What is Virgin Voyages Splash for Your Bash?

In the last year, I had a birthday. I know, I know. I’m not trying to brag, but I did have one. I’m willing to bet that some of you had a birthday in the last year too. I’ve recently learned that there are more people with birthday’s than I thought. If you do have one, it’s a good excuse to celebrate. I’ve seen people do that! They throw a whole party. I haven’t done that, but I have been to one of them.

Another thing that I see making the rounds on social media is that people are celebrating other things. Like graduating from school. Things called reunions, bachelorette parties, even breaking things in Spring… I think…

No matter what reason you have to celebrate, if you’re on Virgin Voyages to do that, there’s an addon package that is perfect for the occasion, but I’ve hardly heard anyone talk about it. It’s called Splash for Your Bash and it’s something you should really know about.

What Does Splash for Your Bash Get You?

Splash for Your Bash is an addon package to any Virgin Voyages sailing. It can be applied to anywhere from 1-9 cabins to participate in and costs $250/cabin and covers two people in a cabin. When you book it, you’ll get the following:

Every cabin receives a bottle of Moët & Chandon.
There is a bottomless brunch for everyone.
A dinner party complete with beverages and Treat Yourself items.

Let’s dive in a little deeper on the second two items.

Bottomless Brunch

The bottomless brunch will take place either the Wake or Razzle Dazzle. It’s for everyone who is participating in the Bash, meaning that range of 1-9 cabins with two people per cabin. As for the bottomless part, yes, that means that alcohol is included in that price.

If you were to purchase the Bottomless Brunch options yourself (they are on the menu at both restaurants), you’d be running $35 per person, so a $70 value. With Splash for Your Bash, though, it’s included. And, for the non-drinkers, you they have alcohol-free Mimosas, Bloody Marys, and NA Beer that are all part of the Bottomless Brunch.

A bottomless brunch at The Wake can be part of the Splash for Your Bash package on Virgin Voyages. Image credit Virgin Voyages.

Most importantly, you don’t have to scramble to get the reservation, even for your big group. As you may know from our Virgin dining video, brunch and dinner reservations can cause no small amount of anxiety among some Virgin sailors, so this can help take off that stress, which is doubly good because it’s for a large group.

Dinner Party

As for the Dinner Party, if you buy the Splash for Your Bash package, the Dinner Party that comes with it has some extra perks with it. Just like the brunch, you get a large group reservation at a restaurant, so you’ll all eat together. Unlike the brunch, you may choose to host the meal at any of the specialty restaurants. The meal includes beverages as well. Once again, yes, that means both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Which beverages are available will depend on which restaurant you choose, but they will be a pre-selected list.

The biggest deal, for many people who buy this package, are the included Treat Yourself items at this dinner. If you aren’t aware, these Treat Yourself items are additional cost items on the menu that can be fairly pricy, as much as $85. Your meal also comes with a special dessert, which is usually a small cake.

Who is Splash for Your Bash For?

The interesting thing about this package is that it’s for almost anyone. It can be purchased by a single cabin or as many as 9 cabins. That means that it can be used on small to medium sized groups or just a couple of people sailing together.

Even though there’s not a direct monetary value associated with it, there’s a huge benefit in the group meals. Everyone that’s participating is going to get to have two meals together, which is a pain to coordinate otherwise, especially if you have more than 4 cabins total dining together. 4 cabins number is not arbitrary either, because at that many cabins, you get special pre-cruise concierge assistance with the group dining reservations as part of the package.

This is a great option for any group that’s sailing together, even if they aren’t celebrating something specific. It’s also a nice alternative to the Splash of Romance package for couples that really don’t see any value in the spa access. Like Splash of Romance, though, there is a limit on how many can be booked per cruise. A maximum of 50 groups can book a Splash for Your Bash, so make sure to snag this package as soon as you’re booked if you want it.

Caveats

There’s something, well, a few things I haven’t mentioned yet that make this particular package a little tricky to talk about. Not everything about this package is totally clear. Here’s what I mean.

Some people have posted images from the Splash for Your Bash where they received a 10-shot use Polaroid-esque camera. That’s a fun perk you get to snap some nostalgia infused images and create fun keepsakes. I think it sounds great and it would really make me smile if it happened. The problem is, this isn’t listed as a perk by Virgin and doesn’t seem to happen every time. So, even if it does happen, as a travel agency, we can’t talk about this with you and pitch this as a perk.

There’s also conflicting information about the drinks at the dinner. Virgin is, what I would call, unspecific on what these drinks will be. Some guests have reported that they received selected glasses of wine, others report cocktails and wine. Still more people have said they received an additional bottle of sparkling wine at dinner on top of other drinks. There are even some guests that said they received nothing, although I’m willing to chalk that up to some mistake by staff, rather than the intended experience.

