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Virgin Voyages Dining: The Booking Mistake Costing You Your Dream Table
Nov 30, 2025
🍽️ Confused about Virgin Voyages' restaurant booking system? You're not alone. In this comprehensive guide, David from VV Insider walks you through exactly how to secure tables at every specialty restaurant—from the moment bookings open to your last night on board.
Whether you're a first-time Sailor or returning for another Lady Ship adventure, this video breaks down the booking windows, insider strategies, and common pitfalls so you can dine exactly where and when you want.
🚢 Book your voyage with extra perks ➜ https://vvinsider.com/book/
What we'll cover:
📅 When restaurant bookings actually open (it's not when you think)
🎯 The 30-day vs 7-day booking windows explained
📱 How to book through the Sailor app and website
⏰ Best times to snag your ideal slots
🍴 Which restaurants book up fastest (and why)
💡 Insider hacks to maximize your dining experience
🔄 What to do if your first choice is fully booked
🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES
🗺️ Complete Restaurant Booking Guide ➜ https://vvinsider.com/guides-and-faqs/guide/booking-restaurants/
🍽️ All Dining Venues & Menus ➜ https://vvinsider.com/on-board/venues/
📱 Download the Sailor App ➜ https://vvinsider.com/guides-and-faqs/guide/the-sailor-app/
🎭 Entertainment & Event Schedules ➜ https://vvinsider.com/on-board/events/
💼 Ultimate Virgin Voyages Guide ➜ https://vvinsider.com/ultimate-guide/
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0:00
So, the truth is booking dining on
0:02
Virgin Voyages has changed quite a lot
0:04
in the last few months. So, whether
0:06
you're planning your very first sailing
0:08
or if you've sailed a lot on the lady
0:10
ships, you'll still want to know the
0:11
best way to book restaurants in 2025 and
0:15
moving on into 26 as well. Because the
0:17
truth is, on Virgin Voyages, unless you
0:20
understand the system, you run the risk
0:22
of missing out on your favorite
0:23
restaurants when you get on board. I'm
0:25
David from VV Insider and today we're
0:28
going to look at all the tips and guides
0:30
from across vinsider.com to make sure
0:33
you don't miss dining at your very
0:35
favorite restaurant. So today we're
0:37
going to take a look at when
0:38
reservations open, how many restaurants
0:40
you can book, some insider tips on how
0:43
to decide when you actually should book
0:45
your dining, and also a guide on what to
0:47
do if all hope is lost and you don't
0:49
have the dining reservation that you
0:51
really, really wanted. So whether you're
0:53
sailing on Scarlet, Valiant, Resilient,
0:55
or the brand new Brilliant Lady ship, in
0:57
this guide, we're going to take a look
0:58
at how to eat smarter when you're on
1:00
board. So let's dive right in. V Insider
1:04
is the number one resource for the
1:05
latest Virgin Voyages info, guides, and
1:08
news. From picking the perfect cabin to
1:10
booking dining, or simply just making
1:11
the most of your voyage and saving money
1:13
while you do it, vincider.com has helped
1:16
thousands of sailors around the world
1:18
sail smarter. Support our work by
1:20
hitting subscribe and stick around to
1:22
hear how you can get exclusive perks by
1:24
booking directly with us.
1:28
So, the first thing you need to know
1:29
about dining on Virgin Voyages is that
1:31
things are a little bit different on
1:33
board the lady ships than they would be
1:35
on a traditional cruise line. So, for
1:38
many decades now, the experience that
1:40
you get on traditional cruise lines is
1:42
that you will be invited to dine at the
1:44
main dining room every single night. The
1:46
only real choice that you might be given
1:48
is whether you wanted early or late
1:50
dining. And the only change to this rule
1:52
is that if you wanted to go to one of
1:54
the specialtity restaurants, then you
1:56
would be asked to pay a fairly expensive
1:58
cover charge to go to one of these
2:00
specialtity restaurants instead. And
2:01
that's the only real choice that you
2:03
were given. Well, on Virgin Voyages,
2:05
it's very different. Instead, you're
2:07
given the choice to dine at any of the
2:08
restaurants you please. And you can
2:10
choose a time slot of when to arrive
2:12
between the restaurant's opening and
2:14
closing times. Now, that of course
2:16
presents a problem. What if everyone
2:18
wants to dine at the most popular
2:20
restaurant at say 7 every night? In that
2:23
case, you would end up with cues out of
2:25
the door and people waiting a huge
2:27
amount of time before they even get sat.
2:29
Well, Virgin Voyagers have a fairly
2:31
sophisticated dining booking system both
2:34
on their app and on the website. And
2:36
we're going to take a quick look on how
2:38
to use that system in just a moment. But
2:40
for now, you need to understand when you
2:42
can actually make these reservations.
2:44
So, you're able to book your reservation
2:47
as soon as your dining reservation
2:49
window opens. And this depends on the
2:52
type of fair and the type of cabin that
2:54
you're sailing in. So, first of all,
2:56
let's break this down of whether you're
2:58
a sailor or a rockstar. So, let's get
3:00
the rock stars out of the way. If you
3:03
book a Rockstar or a Mega Rockstar
3:05
suite, your dining reservation window
3:07
will be the same and that will be 120
3:10
days before your sailing date. So, that
3:14
is a huge amount of time before your
3:16
sailing where you can log into the app
3:17
or log into the website and make your
3:20
dining reservations. It's one of the
3:22
really good perks of the sweet level
3:24
class. And of course, you're paying for
3:26
that privilege, but it does mean you're
3:28
very unlikely to have any problems
3:30
securing the booking time that you want,
3:33
even if you have a larger party. But
3:35
let's talk about the experience that
3:37
most sailor will have. So, if you're a
3:39
sailor that hasn't opted for a Rockstar
3:41
suite, you'll be given a choice of
3:43
different fair choices when you're
3:45
booking your voyage. And each of these
3:47
fair choices are priced differently.
3:49
They're called voyage fair choices in
3:51
the Virgin Voyages system. come with
3:53
different levels of perks and options.
3:55
And one of these perks is having a
3:58
longer dining window if you choose one
4:00
of the higher fairs. So what this means
4:03
in practice is that you have three
4:05
levels of fair. One being the base fair
4:07
which is the cheapest option. In the
4:09
middle you have essential and then at
4:11
the top end you have the premium fair
4:13
where you're paying extra for
4:15
flexibility with your voyage and a few
4:17
other perks. But right now let's
4:18
concentrate on the dining window. So on
4:21
the premium end, you get 60 days before
4:24
your sailing to book your dining in. So
4:27
by this time, the Rockstar sailor will
4:29
have already had 60 days to book their
4:31
dining, but there are only a few
4:33
Rockstar suites on the ship. So by the
4:36
time 60 days comes along, you should
4:37
still have a very good option of dining
4:40
available to you. Sliding down the scale
4:42
into the essential fair type, which is
4:44
where most sailor will sit, you will get
4:47
45 days before your sailing to book your
4:50
dining. So by this time the rock stars
4:52
and the premium fair sailor will have
4:54
all booked their dining. So your choice
4:55
might be a little bit more limited. But
4:57
because this is where most sailor will
4:59
be, there still will be a fair amount of
5:02
options available to you. And then
5:03
finally, you have your base fair, which
5:05
is the cheapest option. And with that
5:08
comes only a 15-day dining window. So 15
5:11
days before you're sailing, you'll be
5:13
able to log on and pick up any
5:15
reservation slots that haven't already
5:17
been taken. So, if you're going on
5:19
Virgin Voyages and you want to
5:21
experience all the restaurants, have a
5:23
think about which fair type you're
5:24
choosing, if you really want to visit
5:27
each of these restaurants. So, now you
5:28
know your dining reservation window.
5:31
What do you do with that information?
5:33
Well, this is where you can get really
5:35
smart in booking the dining before
5:37
everyone else in your dining reservation
5:39
window. So, the thing you need to know
5:41
is that dining will become available
5:43
around midnight Miami time on the app
5:47
and on the website. So, you want to
5:49
check depending on where you're based in
5:51
the world, what midnight Miami time
5:53
looks like in your time zone because the
5:55
dining reservations won't open until
5:58
then. And of course, this time frame is
6:00
for everyone sailing on your voyage in
6:03
your fair class. So, make sure you head
6:05
on to the app or the website to book
6:07
your dining immediately as the dining
6:09
window opens. And this will ensure that
6:12
you'll have the biggest choice available
6:14
for the time slots that you might want.
6:16
We have heard a rumor or two about the
6:19
dining window opening slightly earlier,
6:21
so it might be worth just refreshing and
6:23
checking if you're really keen on making
6:25
sure you get your dining reservations
6:27
sorted. One of the reasons why this is
6:29
so competitive and you'll see a lot of
6:31
people in the Facebook group talking
6:32
about when it's opening, which slots
6:35
they've managed to book, etc. is because
6:37
only a portion of the real dining
6:40
availability is made available on the
6:42
app and on the website. Some of the
6:44
availability is ring fenced for those
6:47
that want to book when they get on board
6:49
the ship rather than pre-booking. From
6:51
what we understand, we believe around
6:53
2/3 of all dining availability is
6:56
actually reserved for when you get on
6:58
board the ship. So, if you've not
6:59
managed to book the exact time that you
7:01
wanted before you sail, don't worry too
7:04
much cuz there might still be an option
7:07
when you get on board. We've seen many
7:09
people be very, very despondent and say,
7:11
"I don't even know if it's worth sailing
7:13
anymore." Don't worry too much. There
7:16
will always be options when you get on
7:17
board. So, what do you do when your
7:19
booking window opens? Well, if you open
7:22
up your Virgin Voyages app, the first
7:24
thing you want to do is make sure that
7:26
you're connected with the people that
7:28
you're sailing with. So, connected to
7:30
your account will be anyone that's in
7:31
the same cabin as you, of course. But if
7:34
you're sailing with a group of friends
7:36
or family that happen to be in different
7:38
cabins, you'll need to make sure that
7:40
you go on the Virgin Voyages app and add
7:42
them as contacts before the dining
7:45
reservation window opens. You can do
7:47
this by going to the messages tab that's
7:50
down at the bottom. And when you click
7:52
on that, you'll see a screen that has a
7:54
button which says contact. If you tap on
7:57
that contacts button, you'll then get a
7:59
screen which will show a QR code. So, if
8:02
you're with a friend in person, you can
8:04
show them your phone. They can use their
8:05
camera app to scan that QR code. And as
8:08
long as they have the Virgin Voyages app
8:10
installed and they're logged in, they'll
8:12
be able to connect you as a contact on
8:14
the app. And once you've done this with
8:16
all of the people that you're sailing
8:17
with, when you go in to book your
8:20
dining, you will be able to choose your
8:22
entire party so you can book all of your
8:24
dining together. Now, it's worth noting
8:26
depending on the size of your party, you
8:29
might not be able to use the app to make
8:31
your dining reservations. So, the app
8:33
and the website max out around 8 to 12
8:36
sailors per booking. So, if you have a
8:39
large party that is above 8 or 12, then
8:41
you might need to take an alternative
8:43
route where you'll need to email sailor
8:45
services to make your dining bookings
8:47
instead. So, that's a really important
8:49
thing to be aware of. But, do make sure
8:51
you do your connection on the app to
8:53
make sure you're all grouped together.
8:55
That will make things a little bit
8:57
easier for sailor services. Besides,
8:59
it's always well worthwhile just noting
9:01
down the cabin numbers of everyone that
9:03
you're sailing with so that if you are
9:05
approaching sailor services for any
9:07
request whatsoever, you can just copy
9:09
and paste that into your email. So,
9:11
here's a quick walkthrough of how you
9:13
actually make a booking once the booking
9:16
window becomes available. So, if you go
9:18
to the discover section on the app and
9:20
then head over to eeries, you'll see a
9:23
list of the restaurants available. This
9:25
will show the first night of your
9:27
sailing. If you want to choose dining
9:29
for a different day, simply scroll along
9:32
the date on the top and choose the date
9:34
you'd like to configure. Once you see
9:36
the restaurant and time slot that you'd
9:38
like, simply tap on it and then you'll
9:40
be invited to choose the people that
9:42
you'll be dining with. In this example,
9:44
we just have a party of two, so they're
9:46
pre-selected. But if you're sailing with
9:48
others and you've connected them on the
9:50
app, you'll be able to select their
9:51
names and join them into your party on
9:54
your booking. One thing that's worth
9:56
pointing out here, and this is something
9:58
that a lot of people miss when they
9:59
first see this screen, is if you want to
10:01
book brunch, the option is actually
10:04
right in front of you. It's just not
10:06
very obvious. At the top of the screen,
10:08
you'll see a red button that says dinner
10:10
and the party size of the cabin that
10:12
you're traveling with. Looks can be
10:14
deceiving. You can actually tap on this.
10:16
This is a button, and it will take you
10:18
to a screen where you can change your
10:20
preferences. And you can actually choose
10:22
brunch if you like. and you can select
10:24
the people that you want to dine with
10:26
there as well. This will change the
10:28
availability that you see when you
10:30
return back to the screen with the time
10:32
slots. Now, you'll want to know what to
10:34
book. So, you'll have all the options to
10:37
choose any of the restaurants that are
10:38
available on the Virgin Voyages ships.
10:41
This is generally mostly the same for
10:42
every single one of the ships. So
10:44
everyone will have the option to choose
10:46
the wake which is the steakhouse on
10:48
board or extra virgin which is the
10:50
Italian test kitchen which is the
10:53
experimental tasting menu style
10:55
restaurant. Pink agave which is the
10:57
upscale Mexican option. Gunbe the Korean
11:01
barbecue restaurant or Razle Dazzle
11:03
which has a varied menu which includes
11:06
things like American comfort food. And
11:08
this is where it diverges a little bit
11:09
depending on the ship that you're
11:11
sailing on. So on Scarlet Lady,
11:13
Razledazzle is called Lucky Lotus by
11:16
Razledazzle, which is an Asian
11:18
restaurant. And on Brilliant Lady,
11:20
Razledazzle is called Rojo by
11:22
Razledazzle, which is a Spanish
11:24
restaurant. One thing you want to be
11:26
aware of with the different types of
11:28
restaurants is that both Gun Bay and
11:30
Pink Agave are slightly smaller than the
11:33
other restaurants. So if you want to
11:35
make any reservations, I would
11:37
prioritize those ones cuz those are the
11:39
ones that will go first. A little
11:41
insider tip here is that if you're
11:43
choosing a restaurant for the first
11:45
night and you're looking to meet new
11:47
people, Gun Bay is a really good option
11:49
because there's a drinking game involved
11:51
in the Korean barbecue experience. And
11:54
because you're sat family style with
11:56
other couples if you're in a small
11:57
group, it's likely that you'll bump into
12:00
new friends that you can talk to on the
12:01
rest of the voyage. It's also a really
12:04
good way to get ready for PJ party or
12:06
grog walk, depending of what you want to
12:08
do on the first night. A little note on
12:10
what you can actually book when you're
12:12
on board because there is a limit to how
12:14
many of these restaurants you can
12:16
select. So let's say that your favorite
12:19
is the wake and you want to eat filet
12:20
min every single night. Who could blame
12:23
you? But there is a limit how many times
12:26
you can book each of the restaurants and
12:28
this depends on how long your sailing
12:30
is. So, if you're on a shorter sailing,
12:32
that's five nights or fewer, you will be
12:35
able to select one of each restaurant
12:37
for your entire trip. If you're on a
12:39
slightly longer sailing, which is from 6
12:41
to 8 nights, you'll be able to choose
12:44
two of each of these restaurants per
12:46
sailing. And finally, if you're on one
12:47
of the longest sailings, so for example,
12:49
if you're on a repositioning voyage,
12:51
like a transatlantic, and that's nine
12:53
nights or more, then you'll be able to
12:56
choose three of each of these
12:58
restaurants. Remember, this is only for
13:00
pre-booking. So, if you did want to try
13:03
your favorite restaurant, simply try a
13:05
walk-in and that won't count towards
13:08
your limit. So, if you can get walk-in
13:10
availability, go for it. You can eat
13:12
there as many times as you like. A
13:14
little note on walk-ins. It is possible,
13:17
but you may need to wait a little bit
13:19
longer to get set. On busier sailings or
13:21
larger parties, they may have no walk-in
13:24
availability at all. So, it is worth
13:26
making sure that you do have something
13:28
booked at least when you're selecting
13:30
your times for dining. Just be aware
13:32
that you might want to book around
13:34
certain activities that you might
13:36
already have planned. So, try to take
13:39
into account, do you have any port days
13:41
where you're doing longer excursions and
13:43
you might not be back on the ship in
13:45
time for your dining slot. Make sure you
13:47
book a later dining slot if that's the
13:49
case. Also, consider that there is
13:51
headline entertainment on board these
13:53
ships as well. Generally, there will be
13:54
two showings of a headline show, either
13:57
at 7 or 8:00 and then another one at
14:00
10:00. So, make sure you don't choose a
14:02
dining slot that's going to cover both
14:04
of those showings if you're keen on
14:06
seeing the headline entertainment. The
14:08
amount of time that you'll be spending
14:09
dining will depend on how many people
14:11
you're dining with. If you're in a
14:13
larger party, it tends to take a little
14:15
bit longer, but if you roughly allow
14:17
about an hour and a half for your
14:19
dining, then you'll not feel too rushed.
14:21
Now, let's talk about brunch. Luckily,
14:24
brunch does not count towards your limit
14:27
to how many times you can book into a
14:29
particular restaurant. So, brunch is
14:32
available at both the wake or
14:34
razledazzle, and that includes Lucky
14:36
Lotus and Rojo as well. And brunch is
14:38
available between 8:00 a.m. and 100 p.m.
14:41
As I say, it doesn't count towards your
14:43
limit of how many times you can book
14:45
dinner. So, if you are a fan of the wake
14:48
and you want to visit more, you can go
14:50
for brunch as well. As I mentioned
14:51
earlier, you book brunch just like you
14:53
would dinner on the app or generally
14:56
walk up availability is pretty good for
14:58
brunch. So, just head up there and ask
14:59
the restaurant manager. If you're
15:01
looking to do bottomless brunch, which
15:03
are the bottomless alcoholic drinks with
15:05
your brunch, you don't need to book that
15:07
separately in the app. Just show up for
15:09
brunch and simply choose it from the
15:11
menu just like you were ordering any
15:13
other drink. Now, what if the worst was
15:15
to happen and you couldn't book what you
15:17
wanted to book or heaven forbid there
15:19
was absolutely nothing. available at
15:21
all. Let's say you booked your voyage
15:23
last minute, for example. Well, don't
15:25
worry too much. There is always going to
15:27
be something to eat. So, you can always
15:30
eat at the galley or the pizza place or
15:32
any of the other eeries that are open
15:34
during dinner time. These don't require
15:36
a reservation and you simply go up and
15:39
order what you'd like. But if you are
15:40
really keen on dining in one of the
15:42
restaurants, who could blame you? There
15:44
are a few things that you can do to try
15:46
and get a reservation last minute. So,
15:49
as soon as you get on the ship, when
15:51
you're connected to the ship Wi-Fi,
15:53
check the dining reservation statuses
15:55
again because it's likely more of those
15:58
reservation time slots have become
15:59
available on the app during sailing day.
