How does Virgin Voyages Onboard Entertainment stack up? Pretty Darn Well.
I’m pretty new to cruising, having only taken one cruise previously and I was informed that it wasn’t really a typical cruise anyway. All said and done then, pretty much totally unaware of cruising life. One of the parts of cruising that I am aware of, though, is the onboard entertainment, mostly through the cheap, hackneyed jokes of sitcoms. Needless to say, that didn’t give me a great impression of the whole affair. I was told that Virgin Voyages onboard entertainment was different though.
Weather permitting, pool parties are AMAZING!
I wondered what, if anything, could make me enjoy the shows and parties that Virgin Voyages hosts. So,when I decided to join some family on a Virgin cruise, I went and took a chance and try out many of the different entertainment options. I was pleasantly surprised with what I found.
I’m not the only one to be impressed with Virgin Voyages onboard entertainment either, they’ve won awards for their efforts and I can see why.
Virgin Voyages Onboard Entertainment Offers Something Different
Wanting to find out what made Virgin Voyages onboard entertainment different, the first night I was on board I went to the Miss Behave show. It was a RIOT!
In the course of the roughly one hour show, I saw an artfully seductive ballerina in a ridiculous outfit perform a short rendition of swan lake, an audience member unexpectedly climb the stage to hilarious effect, and a marriage proposal (which was accepted)! I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it wasn’t that.
The end of the Miss Behave Game Show, part of Virgin Voyages Onboard Entertainment.
A crew member later told me that the proposal was planned by the woman who popped the question, and it was fully coordinated with the cruise staff, but the man helping himself on stage was not. He further relayed to me that this was a particularly rowdy show, so maybe this is outside the typical experience. But even if those things didn’t happen, it would still be fun. Virgin’s entertainment team designed the Miss Behave “game show” to be different every time, so who knows what you’ll see!
I also went to several events with a Diva, who was in drag. She was at bingo, a public karaoke event, and had her own classic drag show, which was a real highlight for me because it was so well put together.
Just go with it! A penguin thrown from the rafters during the Around the World with a Diva show, another part of Virgin Voyages onboard entertainment.
A lot of these events are a bit raunchy, with plenty of inuendo, and there’s no ban on the “F” word or other curse words. That’s part of the appeal though. Virgin Voyages is an adult only cruise, there are no children on board. Every sailor must be over 18 and, from what I saw on a seven day voyage, most people are between 25-50.
Some Standard Fare, But No Less Good
There are more traditional entertaining things to enjoy onboard that were also a lot of fun.
There’s a Cirque de Solei-esque show called Duel Reality, that combines the highly acrobatic displays of raw physicality with the classic of Romeo and Juliet. Truly, I cannot describe it better than that, but regardless of the odd combination, it works very well and I say it plays better than the adapted Broadway shows available on many ships.
We went to a magician, performing in a, and I cannot make this more perfect, champagne lounge. The illusions were well done, but the real attraction was the performer himself. Andy The Charmer, as he calls himself, is both catty and playful with the crowd, as every truly good magician needs to be. He even invited us to a secret party on the last night of the voyage, something that you can find out how to get any invite for.
More Than Performers
It’s not all performers entertaining you though, one of my favorite activities was a speed puzzle event. For everyone who isn’t aware of this competitive sport, it is exactly what it sounds like. Teams of people compete to see who can put together a puzzle the fastest. I didn’t think that it would be very interesting, but I was wrong. The roughly fifty minutes that we went at it were intense, positively riveting!
Virgin remembered to consider the more liquid inclined events too, with several alcohol and coffee tasting classes on board. I went to a tequila and mezcal tasting as part of a loteria. These events all cost extra, but I think they’re worth it. The Loteria Gigante, for example, cost 40 dollars per person. It was hilarious, and I could drink about as much tequila or mezcal as I wanted. They taught some of the basic differences between the two drinks and had a range of samples to try. Obviously, if you don’t like either of those drinks, then skip this one, but if you do like them, it’s well worth the extra splurge.
