I’m a virgin! Well I’m not but I am , or rather was a virgin cruiser up until a couple of weeks ago …

I’ve never really fancied a cruise. I had preconceived ideas it was for old people. Some may say I am an old person myself but you know … the appeal was never really there. Fuddy duddies who liked a set routine, and the slow pace of a cruise.

How wrong could I be? 

I have nothing to compare it too so seasoned cruisers you may disagree but like I said & to coin good old Barry White ‘ it was my first, it probably won’t be my last … it’s not my everything” … but it was good fun. 

We were booked on the adults only ‘French Daze , Ibiza Nights’ cruise which sailed from Barcelona with Virgin Voyagers and I got the PR trip via Trending Travel. People love to tell me how  lucky I was to get a ‘free’  cruise but truth is by the time we had booked our flights, paid for the hotel and bought alcohol on the ship ( which was not included in our package ) it wasn’t exactly free. It is however very, very much appreciated; it was  an amazing opportunity, another instagram pinch-me moment … and one off the old bucket list. My first cruise …

We sailed , or should that be cruised on the ‘Scarlet Lady’ which has 17 decks & our ‘Seaview Terrace’ cabin was situated on deck 14. Precise location 14082 A. This cabin had a balcony with a table, chairs and the famous red hammock.

I LOVED THAT HAMMOCK

The rooms were a good size; bigger than I had envisaged . There was a very comfty double bed, lots of pillows , cushions & large screen TV. I was more than happy. There was a decent hairdryer, but no iron. It was very tech heavy with everything being operated or booked via the Virgin Voyagers app and the laptop in your cabin.

Apparently deck 14 can be noisy as it’s below deck 15 ( obviously)  which is the lively part of the ship with the pool & the galley ( canteen like food court ). There was a little noise – mainly what sounded like chairs / sun loungers being dragged around but I was up most mornings at 6 a.m to watch the sunrise and the boyfriend could sleep through a hurricane so it didn’t bother us in the slightest. I actually found it handy for nipping upstairs and grabbing a coffee/ice cream ! The lifts do get busy at times but we didn’t need them. Deck 16 also has a smoking area, so handy for the BF.

Included in our cruise package were all our meals, essential drinks including water, tea & coffee, the entertainment & onboard facilities like the gym. Alcohol was not included.

I’ll start with the negatives because I always like to end on a positive .

The swimming pool.

It wasn’t very big ; there was little or no swimming happening. I would class it more as an ‘adult paddling pool’ to have a cool down via your feet . There was a tiny part in the middle which was fairly deep ; the rest you could only paddle or sit in. The Sun-beds are arranged so they are kissing the edge  of the pool and at times it felt very much like everyone was on top of everyone. Great vibe with a live DJ playing most days … but just busy.

They do run a ‘40 minute no return policy’ where they we will remove your belongings and take them to lost property if the sun lounger is left empty for that length of time. On sea day however I clocked sun-beds with towels/ belongings on unused for a few hours but their belongings weren’t moved ? 

Despite this & however busy it felt you could usually find somewhere to sit or lie down , even on the Sea day. My favourite part of the ship ‘The Dock ‘ on deck 7 however got busy very quickly and you couldn’t always get a bed / seat there which was quite disappointing.

The Dock was a little more sophisticated & chilled. It is where you ordered the 3 little shrimps on sticks. OMG they were the tastiest and the one thing Im still craving !!

So for the good stuff

I loved the fact that we got to travel to & visit so many beautiful places.  It’s like a try before you buy … or rather book … your next holiday . Waking up, or in my case catching the sunrise and then watching as we sailed into a new port never failed to excite me. 

Our cruise departed from Barcelona then went to Marseille > Cannes > Palma > Ibiza > back to Barcelona .

There was a sea day mid-week and a ‘sort-of’ sea day towards the end of the week as we docked into Ibiza at 7pm on the Friday . We spent the night there , leaving at 6pm the next evening. I loved that we got a full night in Ibiza.

We jumped straight off the ship at 7 and went out to explore. I have well and truly fallen in love with the Old Town. It is stunning . Like Arnie said “I’ll be back”

Your hair will take on a life of its own. If Cruise hair isn’t a thing… it should be !

The Sunsets and Sunrises made my heart sing & also feel quite emotional.

There’s something very magical about being surrounded by water and watching the sun beams dance on the waves .

