Virgin Voyages How Do I…
There are quite a few things that stumped me the first time I tried to do them. Here’s what I struggled with.
How do I…
The first thing that threw me off is that after you’ve made your reservation, you do almost everything in the app. This includes your check-in, dining reservations, Shore Things, and add-ons. Most travel companies make you do it online, and maybe have an app option. Virgin Voyages is almost exclusively in the app. Unfortunately the app is still rather buggy and can be confusing. Most of the instructions online just say “use the app.” Feel free to reach out to Virgin Voyages or your First Mate (that’s me) if you get to the throw-your-phone-across-the-room threshold.
How do I book a dining reservation?
All of the eateries are included with your fare. But there are six that will usually require a reservation and may even be full by the time you get on board, so we highly recommend you reserve them in advance. But how? All of the information I could find said “use the app”, but there was no button! Click Discover > Ship > Eateries. This will open a reservations page. From here, you can enter your reservations search details. You can book these 45 days out from your cruise date (60 for RockStars).
How do I book Shore Things?
From the App, click Discover > Ports > Select the port you’re interested in > click the Book a Shore Thing button. This will open a list of all of the Shore Things at that port. Those that are grayed-out are already filled.
If you haven’t already booked a voyage, you can see what’s available at Virgin Voyages Shore Excursions.
How do I purchase a Bar Tab?
One of my favorite things about Virgin Voyages is the bar tab, which you “can purchase from the Account section in the app.” I still haven’t figured out how to do it. Fortunately, you can contact your First Mate and she can do it for you. And no I’m not just saying this to get extra commission. One of my other favorite things about Virgin Voyages is that a First Mate’s commission is the same regardless of whether a thing is booked by a Sailor (that’s you) or a First Mate, which means no high-pressure sales tactics for you.
Where can I see my Bar Tab?
Once the Bar Tab has been purchased, you have to go online (not the app!). Go to your Dashboard, locate your voyage, and click on View Details, which is in a highlighted section labeled Add-ons.
This opens a slide out window to the right that shows you everyone in your cabin and what Add-Ons they have, including the Bonus Bar Tab.
How do we get from the ship to the Beach Club at Bimini?
The Beach Club at Bimini is not a whole island. It is a location on an island in Bimini, Bahamas. You will have to travel between the dock and the Beach Club. Fortunately, there is a free tram that goes between your Lady Ship and the Beach Club at Bimini. The trip is about 15 minutes, and the wait is usually short. Go back and forth as much as you want. The tram is located about halfway down the dock – not all the way on the shore. There should be a line formed with stanchions to the left side of the large circular area. When I was there, the signage suggested it was a bus stop to a casino, there was no tram, and no one in line, so I walked right past it.
Which cabins have hammocks?
Depending on where you look, all Sea Terrace cabins have hammocks, or only most Sea Terrace cabins have hammocks. “Most” doesn’t mean only certain categories, but certain individual cabins within the category.
So which is it? And how do you know if your sea terrace has a hammock? Do you get money back if you have no hammock? No idea! I reached out to Virgin Voyages and received kind of a vague answer. I can tell you that our Limited View Sea Terrace in room 8282A did have a hammock.
Are there laundry facilities onboard?
No. I know some people would rather jump overboard than do laundry while on vacation. Personally, I like to pack light with only a carry-on and do a load while onboard. If I’m doing a bunch of fitness classes and running around in the Caribbean, I don’t want to wear my sweaty clothes, nor do I want them stinking up my cabin or bag on the way home! I consider the 90 minutes sitting in the laundry room worth the feeling of wearing clean clothes and not dealing with a checked bag. Unfortunately, Virgin Voyages does not have free-to-use onboard laundry facilities. I had to check with Emma Cruises for this info because I couldn’t find it on Virgin’s website. They do have paid laundry services, but are a bit steep at $5 per garment. For what it’s worth, I submitted one shirt to be cleaned while aboard and they actually did it for free.
Can anyone in the room use the Bar Tab?
Yes, from my experience, when you check in at the terminal, all of our onboard spend gets lumped into one bucket that every sailor in the cabin can use for any purpose, not only on drinks.