Recently, my husband and I had the privilege of going on a kid-free cruise. I am incredibly grateful to family members for taking care of our children for three nights so we could have this special experience.
It was the longest time we’ve had away from the children in almost a decade. This break highlighted the importance for us to have occasional time away from parenting duties, enabling us to cherish quality moments together as a couple.
The cruise we went on was a Virgin Voyages cruise, which is a new cruise line that first launched in 2021. The ship we were on was less than a year old. It looked lovely and new. In my previous posts, I talked about the pros and cons of cruising. This is my fourth cruise line that I’ve gone on. Virgin Voyages has been the most unique experience so far.
Adult-Only: Virgin Voyages is a child-free zone. Only adult passengers are allowed on the ship. The vibe was completely different – more mellow and laid-back.
No Buffet: Normally, cruises have a buffet, but Virgin Voyages does not have any buffets. Instead, there’s a fancy free food court-style area with multiple different cuisines. The bento boxes, fruit boxes, and takeaway cheese boxes were my favourite. Yummy!
Free Speciality Restaurants: On other cruise lines, there’s usually sit-down dinner and the menu changes each night. Or (on other cruise lines) you can pay a premium to go to a themed restaurant. The difference is on Virgin Voyages, all the fancy speciality restaurants are included in the price! For example:
- Steak and seafood
- Korean BBQ
- Test kitchen (this was so much fun)
- Fancy romantic Italian
- Mexican
All these restaurants were free to eat at and really nice, elegant, and delicious!
Drinks: Like other cruises, alcohol was not free and quite expensive. It was also more popular, which makes sense considering there were no children onboard. There were more barista coffee locations that were normal-ish prices. However, soft drink was free, which was different and nice.
Rooms: This was my first time staying in a balcony room, so I felt a bit fancy. I liked that we had a hammock on the balcony. Very relaxing! The rooms were nice, comfortable, and a bit funky (in a cool way). I liked the automatic curtains and the free sparkling water.
Demographics: No surprise, there were fewer people who are at the typical ‘we have young children’ age demographic. Overall, the passengers were on the younger side than on other cruise lines. There were a number of people in their 20s and middle-aged people. There was a vibrant mix of “young” and “young at heart” passengers, contributing to an engaging and fun onboard atmosphere.
No Formal Night: A normal staple of a cruise is a formal night (which I love because it is almost socially appropriate to wear a tiara). However, on Virgin Voyages, there was a Scarlett Night where everyone wears red and it is a massive party. Dancing on the pool deck with hundreds of people and a giant inflatable octopus was quite the experience.
More Exercise Options: There were more exercise classes and exercise areas, which was brilliant. I really liked the exercise options. The classes booked out quickly. I have learned that my core needs work judging by how sore my tummy muscles are now.
Shows & Activities: With a diverse range of onboard activities and shows, there was something for everyone. There were more enough activities and options to entertain ourselves. We didn’t do everything. Some of the shows were not my style, but we just picked and chose what suited us. (I actually should have done more rest and relaxation time)
Pools & Spas: As with other cruises, Virgin Voyages has excellent pools and spas, including tranquil hot tubs overlooking the ocean – a perfect setting for unwinding and relaxing.
Overall
Our kid-free cruise with Virgin Voyages was nothing short of wonderful – a relaxing, enjoyable, and memorable holiday experience. The simplicity of cruising, where everything is conveniently onboard, allowed us to focus solely on each other, strengthening us as a couple.
I would definitely consider cruising with Virgin Voyages again, although it may be some years before we can arrange another child-free getaway. Until then, I’ll be dreaming of sailing around the Greek Islands.
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