One of thre best value redemptions for Virgin points has to be the cruise packages. If you redeem for business class flights, even with a companion voucher, you are still looking at an outlay of around £1600+ in taxes and charges. If we assume you would normally buy sale fares at around £2000 per person, you have saved £2400. However, not everyone wants to splash out £1600 on taxes and charges.
With Virgin Voyages redemptions, the only things you have to pay for are the flights to the start of the cruise, alcohol, and any excursions. For example, one of the Barcelona 7-night cruises would cost £2784 to book for two people in the same cabin, so that is a big saving.
Virgin Red, Virgin’s Group-wide rewards club, has launched some new exclusive deals for its members with Mediterranean, Caribbean and Trans-Atlantic sailings now available on points. The prices have risen but I still think it is a decent deal.
Prices are per cabin not per person and include a Central Sea Terrace or The Sea Terrace cabin which come with a hammock on the terrace. All food, soft drinks, tips, group fitness classes, entertainment and wifi are included.
Only certain cruises are included, and these are listed on the app.
Mediterranean sailings from 120,000 points
Mediterranean sailings are available for Virgin Red members for 160,000 Virgin Points for a seven-night Mediterranean voyage departing from either Barcelona or Athens. Voted. No. 1 in Condé Nast Traveller’s 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards, Virgin Voyages offers itineraries with departure dates Sunday-Sunday from May through to mid-October for Barcelona sailings and May through to the end of July for Athens sailings.
Destinations include the Greek islands, Corsica, and Italy.
For those ready to sail the Med as soon as possible, Virgin Red has launched a flash sale for seven-night sailings from Barcelona, departing on Sunday 12 May or Sunday 19 May, for the discounted points price of 120,000 Virgin Points.
Caribbean cruises
Five-night Caribbean sailings departing from Miami between June and September are also available on Virgin Red for 115,000 Virgin Points with destinations including their private beach club and Cozumel.
Transatlantic cruises
You can embark on a longer Trans-Atlantic sailings from Barcelona (14 nights) for 280,000 Virgin Points or from Athens (16 nights) for 320,000 Virgin Points.
The experience
Sailors can board one of Virgin’s boutique, kid-free ships with fantastic dining experiences with menus from Michelin-star chefs, first-class entertainment and state-of-the-art health and wellness facilities all included, as well as unlimited soft drinks, group workout classes and Wi-Fi.
The atmosphere is modern and sophisticated, with a range of restaurants plus a food court-type area with table service rather than buffets. The restaurants include a steakhouse, Mediterranean, tasting menus, and a fun Korean barbeque. You can book a table at your desired time on the app each night rather than having a set time each day, and you don’t have to share tables except at the interactive Korean. I loved it personally. There is no formal night but instead a “Red” night where you just need to wear something red.
You can read my review of the Virgin Voyages experience here:
Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Review
Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady Review (most recent)
Andrea Burchett, Chief Loyalty Officer and Managing Director for Virgin Red, says: “We are so excited to partner with Virgin Voyages once again to offer our members the chance to book Virgin Voyages sailings with Virgin Points. From beautiful cities to pristine beaches, Virgin Red members can get ready for an unforgettable adventure. Book fast to secure your spot!”
What you need to know
There are a few things you need to know if you are tempted by the offer.
To book your cruise with points, first check Virgin Voiyages for what dates are available for your preferred cruise. If you find one with space, then you need to redeem through the Virgin Red app. This will give you a code you then use to book.
Firstly, once you make the actual cruise booking, it is nonchangeable and nonrefundable. However, if you just redeem the points for the code but can’t book, you can get a refund, but not until October 2024.
You need to have some degree of flexibility as it takes 72 hours to issue the code and obviously your preferred date could have been fully booked by then.
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