Hello Virgin!
How did we come to travel on a Virgin Voyages cruise, you may ask?
Well, it fitted the bill. Adult only, new ships, smaller capacity than the other mainstream cruise lines, tips included, unlimited soft drinks and ice cream. A huge free bar tab of $600, free onboard spend of $300, and no main dining room, what’s not to like? Having looked at several cruise lines departing Barcelona, with a little intrepidation, we started our Virgin Voyage with Leighanne, our Travel Agent.
Although it’s pretty easy to book online via the Virgin Voyages website, we got a much better deal and cabin with the help of Leighanne.
We were a little apprehensive booking with Virgin. We’d heard the stories of swinging, all night parties and drunken debauchery but heh, they market themselves as diverse and nonjudgmental, so as a gay female couple, we decided to go for it! Boy, are we glad we did!
What To Do Before You Go…..
The first job we had to do was book our excursions, if we wanted to, via the VV App. As we’re pretty independent, we had already decided that we would just get off and wander. There are lots of excursions bookable via the App or if you’re brave, it’s possible to book independent trips to various places. A few people we spoke to went independently to Cinque Terra and St Tropez. Just remember, the ship won’t wait for you if you’re late!
The next job, 45 days before boarding, is to book the restaurants you wish to dine in.
Get up at 04:00 to book a restaurant, they said! With alarms set, we went to bed. At 03:00 we were both still awake, far too excited to go to sleep! As VV newbies, we’d done as we were told from our newly gained Facebook buddies, and researched which restaurants we particularly wanted to eat in and on what day and time. Armed with our notes, we waited……
Suddenly we were able to book……Hurrah!
With Janine on one phone and Alison on the other, we booked everything we hoped to and at the times we wished. Although we fell for the hype, we’re pretty sure it wasn’t necessary, but we had fun and will do it again!
As there is no main dining room or set times to eat, every meal can be taken in a ‘specialty’ restaurant with no extra charges. There is no dress code except no swimwear. We found that most people in the restaurants dressed in smart casuals but some had their party frocks on and some gym pants. Nobody cared or judged, perfect!
As we only live around a 4 hour drive from Barcelona, we were driving to the Port. We booked a Holiday Inn Express at Barcelona Montmelo for €80 via Booking.com. The room was comfortable, clean and had free parking. There was no restaurant for an evening meal, but a good breakfast was included in the price. We ordered a pizza to be delivered from Boston Doner Kebab Pizzeria. How classy! It arrived quickly and was pretty alright.
After a good sleep, we headed to the Port of Barcelona, an easy 30 minute drive. After going around the Port roundabout a few times, we made it off safely to see right before our eyes, the parking garage and the beautiful Valient Lady.
We had prebooked parking at the World Trade Centre for a week at the cost of €87 directly from WTC website. We drove to parking 2, a very well-lit and clean underground parking garage. Having read mixed reports, we decided to drop our back seats to deter any potential thieves. We felt very safe and comfortable leaving the car 30 meters from the ramp leading to the quay.
As we arrived at the top of the ramp, we were amazed to see Valiant Lady looming over us, what a fantastic moment.
We spotted the bag drop area and joined the short queue. Within a few minutes, our cases were on their way to our cabin.
Next stop……find a WC. We couldn’t! There appears to be no public conveniences at the terminal or within the port. We nipped into the Eurostars Grand Marina Hotel to search out the toilet, but it was pretty quiet, so we hot footed it out and into a bar! The hotel is in a fantastic location for a pre-cruise stay and looked beautiful.
Boarding The Ship
Our allocated time to join the ship was 14:15, so at around 13:30, we started hovering. Upon asking a friendly agent, we were told that we could join our queue to board in around 20 minutes. We didn’t move and sure enough, 20 minutes later, we were at the front of the 14:15 queue to embark on our holidays. Very quickly, we’d say within 20 minutes, we were in our cabin! Check in was very straightforward. It was here we were issued with our bracelets that do everything from opening your door, to buying anything onboard and security.
