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Debunking Rumors & Our Thoughts on Virgin Voyages Changes
Sep 28, 2025
Virgin Voyages is making big changes to the way it sells cruises, introducing new VoyageFair Choices from October 7, 2025. Instead of a single fare, Sailors will now choose between Base, Essential, and Premium—each tying price directly to flexibility and perks, much like airlines and hotels. This video explains exactly what’s changing, debunks common rumours, and shows what this means for your next Virgin Voyages holiday. Whether you’re a first-time cruiser or a loyal Sailor, understanding these new options will help you pick the fare that best suits your plans. Our original explainer video from the announcement: https://youtu.be/9GbNSCuQCOk From gratuities and Wi-Fi tiers to dining windows and suite benefits, we cover everything you need to know about Virgin Voyages’ new pricing model. We also clear up what isn’t changing, including the Always Included Luxury experience that Sailors love. For more detail, read our full breakdown here: 📖 Guide to VoyageFair Choices: https://vvinsider.com/guides-and-faqs/guide/voyagefair-choice-base/ 📖 VoyageFair Base: https://vvinsider.com/guides-and-faqs/guide/voyagefair-choice-base/ 📖 VoyageFair Essential: https://vvinsider.com/guides-and-faqs/guide/voyagefair-choice-essential/ 📖 VoyageFair Premium: https://vvinsider.com/guides-and-faqs/guide/voyagefair-choice-premium/ 💵 Guide to Gratuities: https://vvinsider.com/guides-and-faqs/guide/tipping-gratuities/ ⸻ 🕒 Video Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Overview 01:01 Addressing the Controversy 01:58 Loyalty and Perks
View Video Transcript
0:00
Well, it's been quite a week in the
0:02
world of Virgin Voyages, and unless
0:04
you've been living under a rock, you'll
0:05
know that there are new changes coming
0:07
up to do with voyage fair choices and
0:09
gratuitities. Now, it's fair to say a
0:12
lot of these updates have been met with
0:13
a little bit of confusion and
0:15
controversy. So, I thought I'd jump on
0:17
and put this video together to talk
0:19
about the facts and what is actually
0:21
changing. And if there are things to be
0:23
concerned about, let's worry about the
0:25
real things. There is of course a lot of
0:27
genuine feedback from people that find
0:29
these changes a little bit controversial
0:31
and I'm certainly not going to sit here
0:33
and tell you that that feedback is
0:34
wrong. And I'm going to tell you exactly
0:36
what we personally think about these
0:38
changes towards the end of this video as
0:39
well. So stick around and hear what we
0:41
think. I'm David from VV Insider and
0:44
earlier this week I put together a video
0:46
that should explain all these changes in
0:48
a really simple format. So, if you
0:50
haven't seen that video and you're still
0:52
confused about the changes, maybe pop
0:54
along and watch that video first. So,
0:56
many of these changes actually don't
0:57
impact the overall Virgin Voyages
0:59
experience at all. Most of the
1:01
controversy and the problems this week
1:03
have stemmed from the way that this has
1:05
been reported on social media. The very
1:08
first news of this broke over on Reddit
1:10
at 9:00 a.m. And unfortunately, the post
1:13
that went out was kind of halfbaked and
1:15
didn't include all the information. And
1:17
that led to an incredible amount of
1:19
rumors and misinformation flying around
1:21
that we're still seeing on social media
1:23
and on message boards right now. So
1:25
hopefully this video will stem the flow
1:27
of all that speculation. So let's go
1:29
through everything. Let's look at these
1:31
frequently asked questions and let's get
1:33
down to the facts. Vins Insider is the
1:35
number one resource for the latest
1:36
Virgin Voyages info, guides, and news.
1:39
From picking the perfect cabin to
1:40
booking dining or simply just making the
1:42
most of your voyage and saving money
1:44
while you do it, vinsider.com has helped
1:47
thousands of sailors around the world
1:49
sail smarter. Support our work by
1:51
hitting subscribe and stick around to
1:53
hear how you can get exclusive perks by
1:55
booking directly with us. Let's jump
1:57
right into it. So let's firstly talk
1:59
about loyalty and perks because this is
2:02
one of the big questions that we keep
2:03
seeing coming up and it's also one of
2:05
the biggest rumors about this whole
2:07
change which is very bizarre to me. So
2:09
let's dig in. So the first question is
2:11
have they cancelled Deep Blue extras?
