0:00
2025 is shaping up to be a really
0:02
exciting year for Virgin Voyages and
0:04
they're starting to see record-breaking
0:05
sales across the fleet a lot of the
0:07
fleet will be based out of Miami and
0:10
heading into the Bahamas heading into
0:11
the Caribbean over the next year and
0:13
this coming winter we're going to see
0:15
four Virgin Voyages ships all sailing
0:17
out of Miami now with all this
0:18
excitement around the Miami sailings
0:20
there's never been a better time to talk
0:22
about the Beach Club at Biminy Virgin's
0:25
private beach resort in the Bahamas
0:28
v Insider is the number one resource for
0:30
the latest Virgin Voyages info guides
0:32
and news from picking the perfect cabin
0:34
to booking dining or simply just making
0:36
the most of your voyage and saving money
0:38
while you do it vinsider.com has helped
0:41
thousands of sailors around the world
0:42
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0:47
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0:51
us now private resorts and offerings are
0:54
not a new thing most big cruise lines
0:57
have some sort of private offering
0:59
private resort private island that they
1:01
visit when they're running these
1:02
standard itineraries in the Bahamas in
1:04
the Caribbean so you may have heard the
1:07
likes of Cocoa Key available on Royal
1:10
Caribbean sailings or Castaway Key
1:12
available on Disney Cruise Line sailings
1:15
these cruise lines because they're a
1:17
little bit more mature and they have
1:18
larger fleets than Virgin Voyages have
1:21
they can tend to afford something like a
1:23
big private island where they can offer
1:25
their sailor a unique curated experience
1:28
simply for that cruise line brand so for
1:31
the likes of Disney they get to really
1:33
curate the experience for Disney cruise
1:36
sailor and they're able to give them a
1:38
proper Disney welcome fully themed it
1:40
can tell that Disney story as soon as
1:42
you leave the ship and you can enjoy
1:44
your day fully surrounded and immersed
1:47
inside of thating now with Virgin
1:49
Voyages it is slightly different in the
1:51
fact that they have a smaller number of
1:53
ships it's a smaller company overall so
1:56
instead of having a full private island
1:58
all to themsel they have the Beach Club
2:01
at Biminy which is a beach club that
2:03
Virgin have complete and total use of
2:06
when Virgin Voyagers ships are in port
2:08
in Biminy that is to say this is not a
2:11
beach club that has been designed and
2:13
curated exactly by Virgin Voyages but
2:16
the Virgin Voyages team have worked
2:18
really hard to make sure that the beach
2:20
club at Biminy really comes alive with
2:22
the Virgin Voyages essence the food the
2:25
drinks the entertainment is all provided
2:27
by Virgin Voyages and you're fully
2:30
immersed in that Virgin experience a
2:32
visit to the Beach Club at Biminy isn't
2:34
guaranteed on all sailings leaving Miami
2:36
so do make sure to check the itinerary
2:38
before you book it but for most
2:40
itineraries out of Miami it will
2:42
generally include a stop at Biminy where
2:45
you can explore the beach club now let's
2:47
talk a little bit practically about how
2:49
you actually get to the beach club once
2:50
you reach Biminy the Beach Club isn't
2:53
exactly connected to the port it's
2:54
around about 1 and 1/2 miles away from
2:56
where the ship docks but don't worry
2:58
you're not expected to walk to the beach
3:00
club virgin Voyages offer a parking lot
3:03
style tram which will take you to the
3:05
beach club the journey takes about 15
3:07
minutes and there is one stop it stops
3:09
at the Biminy Resorts World Casino and
3:12
Fishing Village which offers a few
3:14
amenities in themsel they're obviously
3:16
not connected with Virgin Voyages but
3:17
you're welcome to hire golf carts do a
3:19
bit of shopping use the casino if you
3:22
like but if you prefer you can stay on
3:24
board the tram and it will take you to
3:26
Bim Beach Club the journey takes about
3:28
15 minutes doortodoor but when you
3:30
arrive at the beach club that's where
3:32
you'll enter the Virgin Voyages
3:34
experience once more you might notice
3:36
some familiar faces around the staff
3:38
that work on board the ship in the bars
3:40
and restaurants will have made their way
3:42
into the beach club to work at the bars
3:44
and food outlets there and you'll also
3:46
notice that your phone will still be
3:48
connected to the Virgin Voyages Wi-Fi so
3:50
