We Wanted To Like Virgin Voyages, We Really Did!

My name is Sharon and I am not a cruise person.

I have been on at least four Disney, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean cruises. I think Joe hit the nail on the head when he said that I had tried to block it out.

I tried to figure out what it was that I didn't like about cruising.

• We don’t have kids, or even any nieces or nephews (only child married an only child; who woulda thunk?). Unless they’re very well behaved, we’re generally not super fond of children. Disney’s cruises are, of course, chock full of kids and even though there are plenty of activities for the under-18 demographic, you still see a lot of young ones – the ones not in the activities, at mealtimes (yep, even the late seating), etc.
• Holland America, on the other hand, was a cruise full of people 30 and 40 years older than us. That’s fine for small talk but there weren’t many people anywhere near our age who we could really relate to.
• With Disney, Holland America and (I think) Royal Caribbean under our belts, every cruise we’ve been on has been “squeaky clean.” And I don’t mean wiping and mopping – I mean it’s all been very family friendly. Although Joe and I keep our blog rated PG, we are NOT like that in real life. We appreciate raunchy humor, have no problems with adult language, etc.
• The whole “sitting with strangers and the whole table going from restaurant to restaurant each night” was always annoying to me; what if we didn’t like some of the other people at our table? Or had no interest in Italian night? It would mean making special arrangements, potentially having to pay an upcharge, etc.
• I can’t put my finger on why, but most of the Caribbean islands we’ve visited haven’t done it for me (2 of our cruises were to Alaska and those were admittedly better).
• I’ve generally not enjoyed the onboard activities cruise ships have. I don’t work out so I’m not interested in their fitness centers. I get bored with gambling or just sitting and drinking in a pool. I’ve already done enough wine tastings to last a lifetime. Napkin folding classes? Meeting Mickey Mouse? Jigsaw puzzles? Disney trivia? Meh. I would LOVE to do the FlowRiders on some of the Royal Caribbean ships but the one RC we went on didn’t have one.

I'm not a person who likes cruises.

In October of last year, Virgin Voyages announced their plans to sail to Cuba and stay in Havana. When President Obama opened the doors to Cuba, we were there a few years before. I like the idea of going back for a day or two after visiting the country. They were going to be an adult cruise line. I wanted to go on a cruise for the first time in a long time.

There was a ban on ships going to Cuba in the middle of 2019. The port was moved from Havana to Key West. We are a big fan of Key West. We were interested at the time.

The cruise was going to be for Richard Branson's 70th birthday. Sir Richard was going to attend the event. Imagine if I added him to my photobomb list.

Joe and I decided to go on a cruise for Richard's birthday. We used my "oldest friend" as our travel agent and put our deposit down.

And kept waiting.

The cruise was changed from July 2020 to July 2021. We used to get a partial discount when we upgraded from an inside cabin to a terrace.

We were waiting some more.

The citizens of Key West voted not to allow large cruise ships to port there anymore.

We didn't give up.

We were able to see our port city turn into a different place. It's less than thrilled about this. There was a time when we stopped there on a Disney cruise. Richard is having a birthday bash.

Our cruise was changed from 2021. to 2022. It was disappointing but no big surprise.

It has been the year of Omicron. People had to be tested to sail so it was safe. It was time for our cruise after 2.5 years of waiting.

We are going to write posts about it after we get back. Overall, but? It is a victory.

The cruise line's intended age range was 20s and 30s but it was all over the spectrum from very late teens to at least 80s. The two of us were probably a couple of years older than the mid-range ages. We could talk to a lot of people.

It looks like it is an inclusive cruise line. People of all shapes, sizes, colors and abilities were having a blast. There were many gay and lesbian couples, as well as a lot of trans people, and no one seemed to care. People were looking at each other. No one cared what anyone wore or didn't wear at the main pool and topless sunbathing on the top deck. Some of the shows were more adult than I have ever seen on a cruise ship.

You might be getting some preconceptions after that paragraph. It wasn't all Sodom and Gomorrah. It's far from it. The vibe was definitely that of "you do you" It may not be comfortable for people who are closed minded or puritanical.

I've never seen anything like that on a cruise ship. If you didn't want to do any of those things, you could just sit in the hammock and look out at the ocean. Or take a picture. You do the same thing.

Joe thinks that picture won't show up in any of their ads.

There are no assigned tables in the way the restaurants are set up. They had five full-service restaurants and there was no up charge to attend any of them, but there were a few courses that were optional. The Korean place has seating for 6 at each BBQ station, but you are not expected to be attached at the hip during any other meals. If you don't want a full-service experience, or just want to grab and go, there is a large area called The Galley.

One of the big shows was canceled due to an incident, but between the 2 of us, we saw 4 other shows and they ranged from good to really enjoyable.

It wasn't just a bed of flowers. After meeting up with a friend who was in port from another cruise ship, and having a beer with him, we returned to our ship. When there wasn't much going on, we had to hang out on our hammock. I really liked that hammock. I am getting one of them.

We liked Virgin Voyages so much that we signed up for 2 more cruises. It's hooray!

There is a photo on the Virgin Voyages Facebook page.

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Many people plan to drink while on a cruise ship. Some people plan to drink a lot of booze. Even with a drink package on a cruise ship, drinks can add up. Some more experienced travelers are looking into ways to bring alcohol.

There are tips and tricks.

Are you planning on going on a cruise? Are you planning on going on a cruise? Someone might have said that they were going on a cruise. Sharon doesn't like the idea of sitting on a ship in the middle of the ocean for days at a time. There are things I can do to get her on board.

There are credit cards.

Although Florida is a popular travel destination, Key West has always been a special place. The southernmost point in the continental U.S. gets over 2 million visitors every year.

In the movies.