Questions about sailing solo on Virgin

[Wildcatllamas]

I am sailing solo on Virgin next December - but I love Virgin and have sailed solo on other lines with no problems. But now I have a friend who wants to to one of their cruises and is afraid to do it because they may be out of place. They are a single male in their 30s who is a quiet kind of person, most of the time. I think he will enjoy it but thought I would toss it out there to see what the rest of you think. He is used to sailing Carnival and Princess.

[cantgetin]

The magic to sailing solo is being comfortable with yourself alone...at least for me.  Virgin is no different than other lines--there are places and ways to meet people if you wish, but I don't go on a cruise to meet people.  I can be perfectly content in a hammock on my balcony or a chair on the pool deck with a book, or (specifically on VV), I can meet people during a game session, a book club session, a craft session, or whatever, and will often see those people around the ship later.  I helped an older lady who was having a problem accomplishing something due to arthritis in her hands and for the rest of the cruise we had a brief chat any time we saw each other.  Another time, I was sitting alone at a table in The Dock area and another cruiser came up and asked if I wanted company...sat down and chatted.  How much you meet people at meals is up to you--the only one where you will definitely interact is Gunbae.  At Test Kitchen, you can choose to interact with people next to you or not.  Same for tables at other restaurants.  With the exception of The Wake, the tables are close enough to chat if you want to or keep to yourself if you prefer.  

I didn't find being alone on VV to be any different than being solo on DCL or Princess, but then, I'm very comfortable living alone.  I typically cruise with a family member (who doesn't live with me), but have cruised alone multiple times.  One thing on VV....if you are buried in your laptop, kindle, or whatever, people will not bother you and there are plenty of places around the ship to plug in.

Bembridge has a YouTube about cruising VV as a solo.

[Wildcatllamas]

On 1/18/2023 at 11:13 AM, cantgetin said:

The magic to sailing solo is being comfortable with yourself alone...at least for me.  Virgin is no different than other lines--there are places and ways to meet people if you wish, but I don't go on a cruise to meet people..

Bembridge has a YouTube about cruising VV as a solo.

Thank you cantgetin. You sound exactly like me. I will look for Bembridge's video. I shared Where's Walt's video. I think this young man will enjoy Virgin. He loves good food, something you don't find on Princess or Carnival anymore. 

[CruisingWalter]

On 1/20/2023 at 12:09 PM, Wildcatllamas said:

Thank you cantgetin. You sound exactly like me. I will look for Bembridge's video. I shared Where's Walt's video. I think this young man will enjoy Virgin. He loves good food, something you don't find on Princess or Carnival anymore. 

 

Why thank you! I'm glad you found the video useful. The VV marketing is continuing to show the ship as somewhat a party place and that you need to be an extrovert to really enjoy the experience. I mean I LOVE the Karma Chameleon video but it does look like if you don't get up and dance with everyone you're missing out.

 

When in reality the overall vibe of the ship is more akin to Celebrity. Casual Luxe is really the best way to describe it. But showing that in marketing is not near as interesting as a bunch of folks dancing around the pool and in restaurants. 🙂 

 

Your friend is going to find trivia, arts and crafts (yes it's a great place to meet folks and laugh), quiet bars, friendly crew, friendly sailors all over the ship. The Dock on the back of Deck 7 and the two side 'porches' as I call them on Deck 7 are completely quiet as there is no music, no anything other than the ocean going by.

 

One of the very unique things about VV is they allow the crew to eat in every single venue, just the same as you and I. And I've been told you can even invite crew members to join you at the table. So your friend will have the chance to mingle with the crew as well.

 

Keep an eye on the Sean and Stef channel on YouTube. Our very dear friend Stef recently went on Scarlet and she was very concerned about the vibe on VV. Even though we told her she was going to love and she's adventurous having sailed on a dozen or so cruise lines. After the first night VV became her favorite cruise line. She's still working her way through her NCL Bliss vlog right now and I believe the Scarlet Lady vlog is next up. 

 

Again, thank you so much for sharing our vlog, I tried to give folks and honest look at the food and the overall vibe of the ship. Have an amazing day! 🙂

[Wildcatllamas]

1 hour ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Why thank you! I'm glad you found the video useful.

I love your videos. Thank you for sharing them.

 

I agree on Virgin being close to Celebrity. I last sailed on Celebrity the end of January 2020. Yup - right before everything hit the fan. It was a very relaxing cruise and the food was wonderful. But once I sailed Virgin in December of 2021 I found the new love of my life. This time around I won't have my knee in a brace and can stay more active. The gremlins sewed the seams of my close up tighter while I slept at night the last time. 😉

[CruisingWalter]

1 hour ago, Wildcatllamas said:

But once I sailed Virgin in December of 2021 I found the new love of my life.

 

It's so fun trying new ships and new experiences. 9 cruise lines sailed so far, hopefully 2 more this year (MSC for sure and maybe P&O if we can get across the pond) and one of these days the expedition cruise lines. Nothing beats being at sea and the relaxing nature of VV is certainly hard to beat. 🙂 

[cantgetin]

Totally agree...I'm not a party person and I loved VV.

[CruisingWalter]

@Wildcatllamas you're going on the 80's Princess Cruise? Oh my that sounds like SO MUCH FUN!  We LOVED the Love Boat 80's Night on Crown Princess a few years ago. Just a hilarious pool party.

 

We are headed out on Sky Princess next month for our birthdays. 🙂

[Wildcatllamas]

1 hour ago, WheresWalter said:

 

@WheresWalter I'm looking forward to the Princess cruise although my time for music was a bit before the 80's.

[CruisingWalter]

1 hour ago, Wildcatllamas said:

@WheresWalter I'm looking forward to the Princess cruise although my time for music was a bit before the 80's.

But the 80's was the best music..... 🙂 

[Wildcatllamas]

13 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

But the 80's was the best music..... 🙂 

Sort of partial to groups like Jethro Tull and Janis Joplin. Although having had a father who was a musician I also like Classical, Big Band and Jazz.

 

[raphael360]

On 1/18/2023 at 12:34 PM, Wildcatllamas said:

I think he will enjoy it but thought I would toss it out there to see what the rest of you think. He is used to sailing Carnival and Princess.

If your friend enjoys traveling solo on Carnival and Princess, he should love Virgin.  I travel solo and enjoy Virgin's unstructured venues friendly vibe of the passengers and especially the crew.  Friendly not stuffy... 🙂

[DrSch]

i just got back from a solo cruise this past weekend.

 

A bunch of us created a facebook chat for solo sailors on that cruise and we got to know each other before sailing.   The group was pretty eclectic.  There were gay, straight, bi, trans, people from ages 25 - 62.  We planned some dinners and such together, and more or less hung out at different times and events throughout the cruise.  Several of us are now planning to do another cruise together next year.

 

Once on the ship, we went to the solo passenger meet and greet (around the time they do sailaway) and met several others that we incorporated into the group.   Then some of did the grog walk and found even more new people.

 

The team that runs all the events was an amazing bunch of people that I also got to know some of fairly well.  They were always there to say hi, and kind of made it feel like family.

 

You all are welcome to join us on our cruise in January 🙂

 

[cantgetin]

We also did a solo group chat as part of our FB group for the cruise.  It really is a good idea.

[CruisingWalter]

18 hours ago, DrSch said:

You all are welcome to join us on our cruise in January 🙂

 

 

Be sure to create a Circle with VV to get extra perks like Sailor Loot. If you put together 10 cabins minimum, you have a Circle. A good travel agent can help set that up for you.