2:14
No, they haven't. I have no idea where
2:16
this rumor has come from. What I do
2:18
believe it stems from is something on
2:20
Reddit, which of course everything does,
2:21
but I do believe it might stem from the
2:23
new app maybe isn't showing people's
2:25
Deep Blue extra statuses on some
2:27
voyages. I think that might be the
2:29
problem. But don't worry, Deep Blue
2:31
Extras is going nowhere right now with
2:33
this announcement. They didn't mention
2:35
loyalty at all. So, there are no changes
2:38
to the loyalty program. Those that have
2:40
sailed in the past and achieved deep
2:42
blue extras, you will continue to
2:44
receive all that. And anyone who is
2:46
lucky enough to be in Club 485C, you
2:48
will continue to be in Club 485C. There
2:51
are no changes to the loyalty program
2:53
with this announcement at all. Let me
2:55
put your fears to bed there. The next
2:57
question would be does this affect the
2:59
sailing club at all? And like I say, the
3:01
loyalty program still stays and also
3:04
something worth pointing out here is it
3:06
doesn't matter which voyage fair choice
3:09
you choose, you will still continue to
3:11
earn your loyalty status just as you did
3:13
before. So even if you choose the base
3:15
fair or lockers in fair, it doesn't make
3:17
any difference. You're still earning a
3:19
credit towards your loyalty program. So
3:22
you will continue to rise through the
3:24
ranks if you sell more. That will always
3:26
be the case. Next one about those loyal
3:28
sailors that want to sail again. Can I
3:30
use my next Virgin Voyage or MNVV
3:34
placeholder? Yes, you can. You can use
3:36
that on any of the fair choices. So, you
3:38
can use that MNVV and choose a base
3:41
fair, an essential fair, or a premium
3:43
fair. It's entirely up to you. So, if
3:45
you have an MNVV already, keep a hold of
3:48
it. You can still use it. There's no
3:49
problems there. Now, let's tackle
3:51
selling your Voyage on. So, the question
3:53
is, can I still sell my Voyage to my
3:56
friends and family? The answer here is
3:58
yes, you certainly can, except for the
4:01
fact that you will probably need a
4:02
premium fair in the new system in order
4:05
to achieve that. Because if you're
4:07
selling it to somebody and you're not
4:08
sailing on that voyage yourself as the
4:10
main sailor, you will need to have a
4:12
premium fair in order to switch the
4:14
sailors out. The only alternative here,
4:17
if you're on the essential fair, if
4:18
you're the main sailor and you're simply
4:20
bringing somebody else along on the
4:22
voyage with you instead of the person
4:24
who was coming, you will still be able
4:26
to do that on the essential fair because
4:28
you can change out any fellow sailor.
4:30
You just can't change yourself as the
4:32
main sailor on the essential fair. And
4:33
of course, if this booking is on the
4:35
legacy fair, so something you've booked
4:37
before the 7th of October, you can
4:39
change the main sailor just as you can
4:41
with the premium option. So, if you have
4:43
any intentions of making a booking that
4:45
you're going to sell to somebody else or
4:47
move to somebody else, probably make
4:49
sure you're booking it before the 7th of
4:51
October. Otherwise, you're going to have
4:52
to pay extra for the premium fair. Now,
4:55
let's move on to a new section that
4:56
we're going to call booking and pricing.
4:58
So, the first question in this section
5:01
is are the prices going up? And this
5:03
obviously is a very fair question to
5:05
ask. But first of all, let's look at the
5:07
voyage fair choices. So with the
5:10
essential fair, which is effectively the
5:12
fair that is replacing the legacy fair
5:14
of old, that will still stay the same
5:17
price as today. So that's not changing.
5:20
If you decide to go for the base fair,
5:22
you will receive a small discount. And
5:24
of course, if you want that extra
5:26
flexibility and those additional perks,
5:28
if you go for the premium fair, then of
5:30
course the price does go up because
5:31
you're paying that extra $45 per sailor
5:34
per night. But that is totally your
5:36
choice. But when it comes to
5:37
gratuitities, people's fears here are of
5:40
course if you're having to add
5:41
gratuitities on top of your voyage fair,
5:44
then of course the price is going up
5:45
because you're adding gratuitities on.
