I went sailing solo. Here are my top tips for cruise virgins.
Do you know who Richard Branson is? The mega billionaire who owns Virgin Airlines? Well, he started a cruise line and he’s a very nice guy IRL…I met him on the ship once.
Depending who you ask, cruises have such a stigma to them. When I got invited to cruise with Virgin Voyages to the Bahamas, I asked five friends who all rejected me. Harsh! Well, as a grown ass adult, I’m not going to skip out on something that I want to do just because I don’t have anyone to do it with. And FYI…I had so much more fun going solo dolo.
I’m not a veteran cruiser by any means. My typical type of trip is adventurous where I come up with the itinerary myself, but there was something alluring about this 18+ voyage. It’s not like your usual cruise line, where people wear tuxedos for fun in the main dining hall on a theme night.
Branson took everything you know about cruises and threw it all overboard. He wanted to create a space for those who hate cruising…and they love it. Here are the top tips for cruise virgins and why you'll be glad you popped the cherry with Virgin Voyages.
It’s designed for the anti-cruiser.
You won’t find any buffet style eating anywhere onboard. The ships are smaller and more intimate, but you won’t feel claustrophobic. It’s so well designed that when we reached the port in the Bahamas, I didn’t want to get off the ship.
Squid Ink is the first tattoo parlor ever to be on a cruise ship. The appointments were sold out hours after cruisers came aboard.
There aren’t meal plans or themed dinners.
Virgin Voyages’ motto is come how you are. Any of the restaurants guests can eat without any charge, where on other cruise ships fancier restaurants are not included. You can make reservations on the app while onboard or just walk in for availability.
Entertainment included a comedy show with a…sex therapist.
All day, I told my friends on the ship that we are not sitting anywhere near the stage because it was an interactive show with a very Type A sex therapist. But alas, somehow, I ended up on stage (and many others from my group) and honestly it was a blast. You can be anyone you want to be on vacation.
There aren't any kids allowed.
There won’t be any screaming children in the pool, don’t worry. This was my first adults only experience and it was f*cking fun.
They even invented a flameless grill to have Korean barbecue.
Gunbae, a Korean barbecue restaurant onboard, has a grill in the center of the table like any BBQ restaurant. However, this one is unique because you can’t have open flames on a ship (for obvious reasons) so the team here literally invented a flameless grill specifically for Virgin. Really freaking cool, right? Make sure to play the drinking game they offer at the table.
Virgin Voyages is giving away 1,000 rooms.
I’m here to tell you that Jennifer Lopez with Virgin Voyages is giving away a sh*t ton of rooms. You can win a fully paid voyage for you and a friend (or lover) on either Scarlet Lady (out of Miami) or Valiant Lady (out of Barcelona) anytime between July and October 2022.
Be good,
JB
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