this is actually part of that blended
3:52
experience between the ship and the
3:54
beach club so you'll be able to not only
3:56
enjoy the complimentary Wi-Fi that
3:58
you've got on board but also you're able
4:00
to use your wearable band you'll still
4:03
be able to use your band for purchases
4:05
for example at the bar when you're
4:06
getting alcohol you will also still have
4:08
those Virgin Voyages benefits of being
4:10
able to get soft drinks free of charge
4:12
and of course you'll get those
4:14
all-inclusive benefits that you would
4:15
expect from Virgin so for example you
4:18
don't need to pack a towel before you
4:19
head off to the beach club towels are
4:21
included when you reach the club and you
4:23
can use them both in the pool the beach
4:25
you can take them as long as you return
4:26
them at the end of the day now let's
4:28
talk a little bit about what's offered
4:30
at the beach club itself so what
4:32
facilities and amenities do you get the
4:34
resort is split into two main areas the
4:37
first bit is the beach which of course
4:39
is a beautiful Bahamian beach with
4:42
crystalclear blue waters and lovely
4:45
crystal white sand it really is paradise
4:48
there are also parasols and day beds on
4:50
the beach as well for you to use free of
4:52
charge and there are showers for bthers
4:54
to use before you get onto the beach
4:56
near to the beach itself there are a
4:58
couple of very small bars which offer a
5:00
full range of beverages so simple
5:02
cocktails mixed drinks beers wines that
5:06
type of thing the second part of the
5:07
beach club are the two very large pools
5:10
which are surrounded by day beds
5:13
parasolles comfortable seating and two
5:15
large circular bars which serve the pool
5:18
area there are also more formal changing
5:21
facilities they call them the changing
5:23
cabanas you have access to lockers and
5:25
there are restrooms there as well
5:27
further out from the pool you'll see
5:29
private cabanas that you're able to rent
5:31
but also there are the eeries so you'll
5:34
be able to order your beach eats in a
5:36
quick serve style and I'll talk more
5:38
about the food on offer at the beach
5:39
club in just a moment now your
5:41
experience at the beach club is entirely
5:43
up to the pace that you'd like to take
5:45
it at you can either just rest and relax
5:47
in the beautiful sunshine or if you like
5:50
to have a bit of a party there are
5:52
events available to you as well so part
5:54
of the crew that join you in the beach
5:56
club not just the restaurant servers and
5:59
the people behind the bar but actually
6:00
the happenings cast come and join you in
6:02
the beach club as well and there are a
6:04
few events that are run by the
6:05
happenings cast to help bring the energy
6:07
up and really get the party started the
6:10
first event that makes a bit of a splash
6:12
is called Float On floaton is a really
6:15
fun pool party that starts about 100 p.m
6:17
lasts about 90 minutes and the way that
6:19
it works is that the happenings cast
6:21
will come out to music played by the
6:23
live DJ they'll do choreograph dancing
6:26
really get the party started but while
6:28
this is happening they'll be bringing
6:30
out inflatable floats that they'll use
6:32
in the pool and you'll actually get the
6:35
chance to interact with the Happenings
6:36
cast themselves as they come and float
6:38
on into the lagoon pool but also you can
6:41
grab a float yourself and enjoy floating
6:43
around and enjoying the music enjoying
6:46
the party atmosphere as you do that now
6:48
of course there's always an option with
6:49
Virgin Voyages if you're not wanting
6:51
that party atmosphere that loud DJ music
6:54
and you'd rather have a bit more of a
6:55
chilled vibe you can of course stay away
6:58
from the pool where the event is
6:59
happening because there are two pools
7:01
one pool is used for the entertainment
7:03
the DJ and the other pool is a much more
7:06
chilled and relaxed vibe one more event
7:08
that follows on from the floaton pool
7:10
party is something called We Run This
7:12
Beach we Run This Beach is a competition
7:15
style game where you can participate in
7:17
fun games like Shark Attack or Minefield
7:20
and the teams compete to win red flags
7:23
leading to a final competition which is
7:25
a four-way tugofwar and the winning team
7:28
earns the title of beach champion for
7:30
the day now again for those that prefer
7:33
a little bit more of a relaxed take on
7:35
the beach vibes there is an event called