5:47
Well, as we explained in our explainer
5:49
video, actually the gratuitities are
5:51
simply a part of what you're currently
5:53
paying for your voyage fair. So when the
5:56
voyage fair is presented on the website
5:58
now what will happen is that
5:59
gratuitities amount will be taken off
6:01
simply to be added on again when you
6:04
prepay for your gratuitities at $20 per
6:06
night or if you decide to pay for your
6:08
gratuitities when you get on board then
6:11
yes it is going to be slightly more
6:12
expensive because it's going to be
6:13
charged at $22 per night. So if you want
6:16
to make sure you're not paying any extra
6:18
than you really need to for your voyage
6:20
just make sure you're prepaying your
6:22
gratuitities before you sail. Otherwise,
6:24
you are going to have to pay a little
6:26
bit more. Now, there is a theory that's
6:27
been going around on comments around
6:29
social media, which is they're simply
6:32
doing this as a stealth tactic so that
6:34
they can reduce the price for now and
6:35
then they're just going to creep that
6:37
price back up. So, you're effectively
6:38
paying what you would always pay plus
6:40
gratuitities. In the conversations that
6:42
we've had with the Virgin Voyages
6:44
leadership, they're not intending to do
6:46
this, but of course they would say that,
6:48
I suppose, if you're going to be
6:49
cynical. But what we will do, and what
6:51
we always do on vvincider.com, is we
6:54
track the pricing of every single
6:55
voyage, if you've never seen this
6:57
before, if you go on any of the voyagers
6:59
on vbvinsider/book,
7:02
you will actually see each of the prices
7:04
for each of the cabin categories listed
7:06
and what the prices were historically.
7:08
So, you can actually see where the
7:10
prices have gone up or down. Now, what
7:12
I'm going to try and do, I build and
7:14
develop these things. I'm going to try
7:16
and see whether I can show the pricing
7:18
with the gratuitities included so that
7:20
you can get a real idea of where the
7:22
prices have moved and together what we
7:25
can do as a community is keep an eye on
7:27
these prices and really hold Virgin
7:29
Voyages to this promise where they're
7:30
not going to be creeping that price up.
7:32
Now, of course, we're all fully aware of
7:34
inflation and prices. So, prices will
7:36
creep up eventually anyway, but what we
7:38
don't want to see is that gratuitity
7:40
cost just simply being tacked on in the
7:42
next few months. So, let's all take a
7:44
look at that and keep an eye on VV
7:46
Insider for that price tracking updates
7:48
to see make sure that those prices
7:50
aren't creeping up and if they are, let
7:52
us know and we'll be keeping an eye on
7:54
it too. But if we're going to take the
7:55
Virgin Voyages leadership at their word,
7:57
we've got nothing to worry about.
7:58
Another question we've seen banded
8:00
around is will that base price be
8:02
actually discounted? Well, from some
8:04
conversations that again we've had with
8:06
the Virgin Voyages leadership, we
8:08
believe the base price will be priced at
8:10
about 5 to 10% less than the essential
8:14
fair. Now, this will obviously come down
8:16
to inventory management. If there's a
8:17
sailing that is particularly popular,
8:19
they probably won't reduce it that much,
8:21
but we're certainly going to have to
8:22
keep an eye on that. But it's all going
8:23
to boil down to whether that discount is
8:25
worth it. As a lot of people have
8:27
pointed out over the past couple of
8:29
days, the fact that you've only got 15
8:31
days to book your dining is not
8:33
necessarily a fantastic thing. It's
8:35
likely that most of the restaurants will
8:37
be booked out for all the times that you
8:38
want by 15 days comes along. But if it's
8:41
worth it for that discount, if that
8:42
discount is worth it, then you may as
8:44
well go for it. But really, that's going
8:46
to be your judgment call. So when you go
8:48
on the website and you look at the
8:49
prices, what are you going to decide to
8:51
do? Do you want to have that extra
8:53
dining window or do you want the cheaper
8:55
price? That's going to be entirely up to
8:57
you. Another question we've seen a lot
8:59
is, "I'm thinking of making a booking.
9:01
Should I do it now?" Well, in our
9:03
opinion, yes, you really should. And
9:05
that's not because the changes coming on
9:07
the 7th of October are horrendous. It's
9:09
simply because Virgin Voyages are
9:10
valuing those that are choosing a legacy
9:13
booking by giving them that 60-day
9:15
dining window. If you book after the 7th
9:18
of October, you would have to pay for
9:20
the premium fair to get that option. And
9:22
also, you're able to change the main
9:24
sailor name out as well. So, those are
9:26
two pretty significant perks of the
9:29
premium fair that you'll essentially get
9:31
for free if you make your booking before
9:33
the 7th of October. So, if you're
9:35
planning on making a booking, again,
9:37
head over to the VV Insider website,
9:39
that's vbvincider.com/book,
9:42
and we can make sure we can get that
9:44
booked in before the 7th of October to
9:46
secure those legacy perks. Not only
9:49
that, you'll be supporting our website
9:51
and the work that we do here. So, you've
9:53
probably seen we've been working very
9:54
hard over the past week. So, we very
9:56
much appreciate your appreciation, but
9:58
also you'll be joining our Red Diamond
10:00
Club, which means that you'll get ad
10:02
free access to our entire website, all
10:04
of the tools, all of the guides that we
10:06
have on there. And also, you'll collect
10:08
diamonds as part of our loyalty program
10:11
as well. So, there is literally no
10:13
better way to book a Virgin Voyages
10:15
vacation than vbvinsider.com.
10:18
So, head over and we can try and help
10:20
you book your perfect voyage. And that's
10:22
whether it's before the 7th of October
10:24
or after the 7th of October. We'll
10:26
always make sure we make the best plans
10:28
possible for you. Now, linked with that
10:30
previous question is, I've got a sailing
10:32
coming up in 2026 or 2027. Should I
10:35
cancel it? Am I going to have to pay
10:36
more? Well, no. Do not. It's going to be
10:39
exactly the same as what you agreed to
10:41
when you signed up in the first place.
10:43
What's more, because you've signed up
10:45
for that legacy fair before the changes
10:47
came into place, you're actually getting
10:49
a 60-day dining window. So, it's
10:51
actually even better than the one that
10:53
you signed up for in the first place.
10:55
And rest assured, you're not having to
10:57
pay those extra gratuitities when you
10:59
get on board because again, you've
11:01
already paid for it. You paid for it as
11:02
your all-inclusive fair. It's only if
11:05
you make a booking after the 7th of
11:06
October that you'll need to start paying
11:09
those gratuitities separately. One thing
11:11
I will note here is that if you do make
11:14
a change to your booking after the 7th
11:16
of October, you will be asked to select
11:18
one of those new voyage fair choices.
11:21
So, for example, if you want to switch
11:23
the name of a sailor out, it will be
11:25
then up to you to decide whether you
11:27
want to go on base, essential, or
11:29
premium. In that instance, you will then
11:31
be locked in to that new fair choice.
11:34
So, just make sure if you're making any
11:36
amendments to your bookings, do that
11:38
before the 7th of October as well.
11:40
Otherwise, you're going to have to
11:41
choose one of these new fair options.
11:43
And of course, that also means you'll
11:44
have to pay your gratuitities
11:46
separately. So, the cost of your voyage
11:48
might come down slightly, but of course,
11:49
you're going to have to pay those
11:50
gratuitities anyway. Next question is,
11:53
are those sale and save weekly
11:54
promotions still available? If you're
11:57
not familiar with what the sale and save
11:59
promotions are, those are the promotions
12:01
that offer the best value when it comes
12:03
to Virgin Voyages. Generally, they're
12:05
the cheapest type of sailings possible.
12:07
And actually, they're often offered on a
12:08
huge range of different itineraries.
12:11
They're well worth taking a look at. And
12:13
nothing changes in this regard. They're
12:15
still going to be publicizing these sale
12:17
and save offers well into the future.
12:20
So, if you do want to snag a bargain,
12:22
you'll now not only be able to get that
12:24
really good price, you'll also now have
12:26
the benefit of choosing whether you want
12:27
a base fair or an essential fair, or if
12:29
you'd like that added flexibility and
12:32
those premium perks, you can choose the
12:34
premium fair. So, you still have the
12:36
weekly sale and save offers, but now you
12:38
have that added level of flexibility.
