A rather pleasant week in the Med with Virgin Voyages, July 2022
Ahoy, sailors!
Being (relatively) new to cruising - having only done a week in the Norwegian Fjords with my grandmother on a Saga cruise, and a two-nighter on the Queen Mary with Cunard, I wasn't sure what to expect from Virgin Voyages - though I expected it would be at the extreme opposite end of the spectrum from my previous cruises!
We arrived in Barcelona the evening before we departed, with just enough time for dinner in our favourite area, Poblenou (though our favourite restaurant (El 58) was, regrettably, closed for the weekend). Still, a paella and a cold beer later, we were beginning to relax and look forward to our cruise, after navigating a busy week, avoiding catching Covid, and the side-stepping the various flight cancellations and strike threats affecting airports and airlines this summer.
We boarded the huge Virgin Voyages ship, Valliant Lady in the early afternoon - greeted by loud music and guys in hotpants with megaphones (so far, so Virgin) before dropping our bags in our cabin and heading out on deck for a dip in the pool, where a DJ serenaded us on pool-side decks. There was an air of fun from the start - all announcements on board are prefixed "ahoy, sailors!" - and the friendly staff (who outnumbered the passengers) were always on hands to chat, get drinks, give directions etc.
The ship can hold around 2000 passengers (at capacity), served by over 1000 staff, but apparently, there were only 800 passengers aboard our cruise. There was plenty of space for us, but I did feel the pool area (flanked by a handful of hot tubs) was somewhat small for our voyage, let alone a fully booked one.
The rooms are impressive, complete with a balcony, hammock and plenty of space inside.
We had to change room after the first night as we were unfortunately positioned under the smoking area, and the smell of cigarettes was seeping into our cabin via the A/C, but as the ship was under capacity, the Sailor Services team quickly moved us to a new cabin.
I’m not sure if it was a lucky coincidence or a discreet apology for the cabin change, but there was a VIP card in our new cabin giving us access to "Richard's Rooftop", a VIP area on the top deck, with private hot tubs and sun loungers (don’t worry, in the interest of giving you a full review of the ship, we put it to good use!) More on that later...
Our first port of call was Toulon, France, a sunny Provence town on the French Riviera. With just a few hours in port before setting sail again, we decided to make the most of our time ashore and head to the beach, a short boat ride away from the old town.
We managed a couple of hours in the scorching weather, taking it in turns to swim, before we decided to retreat to a nearby beach bar to sample the local rosé wine (when in Provence…)
Overnight we sailed to our next stop, Marina di Carrera, Italy, awakening as the boat shuddered into port. What looks like snow on the mountains in the distance is in fact marble.
Marina Di Carrera, two hours from Florence, on the Tuscan coast, we once again hit the beach until the risk of sunburn and heatstroke drove us into the shade for a cold drink.
At each destination, Virgin did offer a number of paid excursions, but they seemed relatively pricey ($150 for kayaking, anyone?) so we instead opted to check out the nearby beaches at each port - spend enough time living in London and going to the beach is a real novelty/luxury anyway!
The food and drink aboard the ship was excellent and was all included in the price of the cruise. With a selection of specialty restaurants including Mexican (Pink Agave), Korean (Gunbae), Italian (Extra Virgin), steak and seafood (The Wake), Veggie (Razzle Dazzle), experimental (The Test Kitchen) and more eateries, including an ice cream parlour, sweet shop, tacos, bento boxes, pizza, all day breakfast, desserts and more - we certainly didn’t go hungry (the heartburn is real!)
It was an unexpectedly bumpy night, sailing across from the Italian coast. Over dinner we sensed more movement in the boat, and with our cabin being on deck 13 in the bow, we could certainly feel the motion of the waves beneath us despite the stabilisers on the ship. It was far from making us feel seasick, but it took a while to get off to sleep with the rolling of the boat.
We pulled into Ajaccio, Corsica alongside another cruise ship and the hoards of passengers from both ships all seemed to be heading for the same city beach - but with temperatures in the mid-thirties, and blazing sun, it was the only place to be!
The entertainment on board the boat was good fun - we went to see a circus show called Dual Reality by “Les 7 Doigts de la Main”, (a circus company that I’ve seen before in London) who put on a modern take on Romeo and Juliet in circus form. I loved it!
The other show we saw, called “A Ship Show” was a cabaret of music, dance, comedy and general silliness, but on the plus side, it did feature several circus acts, including the “7 Doigts” performers, so it got my vote.
There were plenty of other events and entertainment including "seahorse racing", arcade games, pub quizzes, arts and crafts, painting workshops, yoga, workouts, storytelling - and more - none of which I experienced, but it was certainly possible to pack your agenda and a great way to meet people. If you go on a future Virgin cruise, be sure to book in advance as the yoga and shows sold out quickly (even with the reduced numbers on the ship)
Port number four was Cagliari, Sardinia, where we took a local bus to pretty Poetto beach for a few hours, before settling into a wine bar in the city centre (as much for the air con as the local wine - honest!).
Rather than having a black-tie gala dinner, Virgin do their own take on a gala night, called a “Scarlet night” where everyone must wear red (even a hint of red is fine). This culminated in a pool party on the top deck, starting with the dancers and circus performers putting on a mini show, then everyone was encouraged to join in and jump in the pool, serenaded by DJs on deck - and a dance party ensues.
Perhaps it was because the ship was so quiet, but the party was contained on the deck and there were plenty more chilled-out areas if a pool party's not your thing. The cruise really can cater to everyone - party animals, people wanting quiet relaxation - and everyone in between. The great thing about the "Sea Terrace" cabins is that you always have a quiet balcony to retreat to, for sea views and an opportunity to lounge in the hammock.
Onward to Ibiza! We had a day at sea on Friday as we cruised across a very calm Med. We started with bottomless brunch in the Wake restaurant - who knew a three-course breakfast was a thing, but we gave it our best shot!
Since we had a day at sea, we used our VIP card to access “Richard’s Rooftop”, the private area on deck 16, in the afternoon for a bit more space and so we could snag a shady cabana and a hot tub. Late afternoon, we were delighted when they brought around complimentary Moët et Chandon for the VIPs! It turned out to be a daily occurrence at 4.30pm - so it was a shame it took us until the end of our cruise to try out the VIP area and realise this would have been available to us every day!
The DJ cranked up the tunes on deck as we approached the party island, and on arrival, staff and sailors (passengers) alike piled on to the shuttle buses to head into the old town
We stayed out (impressively for us) until 2:30pm before catching the shuttle bus back to the port. As we pulled in, still more people were waiting to catch the bus into town to hit the clubs.
The next day, feeling a little tired, we decided to stay local, and headed to the closest beach, a slightly scruffy arc of sand at Talamanca, but it was still good to swim in the sea. We then retreated to the boat as the beach didn’t offer any shade (and we didn’t want to miss out on Champagne happy hour, after all!)
Overnight we set sail for Barcelona, ready to disembark the following morning - feeling sad the week had come to an end (but secretly relieved that the excessive overeating would be coming to an end too, however delicious the food on board!)
I'd recommend Virgin Voyages, and would be keen to book again, should another excellent-value Virgin points redemption come about. The food and service were excellent, and even if you don't think cruising is your thing, try a Virgin Voyage - you might just be surprised!