7:37
Slow Flow on the Beach which are
7:39
complimentary yoga and meditation
7:42
sessions that happen on the beach in the
7:43
morning and it's a really nice and
7:45
relaxing way to start the day at Biminy
7:48
that event lasts about 45 minutes and of
7:50
course it's included in your cruise fair
7:52
do make sure you're up for this though
7:54
because if you book it in the app and
7:55
you don't attend there is a charge of
7:58
$10 but that is donated to a charity
8:00
when the event is over take the
8:02
opportunity to relax and take a dip in
8:04
the crystal clear sea afterwards now
8:06
let's talk a little bit about the food
8:08
and drinks that are offered at Bimin the
8:10
full menu of everything that's available
8:12
on Biminy is available on
8:14
vivinsider.com but just as a little bit
8:16
of a highlight reel we know that sailors
8:18
really enjoy the grilled honeyjerk
8:20
chicken with lime and scallion the red
8:22
snapper and mango ceviche with avocado
8:25
lime and red chili and one of my
8:28
personal favorites is the West Indian
8:29
pumpkin curry which is a yellow curry
8:31
with plantain chips and there's a few
8:33
sides that you really can't miss either
8:35
make sure you order the grilled corn on
8:37
the cob and also the Caribbean rice and
8:39
black beans now for dessert you're in
8:41
the Caribbean so of course there's rum
8:43
cake available and there's also a
8:44
fantastic tropical fruit salad with
8:46
lemongrass cardamom and ginger to order
8:49
food you'll visit Beach Eats beach Eats
8:52
is set up like a quick serve food
8:54
location so the food will be prepared
8:57
buffet style and when you go you'll be
8:59
given a tray and they will put whatever
9:01
you're ordering on the tray and you take
9:03
it away there's no table service
9:05
available at Biminy unless you're a
9:07
rockstar sailor and I'll come on to that
9:09
in just a moment there are two
9:10
convenient beach eat locations they're
9:13
labeled north and south but it means
9:15
that you're never having to walk too far
9:17
to grab a bite to eat now regarding
9:20
drinks most of the drinks menu will
9:21
reflect exactly what's available on the
9:23
ship so you'll get very much the same
9:25
options you have on board there are a
9:28
few specials and frozen cocktails
9:29
available in Biminy and there's also a
9:32
couple of non-alcoholic options as well
9:34
there are also options to have beverages
9:35
served in a natural coconut as well so
9:38
you get the full Bahama Beach experience
9:40
some of the bars get very very crowded
9:42
especially around the entertainment
9:43
events and you could realistically miss
9:45
quite a lot of the entertainment if
9:47
you're stuck at a bar waiting for a
9:48
server to notice you especially because
9:50
they're in the round it's quite a large
9:52
space for servers to have to try and
9:54
organize drink orders from otherwise
9:56
Virgin Voyages offer graband go alcohol
9:59
options and these generally are near the
10:01
food outlets so you can just go up and
10:03
grab a can of beer or a can of wine and
10:06
because there's no mixed drinks offered
10:08
at those stations it's a lot quicker and
10:10
you'll get served much faster one thing
10:12
to note about beverages if you've left
10:14
your shake for champagne that you've got
10:16
with your Splash of Romance package for
10:18
example until your day at Biminy don't
10:21
do that because Shake for Champagne is
10:24
not available so it doesn't matter how
10:25
much you shake your phone you're not
10:27
going to get Shake for Champagne
10:28
delivered at the beach club in Biminy
10:30
unfortunately for those wanting to
10:31
splash out a little bit there are VIP
10:34
cabanas available at Biminy so if you
10:36
want to be guaranteed of a sunbed that
10:39
you can use for the whole day you can
10:41
book these cabanas through the shore
10:42
things so just like you would with a
10:45
port excursion for example you would go
10:47
to shore things and you would ask for
10:48
the cabana or you do it on the Virgin
10:50
Voyages app virgin Voyages state that
10:52
the first round of drinks are included
10:54
as part of this cabana experience that
10:56
translates into as of time of recording
10:58
this $100 of bar tab that you can use to
11:02
spend on any type of beverage while
11:04
you're out in Biminy the cabanas can
11:05
generally accommodate four sailors but
11:07
only one of you needs to book it in the
11:09
app and you can all experience it for
11:10
the day one major thing to know about
11:13
beverages on Biminy is that there is a
11:15
tax involved so you're in the Bahamas
11:18
you have to pay the local sales tax so
11:20
actually what this translates into is an
11:22
extra 10% added to the cost of every
11:24
beverage that you get now of course this
11:27
is something that's unavoidable virgin
11:29
Voyagers have to pay their taxes they
11:30
can't get around it but it's worth
11:32
factoring that into any calculation
11:34
you're making around your bar tab you
11:37
might want to add an extra bar tab chunk
11:39
just to cover your drinks at the beach
11:40
club at Biminy and as always use the bar
11:43
tab calculator on VV Insider to really
11:46
figure out exactly how much you're going
11:48
to need but maybe add a couple of extra
11:50
drinks just to make sure that you're
11:51
covering that extra 10% charge now what
11:54
I've just described is the experience
11:56
for 98% of all sailor that will go to
11:59
Biminy Beach Club but let's talk about
12:01
the Rockstar experience because it is
12:03
slightly different when it comes to
12:05
Biminy and it starts as soon as you get
12:07
off the ship so unlike us Red Van sailor
12:10
the Rockstars will be treated slightly
12:12
differently to get to the beach club at
12:14
Biminy so instead of joining the
12:16
standard queue to go on the parking lot
12:18
style tram to get to the club Rockstars
12:20
actually have their own privately
12:22
chauffeurred golf cart that will take
12:23
them all the way to the beach club
12:26
there's no need to stop at Resorts World
12:28
if you don't need to you're a rockstar
12:29
or you'll be driven straight to the
12:31
doors of the beach club you're also
12:33
skipping what could be quite a long
12:35
queue for the normal standard tram and
12:38
it can feel a little unfair to those
12:39
that are in general admission having to
12:41
wait in that long line but let's not
12:43
forget the Rockstar suites and the mega
12:45
rockstar suites are quite expensive so
12:47
they do need a few extra perks to really
12:49
make it worth its while now the Rockstar
12:51
experience doesn't end there when you
12:53
reach the club itself there is a private
12:56
section all for the Rockstars just like
12:59
on board the ship where they have
13:00
Richard's rooftop which is a separate
13:02
experience simply for those rockstar
13:04
sailors there is a similar experience
13:07
available on Bibanese Beach Club and
13:09
it's called the Rockstar Retreat this is
13:12
manned by a security to make sure that
13:14
only those with a black band will be
13:15
getting through and what you'll find in
13:17
the Rockstar Retreat is a dedicated bar
13:20
and dedicated food options the food is
13:22
the same as the rest of Biminy but this
13:24
is served to your table there are also a
13:27
number of sunbeds and seating areas that
13:29
are specifically dedicated to the rock
13:31
stars which means it's more likely
13:33
you're going to find some space to relax
13:34
and lie down in the Rockstar Retreat
13:37
than you would in the more popular areas
13:38
in the rest of the beach club there are
13:41
also some specific Rockstar Cabanas
13:44
these Rockstar Cabanas aren't included
13:46
as part of your Rockstar suite or your
13:47
Mega Rockstar suite they're still an
13:50
extra that you would have to actually
13:51
pay for it's not something you're
13:53
getting free as part of your rockstar
13:54
perks unfortunately so now I've covered
13:56
off all the main information about the
13:58
beach club at Biminy i want to leave you
14:00
with five tips to get the most out of
14:02
your Biminy experience my number one tip
14:04
is to arrive early there is so much to
14:07
do at Biminy and it's such a paradise
14:09
that it really pays to get yourself out
14:11
of bed and get down there as early as
14:13
you can to really have a full day at
14:16
Biminy that's a mistake that I've made
14:18
personally and actually when we return I
14:21
will be getting up a little bit earlier
14:22
to make sure that we make the most of
14:24
the day tip number two is to not miss
14:26
the entertainment the entertainment is
14:27
fantastic the Happenings cast works so
14:30
hard on delivering such a fantastic
14:32
experience when you're at Biminy so make
14:34
sure you don't miss those entertainment
14:35
options that I've mentioned and again
14:38
get involved participate make sure that
14:41
you're really making the most of the
14:42
happenings experiences that are going on
14:44