12:40
Let's move over into dining. So, the
12:43
first question is, will I need to eat at
12:45
the galley every night? Well, of course,
12:47
this is a bit of a glib question, but it
12:49
might be a fair question for those that
12:51
only have a 15-day dining reservation
12:54
window, like those that are booking on
12:56
the lock it in rate or the base fair.
12:58
Now, it's worth saying that the galley
13:00
dinner is not the worst thing in the
13:01
world. Actually, the options that they
13:03
have in the galley for dinner, the
13:04
dinner specials are often really, really
13:06
good. And they do have a beef Wellington
13:08
normally happens on the last night, and
13:09
it is really delicious. So, if it is on
13:11
there, give it a try. But, I know what
13:13
you're trying to say. you're saying all
13:14
the restaurants are all going to be
13:15
booked out and I'm going to have no
13:16
options available to me. Now, the
13:18
reality will really depend on how busy
13:21
your sailing is going to be. If it's a
13:23
really busy sailing and it's a sailing
13:26
where you don't have any overnights and
13:27
ports, for example, you might struggle
13:29
to get a dinner reservation, in which
13:31
case you might need to just play it by
13:33
it and try and make bookings when you
13:35
get on board. Or you can always go up to
13:38
the restaurant on the night. Often they
13:41
might have some walk up availability
13:43
towards the end of the night, so later
13:45
on. It's always worth asking the
13:47
restaurant managers what they can do at
13:48
the time, but dining reservations will
13:51
work just as they do today. So some
13:53
availability will be held back so that
13:56
when you get on board, you can start
13:57
making some dinner plans. So best of
14:00
luck if you are in one of those locked
14:01
in rates or those base fair rates. You
14:03
might need a bit of extra luck to get a
14:05
dinner reservation, but hopefully it's
14:07
not all doom and gloom. The next
14:09
question is about the Rockstar and the
14:11
Mega Rockstar suite cabin categories.
14:14
Now, this is something I did gloss over
14:15
in my explainer video, and I do
14:17
apologize because there has been a lot
14:19
of comments about this, but let me clear
14:21
something up. So, some of our viewers
14:23
were really worried that if you booked a
14:25
Rockstar or a mega rockstar suite and
14:26
spent all of that money, why do you now
14:29
have to compete with those that are in
14:30
the lower level cabins that have simply
14:33
paid an extra $45 a night for premium?
14:36
because we all get a 60-day dining
14:38
window now, don't we? Well, actually,
14:41
no. So, this is something I neglected to
14:42
mention, but now Rockstar and Mega
14:45
Rockstar sailor will now have the chance
14:47
to book their dining 120 days in advance
14:50
of their sailing. That is a huge time
14:52
window, and it is, of course, way higher
14:55
than the premium fair window. So, don't
14:57
worry if you've paid that extra to be a
14:59
rockstar or a mega rockstar. You will
15:01
always have the edge in booking dining.
15:03
And that's one of the perks that you get
15:05
by paying for those really expensive
15:07
suites. And this is for every Rockstar
15:09
and Mega Rockstar. So even if you booked
15:10
in the past, come the 7th of October,
15:12
your dining window will be extended to
15:15
120 days. So you can start making your
15:17
dining if your voyage is coming up in
15:19
the next 120 days. Or if you're booking
15:21
from the 7th of October onwards, you
15:24
will get 120 days dining window as well.
15:26
Regarding other changes for Rockstar and
15:28
Mega Rockstar, the only other thing to
15:30
mention is that Mega Rockstars will now
15:32
receive work from sea wifi. Another
15:35
question on dining windows. Some people
15:38
have messaged us to say, "My dining
15:39
window hasn't changed yet. It should be
15:41
60 days." It will be 60 days, but you're
15:44
going to have to wait until the 7th of
15:45
October. From what we understand,
15:47
because there's obviously so many
15:48
bookings in the system, they might need
15:50
to do this over a period of time in
15:52
batches. So, we're not sure what time
15:55
it's going to be on the 7th of October
15:57
and it could actually spill over into
15:58
the following days, but don't worry,
16:00
keep checking your app and you can see
16:02
whether your dining window has been
16:03
extended or not. But don't stress about
16:06
it. You will be getting that 60-day
16:08
dining window if you've got one of those
16:09
legacy bookings. Now, a couple of
16:12
questions on Wi-Fi. So, the first
16:14
question that we have here is, are the
16:16
Wi-Fi devices per cabin or per guest?
16:19
So, some of the Wi-Fi options. So, for
16:21
example, basic and classic, you get one
16:24
device. Now, that is one device per
16:26
sailor. So, do not worry, you're not
16:27
going to have to sign in to one of your
16:29
phones and then try and use that phone
16:31
for every single thing you need to do on
16:32
the internet. Don't worry, everyone gets
16:34
one device. So, you're able to log in on
16:37
your phone. You'll have access to it. If
16:40
you need any more than one device, then
16:42
you're going to have to make sure that
16:43
you're on the premium Wi-Fi or the work
16:45
from C Wi-Fi. If you head over to
16:48
vvincider.com, we have a full guide on
16:51
all the Wi-Fi options and what they mean
16:53
and how to use them. So, if you've got
16:55
any more questions about Wi-Fi in that
16:57
regard, head over to the website. And
16:59
here's a question related to something
17:00
I've just mentioned, which is why do
17:03
rock stars only get classic Wi-Fi? And
17:05
this is something if you've seen the
17:07
illustration, the grid laid out, this is
17:09
quite confusing. So, those choosing a
17:11
lock itin rate or have chose the base
17:14
voyage fair choice, you get the basic
17:16
Wi-Fi option. If you choose the
17:18
essential fair, you get the classic
17:20
Wi-Fi option, which is the one that
17:21
we've all been used to today. If you
17:24
move over to the premium fair option,
17:26
you get premium Wi-Fi. Then, if you step
17:29
up and go to Rockstar, for some reason,
17:31
you then get classic Wi-Fi. That doesn't
17:34
really add up. And it's something that
17:35
we did ask the Virgin Voyagers
17:37
leadership at the time. I do think that
17:39
they need to revisit this. I don't know
17:41
why the Rockstar rates are getting any
17:43
less than the premium rate. I really
17:46
struggle to understand this, but yes,
17:48
you are just getting the classic Wi-Fi
17:50
if you're sailing as a Rockstar sailor.
17:52
Unless, of course, you've got your
17:53
loyalty perks of your Deep Blue Extra,
17:55
for example, you get your premium Wi-Fi
17:57
anyway, so you don't need to worry about
17:58
it. But if you're sailing as a rockstar
18:00
and you haven't built up that level of
18:02
loyalty yet, you're going to start off
18:04
with classic Wi-Fi and you'll have to
18:06
pay if you want premium Wi-Fi or work
18:08
from sea, for example. So, it's a bit of
18:10
a weird one that and something we'll be
18:12
keeping an eye on because we're not sure
18:14
that we understand that. Now, a couple
18:15
of miscellaneous questions here. So, one
18:17
of them is all around the locket in
18:19
rate. So if you're not familiar with the
18:21
lockatin rate, this is the sort of GTY
18:24
guaranteed cabin category that Virgin
18:26
Voyages have offered in the past. So
18:29
this traditionally was always the most
18:30
basic fair that you could possibly get
18:33
and it means that you don't get a cabin
18:34
assignment. You'll get your cabin
18:36
assigned before you sail. Now that lock
18:38
it in rate plan is still available but
18:40
will now be limited to basically the
18:42
perks or the lack of perks that you get
18:44
with the base voyage fair choice. So,
18:47
it's led people to worry and wonder
18:49
whether their lockets in rate booking
18:51
that they already have will be
18:52
downgraded to these 15-day dining
18:54
booking windows and the basic Wi-Fi.
18:57
Well, actually, don't worry. If you book
18:59
before the 7th of October, and again,
19:01
you still have time to do that if you
19:02
want to. Vivianider.com/book.
