01/11/2022
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CHECK IN -
I arrived at the port of Miami at 11:30 for my 12:30 covid test and check-in. immediately at arrival I was met by Virgin Voyages (VV) staff and asked to capture a QR code on my phone to register for the covid testing. It was a reasonably easy 5-minute task while I was in line. Because the testing process was moving along smoothly, I advanced to the testing check point about 25 minutes ahead of my scheduled 12:30 check-in.
COVID TESTING -
The first order of business is to check-in with a testing representative who verifies that your registration is complete, links that to your Virgin Voyages profile and prints out the official testing form including unique coding for your test. With the official testing paperwork in hand, I proceed to the testing station and only had a 1- or 2-minute wait until a tester was ready. After a quick swab in both nostrils, I was sent forward to a waiting area with seating spaced out so guests can observe the 6-foot standard distancing. After approximately a ten-minute wait, my results returned, and I received email notification. With the negative result in hand (in-phone?) I proceeded to the boarding lounge just a few minutes after my originally scheduled check-in time. Guests were advised that boarding would not begin until 2pm so I still had a bit of a wait.
WAITING TO BOARD -
The 15-minute port of call video on a repeating loop got old pretty quickly, thank goodness I had my phone and could watch some of the NFL games. VV has an APP to be used on board for most everything you may want to do but, no one could connect from the terminal even though the ship was right outside the windows. We could connect to the Norwegian Encore which was the next pier in front of us. I thought that was odd, but this is a temporary terminal until VV completes their own terminal in late March. I was unable to connect to the VV APP until actually on board.
BOARDING -
As I stepped off the boarding ramp onto the ship, I was greeted by VV crew who were very enthusiastic and welcoming, and I was handed a glass of champagne to celebrate my boarding. The first stop was the cabin to drop off my carry-on bag before going up to The Galley to get a little bite for lunch. While I was putting away my carry-on bag, my checked luggage arrived. It is nice to get the checked bags before the evening as what can happen on the larger ships.
THE CABIN -
The cabin feels about the same size as other balcony cabins on the other ships and well decorated. There is a tablet in the room to control the curtains and the lighting and to also order room service and play movies. This was very convenient and after a few minutes of trial and error became easy to use. The closet area was good size and easily stowed my clothes and luggage.
The balcony is a comfortable size with a hammock, two chairs with a small table. An excellent place to watch the sunset with a nice cold beverage or to hide away and read up on your favorite novel. I also like having the choice to open the balcony door to get fresh sea air and to listen to the sounds of the waves when I hit the pillow at night.
THE BATHROOM -
The bathroom though is on the small side compared to other ships unless you might be 5 foot tall and 100 pounds. When I lean over the sink brushing my teeth, my back side hits the door. The shower is of average cruise-size with a rainfall shower head and a hand spray nozzle. I found the easiest way to shower was Navy-like. Get in, turn water on to get wet, turn water off and soap up, then turn water on to rinse. Otherwise, the flow from the waterfall spout washed the soap away before I could wash.
The shower is equipped with body wash, shampoo, and conditioner created for VV. I am low maintenance and find that the soaps provided in the showers of cruise lines I have sailed were sufficient for my needs. Unfortunately, the crafted aroma did not appeal to me and I was wishing I had packed my own.
DINING -
"The Galley" is similar to what other cruise lines do for their buffet courts but with a huge twist. To me it was like a collective of hip food trucks with a nice variety of options. There is of course the "truck" with the classic cheese burgers and fries (very tasty burgers and nice crispy, thin steak fries), then there is a "truck", The Daily Mix with salad bar offerings, a Let's Taco Bout It station with excellent street tacos, a Diner & Dash with breakfast all day long, a pan-Asian "truck" named Bento Baby with various rolls, wraps, and sushi, "Hot off the Press" with panini-like sandwiches, and finally a station named "Noodle Around" with Udon and Ramen choices. All were quite good. Oh, and there is a dessert "truck named "The Sweet Side", my favorite course of each meal.
The primary restaurants incorporate some cultural fusion to the many of their dishes. My favorite restaurant was The Wake. The Wake is like an upscale steak house with choices from New York Strip, Hangar Steak, Filet Mignon, Herb Roasted Chicken, and New Zealand Lamb Chops as well as pan roasted King Salmon, Shrimp & Grits, salt-crusted Dorado, or crispy Polenta. The sides to choose for dinner were very good but I found the twice baked potato with caramelized onions to be more like scalloped potatoes but with wedges rather than slices. My best dinner of the cruise was the Filet Mignon with the roasted mushrooms.
Although all the restaurants have vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian options, Razzle Dazzle restaurant's menu is driven by these styles. At dinner guests can choose from a whole roasted heirloom cauliflower with curry sauce, sesame seeds, pistachios, and pomegranate or, heirloom squash ravioli or, "fish" & chips made with crispy banana blossoms or, an impossible burger. For non-specialty diet guests there is a choice from black garlic bowtie pasta with roasted pork or, half of a fried chicken with buttery Cholula hot sauce or, pretzel pork schnitzel. To me, the star of the Razzle Dazzle menu is the Razzle Cake (chocolate mousse and toffee crunch) in fact, this was my highlight best dessert of the entire cruise.
