Life Outside the Inbox

Back in January of 2022, we signed up for Virgin Voyages’ Mediterranean cruise on the Resilient Lady to Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal. However, by June we received an email that they had to delay their inaugural sailing so we had to pivot our travel plans. At first we thought we’d abandon our cruise plan altogether but by late summer, we were eager to travel again so we decided to go somewhere close. We ended up choosing a 4 night cruise, the Fire and Sunset Soirées, departing from Miami to Key West and Bimini Islands in November.

Carl and I were first attracted to Virgin Voyages because they’re the only cruise that offered Korean Barbeque onboard! It was a new cruise line catered to a younger audience with an emphasis on food. With 20+ specialty restaurants and a Michelin-starred chef claim, it was right up our alley! Plus, it was adults only so that was an added bonus.

Check In Process

It wasn’t very clear in the emails we received but the departure port was at Terminal V at PortMiami. We took a red-eye into Miami from Toronto and arrived 3 hours early but we were able to complete a seamless check-in with no lineups. The staff was friendly, took our luggage and asked us a few verification questions to get our all-access wristbands. While there were no shops/food available at the port, there was a shuttle service that took us back across the bridge to a shopping centre.

Accommodation

We booked a Sea Terrace cabin with a balcony and their iconic red hammock that I used more often than I thought I would. The room was spacious, beds and pillows were very comfortable. The entire room was controlled via an iPad (e.g. curtains, mood lights, ordering room service).

Restaurants

Remember, we came for the food and unfortunately, I don’t think it lived up to the hype. While the selection was great, the quality was average. Maybe because living in Toronto, we’re spoiled with good, authentic food from all over the world so the food offered onboard didn’t blow us away – there were no standout restaurants. So while the kbbq restaurant experience was wonderful (they force you to be extroverts and play drinking games with your table), the flavour of the dishes were pretty bland.

If we had to pick though, Carl’s go-to sport was the Noodle Around for their ramen and mine was the Pizza Place with their made to order pizzas and salad boxes.

What I loved though, were their lattes in which is extra but we ended up buying a few bags of coffee beans to take home.

Facilities and Activities

Virgin Voyages offers quite a few fitness classes but they fill up quickly so you have to sign up in the app right when you board. While I enjoy sleeping in, Carl took a lot of the classes offered: spin, HIIT, yoga and he quite enjoyed them. There’s also a small basketball court and jogging track that he utilized.

Ports

There were 2 ports we departed at:

• Key West – we’ve been to Key West before and it was a very touristy area. We decided to disembark to go for a walk but there were no specific attractions for us to visit. We walked for 30 mins to the landmark of the Southernmost Point of the Continental U.S.A. There was, of course, a long lineup to take pictures and since we’ve been there before we just walked by it.
• Bimini – The Beach Club at Bimini is exclusive to Virgin Voyages travelers with floaty pool parties and was resort style. Long lines at the bars but the food here was actually better than what was offered onboard. We lounged around, walked on the beach and took the shuttle back after a few hours.

Conclusion

Before the cruise, Carl said he wanted to retire on one. After the cruise, we decided it’s best we find a different adventure into retirement haha. While we thought we’d enjoy eating all day, lounging around in one spot – we’re just not that type of traveler. We need to constantly explore and try new foods (our future Portugal blog post will explain further).

We met a lot of other people on the cruise that loved the experience, and what Virgin Voyages has to offer is definitely unique from other cruise lines. Compared to the other cruises we’ve been on, they certainly offer higher quality food, accommodation and entertainment. So we’d recommend Virgin Voyages to those who enjoys resorts and cruising. Carl and I however, will stick to our hectic roadtrips.