We had picked cabin 11102Z, The Sea Terrace, as it had a larger balcony than most with it being on an angle. It had total privacy and our neighbours did not overlook us, but we could see right along the side of the ship. We were very happy with the location and layout and would thoroughly recommend these cabins. Leighanne had secured us this cabin for the same price as a guarantee Sea Terrace and is a much better option. The guarantee cabins are mostly restricted view and we were advised that some can be affected by the noise from the nightclub. A risk we weren’t prepared to take. You are able to bid to upgrade but again, it’s a chance you take….
The bed was made as a double, but it is possible to request it to be configured as two singles. It was a good size bed, not super king but probably 160cm x 200cm, a European king Size. As Janine has a bad back, shes taken to not only carrying her own pillow, but now also a 5cm memory foam mattress topper! Alison can confirm that the mattress was very comfortable, if a little firm.
After a quick change, our suitcases had preceded us, we headed to The Dock. A fantastic bar and eatery at the back of the ship. Again, this location was recommended by our Facebook group buddies as the ideal place to sit to book any shows, gym classes etc that were not able to be pre-booked before boarding.
We didn’t actually book anything, just stuffed our faces with the hot and cold nibbles, Mezze style, that just keep coming if you raise the little flag on the menu. Alison is vegetarian and was well catered for in this bar. There are also self-service display counters where you can just grab and go, find a seat and enjoy. We particularly enjoyed the Falafel, watermelon and feta salad, chicken thighs and grilled shrimp. The Dock has a luxury resort feel with different styles of seating, day beds, low tables and chairs, bar counter seating, in shade or sun. We never had to wait to find a seat and if we had, there are plenty of tables available inside. We found this to be our go to bar, never too busy, nice vibe and great for a snack.
As we had no idea how the evening was to progress, we hadn’t booked anywhere for dinner, instead we were going to try The Galley. I guess this is sort of similar to other lines buffets.
As the ship left its dock in Barcelona, everyone was on deck around the pool or on the deck above, to enjoy the sailaway party. This really was something else. Instead of a cruise director, VV have ‘The Happening’s’ cast and especially The Diva, a very flamboyant drag queen that seems to be the centre of everything. We didn’t get the hang of The Happening’s cast, secret parties and shows, but probably because we didn’t bother. We danced and sang along with everyone until 18:45 when the music suddenly stopped and everyone dispersed!
The pool and its surrounding hot tubs, day beds, bars and sunloungers really are the hub of life on board. The pool is small, definitely more of a chatting pool than any chance of having a swim but it works for VV, different like the rest of the ship. It would have been fantastic to have had a slide going from one deck to the pool deck and in to a separate pool, no kids to fight with, maybe we’ll suggest it…….
The Galley
Off we headed to The Galley to experience our first meal onboard.
Although it was table service food hall style, we found it to be more self-service. There are lots of different options available ranging from a sushi bar, noodle and taco stand, all day breakfast, burgers and the daily hot food options. Alison had a great veggie burger and fries and Janine had beautifully cooked roast beef, more like sliced steak really, followed by cake from the dessert counter! We went there a lot for cookies, normally around 22:00 before they closed.
We had full intensions of going to the Pyjama Party held in The Manor, the ship’s nightclub, but we were knackered….or so we thought. Instead of the PJ party, we headed to the pizza joint at midnight, a fantastic takeaway or eat in restaurant with a daily special. Janine chose the white pizza and Alison, as usual, created her own veggie option. Off we headed back to our cabin with our pizzas, ohhhh the novelty of the first night on a cruise! While we waited, we also spotted the ice cream stand ‘Lick Me Till Ice Cream’. How fantastic is that and all included in the price! Janine couldn’t wait to try ice cream in the morning……
The cabin features are controlled with a tablet that is supplied for the cabin. It can open your curtains, change the lighting, work the TV and probably tons more stuff we never discovered. Ours wasn’t working! We called the technical support and within minutes, someone arrived and got it sorted.
