First time Virgin with 18 year old help before booking

[Lee2385]

Hi so we always cruise on Carnival but I am finding a great deal on Virgin Scarlet lady for spring break. Will my 18 year old like it? She is very mature and likes to hang with mom but I was wondering if this cruise line is more on the risqué side? I don’t want her to feel awkward at the shows. Any info greatly appreciated before we decide to book. She is a college student so i am sure she would be fine lol but of course different with mom. Thank you

[aqlollipop]

I have 2 daughters in this age group, so I guess I can answer. We've never taken our daughters on a Virgin cruise, though we are considering it. I don't know exactly what you mean by "risqué" in this context, but if you are imagining shows with nudity or people wandering the ship unclothed, no, that's not happening (though I believe there is a top optional sunbathing location on deck 17, easy to avoid if that's not your thing). Probably the show that most meets the risqué criteria would be NSA, and that's been put on hiatus and even if it wasn't, it's easy to just not go, I personally never saw it. The general vibe tends toward "adult" in the sense that there aren't "family friendly" filters placed on language or content, but the content is still generally appealing. The main show Duel Reality is a cirque du soliel style show and is amazing. Other shows are also good and may feature innuendo, but nothing I would be uncomfortable with having my girls there with me. I would say if you are comfortable watching RuPaul's Drag Race with her, it's probably fine (the ships do have a resident Diva aka drag queen). May not be the best analogy, but I've been binging it with my older one lately and they throw around a lot of innuendo! 😜

 

As far as whether she will like it, I recommend reading through some of the other newbie threads here, a lot of people have given great responses on the overall vibe of the ship for various cruising styles. You know her best so only you can really answer that. Happy sailing!

[Lee2385]

Thank you for your reply. I wasn’t sure what to expect on an adult only cruise. Nothing phases me and I will love it all lol. I wasn’t sure if all the shows would be explicit in nature. She gets a little uncomfortable around the comedians on Carnival who start talking about sex in front of mom and dad. I am hoping there is a best of both worlds on here 

[CruisingWalter]

1 hour ago, Lee2385 said:

Hi so we always cruise on Carnival but I am finding a great deal on Virgin Scarlet lady for spring break. Will my 18 year old like it? She is very mature and likes to hang with mom but I was wondering if this cruise line is more on the risqué side? I don’t want her to feel awkward at the shows. Any info greatly appreciated before we decide to book. She is a college student so i am sure she would be fine lol but of course different with mom. Thank you

 

The cruise line is not risque in any way, shape or form. VV is very similar to Celebrity with its casual luxe vibe. It's a very laid back, super cool ship with easily the best food at sea. You may never want to go back to the 'old way' of nickel and dime cruising. So much included, and the food is so freaking good. 

 

VV is unlike any other cruise line out there and that's a good thing. We have cruised 8 lines so far and enjoy them all. At the moment, VV Is our favorite of the bunch. 🙂

 

[CruisingWalter]

23 minutes ago, Lee2385 said:

Thank you for your reply. I wasn’t sure what to expect on an adult only cruise. Nothing phases me and I will love it all lol. I wasn’t sure if all the shows would be explicit in nature. She gets a little uncomfortable around the comedians on Carnival who start talking about sex in front of mom and dad. I am hoping there is a best of both worlds on here 

 

Avoid NSA if it's still there. 1 - it's not a good show. 2 - the actress tries very hard to being overtly sexual. It doesn't work, it's a bad show. 

 

The Diva show is AWESOME! We had so much fun there.  One of the crew members described the ship as a Summer Camp for Adults. I think that's a great way to describe the vibe on board. Just come as you are, have an open mind and relax. 

 

And tell your daughter not to look at a certain shelf in the gift shop when you guys are around if she gets embarrassed easily. 😆 

[cantgetin]

I cruised with my daughter.  With the exception of NSA, nothing is really overtly sexual.  Some shows, like Dual Reality, could be on Disney.  There are dance parties, karyoke, free arcade (games from the 80s), and lots of activities.  Best is to curl up in the hammock with a book.  I'm rather conservative, and nothing was "too much" for me.  There is a lot of innuendo, but very little/nothing overt.  VV is MUCH better than Carnival, IMHO.

[raphael360]

I cruised last week and confirmed, with a VV bar manager, that Virgin's drinking age policy is 21 both in and out of international waters and is strictly enforced via the wristband ( i.e. no drinks sold to those under 21).  I'm sure moms are happy to hear that.

 

NSA is no longer playing.  Personally, I loved it but wouldn't recommend it for teens.

[jon81uk]

8 minutes ago, raphael360 said:

I cruised last week and confirmed, with a VV bar manager, that Virgin's drinking age policy is 21 both in and out of international waters and is strictly enforced via the wristband ( i.e. no drinks sold to those under 21).

That’s odd as the FAQ on the website states it is 18 in international waters. 
https://help.virginvoyages.com/helpportal/s/searchresult?userInput=What is the drinking age on board#reload

 

it’s possible that they are doing 21 on all Caribbean cruises now and 18 on the European cruises though. 

[Lee2385]

Thank you all so much!! Def booking 

[_tacocat_]

On 2/19/2023 at 7:42 AM, raphael360 said:

I cruised last week and confirmed, with a VV bar manager, that Virgin's drinking age policy is 21 both in and out of international waters and is strictly enforced via the wristband ( i.e. no drinks sold to those under 21).  I'm sure moms are happy to hear that.

it is crazy how many different answers you get to this question depending on how many people you ask - onboard and shoreside. 

 

i've confirmed several times on board for someone else who was going to be 19 on their sailing that their policy is 18 and up once they hit international waters or are at port in a country with 18 drinking age. 

 

when it comes down to it, the ticket contract/terms are what govern your voyage.  if a bartender/server gives an 18-21er trouble, escalate.

[cantgetin]

3 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

it is crazy how many different answers you get to this question depending on how many people you ask - onboard and shoreside. 

 

i've confirmed several times on board for someone else who was going to be 19 on their sailing that their policy is 18 and up once they hit international waters or are at port in a country with 18 drinking age. 

 

when it comes down to it, the ticket contract/terms are what govern your voyage.  if a bartender/server gives an 18-21er trouble, escalate.

Or if you are hanging out together, just put the charge on your band--avoids questions.  But I totally agree that there is no consistency in answers from VV.  I didn't see a "drunk and disorderly" problem on VV like some other lines have, things seemed a lot more casual about serving.