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Cabin Options
There are 4 main types of cabin options.
- Insider - Located on the inside of the ship these have no windows and or balconies (terraces). There are options in this category for solo cabins.
- Sea View - These feature a window seat or porthole.
- Sea Terrace - These feature a balcony and most are fitted with a hammock for relaxation
- Rockstar Suites - For when you really want to live your best life. These come with private Richard's Rooftop Access, In Room Stocked Bars, and priority boarding.
My recommendation is the Sea Terrace. Be sure its not a limited view Sea Terrace so you don't have an obstructions blocking the scenery. I don't think the XL Sea Terrace is a necessary upgrade as it pretty much only gives you a bigger bathroom (which may be important to you!) These XL Sea Terraces feature a larger vanity and the toilet in a private water closet. Here are some youtube links with videos of the 3 most common cabins.
Sea Terrace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMpI8mfDwqc
Sea View
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDWtcLb9UX4
Insider
Book Early!
Be sure to reach out to Virgin Voyages directly by phone to pick your room. If you book online it will automatically assign you the best cabin available, like a hotel. But if you call, you can ask them to change the location of the cabin to best fit your needs. Try to avoid any staterooms on Deck 5, as it is underneath the nightclub, and Deck 14, as it is underneath the pool deck and may be loud with lounge chairs getting moved around.
However, based on the layout of the ship, there aren't many rooms that aren't ideal. I still recommend calling to make the process easier. It took about a 20 minute phone call for me to complete the reservation. (btw, I'm on Deck 13, Cabin 13086A).
Click here for a downloadable PDF of the ship deck plan.
As soon as you're booked you can download the Virgin Voyages app and select your embarkation time. I would do this sooner than later to get a more desired check in time.
Deposits and Price Drops
At the time of booking, you will be required to put down a 20% deposit.
If the price of the cruise drops, you can reach out to Virgin by phone. They will cancel your reservation, give you a cruise credit for the amount you've already paid, and then rebook you on a new reservation using the cruise credit. Note doing this may require you to pick a different stateroom, but will save you money!
Drinks, drinks and more drinks...but wait!
Virgin Voyages offers a prepaid drink tab that you can buy ahead of time. You can add $300 to your bar tab and they will throw in an additional $50. Drinks on board are priced as follows: $5-6 for beer, $9 for a basic cocktail, and 40% of all wines by the glass are under $10. Like with all other pricing on Virgin, gratuities are already worked in the price. Depending on the number of sailors we have in our group, we may be able to get a discount on drink packages, so wait a bit to purchase!
Arrival in Miami
Though not necessary, I always travel down to Miami a day early. Air travel is unpredictable, and you don't want a delayed or cancelled flight ruining the whole vacation. I'll be staying at the Hotel Riu in Miami Beach, but there are plenty of other options to check out. If you do travel to Miami on the day of, keep in mind that the ship leaves at 5pm, you will probably want to plan on geting on the ship AT THE LATEST 4PM. Unlike other cruise lines, Check In doesn't start until about 1:45pm on the 11th. Something to keep in mind when booking flights.
Departing Miami
The ship arrives in Miami no later than 6:30am, usually early but Customs and Board Patrol usually don't give the OK to disembark until around 7:00-7:30. However, Virgin encourages you to sleep in rather than rushing you out of the boat. You will have until approximately 10:30am to disembark. Departure, customs, calling an Uber/Lyft, and airport check in can take some time, so I wouldn't recommend booking a flight earlier than 12pm.
Check back soon for my cruise packing list!