What a great first day we had.
Janine woke up early and sneaked onto the balcony to claim the fantastic hammock and watch the sunrise on route to Toulon. A red blanket is provided to enjoy the hammock even at cooler times of the day. Janine was obsessed!
Razzle Dazzle
We had booked to eat at Razzle Dazzle, one of the restaurants that do the bottomless brunch. We arrived there at our reserved time and got shown to our table. The restaurant was pretty quiet as most people had rushed to get off. As we hadn’t booked any excursions, all our mornings were very relaxed. The breakfast was immense. We ordered a selection of naughty breakfast items, waffles, veggie breakfast and rainbow churros. This had to be a one off or we’d not be able to walk off the ship! We did have a fresh orange juice each, which came out of our included bar tab.
After a leisurely breakfast, we wandered off the ship and into Toulon. The ship docks almost in the centre of town so it was very easy and convenient.
We decided the easiest way to see the town was on the little train. It didn’t go far but for €8 each it was fine. It’s very easy to find the train. Just walk along the promenade along the water’s edge until you arrive at an area where you can book various trips. You just pay as you board.
The train takes around 45 minutes but it is possible to break the journey at a great beach and pick up a train a little later. Next time we would definitely take our swimsuits and towels.
We had a little walk around the centre before heading back to the ship to prepare for our first real dinner.
The Wake…..
The Wake restaurant won Janine’s heart! Imagine turning up at a beautiful steak and seafood restaurant and having a perfectly cooked Filet Mignon whilst sitting and watching the wake left by the ship… This is The Wake! A luxuriously appointed restaurant where all but the aged Tomahawk are included in the price. The seafood platters and various oyster dishes are also an extra charge.
For starters we had the Wedge Salad and Corn Custard and Black Bean Salad, for mains, Filet Mignon with a roasted half a garlic kernal and twice baked potatoes and caramalised onions. Alison had the Crispy Polenta, roasted bell pepper, spinach and crème fraiche. Although not Alison’s favorite, it was better than the last time she ate polenta in Tarbes hospital!
For dessert, we chose a lemon cheesecake in the shape of a lemon and a meringue. Overall, a beautiful meal.
Tonight we hit the nightclub! First time we’ve been clubbing for years and what fun it was. A good mix of all types of music, maybe a bit heavy on very up to date club music, which us 50 somethings don’t know!
As we leave our balcony doors open overnight, we were rudely awoken upon our arrival at the docks in La Spezia. Peaceful it ain’t!
We had ordered breakfast to be delivered to our cabin. A great choice of breakfast items can be ordered the night before. There is a small delivery charge but if you buy (off your free tab) a specialty drink, orange juice, cappuccino, Red Bull etc, its waivered. We were notified via the App that our breakfast was being prepared. A few minutes later it arrived. We were so embarrassed. I think we must have emptied the pantry. Container after container was opened.
We had ordered fruit, muesli bars, granola cereal, croissants, blueberry muffins, Carbo Dazzle (USA version of French toast stuffed with Nutella, banana and maple syrup) eggs and veggie sausages, orange juice and a Red Bull! How we laughed…. good job we’d taken Gaviscon and a set of bathroom scales….the over indulgence had to stop! Our breakfast lasted all day. At least we’d discovered what we liked for next time…..fruit and granola!
As we had driven down the coast last year from Toulouse to Naples, we decided to stay onboard today and enjoy an empty ship! As this is the stop for all the excursions to Cinque Terra, we had the boat to ourselves. We had spent 2 nights exploring La Spezia last summer staying in lodgings in the centre of town, Echi del Mare. The accommodation had private parking and the host was fantastic, recommending where we should eat and the best villages to visit. He recommended we visit Porto Venere rather than the classic Cinque Terre villages, as in October, a lot would be closed. Porto Venere is indeed spectacular and well worth a visit.
So, on our deserted ship we went to the gym! The gym is well equipped with all the standard equipment. One side is a cardio studio and the other, the free weights, stacks, aparatus and plenty of room for stretching and floor exercises.
Various group classes are also available and most are included in the price. A lot of classes book out really quickly so book as soon as you board. The bungee fit class looked fun and the spinning intense! It’s also possible to pay for personal training. After a good workout burning off our over indulgent breakfast, we hit the hot tub….BLISS!
Pink Agave
Tonight we were dining in Pink Agave, the Mexican themed restaurant.
Our reservation was for 20:00 as usual and we were led to our table. The tables are quite close together, so it was great to chat to our neighbours on both sides.
Our waitress was hilarious! She was called Cerys and just decided that we would try everything on the menu to start as that’s the best way!
For our mains Alison had the Relleno Vegano, russet potato and roasted corn stuffed poblano pepper and Janine had Bistec Marinero en Escabeche. The only way to describe it is steak drowned in greasy cheese! This probably wasn’t our favourite food but again, for the experience and service, it was worth a try.
DAY 4 AT SEA
We had booked Razzle Dazzle again for the brunch so off we went. This time we took it easy and just had granola and fruit and Alison had scrambled eggs. Our scales had been screaming ‘one at a time please’ so it was time to stop!
There is lots to do during the day. Quizzes, the free amusement arcade, deck games, shows, gym, classes or just sit in the sun. We went to the gym to start to burn off the excess and then headed swiftly into The Galley for a treat! We had booked to go ‘Around The World with The Diva’ show in the afternoon so off we went. It was in The Manor and although not full, there was a good atmosphere. The show was OK, not our favourite drag show but it passed 80 minutes! Nothing beats a British Drag Queen…. ‘she’ was American!
There are no photographers on board, no announcements, no upselling or art gallery. The shops are well stocked and easy to wander around. The hair salon and tattoo parlour seemed busy every time we passed.
Gunbae
This evening we had booked to go to Gunbae, the Korean BBQ. It’s a fun dinner and you share your table with 4 other people. We had booked for 20:00 and were taken to our table. There was a short wait until the next 4 people arrived, an Irish couple and a lovely young couple from Columbia. Now, we would say the evening is either a riot of drinking games and food or a more sedate affair depending on your fellow diners and your server. Our table was definitely the latter! Although our server was fantastic and very helpful, we only played one game! The other couples were pretty reserved, so I guess the server reads the table accordingly.
The dining experience for a ship is great. All the meat, fish and vegetables are cooked at the table on a central grill. The vegetables are cooked first so they don’t come into contact with the meat. Although there is a menu, it’s not used. Instead, everything just arrives until you are bursting at the seams. Save enough room for the prawns and steak at the end, it’s the best bit! You could easily fill up on all the rice, noodles and side dishes that come out first but don’t! It’s an experience, and definitely worth trying.
We walked dinner off exploring the ship, playing on the swings and seesaw. The decks are really quiet at night, the hot tubs empty, and lots of space for star gazing and quiet time. It’s great to wander up to the running track at night as it’s the highest point and very peaceful. We went to ‘On the Rocks’ bar for a quick night cap and off to bed (via the hammock).
We were looking forward to Corsica as we’ve both wanted to visit for some time. We’d ordered a modest breakfast to be delivered to our cabin, so after polishing that off, we disembarked and headed to see what we could see. The ship docks in the town so an easy walk off and straight into the centre.
Being tourists, we decided the best way for a quick tour was on the open top bus. We picked up the bus a few minutes walk from the terminal and cost €10 per person for the 1h tour. The tour took us to the old town, Sanguinaires Road to see the Sanguinaires Islands, la pointe de la Parata and back. It was definitely worth doing the trip even just to see the strange cemetery that seems to overflow along the roadside with private tombs having the best seaviews on the island!
