Virgin Voyages Bar Tab, drink prices and what's free
Checked against the cruise line’s own pages. Policies change, so we confirm the details on your booking before you pay.
Virgin Voyages includes water, sodas, non-pressed juices, tea and drip coffee in every fare, and it doesn’t sell an unlimited drink package. Cocktails, beer, wine, barista coffee and fresh-pressed juice are paid per drink, either charged to The Band or taken from a Bar Tab: drinks credit you buy before the voyage, which Virgin tops up with bonus credit. Here is how all of it works, plus what drinks actually cost.
What’s free
Virgin calls these its essential drinks, and they’re covered on every fare:
- Filtered still and sparkling water
- Sodas
- Non-pressed juices
- Sachet teas
- Drip coffee, available in The Galley around the clock
Every eatery pours filtered water, and Natura self-serve filtered water stations around the ship make it easy to refill a bottle. If you want bottled, Path Water (a refillable bottle) is sold in select spots.
What costs extra: alcohol, fresh-pressed juices, smoothies and barista coffee from The Grounds Club. Virgin groups these as “premium drinks,” and that’s what a Bar Tab pays for. For the rest of your fare, see what’s included.
Is there a drink package?
No. Virgin’s position is that essentials are already in the fare and bar prices are kept fair, so you shouldn’t have to work out how many drinks a day make a package worth it. The Bar Tab is the closest thing, and it works more like a prepaid gift card than a package.
What drinks cost
Virgin publishes sample prices on its Bars & Drinks page, with the tip already included:
| Drink | Brands Virgin lists | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Beer | Heineken, Amstel Light, Kalik, Corona | $7 to $9 |
| Basic cocktail | Absolut, Buffalo Trace, Bacardi Superior, Beefeater | $11 |
| Wine by the glass | 40% of glasses under $11 |
Virgin calls these examples and says prices can change depending on the ship. Because the tip is built in, the menu price is the price you pay.
How the Bar Tab works
Buy it before you sail. You can add a Bar Tab in the Virgin Voyages App, in My Account on the website, by phoning Sailor Services, or through your travel agent. It isn’t sold onboard. Sales close shortly before departure, and Virgin’s pages word the exact cutoff a little differently, so don’t leave it to the last day.
Get bonus credit. Virgin adds extra credit to every Bar Tab you prepay. Its Bar Tab FAQ puts the bonus at up to $250, and the amount depends on how much you buy and the offer running at the time.
Spend it on any premium drink. Cocktails, beer, wine, mocktails, fresh-pressed juices, smoothies and specialty coffee all count, onboard and at The Beach Club at Bimini. It also covers the corkage fee if you bring your own wine.
Know what it won’t cover. Spa treatments, Shore Things, and packaged items to take home, such as bottles of wine or spirits or bags of coffee.
Share it freely. Your Bar Tab can buy drinks for your cabin mate or someone you just met, and not everyone in a cabin has to buy one.
Check your balance. Open My Wallet in the app. You can download a PDF of your Bar Tab there too.
Use it up. Unused credit, purchased or bonus, isn’t refunded at the end of the voyage, and it doesn’t roll over to the next leg of a back-to-back. Buy a separate Bar Tab for each voyage.
Changing plans before you sail. Virgin’s Bar Tab terms let you cancel for a refund before the voyage, and move the Bar Tab if your sail date changes. Once the voyage starts, it’s non-refundable.
Paying with credits. A Future Voyage Credit can pay for a Bar Tab before the voyage. Sailor Loot (onboard credit) can’t buy a Bar Tab, though once you’re onboard it can be spent on specialty drinks directly. More on credits in our future voyage credit guide.
Our take: prepay the amount you’re sure to spend, since that’s where the bonus is, and charge anything beyond it to The Band.
Paying onboard
The Band is your wallet. Link it to a credit card or load it with cash, and tap it at any bar. Each bar’s hours are in the app under Discover > Ship.
For a celebration, Shake for Champagne: shake your phone three times in the Virgin Voyages App, tap the button that appears, and a bottle of Moët & Chandon Impérial is brought to you wherever you are onboard. Wear your Band so the crew can find you.
Drinks that come with your fare or cabin
| Fare or cabin | Drinks included |
|---|---|
| Premium fare | An included Bar Tab (drinks credit) |
| RockStar Quarters | A stocked in-room bar and a select first round |
| Mega RockStar Quarters | A daily bar tab: drinks up to $25 each, plus two bottles of wine a day per cabin priced up to $90, and 25% off anything above those limits |
Virgin promotions sometimes add a free Bar Tab to a booking. In the promotion terms we’ve read, that credit has no cash value and expires at the end of the voyage.
Planning to bring a bottle of your own? See bringing alcohol on Virgin Voyages for the wine allowance and corkage.
Quick answers
Does Virgin Voyages have a drink package?
No. Virgin doesn't sell an unlimited or per-day drink package. Essential drinks are included in every fare, and for everything else you pay per drink or use a Bar Tab, which is drinks credit you buy before you sail.
What drinks are free on Virgin Voyages?
Filtered still and sparkling water, sodas, non-pressed juices, sachet teas and drip coffee, which The Galley serves 24/7. Alcohol, fresh-pressed juices and barista-made specialty coffee cost extra.
How does the Virgin Voyages Bar Tab work?
You prepay drinks credit before the voyage in the app, in My Account, through Sailor Services or through your travel agent, and Virgin adds bonus credit on top. It pays for any for-charge drink onboard or at The Beach Club at Bimini, alcoholic or not.
Is unused Bar Tab money refunded on Virgin Voyages?
No. Unused Bar Tab credit, purchased and bonus, isn't refunded at the end of the voyage and doesn't carry over to a back-to-back sailing. You can share it by buying drinks for other people.
How much do drinks cost on Virgin Voyages?
Virgin's sample prices are $7 to $9 for a beer and $11 for a basic cocktail, and it says 40% of its wines by the glass are under $11. The tip is included, and prices can vary by ship.
Can you buy a Bar Tab once you're on the ship?
No. Bar Tab is only sold before the voyage. Onboard, you simply charge drinks to The Band, which is linked to your credit card or loaded with cash.