I gave my mom a cruise for her birthday, and I chose Virgin Voyages’ Vancouver to Los Angeles sailing for a practical reason: We needed to stay in North America. A long flight and big time changes would have been too hard on her. My mom is 76 and she is slowing down. 

It was also personal. I’ve wanted to try Virgin for a long time. It has a strong reputation in my travel advisor community, and I wanted to experience it for myself.

An adults-only, party-reputation ship isn’t the obvious pick for an elderly mom, which makes this a fun test. This post covers what Virgin wants you to know (I did my training!), what we experienced, and who I’d send on this ship versus a more traditional line. Spoiler alert: my mom had a few complaints.

What Virgin wants you to know

I attended Virgin’s onboard training for advisors, so here is the official pitch in brief:

• Adults only, 18+. No kids on board.
• No buffets. Dining is restaurant style. Restaurants don’t have a charge, but some special items on the menu may have a surcharge. A little caveat on the buffet thing…they do have a gallery of eateries that are each themed and each have a few items (salad place, taco place, diner, noodles, etc.) Many items are cooked to order but there are some grab and go items. I loved this as you can order/grab from different places and sit together. No reservations are needed – this is the place to do when you don’t have a reservation and don’t want to try walking in.
• No dress code. Virgin’s message is inclusive: come as you are.
• Award-winning. Virgin has won Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Award four times, including 2026, with plenty of other awards for food and entertainment.
• One of the youngest cruise lines. They started sailing in late 2021 and really did re-think cruising. 

What I saw onboard

The ship was full. Virgin is clearly doing something right, and the energy shows it.

It’s less “party ship” than the reputation suggests. Nobody was walking around at 9am with a mimosa, and guests looked notably healthier than what I’ve seen on traditional cruise lines. The fitness offerings were fantastic (and at no cost): I took the 30-minute HIIT class a few times, which started fast with jumping warm-ups and moved into a circuit with legit weights and expectations. It’s a solid workout.

Dining was fairly easy to get into. We walked into Roja on night one with no reservation and sat at the bar. We also were able to score reservations as they opened up during the week. I was very comfortable with this, but it did stress my mom out to not always have a clear plan of where we were eating. 

Entertainment has a festival lineup feel. Think off-Broadway rather than Broadway. Virgin is known for its entertainment and it’s excellent…but it’s more gritty & artsy than found in other ships.

Wifi is included. The basic tier was enough for me to work throughout the week. I upgraded to a higher level on the day I had a Zoom call. But not having to pay for wifi is a big plus for me.

The bar tab, explained

Virgin uses a bar tab rather than a drinks package. Beverages that are included at no cost are your water, lemonade, sodas, teas, and drip coffee. Your specialty drinks like alcohol, cappuccinos and other barista coffees and smoothies are charged to your bar tab. You pre-pay your bar tab (with bonus money added) before the cruise. So on board – you sign for your specialty drinks. Many cocktails were $11, and a cappuccino was $5. That’s a flat charge – no tip, no gratuity. You are almost certainly paying more than that at your local bar or coffee shop.

The big point here is how it impacts your choices on board. With a drinks package, there’s pressure to drink enough to get your money’s worth. With a tab, you simply pay for what you order, so I was very happy to have my one (maybe 2) cocktails a night.

Who is on board

Virgin’s guest mix shifts with the length of the sailing. Here is how it breaks down by trip length, according to Virgin’s training:

Virgin is also adding new itineraries in Alaska, Europe, Scandinavia and the Baltics, and the Panama Canal, which should broaden who sails.

Solo travelers and group trips

Solos. Debbie, the solo traveler I met at the Roja bar, told me Virgin is one of the best cruise lines for people traveling alone. (Her other recommendation was Norwegian.)  I met her on the first night and she had already been to a solo meetup and was heading to a grog bar crawl after dinner. (She was clearly out to meet people – she was on it!!)

Friend Groups. This is such a great choice for social friend groups. Besides just being FUN….Virgin offers Social Insider cabins with four single beds (bunk style). This is a way to keep the per-person price quite low. 

Sally’s Thoughts

Most Virgin stories are about friends and couples. I’m sailing with Sally, my elderly mom, who loves cruising and overall had a lovely time. But she had a few complaints, so here is how it went.

Excursions worked. Virgin’s excursions are fairly standard third-party tours. My mom can’t walk fast or far, so the big coach trips were a good fit. On our San Francisco city tour, she felt she saw a lot and stayed comfortable the whole time. The wine and cupcake tasting in Santa Barbara was also very well received. 

The ice tea saga. My mom was very unhappy about the lack of iced tea. She found only one place on the ship where she could serve herself. Complaint number one, and she made sure I knew it. 

Unplanned dining. So to be clear – I could have booked restaurants before the cruise and avoided the issue of not having reservations. (Travel advisors are the worst at managing their own vacations.) My mom prefers traditional set dining times and assigned seating at meals, and she didn’t enjoy having uncertainty of where to eat on the few nights I couldn’t scramble up a reservation. Virgin’s flexible, no-assigned-seating approach is a feature for many guests and a dealbreaker for others, and it’s the sort of fit question I want to talk through with clients before they book.

What I didn’t love

Here were my frustrations: 

• The bathroom is small. Plan accordingly, especially if you are sharing a cabin.
• The hair dryer is poor quality. Pack your own.
• Excursions were very typical. They were fine. But I love a GOOD in depth excursion.
• The vibe is a little Miami Vice. The design is a departure from the traditional cruise look. I appreciated not having a classic formal look…but I did not love the red and purple aesthetic. It looked pretty dated for new ships.

One more note on the party-ship reputation: the PJ party started at 11pm, which was too late for me on night one. Debbie told me to expect everything from flannel to lingerie. You can join in or skip it, since on any cruise you do what you want.

So, is Virgin right for you?

Virgin is a strong fit if you:

• Want entertainment, great food and fitness in one trip, without a buffet in sight
• Like the all-inclusive feel of Mexico but prefer paying for only what you drink
• Are traveling solo and want an easy way to meet people
• Are planning a friends’ getaway and want great opportunities to party
• Prefer no dress code and an adults-only atmosphere

A more traditional line may suit you better if you:

• Prefer set dining times and assigned seating
• Want a classic, traditional ship look
• Would rather not decide where to eat every night

Thinking about Virgin for yourself or a group? Reach out and I’ll help you pick the right itinerary and cabin. Virgin has an easy, contract free groups program so pick an itinerary and we’ll see if you can find friends to go with you. (And if you can’t – that’s ok too.)

Promos and fun trips

Texas and West Coast residents can see up to 15% off select voyages. Ask me which sailings qualify.

Here are the itineraries Virgin is known for, plus the one my mom and I just sailed:

I’ll sail with Virgin again….with a group of friends.

As for my mom, I’ll book her next cruise with Disney (she LOVES Disney cruises) or Viking, which should be a great match.

Ready to explore your trip with Virgin Voyages? Reach out below: