As the old saying goes, “We all just wanna be big rockstars.” Unfortunately, most of us can’t trade our lives for fortune and fame, but we can get a taste of the life with Virgin Voyages Rockstar suites. Earlier this year, Nichole and Alexis were fortunate enough to win an upgrade to Mega Rockstar and when I sailed with my husband we won an upgrade to Rockstar in a Brilliant suite. So, let me fill you in on the Rockstar life.
Virgin Voyages Rockstar Benefits
I linked to the article about Mega Rockstar above, but I’m going to crib this handy benefits chart from it to highlight the differences in cabin classes. As you can see, Rockstar isn’t the highest class of sailing, but it certainly gets some awesome perks.
| Mega Rockstar | Rockstar | Sea Terrace | Sea View | Insider |
| Views and Balcony Accommodations | ||||
| Hammock Table Outdoor Shower Lounger Chairs | Hammock Table Lounger Chairs | Hammock (on most but not every terrace) | Window seat or porthole | No window. (It’s an inside cabin.) |
| Amenities | ||||
| King Size Bed Large, marble covered bathroom Bottomless in-room bar (meaning it’s restocked every day) Flat Screen TV | King Size Bed Large, marble covered bathroom Curated in-room bar (meaning the bar comes stocked and is filled only that once.) Flat Screen TV | Rain Shower with glass door bathroom Flat Screen TV | Rain Shower with glass door bathroom Flat Screen TV | Rain Shower with glass door bathroom Flat Screen TV |
| Extras | ||||
| Richards Rooftop Access Early Booking/ Priority Access Daily Bar Tab Daily Spa Access Transfer Service or Complimentary Parking Mega Rockstar Agent Work From Sea Wi-Fi | Richards Rooftop Access Early Booking/ Priority Access Rockstar Agent | |||
Virgin Voyages Rockstar from Miami
Many Virgin Voyages sailors know this but, if you don’t, Virgin has a dedicated terminal in the Miami cruise port. It’s gorgeous and has an amazing view of the city. When you are sailing as a Rockstar, though, you get access to the VIP entrance, a lounge area, and priority boarding. When sailing as a Rockstar in other ports, you still get all those things, but Miami is Virgin’s own terminal and is their own design and experience – it just makes it a little more special.
Virgin Voyages Rockstar Check In Area In Miami
In Miami, the Rockstar lounge in the terminal opens around 12:30 p.m. with boarding at 1:30 p.m. Again, that will typically be the same for other ports but check your individual sailing. Should you arrive earlier than that, you can still go into the Rockstar check-in area and get your black bracelet that will tell the crew you are a Rockstar.
The lounge is lovely and comfortable. Juices and small snack bags are available. While you wait, Rockstar agents will come around and tell you what to expect. In our case, we were given the name of our personal agent and told we could meet with him at the Sip lounge (the champagne bar onboard) where he would be until 3:00 p.m.
Rockstar Greeting and Perks on the Ship
Once aboard, we went to Sip where we were served complimentary Moet. Rockstar agents were there to make or change dining reservations and to book shore excursions. When we met our personal agent, who was amazing for the whole trip, and he explained he would be sending us a daily chats on the app, what his hours were, and how to reach him.
Virgin Voyages Rockstar Greeting At Sip Lounge
He asked about anything we might need. We had already dropped by our cabin, so we asked him to have some of the alcohol swapped out, which he handled for us. Rockstars get one set of “minibar” items for the duration of the cruise. These are half-bottles (375ml), not the little mini-bottles one usually sees.
Here’s what it looks like.
If you want something beyond the minibar, Rockstars also have access to Richard’s Rooftop, the private area on deck 16 that is reserved for Rockstars and Mega Rockstars. Each day there is a Happy Hour from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. with complimentary Moet and other drinks. Of course, Rockstars can do more than have some drinks on Richard’s Rooftop. There are hot tubs reserved for Rockstar use only, and special loungers and chairs that aren’t found anywhere else on the ship. There’s also small bites and snacks available to order as well, until around 5 p.m.
A refreshing drink and small bites on Richards Rooftop.
One of our favorite perks as a Rockstar is the priority access to shows on the ship. It’s pretty simple, there’s a separate line for the Rockstars and that line gets to enter the venue first. This is particularly helpful for shows in The Manor, because you can get a seat where you want it rather than crowding in.
