We were thrilled to cruise with Virgin Voyages on the 5-night Riviera Maya sailing to Cozumel and Bimini. This was our first cruise without kids in almost 15 years, so we were ready to get away on a couples vacation. Virgin Voyages is such a unique cruise line. Not just for catering only to adults, but for the incredible value you receive by having all dining, wifi, gratuities and more included in the rate. Our cruise with the Virgin Voyages Miami embarkation started the moment we entered V Terminal and the good vibes kept on going throughout the entire cruise.
We arrived the night prior to our cruise and stayed at the Gabriel South Beach. Located just across the street from the ocean and right in the heart of what’s happening in Miami, it was a great spot to start our vacation. We ate a light dinner at the hotel restaurant choosing to sit outside to people watch and enjoy the music before calling it a night.
If you’re interested, we stayed at the Gabriel for FREE using points earned from our Hilton credit cards. We were also upgraded to an ocean balcony room thanks to Derrick’s Hilton Aspire card. Our flight only cost us $24 total in taxes as we used points earned on my CitiAdvantage card. I highly recommend taking advantage of credit card bonus offers to earn points to travel for FREE or cheap.
Virgin Voyages Day 1: Virgin Voyages Miami Departure
Our boarding time wasn’t until 3pm. We had time to relax and enjoy the beach before heading to the cruise terminal. Virgin Voyages is strict about their boarding times, so don’t bother arriving at the port early. After a leisurely breakfast, we walked the beach and hung around at the hotel pool until it was time to request an Uber.
Our 3pm boarding was quick and painless. We walked right into V Terminal after leaving our bags with the porter and only waited in a short line to check-in. We were on the Valiant Lady within about 10 minutes of arriving! Typically we will go exploring once we board a cruise, but I was starving since we had skipped lunch. I only wanted a snack as we had 5:30pm dinner reservations, so we headed to the Dock, where we ordered the grilled shrimp, Spanish octopus, and hanger steak. It was all tasty, but I preferred the shrimp. It all paired nicely with my first glass of sparking rosé!
After snack time, we decided to go to our stateroom and watch the mandatory safety video. Our luggage was already being delivered which meant I had to take a few minutes to unpack. I also took time to jump on the app and see if I could book a dinner reservation for 2 of the nights we were missing. Space had become available, so I was able to get reservations at Gunbae and The Wake. Since all guests must watch the safety video and check-in at their muster stations before the ship can leave the dock, we got our muster drill visit checked off our to-do list.
Then it was time to get ready for the Sail Away Party. Free champagne was available on the 15th and 16th deck by the pool during the party. The sparking rosé at sail away was definitely a lower quality than what you pay for, but, it’s free! We decided to hang around on the 16th deck as it was a fun place to watch the happenings at the pool plus get a couple free glasses of booze.
Dinner was at Extra Virgin, the Italian restaurant. I felt the server was a bit rude as he walked up to introduce himself and stated he wanted to take our entire order all at once. He promptly left and returned sometime later to take our drink order (excluding water) along with our dinner order. Once we ordered, it was quite a while before our bar drinks arrived. I was put off by this first encounter and a bit concerned for the rest of our cruise. Not to worry, all other staff on the ship were excellent.
We enjoyed the charcuterie, it was a great dish to share. The calamari wasn’t our favorite, but the popular meatballs were delicious. Try eating a meatball together with the bread – yum! The soup was right up my alley and truly delicious. Derrick through the New York strip was the best steak he’d had on a cruise ship and I loved my Ragu.
For dessert we both ordered the Affogato. It’s ice cream and espresso prepared tableside. I ordered the chocolate and Derrick had the vanilla ice cream. We both had it with the espresso. It was delicious and drinking the rest of the espresso at the end was a good pick me up at the end of the meal.
The PJ Party was that first evening, but we couldn’t stay awake that late. Lots of other cruises said they had a blast. I may give it a try on my next cruise.
There were only 1,900 sailors on board our cruise while the max is just over 2,700. That’s huge when thinking about capacity at the restaurants, common spaces and Bimini. We were rather spoiled.
Our stateroom was the Valiant Lady Central Sea Terrace (12 174 A). I loved the simple, modern design. The room is small but it has a larger feel due to the open spaces and clean lines. The balcony had the iconic red hammock. It was lovely to relax in the hammock with my book and gaze at the water while we sailed. I do think I’d upgrade to the XL terrace for our next cruise if it’s in the budget. I’d love to have the larger bathroom. The smaller was fine for a 5 night cruise, but the storage options were seriously lacking. It’s great that we have a hanging toiletries bag to hang on one of the towel hooks on the back of the door. My makeup bag and meds were on the shelf under the sink in between the trash can and extra toilet paper.