at the beach club which brings me on to
14:47
tip number three which is to know where
14:50
to get a quick drink if you're stuck
14:52
waiting at a bar while the happenings
14:54
events are going on while float on is
14:56
going on you could be stood there for 20
14:58
minutes waiting for a drink cuz those
15:00
are the most popular times so make sure
15:02
that you know what to do to find a quick
15:04
drink so you don't miss the action don't
15:06
just think about those main bars think
15:08
about the smaller bar options around so
15:11
the grab and go can option but also the
15:14
smaller bars that are by the beach where
15:15
you can get a quick mixed drink as well
15:18
those generally will be a lot quicker
15:19
than waiting at the main bars for a
15:22
drink and talking of drinks tip number
15:24
four make sure you're aware of that
15:26
extra 10% tax when you're on Biminy you
15:29
need to factor that into the budgets for
15:31
when you're planning your day at Biminy
15:33
biminy will generally be a day where
15:34
you're spending the most on alcohol
15:37
because you'll probably be there early
15:39
on in the day you want to be making sure
15:41
that you're making the most out of your
15:43
bar tab so make sure when you're
15:44
calculating the bar tab again use the
15:47
bar tab calculator on
15:49
vvincider.com but factor it in add a
15:51
couple of more drinks or maybe actually
15:53
use the price adjustment option you can
15:55
actually add you know 5 or 6% to the
15:57
overall cost of the drinks to make sure
15:59
that you're factoring in that extra 10%
16:02
that you'll be spending when you're in
16:03
Biminy and tip number five if you're
16:06
planning on booking an experience at
16:07
Biminy go for it but I would probably
16:09
recommend not doing it on your first
16:11
visit to Biminy there's so much to do at
16:13
the beach club that actually if you have
16:16
an excursion planned or a shore
16:17
experience planned like jet skiing or
16:20
snorkeling maybe don't do that on your
16:22
first try with Biminy just spend the day
16:24
at the beach club trust me you will not
16:26
get bored it will be a fantastic
16:28
experience now speaking about your
16:30
return to Biminy of course the best way
16:32
to make sure that you're saving the most
16:34
money when you're booking your next
16:35
Virgin Voyage is to make sure that
16:37
you're using the vbvinsider.com booking
16:39
tool there you can see a history of all
16:41
the prices for each category type for
16:43
the voyage that you're thinking of so
16:45
you can strike at the best time and make
16:47
sure you get the best offer possible and
16:49
of course we work with our partners at
16:51
the Getaway Guys to make sure that
16:53
you're getting the most sailor loot and
16:55
bar tab that we can give you for your
16:57
sailing we do have a very special
16:59
incentive at the minute where we can
17:01
actually give you up to $400 in sailor
17:04
loot depending on when you sail i've got
17:06
the information that you need at
17:08
vinsider.com and I've included the links
17:11
as well but it's certainly not an offer
17:12
to be missed and of course if you book
17:15
vvincider.com you'll get access to the
17:17
Red Diamond Club so you get exclusive
17:20
planning perks on your next voyage as
17:22
well if you have any questions or any
17:24
queries about your upcoming voyage if
17:26
you're planning a voyage if you're
17:27
thinking about a voyage always let us
17:29
know first any questions at all get in
17:31
touch with vans.com we're here to answer
17:34
all of your queries about Virgin Voyages
17:36
and to make sure that your sailing is as
17:38
good as it can be so that's everything
17:40
from us on Biminy if you have your own
17:42
tips and something that you just can't
17:44
miss every time you visit Viminy let us
17:46
know in the comments because we'd love
17:47
to let other sailor know as well vivv
17:50
insider.com is nothing without our
17:52
sailor community so make sure you tell
17:54
us about all the tips and tricks that
17:56
you personally use on your trips to
17:57
Bibin and we'll make sure we'll update
17:59
our guide to include the best ones for
18:02
more tips and guides like this make sure
18:04
you subscribe not only to our YouTube
18:06
channel but also to our special insider
18:08
newsletter and that's where people will
18:10
hear about all the changes and all the
18:12
updates with Virgin Voyages first so
18:14
don't miss out on a thing thanks very
18:15
much for watching and I'll see you next