Virgin Voyages: know before you go

Virgin Voyages is an adults-only cruise line: every Sailor must be 18 or older, every restaurant is included in your fare, there are no formal nights, and almost everything before and during the trip runs through the Virgin Voyages App. If you only remember five things, make them these: bring a passport, finish the app check-in early, pick a terminal arrival time, plan on the daily gratuity, and pack something red.

This is our front-door guide. Each section links to a deeper guide when there is one.

Who can sail

The minimum age to book and sail is 18. That is the whole point of the line, so there are no kids’ clubs and no exceptions.

The drinking age follows where you sail from. On sailings from US ports that means 21, and on Alaska sailings everyone must be 21 to buy or drink alcohol.

Pregnant Sailors can be no more than 23 weeks pregnant by the end of the voyage and need a doctor’s note confirming the pregnancy is not high risk. You will still see 24 weeks quoted around the internet; Virgin’s current page says 23.

The ships

Virgin sails four ships: Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady, Resilient Lady and Brilliant Lady, the newest. They are close siblings, so what you learn on one carries over to the others.

Passports and documents

Virgin’s default rule is a passport book valid for at least 6 months after your voyage ends. Some ports also need a visa.

There is an exception for eligible US citizens on some round-trip sailings from US homeports, who can use documents like a passport card or a birth certificate with a government photo ID. The details depend on the sailing (passport cards, for example, are limited to certain Caribbean sailings from Miami), and San Juan sailings need a passport book. Our advice is simple: if you have a passport book, bring it. If you don’t, tell us before you book and we will check your exact sailing.

Booking, fares and payments

Virgin sells most cabins with three fare choices, Base, Essential and Premium, and they differ on refunds, changes, WiFi and how early you can book dining. You pay a 20% deposit on the fare when you book and the rest is due 120 days before you sail. Our guide to how booking works explains which fare fits which kind of traveler.

What your fare covers

Every restaurant onboard is included, along with water, drip coffee, tea, sodas and non-pressed juices, group fitness classes, shows and WiFi. Alcohol, specialty coffee, the spa, Shore Things (excursions) and gratuities cost extra. The full list, with the small fees that surprise people, is in what’s included and what costs extra.

Before you sail: the app and Ready to Sail

Download the Virgin Voyages App as soon as you book. Most of the trip runs through it:

• Ready to Sail is Virgin’s online check-in. You can complete it for everyone in your cabin, but not for people in another cabin.
• Terminal arrival time. Once Ready to Sail is done, you choose the time you’ll arrive at the terminal. Stick to it: Virgin says arriving early doesn’t get you onboard early.
• Luggage tags arrive by email 7 days before you sail, once Ready to Sail is complete.
• Dining reservations and Shore Things are booked in the app too, each opening on its own date before the voyage.

Embarkation day

Boarding generally begins at 2:15 PM, and you follow the terminal arrival time you picked. Bags you drop at the terminal are delivered to your cabin by the time the ship sails, so keep a small day bag with anything you’ll want that afternoon: swimsuit, sunscreen, medication and your documents.

RockStar Quarters Sailors check in through a separate lounge, and Deep Blue Extras members (Virgin’s frequent Sailors) board right after them.

The Band

At the terminal you pick up the Band, a small wearable you can wear on your wrist, clip to your belt or keep in a pocket. It opens your cabin and pays for anything you buy onboard. Everything is charged to your onboard account in US dollars, which you can link to a Visa, Mastercard, Discover or Amex card or settle in cash. There is no currency exchange onboard.

You get a new Band every sailing and keep it afterward. A standard key card works as a backup, but a few Band-only touches, like Shake for Champagne, don’t work with a key card.

Tipping

For bookings made since October 7, 2025, Virgin adds a daily gratuity of $22 per Sailor to your onboard account. Prepay it before the voyage and it is $20 per night, but prepaid gratuities are locked in and non-refundable. Beyond that, Virgin says you don’t need to tip for drinks, dining or spa treatments.

What to wear

There are no formal nights and no strict dress code. Pack what you would wear to a nice restaurant at home and you are covered.

The one exception is Scarlet Night, Virgin’s signature party, when the ship goes red across Decks 6 and 7. The only suggestion is to wear something red, so pack it.

Packing notes people miss

• Wine and Champagne. Each cabin can bring up to two 750 ml bottles of wine, sparkling wine or Champagne in carry-on bags. Opening a bottle at one of the restaurants costs a $25 corkage fee.
• Irons stay home. Clothing irons aren’t allowed. Flat irons are fine, and every cabin has a hair dryer.
• Plugs. Cabins have North American 110-volt and European 220-volt outlets.
• Smoking is only allowed in the ship’s designated smoking areas, never on cabin terraces.

Where to go next

If you are still choosing a sailing, start with how booking works. If you already know your dates, our Virgin Voyages FAQ covers the fine print on fares, My Next Virgin Voyage and Shore Things.