Extra Virgin is the Italian Restaurant which blows away the on-shore chain Italian restaurants. The starters include Wagyu Beef Carpaccio served with sunchokes, chanterelles, and a truffle dressing (I thought was excellent) or, a Crispy Artichoke or, Semolina Fried Calamari or, Ribollita with cannellini beans and escarole salsa verde. Then for the main guests can select from Grilled Mediterranean Sea Bass with roasted fennel and Yukon gold potatoes or, Braised Pork Cheek with chanterelle mushrooms, arrowleaf spinach, and crispy pork or, Spatchcocked Grilled Young Chicken with capers, pickled celery and piccata sauce.
Pink Agave is a Mexican restaurant that is several levels of awesomeness above the popular chain Mexican restaurants. Starters include fresh Guacamole with pomegranate seeds, jalapenos, and chips or, Esquites (grilled corn) with spicy aioli and lime or, Aguachile with tuna, avocado and jicama. Main course choices include Camaron Amarillo (seared shrimp) with mole and new potatoes or, Enchilada de Pollo (chicken) with salsa verde and crema or, Papas Con Chorizo (potatoes and sausage) with potatoes onion and garlic or, Rellano Vegano a roasted poblano pepper stuffed with potato and roasted corn or, Pato a roasted duck with mole and smoked yam puree or, Cochinita Pibil an achiote marinated smoked pork with sour orange habanero pico de gallo.
The Test Kitchen is similar to a chef's table with part culinary school and part lab mixed in. You begin with a list of ingredients and the meal evolves as the chef expertly prepares it for you. This is a great for guests with an experimental drive for unique culinary creations. I unfortunately was unable to work this into my schedule but is definitely on the list the next time on board.
Gunbae is a Korean BBQ where your wait staff will prepare your meal on a grill right at your table. This place was fun! I was seated with 5 other guests at a table for 6. The waiter went over the menu with us and answered any questions then took our orders. While waiting for the food the waiter taught us a drinking game with a sake-like beverage (which was strong). We would go around the table playing the number game until someone messed up and they had to drink the shot glass of the beverage and were cut from the game. This was a pretty fun icebreaker. The starters include Bibimap (rice, egg, mixed veggies) or, Japchae (stir fried veggies, egg, noodles) or, Kimchi-Jjigae (kimchi, pork belly, gochujang). I had the Japchae which was prepared at the table then stirred to mix together and could have made a meal of this if I ordered about two more servings - very nice. The entrees were all prepared on the grill at the table and include Boesut Yache Modum (assorted mushrooms and veggies) or, Ojingeo, Nakji, & Saewoo (squid, octopus and shrimp) or, Kalbi (marinated beef short ribs) or, Kalbi Samgyeopsal Saewoo Modum (short ribs, pork belly, shrimp). I ordered this last one and it was grilled at our table and it was good, the shrimp was excellent.
My favorite hangout, The Dock also serves up a very good day time menu. This is located on deck 7 at the rear of the ship and is an open deck with VERY comfortable chairs and chaises with umbrellas, beverage service and food service from The Dock House. Perfect for viewing sunsets, the stars and just chilling with one of the grilled menu items. You can order Goat Cheese Polenta, Grilled Shrimp (excellent), Spanish Octopus (Excellent), Fire-roasted Chicken Thigh, or a Hangar Steak.
Another convenient quick bite option located a deck above the pool is the Sun Club Cafe. No need to change out of the swimsuit to grab a bit of lunch. The Sun Club serves 5 different bowls including a Tuna Bowl, a Salmon Bowl, a 5-Spice Chicken Bowl, an Ahimi Bowl (quinoa and mushrooms), and an Arctic Char Bowl (rice, wasabi, lotus root). I thought the 5-spice chicken bowl was very good and I did not need to leave the pool deck for lunch.
The Pizza Place offers 5 different pizza choices which include the basic cheese pizza, a pepperoni pizza, chicken pesto pizza, a white truffle and egg pizza, and a "pretty fly for a white pie" pizza (mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, roasted garlic and oregano. I did not try the egg pizza, but the others are quite good and great for a quick snack late evening or between lunch and dinner.
One last favorite is Lick Me Till Ice Scream which is deck 7 near the Draught House. They make their own ice cream on this ship and usually have about 6-8 flavor choices served in a cup or a cone. My favorite of their flavors was Strawberry Malted Shake which really did taste like a strawberry milk shake.
SOCIALIZING -
There are so many areas to chill and relax or to socialize throughout the ship as well as a large variety of bars and lounges to try the special concoctions of crafted cocktails. Being a beer guy, I found my favorite to be the Draught Haus. This venue has a decent selection of beers on tap and additional choices in bottles. Very nice to find a couple brews that I had not tried before.
