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VIDEO: Virgin Voyages Alaska: The Pros, Cons & What Surprised Us

Virgin Voyages Alaska pros and cons, new Alaska-only entertainment, shore excursions, and why this itinerary feels different from Norway and Iceland.

Man in red shirt on a Virgin Voyages cruise ship deck with Right and Wrong cues
Virgin Voyages in Alaska: Pros and Cons © Photo by VV Insider

Virgin Voyages brings its adults-only style to Alaska with Alaska-focused entertainment, local experiences, and a few practical adjustments for colder weather. This video looks at what works well, where the experience can feel less suited to the destination, and what to consider when choosing an Alaska sailing.

What We Cover

  • Virgin Voyages in Alaska
  • The highlights
    • Wildlife and scenery visible from the ship, including whales, eagles, sea lions, and otters
    • Live nature commentary and wildlife alerts
    • Cold-weather adjustments, from heated seating to blankets and The Snug’s overhead heaters
    • Alaska-themed food, drinks, activities, and entertainment
    • Explore Alaska Happenings events
  • Shore Things and port experiences
  • Things to consider before booking
    • Limited indoor spaces for scenic viewing during cold or rainy weather
    • Why scenic cruising and special programming can be easy to miss
    • How the itinerary’s Canadian stop can limit the number of Alaska ports
    • Optional excursion costs, including glacier-focused experiences

Links And Resources

About the author

Co-Founder and Director. David has a background in web design and development and writes travel content, vacation guides and tips about Virgin Voyages.


3 Comments

  1. Glen Hendy says:

    Alaska looks amazing and I’m glad you guys had an amazing time. The WhatsApp group sounds like a great idea but I’m surprised the headsets from sunrise yoga didn’t make an appearance – unless they did at an event you hadn’t heard about?! On that subject, I wonder if they don’t publicise things widely to avoid the whole ship turning up… 🤔

    Perhaps they are still recovering from the spin the wheel queue from March 2026’s Red Hot Voyage sailing. Another point for Alaska, there’s two “special event” channels on the cabin TV’s perhaps port and starboard side fixed cameras to add to the forward facing one would help ease crowding at those pinch points you mentioned and if you are recovering from the night before you can order breakfast in (with a hair of the dog to avoid the delivery charge perhaps, 🤷🏻‍♂️) and keep warm in bed – especially useful for those insider cabins.

    I’m currently on Valiant Lady and sections of the fixed blue seating from deck 7 have been removed, with just the stumps of legs covered in hazard tape and cones – pending a permanent fix. I wonder is that in preparation for creating more space for viewing the fjords do you think? And has/will Brilliant follow this example? (I have taken some photos if you want to see what I mean, I can email them to you.)

    One final thought, the covered areas on the pool deck that used to have the fixed triangular seating… it would be a quick fix to put heating in there as they have done at the back of the galley, along with a grounds club 3 serving hot chocolate perhaps.

    It’s all exciting times and I guess we’ll be guessing until they announce a new scenic specific ship order at next year’s sister’s at sea event. (If they do, you heard it here first! 😂)

    1. Rob Sammons says:

      Hey Glen, they did make an appearance at a paid event called Headphones & Horizons but beyond that weren’t used. Potentially some updates to Valiant we have heard rumor those are heated on Brilliant but couldn’t confirm.

  2. B R says:

    We board Thursday!

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