Virgin Voyages Day #2 – Cruising
The first full day of our Virgin Voyages adventure was a sea day. We had fallen asleep early the night before, so we were up at 6:30am. On a sea day! It was ridiculous! Derrick went to The Galley first thing bringing me coffee in bed. He also picked up a couple of bento boxes with fruit, yogurt and granola as well as some pastries. It was a little too early for me to eat, though.
After lounging around, we got ready for the day. The bungee and yoga classes I wanted to take were sold out. You need to book as soon as boarding if you want to take advantage of those classes. My stomach was finally awake, so we had breakfast in The Galley. I ordered an omelet with bacon and hash brown on the side. Plus I tried a yummy açaí & greek yogurt container from Quickeze. There are a ton of breakfast options including made-to-order omelets which I didn’t discover until the 4th day.
After eating, we decided to explore the ship. We walked decks 5 – 7 and 15 & 16. We wandered all around the interior of each deck as well as the exterior to familiarize ourselves with the ship layout and amenities. We happened to be on High Street, the shopping area, when they opened. We browsed the shops but didn’t make any purchases. I felt VV’s stores had a lot cuter stuff than other cruise lines, but we don’t usually spent too much time shopping while on cruises.
For lunch we tried a few options in The Galley. From Let’s Taco About it – the Tacos Al Pastor were tasty. You’ll get a buzzer to come back and get your tacos when they’re ready. Derrick had a burger from the burger bar that he enjoyed. The ramen from Hot Noodle was fantastic. I liked adding an extra egg and pork for additional protein.
After lunch we got a bit of sun on deck 16 overlooking the pool deck. It was crowed in the pool by this time, so we enjoyed some people watching and sun worshiping. Before I could get crispy, we headed back to the cabin for showers and a nap.
Dinner was at Gunbae, the Korean BBQ restaurant. I loved pretty much all the food. Derrick isn’t really into Asian foods, but he did enjoy the grilled beef, even though he thought the marinade was a bit strong. We both liked starting with the crispy chicken with pickled radish. The seafood pancake was delicious and I’m obsessed with the kimchi fried rice. The vermicelli noodles were also delicious, but Derrick only had a taste. He finished off the meal with mango ice cream while I couldn’t even manage a single bite more. Our table mates didn’t want to play the drinking game, so we all clinked glasses, shouted Gunbae (means “cheers” in Korean) and downed our shots. The soju was surprisingly smooth.
After dinner we watched Duel Reality. The show is totally different from the types of shows on other cruise lines but it was good. The acrobatics were great but I think my favorite part was the hoopla hoops! We arrived just before the show started and could only get seats on the left side balcony. I’d probably head straight there next time as it was a nice place to sit.
We hit the bar for another drink before relaxing on our balcony. It was We Fancy Night but we decided not to head to the Manor.
Virgin Voyages Day #3 – Port of Cozumel (Playa del Carmen)
The first port of our cruise was Cozumel. The nice thing about cruising with Virgin is you dock right by downtown. No need to take a taxi like on other cruise lines if you plan to shop. Since we’ve been to Cozumel on previous cruises, we decided to get off the ship and only visit downtown. This is a great spot to book a snorkeling tour or spend the day at the popular Mr Santos Beach Club.
We booked breakfast at The Wake at 8:45 am ship time. The “brunch” menu is fairly small and I found it a little strange for the starters to be more lunch type foods and the mains all breakfast. We both started with the clam chowder. I thought it was tasty even though it should have been hot instead of warm. This was listed as a favorite item on YouTube and blogs. Derrick isn’t a big soup fan and only took a few spoonfuls. My main was the avocado benedict which was just okay. Derrick ordered the steak and eggs. We’ve been highly pleased with the flavor of the included steaks on this cruise. We finished with the apple pie and panna cotta. I actually didn’t think I’d like the panna cotta but it was light and tasty!
After breakfast it was time to wander around Cozumel. We meandered through the duty free shops then walked downtown repeatedly saying “no” to everyone wanting us to take a tour, shop at their store or eat. It’s pretty normal and they back off after you say no. We spent approximately 2 hours off the ship before heading back onboard. We had lunch in The Galley sampling a rainbow roll and Red Thai Curry Ramen. We also picked up a piece of focaccia but weren’t impressed.
I was super excited to visit the Thermal Suites at Redemption spa. The cost was $49 on port days and $69 on sea days. I read that it was $10 less on other blog posts so it may change based on the cruise or the price simply increased. You get free access to the Thermal Suite if you book a treatment in the spa such as a massage or facial. You’ll also get the Thermal Suite included with the Rockstar suites.
