Welcome back, Mousekefriends! On the podcast this week, we compared a Virgin Voyage Cruise and a Disney Cruise. We discovered on our most recent adventure together on one of Virgin Voyages adult-only cruises that you can, in fact, draw many similarities between the two cruise lines! Fans of Disney Cruise Line’s version of luxury and fun are going to fall in love with Virgin Voyages. They just have to find a babysitter first.
Are you ready to take a Disney Cruise or book an adults-only Virgin Voyages cruise? Our agents at Kingdom and Cruise Travel are ready to plan your ultimate family vaca or couples’/friends’ escape.
Do you want to hear all about our adventures on the high seas with Virgin Voyages? Find out all of the details on the podcast HERE:
We compared these two luxury cruise lines by thoroughly examining the most important features of a cruise journey: dining, onboard activities, entertainment, beaches at ports, spas and staterooms. We concluded that both cruise lines share a target market: Disney parents!
Dining
Both Disney and Virgin cruise lines are known for their fine cuisine and plenty of it. The unique dining experiences with these two cruise lines are meant to be a memorable part of your journey. We are still dreaming about our avant garde dishes with Virgin Voyages like clam-chowder- turned-performance-art where soup is poured over your fried clams table-side. And what doesn’t Disney do in a big way? Meals are no exception and fairytale immersion is part of your dinner.
We conclude that the food offerings and dining spaces on both of these cruise lines are exceptional. However, the differences are in the finer details. Virgin Voyages does not have any buffets, nor do they charge a premium for any of their dining experiences or restaurants. We are not ashamed to admit we enjoy Disney’s buffets like Cabana’s and Marceline! But wouldn’t it be wonderful if their specialty adult-only restaurants like Remy and Palo were included with the cruise fare? We will still dine at them, though, because they are excellent and provide a respite from the noisier meals with the kids. Which brings us to out next point!
Onboard Activities
Virgin Voyages is like Disney for grown-ups. Or maybe summer camp for grown-ups? The point is we felt like kids on this cruise and we loved letting loose. While Disney Cruise Line lets us experience the Magic through our kids’ eyes, Virgin Voyages allows us to enjoy a different kind of magic – just the right amount of risque fun! We left the PG rating at the port. Virgin Voyages has themed party nights like Pajama and Scarlet Night and their bar for irreverence is set at at cruise-director-in-nothing-but-a-thong-and-hat. Too much? Not for us!
Entertainment
Another staple of cruising is nighttime shows. Think Vegas wow factor but more convenient because it’s just two decks down from your stateroom. Disney Cruise Line presents some of the most talented performers in their Broadway-style Disney productions like Beauty and the Beast and Frozen: a Musical Spectacular. The actors, sets, and costumes are all top notch and they are really for all ages to enjoy. We didn’t know what to expect from Virgin Voyages after being spoiled by Disney’s entertainment. But, we were pleasantly surprised!
We were most impressed with their original production Duel Reality, a retelling of Romeo and Juliet with a circus twist! The acrobatics here is incredible and kept us on the edge of our seats. Virgin Voyages showed up in the entertainment department and we would gladly return for more.
Private Beach Spaces
Disney has impressed us for decades with their private, Disney-themed, all-inclusive island Castaway Cay (and we are looking forward to checking out their latest addition, Lookout Cay!). Castaway Cay, an exciting port for families, has something for everyone, including an adult-only beach called Serenity Bay.
We wanted to compare Serenity Bay’s private cabanas to The Beach Club at Bimini, our stop with Virgin Voyages. The votes are in and we do prefer Serenity Bay’s Cabana. Disney has been doing this longer. Virgin has time to step it up.
We prefer the secluded location, seating and amenities of Disney’s cabanas, but without anything to compare it to, Bimini Beach cabanas did offer great service, a private spot on the beach and some comfy bean bag chairs! We will take that over getting up for our own drinks. We’re on vacation.
Spas
Comparing this feature of Disney and Virgin really surprised us! We thought for sure we would find the zen vibes we were looking for in Virgin Voyages’ Redemption Spa. But, it was crowded! It all makes sense. We aren’t taking care of kids on these ships so we ALL have time for a spa treatment. Whereas on the Disney ships, taking time for oneself is more of a guilt-ridden and rushed experience. However, try and remember it’s your vacation too! If you can make the time on your next Disney Cruise, we do recommend a trip to Senses Spa and Salon.
Mouseketip: Check your teen in at the teen spa on Disney Cruise Line at the same time and now it’s a family experience. Less guilt.
Mouseketip: Head to Redemption Spa on Virgin Voyages in the evening between 6pm and 8pm and you will find some solitude!
Staterooms
Disney is known for its generously-sized and well appointed rooms for families of up to 5! We have always felt comfortable in our Disney Cruise Line staterooms and know that other cruise lines fall short in the square footage department. Thankfully, our Virgin Voyages rooms were comfortable in size, but we only had rooms for two. They just aren’t catering to families on these ships so staterooms can be smaller! Virgin’s rooms are sleek, modern and feature a unique layout with something they call the seabed!
The seabed is a novel and modern idea, but the comfort does not hold a candle to Disney Cruise Line’s beds. Disney knows mom and dad deserve a good night’s sleep. Virgin knows they served us a lot of drinks and thought we might not notice the lack of real bed-ness. We noticed. But A for effort and we love the room lighting!
Bottom Line
Will we cruise with Virgin Voyages again? Absolutely! Who wants to join us next time? We loved this experience, Mousekefriends. In fact, we encourage you to find a babysitter and treat yourself to this adult-only cruise experience. We promise you will love it as much as Disney! Maybe more. We can’t wait to help make your vacation wishes come true.
- By KCT agent, Alli Matthews