Two weeks ago, there were Virgin Voyages updates that made significant changes to their fares. We covered the initial roll-out with our post here. However, there were some known unknowns when we wrote the initial article. Since then, there’s been further information that’s come out and clarified things. We promised to follow up with more information as we got it and this is it.
Lock-It-In
Lock-It-In rates aren’t going anywhere. We thought this was clear when the initial changes were announced but we’ve seen online chatter than tells us otherwise. So, let’s state it plainly, Lock-It-In rates still exist. They won’t be available on every sailing, but they will still be deployed when Virgin wants to.
Cost of Premium
The Virgin Voyages updates didn’t initially have a price for the Premium fare. Now, though, we do, and the price is $45 per person per day.
Lots of people are asking if that’s worth paying and I always like to look at the math for things like this.
With the Premium fare, you get the Premium Wi-Fi (which allows you to stream media) and buying that as an addon for the voyage costs $30 per day. Also included in the Premium fare is $15 per day in Bar Tab. If you add those two together it would cost $45 per day.
The Premium fare also comes with the ability to book dining reservations 60 days before sailing and a dedicated phone support line.
That means that you’re, essentially, paying for the Wi-Fi and the Bar Tab as a package and you get some bonus time to book dining on top of it. Whether that makes it worth it for you is something only you can determine. I can say that the math works out just fine on it though.
My Next Virgin Voyage Certificates (MNVVs)
Another point of note is that the MNVVs will work with the Base fare. We’ve observed many people online worry that the much-loved booking certificate won’t work with the new Base fare, but it will.
They still won’t work with Lock-It-In rate, though.
Resident Rate Discounts
Since Base, Essential, and Premium are all categories of fare and are not promotional rates, regional resident discounts can be applied to them. That means that if you live in Florida, Georgia, the North East (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut), or Puerto Rico, then you qualify for a resident rate discount on all three fare categories.
This is also true for the first responder and military discount.
Deep Blue Extras
There’s also been some chatter about Deep Blue Extras and the Premium fare. I’m guessing that some people reading this may not know why those two things matter for each other, so let me explain before we go further.
Virgin Voyages has a loyalty program, like most major cruise lines, and the top tier of that loyalty program is called Deep Blue Extras (DBE). If you have sailed enough to have DBE, you get the following complimentary benefits on each sailing you book after that:
- Premium Wi-Fi
- $100 in Bar Tab
- A bag of laundry (a $55 value) and two pressed items
- Priority boarding
Obviously, those are some nice perks (and not the only ones you get from DBE) and they overlap slightly with the Premium fare benefits. At this time, Virgin has not indicated there will be any sort of discount for those with DBE if they purchase the Premium fare. The argument for doing so would be that those with DBE already have the Premium Wi-Fi and that the equivalent cost of $30 per day should be taken off the cost of the Premium fare.
It’s worth clarifying that even though the Premium Wi-Fi access would be duplicative, you would still receive the $15/day in Bar Tab.
The biggest benefit to booking Premium fare to someone who has Deep Blue Extras would be the 60 days dining reservation window. If that is worth $45/person/day to you, then approach it as paying the extra to help ensure you get the dining you want on the ship.
RockStar
One complaint that we’ve seen crop up is that RockStar sailors (that means you’ve booked a suite on the ship), do not get Premium Wi-Fi access and they don’t have an option to book a Premium fare. On the surface, I understand the reaction, but it’s not a reasonable complaint.
RockStar sailors can purchase Premium Wi-Fi à la carte at $30 per day for the voyage. They can also add $15 per day in Bar Tab. They also can book dining reservations 120 days out. Finally, they have their own priority support phone line to call.
That means that RockStars can literally buy the same perks (and get to book dining sooner) for the same price that Premium fare can in non-RockStar cabins.
If you want to argue that RockStar sailors should simply have Premium Wi-Fi included because they are already paying more and/or that their fare should come with some bonus Bar Tab, that’s between you and Virgin. Let them know in the post voyage feedback when you sail, they really do listen to it.
To be clear, for Mega RockStars (the most expensive suites) they get the fastest internet access available as part of their fare and all drinks under $25 are included.
Final Thoughts
Virgin is a growing cruise line and it’s gaining popularity quickly. We expect that there will be more Virgin Voyages updates in the future. There may be further changes to these packages down the road as they get sailor feedback, and we’ll keep our eyes open for it.
That’s why we’re here, though, to help break down what these changes mean and help you navigate them.