It’s also a very easy walk to a fantastic beach with clear shallow waters so if you fancy a day on the beach, grab your bathers and towels and keep walking left around the bay. We discovered the beach too late in the day to go back but still enjoyed a paddle.
Extra Virgin And Scarlet Night!
For dinner this evening we headed to Extra Virgin, the Italian themed restaurant. This was probably second favourite after The Wake for Janine and favorite for Alison being the pasta bomb she is! You can order as many dishes as you wish in all the restaurants so Janine had a starter of Braised Mini Meatballs, a taster bowl of carbonara and Spatchcocked grilled chicken served with caper berries, pickled celery and Piccata sauce, well a version without all the bits she’s never heard of!
VV really do anything you ask in the restaurants (within reason). Alison started with Ribollita, cannellini beans, escarole salsa verde and country bread followed by Brussel Sprouts Arrabiata, polenta, calabrian chillies and hazelnuts. We both enjoyed our dinner this evening and the restaurant itself is beautiful, as are all the others.
This evening was Scarlet Night. Now for everyone on board, this is the ‘piece de resistance’ , the very reason for living, the absolute highlight of the trip……it was pretty spectacular!
Most people wear red in any shape or form. You can go full on sequins or shorts and vest, nobody cares. The ship goes red! The corridors turn red! Being the Virgin virgins that we were, we headed straight up to the pool deck after dinner in anticipation…..we were alone! There was nobody there…..where was everyone? Seems we missed out on all the pre party entertainment but as newbies we didn’t know. Eventually, the DJ arrived, and people suddenly started flocking to the pool deck. They removed the nets from the pool and started the party.
The ‘Happenings Cast’ kicked the night off, dancing and performing around the pool. All of a sudden, its carnage as people are jumping into the pool fully clothed! The music played on VV is a decent mix but as the crowd seems a little older than the DJ, a bit more old school hits and mixes would probably have gone down better. There is a lot of very current club mixes and to be honest, we didn’t know much of it. The party around the pool ends around midnight and continues in The Manor nightclub. Bedtime for us after a cheeky takeaway pizza to share and our late night cookie fest!
We were at sea most of the day heading towards our overnight stay in Ibiza. As there is no rush, we’d booked The Wake for breakfast. Little did we know Janine would be having steak and eggs for breakfast (it is a steakhouse after all) and Alison would try the eggs benedict. This was quite possibly the most amazing breakfast we’ve ever had. After our main courses, dessert was another Nutella carb fest, delicious. All of this was washed down with a couple of Bellinis, fabulous darling!
We had a quiet day today and just enjoyed the ship, ate ice cream, enjoyed The Dock bar and had a quick workout in the gym. Considering it was almost a sea day, nothing felt crowded or busy.
At around 17:00 we docked in Ibiza. The port is a fair distance to Ibiza town so free shuttle buses are provided. We decided to go see Ibiza town as soon as the boat docked. The clubs had all but closed for winter except Pacha but at around a minimum spend of €300 (ticket and drinks) we gave it a miss. There were €50 tickets available but bookable way in advance, it was the closing party after all.
Are we kidding ourselves we would have gone……? We would have definitely gone to the Children of The 80’s at the Hard Rock Hotel but sadly it had finished for winter. Check the dates if you’re hoping to party hard in Ibiza! After a great wander around Ibiza Town, we headed back to the shuttle bus and ‘home’ to get ready for our dinner in The Galley
After dinner, we headed to ‘On the Rocks’ for the music quiz. We plonked ourselves down with two other girls who looked like they needed help! Alison, being the music addict (of a certain era), can’t resist a music quiz! Between us we did pretty damn good winning the quiz and bagging ourselves a free cocktail each!
DAY 7 BACK TO BARCELONA
In Search Of Mrs Willett, Swingers And A Disco…….
