Any feedback for those who have sailed Virgin before? Looking to do a 5 night out of Miami. Normally do RC with the family, but this would be an adults only trip with friends. Everything I've read sounds good but haven't talked with to anyone who has direct experience.

I've had clients go and they enjoy it. It is definitely a more adults atmosphere but they have tamed down their entertainment some. In the beginning it was very risqu. They don't nickel and dime you for everything right. Just know the colors/designs are bold but I think it's fun.

I'm happy to give you a no obligation quote, sometimes we can get free loot for our clients. No worries if not.

I've done one out of Miami and several out of Europe. I have never done one on another line, so not much to compare to there. Which itinerary are you looking at?

Looking at the 5 day to Bimini and DR.

Email address?

That looks like it's on the new ship (Valiant). We just got back from sailing on Scarlet, and it's definitely in need of the dry dock that is scheduled for later this year.

The itinerary you're looking at has two sea days, but they do a good job of having things to do on board besides laying on deck and drinking all day. The spa is nice and a good way to spend a few hours.

If you book, make sure you make your dinner reservations on the day they open. Some of the restaurants fill up fast. In Bimini, I'd suggest renting a golf cart and driving down to the southern end of the island for lunch at one of the conch shacks and then spend the afternoon at the beach club.

Yes, it is the newer ship. I understand it is quite different than RC but I think perfect for a couples trip. I appreciate that their pricing is more straightforward and includes almost everything except alcohol. Even that is easier with the bar tab.

We've been to Bimini before and loved it. Beautiful island with probably the clearest water I've ever seen. This would be our first stop in DR.

Keep an eye on their booking promotions. They have frequent offers of $600 bar tab per cabin included. On our most recent we had a $600 bar tab from that, $200 more from our loyalty status (I believe they status match), and another $600 in onboard credit from putting a deposit on our next cruise while on board. Even at cruise ship prices, it's hard to spend $1,400 in a week onboard.

I've been on 3 (2 in western Caribbean and the maiden voyage from Melbourne in Australia) and would have a hard time going back to one of the more conventional cruise lines. It's not just the ships (which are all the same right now), it's the pricing strategy: no upcharges for specialty restaurants, sodas, or basic wifi.

There also aren't super caffeinated cruise directors blaring into your room every morning to talk about bingo that morning or whatever. There are a lot of things to do on board but it's just a different experience.

That sounds like my kind of thing. Their pricing is very competitive as well.

mneisch said:

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Email address?

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So sorry for the delay, haven't been on texags since I posted it. It's in my profile if you click my name.

Thanks!

Wife and I are going on Valiant out of Miami next week on the DR/Bimini itinerary. Never done Virgin before but we've done others like carnival, Disney and RC. Really looking forward to it.

I'll try to remember and post some highlights back here in a couple weeks.

We ended up booking that same itenary in early August. I found out I was able to book with Chase UR points and snagged some cheap SW flights with their current sale. I'll remember to check back here and see how you liked it. Curious to hear if you do any excursion in DR.

Very cool. I will say we are doing Rockstar category so this will be a big jump from the usual stateroom/porthole window we're used to and going to a large balcony and more "status".

We haven't booked anything for DR. Our plan for now is to hang out around the Taino Bay Area. We're the type that usually buys a day pass at a beach club so this may fit our style.

Checking in to see how your trip was.

About to head to the port. We actually board today, get back next Wednesday. I'll come back here with some highlights

I'll do my best to not go too long on this. Plus there are a lot of youtube videos out there that go into some good depth but I'll give my opinion on what we did. If you've got any questions or want more specifics on anything feel free to ask.

Pros:
-Food in the galley was good. Way better than the typical buffet style stuff. We also liked being able to grab "snack" style stuff from multiple bars.
-Ship was clean, easy to navigate, good crew
-adults only, no kids
-ability to make dinner reservations at multiple places at whatever time. No assigned rotations, same table, waiter, etc
-Bimini was great for us. We are chill travelers and prefer laying on the beach and being in the ocean all while being able to do some great people watching
-speaking of people watching, it's top notch on Virgin haha
-Happenings Cast were pretty solid/entertaining
-Bingo with the Diva...it was fun and interactive with the crowd but I was also terrified to have the spotlight on me. But that's just me.
-Room/balcony was great.
-Fitness center is bigger than I've seen on some other ships but not tiny. Wife enjoyed the different classes she signed up for

Cons:
-Im a pretty adventurous eater, but the dinner restaurants werent really my thing. Maybe I had too high of expectations. Order I like them was Extra Virgin, Pink Agave, Gunbae, Wake, Razzle Dazzle (didnt try test kitchen)
-Pool deck and pool are extremely packed. Good for people watching, bad if you dont want loud music, party vibes, and people everywhere

Other thoughts:
-We have young kids so we are used to bed early and get up early. Everything on the ships starts "late" like 10pm or later for stuff like Scarlet night, pajama party
-Casino was fun but pretty small. If you try to go play after 9pm it's tough if youre looking for a table game
-Ship was completely full. Im sure some of the above things would be different if it werent packed.
-Puerto plata was okay. We hung out at Toino Bay at the free "beach club". It wouldve been better without the 100% volume DJs blasting music.
-Basic wifi being free was solid. Had no trouble texting, facetiming back home, surfing Texags. Bought the premium wifi ($30/24 hours or $100 for the trip) and I was able to watch the Ags in Omaha without any trouble
-We went to the Miss Behave show on night 1. It is definitely an adults-only kind of show. We laughed at some parts and cringed at others. We didnt go to any of the other shows.

If what we saw on the Miss Behave show is "tuned down" then I cant imagine what it was before. We talked to some others onboard and said that the show hosts rotate and she was more risque than others theyve seen over the past year.

Thoughts on bars/drink offerings/etc? It seems like there are tons of smaller venues throughout the ship. I assume you preloaded bar tab.

Overall experience versus RC or other lines you've been on? We've got several young kids as well, so for a trip without them and going with friends Virgin sounds like a good fit.

Yes, had preloaded bar tab. We were struggling to spend what we had loaded but we aren't exactly heavy drinkers either. We spent most of it at Bimini on the last day.

There are a lot of random clubs/bars. We mostly spent time at Social Club where they had TVs, old-school arcade games (free), and the trivia stuff. On the Rocks is Mid-ship and had some decent live music in the evening. Just a good central spot to hang out.

We were torn on putting down another deposit but decided not to. I would definitely cruise VV again, but we've got a disney cruise booked next year and we usually put down the next cruise deposit with them because of the kids. Tough to squeeze in a ton of extra travel at this stage for us.

The next time we sail VV, we want to go with a group of friends. I think it would make the overall experience better.

mneisch said:

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Thoughts on bars/drink offerings/etc? It seems like there are tons of smaller venues throughout the ship. I assume you preloaded bar tab.

Overall experience versus RC or other lines you've been on? We've got several young kids as well, so for a trip without them and going with friends Virgin sounds like a good fit.

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The bars on the VV ships have a good selection of premium liquors, and the bartenders at the cocktail bar on deck six are knowledgeable. The wine lists are also really good considering the logistics challenges with getting harder to find wines onto a cruise ship.