16:02
If you're still struggling or if you're
16:04
not able to use the app, then head down
16:06
to Razledazzle on deck 5 between 1 and 4
16:11
on Sailaway Day and ask if they can help
16:14
you with your dining reservations.
16:16
There'll be a dining manager there
16:18
who'll be able to do that for you on
16:19
their computer. If you like or prefer
16:21
this in-person dining reservation
16:24
service, then you can head down to
16:26
Sailor Services on any other day between
16:28
9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and there will
16:30
be a dining manager there who can help
16:32
you with your dining reservations as
16:34
well. And again, Sailor Services is
16:36
located on deck 5 near Pink Agave. Now,
16:40
all of the onboard times that we've just
16:41
mentioned are subject to change. So,
16:44
always make sure that you check your
16:45
event lineup either on the app or the
16:47
paper version that's available in venues
16:49
around the ship. And remember, if all
16:51
else has failed and you really want to
16:53
try those restaurants, simply walk up to
16:55
the restaurant of choice and ask the
16:57
restaurant manager if there is any walk
16:59
up availability. You might even want to
17:02
tell them that you're happy sitting at
17:03
the bar or in the tapas area, depending
17:05
on the restaurant you're in. They will
17:07
generally try their best to get you
17:09
seated, but if there's nothing
17:10
available, they may tell you to come
17:12
back later or maybe try on a different
17:14
evening. One thing you should know is
17:16
that you're not going to go hungry on
17:17
Virgin Voyages. If you're not able to
17:20
get into the restaurant that you really
17:21
want on the evening, there are many,
17:23
many different places to eat on board
17:25
the ship. And if you head over to
17:27
vbinsider.com,
17:28
we have an entire list of all of the
17:30
restaurants and all of the venues that
17:32
you're able to eat at. So, do not get
17:34
despondent. And if it's really important
17:37
to you to snag those dining
17:38
reservations, maybe make sure to choose
17:41
a premium voyage fair choice or upgrade
17:44
to one of the Rockstar suites where you
17:46
get those larger dining reservation
17:48
windows. Hopefully that gives you a
17:50
great idea on what to expect when you
17:52
come to book your dining on Virgin
17:54
Voyages. If you found this guide useful
17:56
at all, this channel is full of guides
17:58
just like this, as well as Virgin
18:00
Voyages insider updates to tell you all
18:03
the news and all the changes that are
18:04
happening on board across the Virgin
18:07
Voyages fleet. So, if you found this
18:09
useful, make sure that you subscribe to
18:11
our channel. And we have tons of
18:13
information as well over on our website
18:15
at vbvinsider.com.
18:17
So, if you'd like to subscribe to our
18:19
newsletter there, you'll get exclusive
18:21
emails every single week telling you
18:23
about all the changes and all the action
18:25
that's happening at Virgin Voyages. And
18:27
if you're looking for somebody who's
18:29
clued up and all of this Virgin Voyages
18:31
stuff to help plan your next voyage,
18:34
then we can do that at
18:35
vbvinsider.com/book
18:38
and we can act as your first mate and
18:40
help you book the perfect voyage. That's
18:43
everything for this week. I'll be back
18:45
next week with a Virgin Voyages insider
18:47
update as we start preparations to head
18:50
into 2026. So, make sure you follow
18:53
along for that. Thank you so much for
18:55
tuning in and until next time, happy
18:58
sailing.
19:00
[Music]