The weather was changing, and we decided to stay onboard rather than head off back into Ibiza Town for a final wander. After our delivered light breakfast, we just enjoyed the ships facilities and looked for our friends mother….Mrs Willett….Mrs Willett??? Where are you?? Our friend Kirsty had seen that we were heading to Ibiza and told us she thought her mum was on the same cruise. We were on a mission to find her! Up and down the corridors we went…..Mrs Willett??? Sitting outside eating ice cream…..Mrs Willett? Alison even asked a couple of ladies that looked like her from the photo Kirsty had sent if they were the elusive Mrs Willett! It was only when Kirsty told us that her step Dad had a limp did we spot them…..Mrs Willett? YES! We found her!
Our last night onboard and we had booked The Wake, Janine’s fave! We got ready and headed to dinner, another beautiful meal in a fantastic restaurant. The service and food were impeccable. Probably not the best choice for a vegetarian, the choice was limited to the Polenta, which Alison wasn’t keen on. With a little discussion, a lovely mélange of starters, vegetables and potatoes arrived for her. After dinner, we went back to the cabin to pack a little before heading to the bar and onto The Manor for our final ‘Club Night’. As usual, it was a mix of tunes, a bit of the 70’s and 80’s we’d been expecting but good fun all the same.
We’d met a couple at the Scarlet party that we’d been chatting to on Messenger before we left. They were the elusive ‘pineapple people’. Now before considering this cruise, we don’t think we’d heard of Pineapple People! Apparently, if you fancy ‘swinging’, you wear clothing with Pineapples on them and decorate your cabin door with pineapples to let people know you’re up for some fun!
We discovered that our new friends were next door but two, so we decided to decorate their door for them, as they hadn’t! We’d picked up some bits in Ibiza especially (amazing how much pineapple stuff is around) and set to work. They obviously knew it was us and when we returned to our cabin, we noticed that our neighbour’s door on the other side was decorated with pineapples…..they’d decorated the wrong door! How we laughed. We never met our other side neighbours so no idea if they had any wanted or unwanted fun!
Alison spent the evening swinging her pants with our new friends, the only swinging she was taking part in!
And so to bed for the last time. We didn’t leave our suitcases outside the door as we were happy to take our own luggage off. We were able to have breakfast in The Galley at a sensible time, around 08:30, before disembarking around 09:45. There were no queues, no delays and we were back at the car within 15 minutes of leaving our cabin. We had a fantastic time.
SUMMARY
Virgin Voyages are fantastic! Maybe not for traditionalists that like the big production shows, ballroom dancing lessons etc but for everyone else, try it with an open mind.
Virgin Voyages are not for any particular type of person, everyone is welcome. There seemed to be fewer gay people onboard than on our previous cruise on Celebrity.
The bathrooms in the Sea Terrace cabins are small, you can’t say anything else. They are perfectly formed but think of good quality modular space rather than a glitzy hotel. They are plenty big enough for one person at a time and the shower is fantastic and spacious.
There aren’t a lot of hangers, we’d been prepared and taken our own. I’m sure if you ask your steward, they will supply more. Our steward was very discreet, we didn’t even know his name. Our cabin was always serviced but, we were never disturbed, perfect.
The Hammock is the best invention EVER!
The food, service and crew are a different level for a mainstream line. We never queued or waited for lifts, tables, drinks etc. This is in part due to a smaller ship and a great ratio of crew to guests.
Ice cream included, soft drinks included, very little payable extras in the specialty restaurants, we didn’t pay extra for any meals.
We couldn’t spend our included bar tab of $600, or our free onboard credit of $300! We were able to buy two bottles of Moet to take home from room service. You can also order free cans of soft drinks to be delivered to your cabin, you just pay for delivery or buy a chargeable item. We hadn’t touched our OBC so off we went to the Chanel shop and bought 2 bottles of perfume!
We paid a deposit of $300, My Next Virgin Voyage (MNVV) whilst onboard and are looking for our next cruise……says it all really!
October 8-15 2023, Irresistible Med on Valient Lady. 1852 passengers onboard. Warm weather mostly early to mid 20 degrees celsius.
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