19:04
But if you book before the 7th of
19:06
October on a lockitin rate, you still
19:08
keep the same perks as you do today. So,
19:10
you'll still get the classic Wi-Fi just
19:12
as normal. So, if you booked that lock
19:14
it in rate before the 7th of October, it
19:16
still very much works like one of the
19:18
essential fair options. The only
19:20
limitation is, of course, you're not
19:21
able to make any changes or get it
19:23
refunded. And of course, you won't know
19:25
what cabin you'll be assigned until very
19:27
much up to the point that you stay or
19:29
lock it in terms as you're used to. A
19:31
question we've been getting on
19:32
gratuitities. Can I remove the
19:34
gratuitity on board? Well, the answer to
19:36
this is yes, you can remove gratuitities
19:39
on board, but what will happen is you
19:42
will need to speak with sailor services
19:44
and sailor services will try and rectify
19:46
any service problems first. So, they
19:49
will only be removing gratuitities as an
19:51
exception, not the rule. Now, Virgin
19:53
Voyages are trying to discourage people
19:56
from removing gratuitities because it is
19:58
seen as a mandatory charge. So, removing
20:00
gratuitities will be heavily
20:02
discouraged. This is still an area
20:03
that's a little bit unclear to us. So,
20:05
we'll be bringing you more information
20:06
about this over the coming weeks. And
20:08
then one last note on gratuitities,
20:10
which is if they're now separate, can
20:12
you at least prepay them? But yes, if
20:14
you're wanting to just get the
20:15
gratuitities out the way, effectively
20:17
just works like any other day in Virgin
20:20
Voyages where you've just got the
20:21
all-inclusive plan. Just prepay it
20:23
before you go on board. If you prefer to
20:25
have that all-inccluded pricing, you're
20:28
basically replicating it just by paying
20:30
it with your voyage. If you prefer it
20:32
that way, then just go ahead and pay
20:34
everything together. Why not? So, those
20:36
are the frequently asked questions out
20:37
the way. I just wanted to spend some
20:39
time here before I close up just to let
20:41
you know what we think about these
20:43
changes cuz it's something that we've
20:44
been asked in private messages and
20:46
things like that. And I'm very happy to
20:47
talk about it. Look, we don't work
20:49
directly for Virgin Voyages. We simply
20:52
get the information out about Virgin
20:54
Voyages. They don't pay us any money to
20:56
do this and we pay for the majority of
20:59
the voyages that we're on. I will be
21:01
honest, we have been invited on board a
21:03
couple of times, which is very nice, but
21:04
we still have our own opinions and we
21:06
will always bring things to you as they
21:09
are. We're certainly not dressing things
21:11
up for the sake of it. We're presenting
21:13
facts and information from Virgin
21:15
Voyages. You can make your own opinions
21:17
about these things, and you certainly do
21:19
in the comments, and I will always
21:21
encourage you to continue doing that as
21:23
well. So, here's what I think. The
21:25
Voyage Fair options, I think, make a lot
21:27
of sense. Do I see the need for it? Not
21:29
necessarily. Do I think it's a horrible
21:31
thing? No, I don't. Because actually, it
21:33
is nice to have the choice to pay less
21:35
if you want to. And I think some people
21:37
do like to be a little bit bougie and
21:39
get those extra perks in there. And
21:41
actually, something that the Virgin
21:42
Voyages leadership told us, which
21:44
actually resonates, is that the data
21:46
shows people are way more satisfied with
21:48
a voyage if they prepay for things in
21:51
advance. So things like the bar tab, for
21:53
example, those that have a bar tab going
21:55
into a voyage end up leaving the ship
21:57
feeling way more satisfied than those
21:59
that were paying for every single drink
22:01
as they went along. But actually, the
22:03
premium might make a lot more sense for
22:05
those that just want to get the payment
22:07
out the way. Get your premium Wi-Fi
22:09
sorted, have a little bit of bar tab,
22:11
have that flexibility and the peace of
22:13
mind. Yes, it's more expensive, but some
22:15
people don't mind paying that extra.
22:17
Would we do it? Probably not. We'll
22:18
probably stick with the base. We don't
22:19
mind. But really, it's entirely up to
22:21
you. If you feel like you'd rather pay
22:23
less, pay less. If you think that you
22:25
want that flexibility, then pay more.
