We took our first Virgin Voyages cruise earlier this year on the Resilient Lady. While I am an experienced cruiser, this was my first Virgin cruise, and I had some trepidation about having to make dinner reservations so far in advance. I also doubted that Virgin Voyages food was actually better than other cruise lines.
See Virgin Voyages Tips for First Timers
Well… I worried for nothing, and Virgin Voyages food is great! Though, I learned a lot on that cruise — which will help me the next time I book a Virgin cruise.
And I sure hope it helps you, too!
There is no main dining room (MDR)
Unlike other cruise lines, Virgin Voyages does not have a main dining room. If you’re used to dining with hundreds of your fellow cruisers at those long tables, where it gets noisy and the menu is fairly predictable, you won’t have that with a Virgin cruise.
Rather, each of the Virgin Voyages restaurants is designed to be its own restaurant, with its own menu and vibe. When your dining reservation window opens, you’ll choose from these restaurants.
There really is no dress code on Virgin Voyages!
Dress up if you want, or wear shorts if you prefer.
The only two rules are easy to follow: Swimsuits are not allowed in the sit down restaurants and be yourself! Many people did dress up on our cruise, but I think that’s because it’s fun sometimes!
See First Time Cruise Tips to help you plan your vacation
Table service dining in Virgin Voyages Restaurants
Here’s a brief guide to dining on Virgin cruise ships. Use it to help you decide where to book dinner. You don’t have to eat at all of them, and you are allowed to book each restaurant two times on the average weeklong cruise.
For a steakhouse menu, go to The Wake. The Wake is the premier steakhouse, and a great place to enjoy a fine dining menu. Start the meal with a seafood tower, clam chowder, salad or roasted bone marrow.
Then, enjoy all the steak you want, though they offer other proteins, too. Side dishes are served family style, like an old style chophouse.
The Wake also serves brunch, featuring steak and eggs, benedicts and other traditional brunch items. You can make brunch reservations in the app when your reservation window opens.
For a “healthier” (more veggie forward flare), head to Razzle Dazzle. Razzle Dazzle is a bright eatery featuring unique twists on traditional foods as well as a good number of vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options. The menu is clearly marked and the food is as pretty as it is tasty.
Razzle Dazzle also serves a spectacular brunch, particularly the acai bowl and buckwheat waffles with strawberry powder and cherry maple syrup. And, if you know about the frozen watermelon, well, you’ll find that here, too.
See Tips for eating healthy on a cruise
For small plates and Latin cuisine, Pink Agave is the place to be. Pink Agave is one of the smallest of the Virgin Voyages restaurants, but it’s oh so good. I recommend you get one of each first course offering for the table to share, and then pick and choose for second course and main dish.
Save room for dessert. The chocolate tacos are DELISH!
Find homemade pasta at Extra Virgin. Extra Virgin is a great place to dine with friends. Get the antipasti to share, followed by a delicious starter like the carpaccio.
Then, enjoy perfect pasta alongside other Italian dishes. For dessert, enjoy affogato prepared tableside.
For Korean food prepared tableside, Gunbae is the place to go. Gunbae is a unique restaurant. Most tables are group seating, and you’ll sit with people you might never have met before. The food is cooked tableside, in the popular Korean fashion. I chose not to eat here because I have a severe shellfish allergy, but many staff told me they could easily accommodate me. So, talk to them before you say no because of allergies.
For an unusual dining experience, head to the Test Kitchen. The most unique of the Virgin Voyages restaurants is the Test Kitchen. Serving a five course meal, Test Kitchen stretches your palate with unique food preparations and flavor combinations. We enjoyed a starter of corn cream with roasted corn and five spice popcorn, a beet dish with beet foam, sous vide lamb, and a mango white chocolate-wasabi dessert.
Presented as a five course meal, service here is a bit slower than other restaurants. And, the menu changes at least once during the cruise, so if you don’t like it early in the week, check it out later.
How to book Virgin Voyages Restaurants
Regular cruisers can book dining reservations 45 days before sailing at each of the above restaurants, though walk-ins can be accommodated. Rockstars can book dining reservations 60 days before sailing. For the most options, book the day your reservation window opens!
The easiest way to make reservations is through the Virgin Voyages app on your phone. Select the people you are making reservations for — it can be for your group and linked friends. Then, choose date, restaurant (from a list of available restaurants) and time. Then, finalize your reservation. It’s that easy.
It’s helpful to have a backup restaurant in mind in case your first choice is full.
PRO TIP: If your preferred time is not available, book the closest available time slot. People drop and adjust reservations throughout the cruise, so you might be able to change yours once on the ship.
Casual dining on Virgin Voyages Cruise Ships
If you have cruised with Royal, Carnival or Norwegian, you are probably familiar with the large buffet service restaurant near the pool. Virgin Voyages has improved on that, while still offering quick fare without the formal seating.
First is “The Galley,” which reminds me more of a food hall than a buffet. Different stations like a noodle counter, taco stand, American diner (serving breakfast 24/7), burger bar, dessert station and salad station offer a variety of food, much ready to serve and some made to order. You place your order with the server who prepares your dish. If you don’t want to stand in line, you can order from your table through a QR code, and servers will bring your food to you. It’s that easy!
The Virgin Voyages food in The Galley was consistently prepared to the right temperature (hot or cold) without long waits. Sometimes we couldn’t find an available table in the Galley, but outside tables were always available.
For quick Mediterranean, head to the Dock or the Dockhouse (just inside) for skewers, pita and dips. This area is especially popular from 3-5 each afternoon.
Pizza, Ice Cream and Carnival Food, are all available on Deck 7! Get a made to order pizza at the Pizza Place and enjoy it outside as you watch the sea go by. Or, head to the ice cream parlor for a hand-dipped cone. Or, head to the Social Club for carnival fare like hot dogs, milkshakes (fee), popcorn, fudge and candy to enjoy while playing board games or singing karaoke (or watching).
Looking back on our cruise, these foods made us feel like kids again. My husband ate more than his fair share of salt water taffy from the Social Club candy counter. And, who doesn’t love a bag of movie theater popcorn now and then?
The casual dining options are thoughtfully designed for a quick snack or easy meal. After a long day of sightseeing, we enjoyed a snack of pizza or hot dogs to tide us over until dinner. Okay — to be honest, I probably got ice cream at least as often as pizza!
Before your first Virgin Voyages cruise, making dining reservations seems like more work than a cruise should require. At least that’s how we felt. Looking back, making reservations offers flexibility to enjoy the foods we want and skip the restaurants that don’t sound interesting. Using the app, we were able to modify reservations before the cruise and even during our cruise. Overall, we enjoyed it and won’t let it intimidate us again! Virgin Voyages food is really good, and the restaurants are a lot of fun.
Do you have any other tips to enjoy Virgin Voyages food and restaurants? Please share!