Diverse Offerings
I’ve never seen a cruise line offer a Nintendo Switch Party, but Virgin does. It’s just getting together with other Nintendo Switch owners and having a good time playing games and making friends. If it’s not obvious, you should take your Switch if you want to participate. Beyond that, Virgin Voyages offers quite a bit of entertainment for arcade fans.
There’s a dedicated arcade, with about a dozen games in it. From classic side scrolling beat-em-ups to arcade racers. The Valiant Lady even had one of my personal favorites – Golden Axe. There are air hockey tables outside the arcade area, which is right next to the popcorn and hotdog restaurant. Yes, I am 100% certain they knew what they were doing with that placement.
The Music Is Very On Brand
Live music takes place around the ship as well and it feels like it just sort of happens. Yes, there is a schedule on the app of when musicians are performing, but it feels more spontaneous than that. Virgin successfully creates the feel of intimate lounge performances, even with hundreds of people enjoying them at once. The whole flow of the ship imparts a sense that you’ve stumbled upon this little scene. Here’s what I’m on about.
One night, as we left Pink Agave (an absolute must restaurant), we wandered through the central atrium. There was a band performing some cover songs, to the great amusement of the audience at the bar and lounge. The song, Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen, is a favorite tune of mine. The singer was belting out Freddy’s lines with ease – she was amazing. I hadn’t looked for this music, hadn’t expected it, and hadn’t known it was going to happen. It all felt a bit serendipitous.
I know other lines have musicians, but Virgin, with its famous record label heritage (yes, I’m keenly aware that Virgin Records is owned by UMG these days) is going to have good music – and they do. You can feel that there’s a little extra love given to the music onboard, something that Richard Branson likely had some influence on. There’s even a record store selling vinyl albums. It’s not a huge selection, but they’ve got some of the biggest selling albums of the last 60 years. I was quite tempted by the copy of Daft Punk – Random Access Memories that was sitting front and center.
The Parties
Some onboard entertainment that Virgin Voyages has become quite well known for are the parties. On my seven-night cruise, they had a themed party almost every night. From a pajama party to a more elegant dress theme dubbed, We Fancy, it seemed like there was a bit of dancing infused fun for everyone. I’m not much of a dance party person, but I did go to the pajama party and it was much more enjoyable than I anticipated – even if I was a bit warm in my red panda Kigurumi. If you were wondering, yes my outfit was a BIG hit with my fellow passengers and the crew.
Pajama party on a Virgin Voyages cruise.
The most well-known of these parties is an event called Scarlet Night. This event, since it’s more than just a party, takes over the entire ship’s common areas. Taking it’s name from the signature color of the Virgin brands, it also reflects something of the philosophy of Virgin Voyages itself. Throughout the evening, there are pop-up events, live music, karaoke, games, and plenty to drink. It is a night of explosive fun, over the top costumes and make-up – seriously, you can get a scarlet night makeover from the crew, right in the main atrium. Everyone is wearing red, and many opt to don elaborate outfits, borrowing the style and excess of 1920s flapper dances. It is something to behold.
Scarlet Night on a Virgin Voyages Cruise
You can step away if you want,
Like I said, though, I’m not a party person and neither is my wife. It’s just not the type of people we are and that’s okay. The best part about these parties is that if they aren’t for you, you don’t have to engage in them. Most of them you just don’t go to, but even when Scarlet Night takes over the entire ship, we weren’t bothered by it. We got some drinks and walked back to our cabin for a wonderful night in. We took the chance to just spend some quiet time together and sit out on our terrace, taking turns using the hammock, which was so comfortable it made her immediately want one at home after previously attesting that she didn’t like hammocks.
One thing that I want to make clear about these events though, is that they are very PG to PG-13 parties. It is a rule that guests do not engage in typical club dancing, meaning no grinding or more… vigorous expressions of affection. Virgin Voyages is clear on this point for their guests and it is well heeded. This may be a surprise for some people, perhaps expecting a bit more adult themed dances on the adults only cruise. But having experienced this, I can say I understand why. Virgin wants these events to be accessible by everyone on the ship and they don’t want anything done by guests to cross a line with others. So, despite being a cruise explicitly for adults, it keeps it comfortable for most people.