22:28
And crucially, if you're happy with the
22:29
way things are, stick with the essential
22:31
plan. Nobody's forcing you to do
22:33
premium, so just stick with the
22:34
essential plan. Yes, you're not able to
22:36
swap the main sailor out, which is the
22:38
one real drawback here. But other than
22:40
that, you probably won't notice that
22:42
much difference. We have heard a couple
22:44
of people being a bit worried that
22:46
because the premium now exists then
22:47
there'll be fewer dining options for
22:49
everyone on essential. But if you think
22:51
about it, there will be of course people
22:53
choosing the base option as well. So
22:54
you're not competing with the base
22:56
people. So really it does balance out
22:57
and I think in theory we should see
22:59
things not being the calamity that I
23:02
think people are painting this out to
23:03
be. So we'll just have to wait and see.
23:05
I've said many many times in the
23:06
comments and thank you for all your
23:08
feedback and I try to reply to
23:10
everything that I possibly can. But one
23:12
thing that I have been saying over and
23:13
over again is it'll be really
23:15
interesting to see how this plays out in
23:16
October because it will. Let's see what
23:18
all of these changes actually mean in
23:20
reality. Let's see how it all goes. And
23:22
let's keep a close eye on the pricing as
23:24
well. One thing I did want to mention is
23:26
I am a little bit confused about the
23:28
gratuitities thing. And I don't know
23:29
whether this is a culture thing. We live
23:31
in the UK. Tipping is not necessarily a
23:34
thing here. I think we're still getting
23:36
our head around having to tip people in
23:38
restaurants to be honest. So, the idea
23:40
of having gratuitities separated on a
23:42
vacation is just very alien to us.
23:45
Obviously, we've cruised a lot in the
23:47
past, so we kind of get it, but I know
23:49
it will be quite an affront for those in
23:51
the UK that aren't quite used to sailing
23:53
or anyone from a culture where tipping
23:54
isn't necessarily a thing. Gratuitities
23:57
are one of those things that is a little
23:58
bit of a mental hurdle for a lot of
24:01
people when they're looking at the cost
24:02
of a vacation. So, there is a lot of
24:04
feedback about gratuitities and
24:06
honestly, I can see where you're coming
24:08
from. I really can. But one thing I will
24:10
say, getting very frank, I really
24:12
honestly don't think these changes are
24:13
as catastrophic as everyone is making
24:15
out. People are saying, "I will never
24:17
book Virgin again. I'm going elsewhere."
24:19
I would love to understand which cruise
24:22
line you're going to. Because honestly,
24:25
everyone charges for gratuitities. There
24:27
are very few cruise lines that don't,
24:29
and the cruise lines that don't, boring.
24:31
They're not Virgin Voyages. The
24:33
experience that you're going to get on
24:35
board is going to be very, very
24:36
different. I would love to know where
24:38
you're heading if you're deciding not to
24:41
sail on Virgin Voyages. Please tell me
24:43
in the comments because if there's this
24:44
wonderful experience that you would get
24:47
on Virgin Voyages and it's cheaper and
24:49
you're getting gratuitities included and
24:51
all the rest of it, I'd love to know
24:53
because I can take all of these things
24:54
down and move over. Let me know. We'll
24:57
be sticking with Virgin Voyages and I'm
24:59
not saying that because we get extra
25:00
perks or anything like that. We'll be
25:02
sticking around. You can count on that.
25:04
But continue to let me know your
25:06
feedback in the comments. And again,
25:08
I'll try and reply to as many as I
25:09
possibly can. And I'm sure there'll be
25:11
tons more questions coming up over the
25:14
next week or so. So, if you've got any
25:16
more questions that you'd like us to
25:17
cover either in our article over on
25:19
vbvinsider.com or you'd like me to
25:21
address here on YouTube as well, then
25:23
just let me know in the comments and
25:25
we'll be taking a look at that. Now
25:27
remember, if you're like us and you're
25:29
sticking with Virgin Voyages for now and
25:31
you want to make the most out of your
25:33
next booking, then head over to
25:35
vvincider.com and we can make sure you
25:38
get the best deal on your next Virgin
25:39
Voyage and we'll also make sure you get
25:41
those exclusive perks that I was telling
25:43
you about as well. Okay, that's
25:45
everything. But until next time, happy
25:47
sailing.
25:49
[Music]
25:56
[Music]
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