gratuities (including on things you don't think about, like the drinks... a $10 drink is $10, not $11.80 after an 18% tip...), included WiFi, included soft drinks (you will be happy to know that at least on Resilient Lady, VV has now included Diet Coke in addition to Coke Zero on the machines!), included Gelato (I could eat Brown Butter Financier Gelato all day...), no MDR - all dining is included and was exceptional, the amazing hammock on the balcony, the free arcade games, the wonderful Deep Blue Extras perks that @nmoody1 mentioned above. It was all just wonderful.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention how great the itinerary was. One thing that I thought was miles better this time around than last was that this cruise was round-trip out of Athens/Piraeus instead of Rome/Civitavecchia. We actually stayed in Piraeus pre-cruise and our hotel was next to the Piraeus metro and it was a 20 minute ride into town (Monastiraki Station). Contrast this to the hour and a half that it takes to get from Rome to Civitavecchia. But besides that, it was just so convenient to be right there in the Greek Isles instead of having to go around Italy to get there. We were able to do many more stops in this 10-day cruise. We stopped in Santorini, Bodrum (Turkey), Mykonos, Dubrovnik (Croatia), Kotor (Montenegro), and Corfu. The Mykonos stop was an overnight, so we were actually there 2 days. This allowed us to visit Mykonos Chora during the day, go back to the ship for dinner, then back to the Chora for night, which was amazing, and to visit Elia Beach the following day. I could go on about how amazing all of the different stops were, but this post would go on for a good while...

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention that for the 2 of us in a balcony cabin for a 10-night sailing with all of this, it was around $5,500. Compare that to what a Verandah cabin would run on a similar 10-night DCL sailing...

That's a fantastic price for that length of cruise in Europe. I love that they include a lot of the extra stuff in the fare too. We really need to try them. My Greek isle cruise on DCL remains my favorite trip to date.

 

[SnowWhite2]

I’ve tired of waiting for DCL to come out with their fall 2026 drop and booked VV on a 13 night trip from iceland to NYC. I think it was about $5900 for a balcony cabin which I think is a pretty good price given all that is included. I’m a bit nervous about the atmosphere but DH and I are just going to go with the flow. I don’t think we’re the target audience (we’re in our early 60/’s) but I’m willing to give anything a try (heck we aren’t DCL target audience anymore either!) We did HAL last year and I liked it a lot more than I expected and would do another HAL cruise. We loved all of the live music venues. I’m hoping VV will surprise us just like HAL. DCL wants too much money for Europe and doesn’t have the greatest itineraries. We are trying to find a new favorite cruise line.

 

[plutolovr]

I’ve tired of waiting for DCL to come out with their fall 2026 drop and booked VV on a 13 night trip from iceland to NYC. I think it was about $5900 for a balcony cabin which I think is a pretty good price given all that is included. I’m a bit nervous about the atmosphere but DH and I are just going to go with the flow. I don’t think we’re the target audience (we’re in our early 60/’s) but I’m willing to give anything a try (heck we aren’t DCL target audience anymore either!) We did HAL last year and I liked it a lot more than I expected and would do another HAL cruise. We loved all of the live music venues. I’m hoping VV will surprise us just like HAL. DCL wants too much money for Europe and doesn’t have the greatest itineraries. We are trying to find a new favorite cruise line.

I hope you love it. We're in our 60's and are going on our 6th VV next week. We absolutely love it.

 

[MinnesotaDisneyFan]

I’m an adult who has frequently cruised Disney with no kids and really enjoy Virgin. I refer to the experience as a Disney-style cruise for adults in terms of the theme nights, level of service etc. I also think the smaller ship size of the Virgin ships appeals to those who like the classic Disney ships. It’s rare to find a mass market cruise line with new ships that are relatively small. I love the variety of dining and quality of the food, feels like better food than typical main dining room and just a step below an upcharge specialty restaurant on Disney or Royal. FWIW I’m not a big partier but really enjoy Virgin’s vibe and haven’t found it to be too wild. The entertainment is very quirky and different which I also enjoy.

I believe early on Virgin matched status to a higher level but now only match to the aforementioned Blue Extras (which you would earn typically AFTER 2 Virgin sailings). So for your first 2 sailings on Virgin it’s worth doing the match. The best perks are a specialty coffee a day from the coffee shops onboard and one bag of laundry washed and folded. The only downside is you have to apply for the match for each sailing (it doesn’t stay in your account). My most recent cruise (my second Virgin cruise) I applied and was approved and by the time I sailed it wasn’t in my account and I had to ask onboard for it to be corrected (which it was).

 

[gilsan]

It was easy too do the match from Disney to Virgin. We are going on our first Virgin Cruise in August and really hope we love it.

 

[chuff88]

We were booked on an Adventures by Disney (so not DCL but still Disney) river cruise in Holland and Belgium in July 2026, but after some consideration we've decided to cancel that and do the VV Amsterdam, Bruges and Hamburg itinerary in August 2026. I travel with my mom, who is in her mid-70s, and I'm in my late 30s. We love Disney but we're excited to try something different, and after our April 2026 WBPC cruise on Disney we'll be at Platinum and planning to match status.

ETA: we're losing our deposit on the ABD trip, sailing Rock Star with VV, and still saving money. And it's the same number of nights as the river cruise would have been.