At the end of the cruise Rockstars get similar treatment, if there is a disembarkation line, the black band gets you right to the front.
Virgin Voyages Rockstar Suites
Virgin Voyages has a number of suites that qualify as Rockstar quarters. There’s quite a bit of variety between the configurations they have available, but here’s the basic difference between Rockstar suites and Sea Terrace/View rooms.
- Bigger rooms
- Bigger Balconies
- Bigger Bathrooms
The Brilliant Suite is very similar to the Gorgeous Suite.
When we sailed recently, we were in a Brilliant Suite, which is very similar to the Mega Rockstar version, the Gorgeous Suite, but a little smaller, especially on the balcony. Which isn’t to say the balcony is small, it’s got more than enough room for two people on it. The room has a comfortable king bed and a sofa, which converts to a bed if needed. There is a table by the sofa which is a good size for eating at and at just the right height for setting up a laptop. As one would expect, there is ample drawer and closet space and, of course, there is a safe.
The spacious bathroom will delight anyone who has stayed in a Sea Terrace, where the bathrooms are efficiently laid out but very small. Equipped with a marble walk-in shower with a bench, a lovely rainfall shower, and a wand. My favorite feature is the water temperature and pressure controls are at the entrance to the shower, a couple feet from the rainfall. That means you can test the temperature before getting in. No sudden burst of cold water for the Rockstars. There is a separate room for the toilet. And quite a bit of two-level counter space.
I loved the walk in shower!
The balcony space is excellent, a hammock of course, a small table and two chairs. But it left us asking, since there is so much space, why didn’t they provide two hammocks? Regardless, the room was spectacular and an undeniable upgrade.
Bimini as a Rockstar
Many of Virgin Voyages sailings from Miami also stop at Bimini, where the cruise line takes over a resort beach. While The Beach Club at Bimini is fantastic regardless of your cabin type, and you can pay for some additional upgrades to your experience, the Rockstar experience at the private beach is totally different.
At the end of the beach, opposite the swimming pool, there is a large covered wooden pavilion that could probably comfortably accommodate all of the Rockstars. Inside, you’ll find a variety of cushioned seating with tables under the pavilion roof and even more options outside the roofed area. These include very nice day beds and several of the famous red hammocks. Additionally, there are many chaise loungers with umbrellas all along the beach.
The Virgin Voyages Rockstar experience at the Beach Club at Bimini is something special.
Rockstars have exclusive use of about 100 yards (or 90 meters) of the white soft-sand beach. It is NOT crowded. There is more than enough seating so you can have both a place in the shade of the pavilion and in the sun on the beach. There is a shower to wash off the salt from the ocean and clean restrooms near the pavilion.
No waiting in line for food or drinks for Rockstars. You have table service in and around the pavilion and even at the chaise loungers on the beach.
In the Rockstar area, the pool party going on is hardly audible, there are no crowds, there is no standing in line – for anything, and there is no loud music. Of course, if you want to enjoy the lively party scene, you can easily walk to the other end of the beach and join in with the excitement, then walk back, rest in a comfy chair, and have someone bring you a cold drink.
The exclusive Rockstar beach area on Bimini.
Last, but certainly not least, Rockstars have access to both exclusive golf carts or priority access to the regular tram. When we finally left – having stayed at least 3 times longer than we had ever before – we encountered a line of well over 100 people waiting for the tram back to the ship. As Rockstars, though, we had a separate boarding area and were immediately seated on the very next tram.
Personally, my conclusion was that the uncrowded, quiet, shady if you want it – sunny if you want it, full-service, priority transport experience at Bimini was reason enough to be a Rockstar on any cruise stopping there.
Virgin Voyages Rockstar – Is it Worth It?
As with many things in life, whether something is “worth it” is extremely subjective. In my case, I know that I’m going to have a hard time sailing in other categories. Yes, I admit it, I’m spoiled now. After sailing on Regent and now as a Virgin Voyages Rockstar, it’s going to be hard to go back.
I loved having the extra room, especially in the bathroom. More than that, the little extras make a big difference, especially while on Bimini. At the end of the day, I think that sailing as Rockstar is worthwhile for anyone looking to splurge a bit.