Virgin Voyages Splash for Your Bash marketing shows this desert, but is that what you’ll get? Image credit Virgin Voyages.

Even the Special Desert mentioned in the benefits is inconsistent. Most people I’ve seen discussing this talk about a cake, but that doesn’t always seem to happen so there might be supply dependency issues. It’s unclear why Virgin is so vague about what these benefits are in some cases. I can certainly understand the argument that should you choose to have the dinner at Extra Virgin, the drinks are different than if you have it at The Wake. I don’t understand why they don’t say that.

Overall, I see almost unanimously positive reports about the package, so don’t misconstrue these variabilities and unknowns as out-and-out criticisms or warnings, they are not. However, I can’t be specific about exactly what you’ll get in this package, at least when it comes to these portions of it. The bottle of champagne is easy. The brunch is straightforward. The Treat Yourself items are included. The desert and drinks at dinner are… hazy.

Is Splash for Your Bash Worth It?

Every time there’s a package on a cruise or resort, the first question we get asked is, “Is it worth it?”

There’s two ways to break down value, the first is price compared to included features. The second is emotional. We’ll start with the first.

Let’s add up the maximum dollar value of the Splash for Your Bash Package:

Included bottle of Moët & Chandon: $105
Bottomless Brunch: $35/person $70 Total value.
Dinner Party Curated Drinks: Avg. at $11/drink, 3 drinks/meal/person $66 Total
Dinner Party Treat Yourself: Avg $50/Person $100 Total

Final Total: $341 Value

Cost: $250

Difference: $91 in your favor.

There’s obviously some financial benefit to this, but I have made a few assumptions that need to be taken into consideration.

I’ve assumed that the purchasers consume alcohol. If you abstain from drinking, the potential benefit is lower because non-alcoholic drinks are usually cheaper.
I’ve also assumed that when attending the dinner party, the purchasers take advantage of the perks and order the Treat Yourself options. Yes, I was conservative in my average cost for these items as well.
The caveats I mentioned before are smoothed over in these calculations, but I still can’t guarantee them.

This is where the second part of the value consideration comes in, the emotional value. Many people would gladly take advantage of this package to the fullest. Drinking everything you desire at brunch, ordering the most expensive Treat Yourself items you can, and indulging in that champagne. Consider, though, are you the type of person that enjoys those things?

A lot of the value of the Virgin Voyages Splash for Your Bash package is dependant on how you use it and, especially, enjoying a drink or three. Image credit Virgin Voyages.

To get the most out of this package, you sort of need to like champagne. Also, to continue maximizing the benefit, you’ll need to order the Treat Yourself items at dinner, even if those things aren’t what you’re in the mood for. Again, that’s not to say it isn’t worth it. I mean, I just did the math to show it can be but, is it worth it to you is what needs to be asked.

With packages like this, it’s all about perceived value. No matter what the math breaks down to, if the benefits of the upgrade sound good to you, then you’ll likely enjoy it. If they don’t, you might not.

This is the exact same assessment process I take with the Splash of Romance package. There’s possibly some benefit from a cost and value perspective, but the ultimate determination always comes down to whether the purchaser sees value in what they get. We’ve sent my article and video to hundreds of clients when they ask if, “Splash of Romance” is worth it and, even after hearing that there’s no significant monetary benefit, almost all of them book it anyway because they feel those benefits are valuable.

Conclusion

Overall, Virgin claims that for this $250 price tag you are getting $375 in value, which isn’t far off from my own calculations. The reality is that, like Splash of Romance, the value we really see in this is the intangible parts, knowing that you’ll have a special dinner on the special day and that dinner can be as a group.

We have booked groups of 8, 10, and 12 people for dining on Virgin, and while it is possible, the space needed means you’re going to be going very early or very late, and you’re going to be paying for all the drinks à la carte. The Splash for Your Bash package makes having a dinner like that, much easier.

You’ve already wrangled all your friends and/or family onto a cruise to celebrate with you and show them a great time, planning a dinner is one more hassle on top of that. The pre-cruise concierge, helping make sure you get your dinner and brunch at the right time, and making sure that there is space for everyone can’t be beat. In our opinion, that peace of mind is where the real value lies. Taking a group cruise and knowing that you’ll have a great brunch and dinner together without a huge lift on your end to make it happen. This is about the experience, not the item-by-item pricing.

Is the Splash for Your Bash package right for you or your group? Maybe! We haven’t used it ourselves, and I want to be clear about that, but we’ve heard plenty of positive remarks from the people who have booked it. So, while I can’t give my personal account and experience, this seems like an offering that you should know about, and we think provides something worthwhile.