Another cool spot is the Social Club on deck 7 Mid-Aft. A fun hangout with air hockey tables, tabletop shuffleboard, foosball and games day favorites like hot dogs, Cracker Jax, pretzels, and a variety of adult shakes. The tables games get interesting when the ship pitches and rolls a bit but, that only adds a more challenging wrinkle to the games.
FITNESS -
I walked past the fitness areas a few times and they look to be equipped with such a variety of weights and gadgets for most any workout style. There is also a running track at deck 17 above the fitness amenities that not only gives the runner a good work it also provides great sea views. Each day the activity schedule has many health and fitnsss classes on the schedule.
PRIVACY -
On deck 16 above the pool deck are several cabanas that can be rented to get some alone-time in the sunshine. There are also covered two-person seats which overlook the pool or the ocean which are great to chill and listen to the music of the deck parties when you are not in dance mood.
ENTERTAINMENT and ACTIVITIES:
To me, and I suspect it is a sign of my age and tastes, I though the entertainment was odd.
The Hostess of the cruise had an excellent singing voice, but the structure of the shows seemed disjointed. The Red Room is the equivalent of the main theater found on most large cruise lines. It has multiple configuration options to fit the event such as an open dance floor, a theater in the round, or traditional theater seating in rows. There is a show named "Never Sleep Alone" which reminded me of the old Dr. Ruth shows. Here, Dr. A shares her couples' advice with an interactive audience. If you sit in the first couple rows you may find yourself on stage participating in the show. There were some funny moments but also several awkward ones.
There is also a show named "Duel Reality". This is an out of the box spin on a Romeo & Julliet but with very good acrobatics and some street dancing. If you don't over think the plot and enjoy the dance and acrobatics this is a pretty good show.
"Scarlet Night" is a themed party night where guests wear red. On this voyage is began as a moving pop-up party in the area of the round-about (mid deck 6 and 7). The moving party I gave up trying to follow and settles for an Ice Cream before rejoining at the pool deck for the dance party. That said, the DJs on the ship did a great job spinning some catchy tunes all cruise long.
Here is a list of the sea day activities:
11:30am to 12:30pm - Nutrition and Exercise Workshop
12pm to 1pm - Video workout in The Manor.
1pm to 11:45pm - 5-step skincare workshop
1pm to 4pm - Afternoon tea at SIP, sample the world's best tea and tea adult beverages.
2pm to 2:45pm - Perfect posture workshop.
2pm to 3pm - The Beast intense fitness training.
2:30pm to 3:30pm - Live seahorse auction to race the next sea day.
3pm to 3:45pm - Sustainability tour.
3pm to 4pm - Spinning class (cycling).
3pm to 4pm - Best Life, comedian, singer.
3pm to 4pm - hairstyling workshop.
3:pm to 6:pm - Games at the Social Club.
3:15pm to 3:45pm - Bungee class.
4pm to 4:30pm - Personal styling, Athleisure wear.
4pm to 4:45pm - Barre class.
4pm to 5pm - Slow flow yoga.
4:30pm to 5:30pm - Dodgeball.
5pm to 5:30pm - Rollout and recover class.
5pm to 5:30pm - Core basics class.
5:30pm to 6:30pm - Soloist performs at The Dock House stage.
7pm to 8pm - Soloist performs at The Dock House stage.
7:30pm to 8:30pm - Dr A's Never Sleep Alone show.
9pm to 11pm - Grog walk (on board pub crawl).
9:30pm to 10:30 pm - Funk band at the On The Rocks lounge.
10pm to ???am - Studio 72, 70's disco night.
OVERALL -
This was a very good cruise. The PROS include:
1- Mid-sized ship = less crowds.
2- For non-picky eaters the cuisine was very good.
3- Cabin and balcony very nicely furnished.
4- Plenty of space to sit and relax.
5- The Beach Club at Bimini is very nice.
6- Adult beverage selections were very good.
7- Very welcoming crew.
The CONS include:
1- Very small bathroom.
2- Picky eaters will have limited options.
3- Entertainment was odd (to me).
4- guests who seek a lot of non-health/fitness activities during sea day may be disappointed.
Recommendation:
Virgin Voyages is perfect for the traveler who is not a picky eater but who embraces the experiential cuisine and with so many vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free choices it is great for travelers with special dietary requirements. The cruise also has multiple health and fitness activities each day so guests who want to keep up with their fitness routines can easily do that but with the company of other guests. The overall vibe seems to match best with the 25- to 45-year-old crowds but older cruisers can have a great time also. Would I cruise with Virgin Voyages again? Absolutely without a second thought.
Guests who may be considered "picky eaters" may want to take a good look through the Virgin Voyages restaurant menus before choosing a cruise. In The Galley there is breakfast served all day long which is the standards of eggs any way plus omelets, bacon, sausage, hash brown patties, breads and for lunch and dinner the Hamburger grill turns out a very good cheeseburger with fries.
For more information about Virgin Voyages, call Chip or use messenger.