The best times to utilize the thermal suites is port days and in the evening while most sailors are eating dinner or partying it up. We booked the 2-5 pm time slot and there were less than 20 people enjoying the spa. This was perfect as we usually had the saunas and steam rooms to ourselves. I was proud of myself for getting in the cold plunge pool four times! I didn’t think I could handle it! The Thermal Suites includes a salt room, steam room, mud room, sauna, heated beds, plunge pool and a single hot tub. We left the spa feeling relaxed and detoxed.
Dinner was at Test Kitchen. Sailors seem to have a love/hate with this restaurant. It’s definitely an experience and one you should try! The food is unusual and overall we found it to be delicious. There were 2 menu’s during our sailing. A menu which, we had and B Menu. C menu is supposed to be released in July 2024. You can ask at the Test Kitchen to see what menu is available and when menus will switch, in case you want to adjust your reservations.
I added the cocktail pairing and it was all good until the beef course when they brought me something with whiskey. We’re not really liquor drinkers so I wouldn’t do it again. I would like to try a regular and vegetarian menu next time. The first vegetarian course was gazpacho and it looked really good. I think it would be nice to share the two different menus.
A Menu
1st course was mushroom – mushroom patte eaten with the toasted bread.
2nd course was egg – smokey egg with peas and served with bread.
3rs course was scallops- the soup with the seafood broth tasted like I sucked in sea water while playing at the beach. The scallop was delicious by itself.
4th course was venison or beef. I chose beef while Derrick chose to try the venison. It was cooked perfectly and even the potatoes were lovely. The pour over was tasty against the beet root and blueberries.
5th course was blue cheese – I thought she said it was a blue cheese pasta. Turns out it was a blue cheese palate cleanser. It was a frozen blue cheese with Asian pear and walnuts. That was a hard no for both of us.
6th course was chocolate – Oh my! This dessert was the best on the entire ship.
We hung out at The Dock after dinner to watch as we pulled away from Cozumel. At around 9pm, part of the crew from Duel Reality performed, then we learned the secret of Scarlet Night via a tarot card reading. It was a fun way to start the night. After, it was off to the Red Room to watch the Octopus Garden. The story of Scarlet Night was cute and the performer had a lovely voice. The show was short and another fun Scarlet Night activity.
At 10:45pm it was time for the Scarlet Night pool party. This event was a ton of fun! We watched the shenanigans from deck 16 and danced along with the DJ. This is a night not to miss and, of course, you need to rock the red attire. There was all manner of dress from our simple red polo and tank top to full on red sequined cocktail dresses.
The fun continued in the Manor but I had to put myself to bed. After that cocktail pairing with dinner and a couple drinks at the pool party, I was done.
Virgin Voyages Day #4 – Cruising
It was time for a relaxing day after indulging a bit too much at Scarlet Night. We slept in then headed to The Galley for a late breakfast. The avocado toast was delicious. It would have been better with a bit more toasting to the bread. The ham and cheese panini was good as well but the ham was super salty. Derrick was only able to eat about half of it.
We hung around the pool deck before returning to our cabin for a nap. Our stateroom attendants were great and always had our room nice and fresh not long after we clicked the button to “make up room”. One of my favorite things was the 2 carafes of water in our room. I really needed to hydrate after Scarlet Night.
We hit the Galley again for lunch. I tried the lunch special and was pleasantly surprised. The specials change daily so you can always grab something new for lunch or dinner.
The Wake was our dinner spot for the evening. The bread to start was sooo good. I don’t usually eat bread, but I had two pieces and forced myself not to grab another! For our starters I had the clam chowder and Derrick had the wedge salad. We enjoyed both. For our mains, Derrick ordered the New York strip and I had the filet. We also shared the salmon because our server recommended it. It was fine, just salmon. I would like to try the salted fish on another cruise. We also shared the wild mushrooms, asparagus and fries. I would have preferred the asparagus without the sauce, so I need to remember that for next time.
There are 4 steak sauces you can order on the side. We got the Romesco (didn’t like it) and the bone marrow béarnaise. The béarnaise was good but the steak had enough flavor on it’s own that the sauce wasn’t necessary. We finished the meal with The Wake (a chocolate mousse tart) and the Baked Alaska (which included pistachio ice cream). We enjoyed both but were too full than to manage more than a couple bites.
Virgin Voyages Day #5 – Port of Bimini
Good morning Bahamas! We were well rested and ready to experience the Beach Club at Bimini. We woke up late and cancelled our Razzle Dazzle reservation to get on the island sooner. We got off the ship around 10am and there wasn’t a line to board the shuttle. The shuttle stops at the Beach Club, Fisherman’s Village and the Casino. It’s about a 10 min ride to the beach club from the pier. You can walk the designated path to the beach club or take the shuttle. There are golf cart rentals as well. Renting the golf cart is a good idea if you want to explore the locals part of the island. We may do this on our next visit to see more of Bimini.