My favourite thing to do was climb into the hammock and watch as the sun came up. Along with my 3 little shrimps on sticks – I’ll miss this the most …

No set, formal dining hours here ! There are so many amazing restaurants to choose from you will be spoilt for choice . The galley on deck 15 is open more or less open 24 hours a day. There’s also room service if you feel like you can’t be arsed to move.

Here are some pointers that you will hopefully find useful especially if you have booked, are considering , or are going-on a Virgin Voyagers Cruise some time soon .

I wish I had known a few myself …

You are given a wristband on embarkment. This is your lifeline on the ship. It’s how you access your cabin. It has your passport details logged . This acts as your ID to get you on and off the ship and also your bank card / chosen payment method so you can purchase alcohol , treatments etc. on board.  You will be asked to scan it for all.

You can keep a check on what you’ve spent by checking your wallet on the Virgin Voyagers App daily.

Hand luggage ladies & gents like me take note. There is shampoo , conditioner , body wash  , a face cloth and hairdryer in your cabin. Save yourself valuable suitcase room and leave these all at home !

Rooms are cleaned daily. If you don’t want it cleaned, or fancy a nice , long lie-in there’s a red button near the door you can press. The cleaners will not disturb you while it’s on.

There is a safe , but no iron. You can request a steamer from Sailor Services. 

Pick up one of the ‘Glance at the Day ‘ leaflets it details absolutely everything that is going on during the day … great if you like a plan

Keep an eye out in the lifts. Everyday you are advised on the screen (at the rear) what time you can leave the ship and the latest time you need to back onboard. Throughout the cruise you disembark from Deck 4 . For safety reasons ( I presume) you get off at deck 5 and walk down to 4. You will get your bag scanned every-time you re-enter the ship -just like at airport security.

Smoking is not allowed in your cabins, not even on your terrace . There is a small designated smoking room on deck 6 ( next to the casino ) and an open-air smoking area on deck 16. 

Sailor services in on deck 5. They can assist with all your queries, booking restaurants , activities etc. and I understand can provide sea sickness tablets if required!

On our cruise ‘French Daze & Ibiza Nights’ you could walk off at most of the ports and there was a free transport bus provided to get you into the centre. Exceptions were Palma where you had to make your own way. We fell lucky and jumped straight into a taxi that cost us 14€ to drop us outside the cathedral. In Cannes you had to get a tender ( little boat ) to shore . We booked ours in advance while on the ship. They advise you do this if you want to leave early. Tenders ran constantly back and forth throughout the day. It was very organised,  if a little  rocky . It was like a little adventure in itself.

Europe in August is HOT. At times , dare I say it – too hot. You DO NOT need to pack a light cardigan !

Dress code was anything goes – smart or casual I saw people do both . I personally love to get dressed up on an evening, so I did. But if shorts and a casual tee are your vibe then that’s cool too.

There is so much to keep you occupied – shows, singers, casino, gym, spa, karaoke booths, running track , basketball court . Have a tattoo, treat yourself to a facial or do a spot of shopping. Watch a movie in your cabin. There’s painting classes, yoga , dance classes .

There is definitely something for everyone …

There are even a selection of free books & board games to take away & read / play . You can find these midship on deck 7 . 

Or you could just chill on a sun lounger , eating little shrimps on sticks watching the world go by. Er… hello 🙂

If you didn’t manage to book the restaurants you wanted to sample on the Virgin Voyagers App before you left (they only release 20% availability before the cruise) it’s advisable to go and book them on your first day just to ensure you get your preferred time slot. There’s nothing to worry about then for the rest of the trip.

You don’t have to book all the restaurants, just the speciality ones like the Test Kitchen,  Razzle Dazzle, The Wake , etc.

So to conclude … would I cruise again?

Absolutely. I was pleasantly surprised and it has totally changed my view of cruising . I’d just have liked a bigger pool so I could swim. Having never cruised before though perhaps pools on cruises are never that big ?

I wouldn’t want to book a cruise for all my holidays going forward but at some point in the future I would love to cruise again. I would like to think that because I have more of an idea what to expect I would be more chilled, more prepared. Cruise hair wouldn’t be so much of a shock!

Oh and I know you are dying to ask – No I didn’t see any upside down pineapples !!

Thankyou so much for having me Virgin Voyagers ! It was an amazing week. Trending Travel Currently have some great deals which you can access // HERE

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

Until next time,

Tracey Over & Out x