The first stop from the pier is Fisherman’s Village and the second is the Beach Club. Returning, the first stop is the Casino, followed by Fisherman’s Village and the pier. We got off at Fisherman’s Village on the way back to the ship but I didn’t feel it was worth the time. It you stop, go early.
The Beach Club is only open to sailors when Virgin Voyages is in port. The Beach Club is spacious and laid out well. There was a lot of seating options with several bars plus 2 places to get lunch which is included. The clear water and white sandy beach was the perfect spot for our final cruise day. We took a long walk and spent a lot of time in the water. For lunch we tried the jerk chicken, beans and rice, pumpkin curry, a salad and rum cake. The only thing I didn’t like was the salad.
The only negative is people coming in at around 11:30am were having a hard time finding chairs near the water. There were tons of rockstar chairs available as it’s a separate section. Lots of people had arrived early and threw towels over rows of chairs. After noticing no one had sat for over 2 hours. I started letting other sailors know those seats were available.
We left the beach club around 3pm which seemed like a good time. We were sitting at the Dock for Opa hour around 4:30 and the trams returning were packed full. Opa Hour had a nice menu selection. We tried the Greek bites, mezze platter and Greek desserts. The pomegranate hummus was tasty and the lamb sausage was really good. Derrick said the cod was pretty good but he preferred the lamb. The Meeze platter and Greek desserts were also a good choice but it was a ton of food. Highly recommend for happy hour or dinner.
Dinner was at Pink Agave, the Mexican restaurant. I read rave reviews about this restaurant so I was looking forward to trying it. We shared the guacamole, shrimp, enchilada and street corn. It was all delightful! Derrick ordered the steak and I ordered the pork. The steak is supposed to be the highlight here, but Derrick wasn’t into it. He’s not into having a lot of “stuff” on his steak. I tried a bite and loved it. The pork was mouthwatering. I didn’t use the taco shells that accompanied the dish but it would be a good way to enjoy the dish. We ordered the chocolate tacos and milhojas but didn’t like either one.
I wanted to see a show after dinner except Derrick wasn’t interested. Instead we wandered around the ship and I talked him into getting on the teeter-totter with me. Yes, there’s one on the ship next to swings!
Virgin Voyages Day #6 – Disembarkation
Sadly, it was time for our cruise to end. We ate at Razzle Dazzle for breakfast – not a fan. The avocado toast had sriracha which I didn’t like. The mushroom and egg white frittata was okay, the goat cheese was overpowering. Derrick chose the Razzle Dazzle breakfast with a side of bacon. WOW! That bacon had a smokey flavor that was incredibly overpowering. His scrambled eggs were good as were the mushrooms and potatoes that came with his meal. People love the churros but we didn’t try them. Overall, I don’t think I’d return there for brunch. We didn’t eat there for dinner. It’s a popular restaurant and perfect for vegetarians, we just didn’t like it.
Super easy disembarkation process on the Valiant Lady. It was well organized and not a big cluster of a large group of people shuffling along outside trying to make their way to security. If you don’t want your sea band, you can recycle it at the terminal before heading down the escalator. We decided to keep the band but removed the gray key and added that to recycle.
Uber was $22 to MIA. There were also taxis and shuttle services offering $10 per person transportation to the airport. We hung out in the Centurion lounge as a perk from my AMEX Platinum card.
There are so many reasons to sail with Virgin Voyages that it would be impossible for me to list them all. We had a fantastic Virgin cruise and are counting down the days until our next one. Literally, the app has a cool countdown feature. We would highly recommend Virgin Voyages Miami roundtrip 5-Night Riviera Maya itinerary as a way to explore Cozumel and visit the Beach Club at Bimini.
Have you sailed with Virgin Voyages? What was your experience?
More Virgin Voyages articles:
Contact me to help book your perfect Virgin Voyages trip!
The food looks amazing. Glad y’all had a blast. My son was on a cruise before and had a great time as well.
Your Virgin Voyage 5-day cruise is so amazing!
I always wanted to go on a cruise and I think this is the best cruise itinerary to have!
This sounds like an amazing 5-day cruise, I would really enjoy all they have to offer, especially the food!
I have never been on a cruise. I imagine they are fun. I knew they had a lot. I didn’t realize they had park equipment too!
Wow, your Virgin Voyages experience sounds like a dream come true! From the Miami start to exploring Cozumel and Bimini, and enjoying delicious meals, it’s clear you had an amazing time. Thanks for sharing such a detailed and inspiring journey.
That looks like so much fun. I have always wanted to go on a cruise. I think that’s probably what I would do next for a vacation, is a cruise.
The pool and the beach look so inviting. This looks like a great place for a trip.
I have never been on a cruise before so this 5-day cruise would be a great way for me to check cruising out for the first time!