I've been on 18 cruises and I absolutely love them.
01.05.2024 - 13:49 / travelweekly.com
I am the youngest of a family of six. But now, we are three: my brother, Mike; my sister, Erin; and me. In the wake of our mother's unexpected death last year, we decided the best way to honor Mom was to stay connected. The previous few years of supporting an aging parent had stressed our relationships, and with our matriarch now gone, we understood how easy it would be for us to drift apart.
One night while we and our spouses were preparing for Mom's service, I was telling them all about my recent press trip on Virgin Voyages' "mermaiden" Caribbean cruise on the Valiant Lady. I told them all how I loved that it was adults-only, felt like a boutique hotel and that the price included almost everything. I loved the day drinking and the room service, dance parties, live music, edgy shows and churros dusted in rainbow glitter.
Virgin Voyages reminded me how to have fun, I told them. "When are we going?" asked my sister-in-law, Karen. At which point we all pulled out our phones to find a date, landing on the one-year anniversary of Mom's passing.
Enter travel advisor Vicki Winters of Bucket List Travelers, an affiliate of Fora Travel. Winters understood the assignment: three cabins, six adults traveling together for the first time to bond and honor their mother.
But six months later, Virgin Voyages had to cancel our sailing. Fresh off the lesson that tomorrow isn't guaranteed, we settled on a five-day replacement in the same time slot, boosted by two days of pregaming in Miami. Winters rebooked our reservations, ensured all promised credits were in place, secured us adjacent cabins and added a bottle of bubbly to greet us in each cabin.
The day before departure, we were thrilled when we noticed our status on the app had changed to Rockstars, the VIP category for "Sailors" who book suites (although to be clear, our cabins stayed the same.) It was an unexpected courtesy extended by the Virgin media relations team, with whom I have a professional relationship. And we felt just like rock stars when our Lyft delivered us to the dedicated entrance where the coveted black bracelets, instead of the standard red, were clipped around our wrists and we sailed through security.
First up was lunch and drinks at the Dock, a spacious outdoor lounge on the ship's aft, to scroll through the daily schedule on the app and secure reservations for classes, shows and activities. I snagged a spot for the VHS Workout, an '80s-themed exercise class, while others opted for a bungee class, personal quiet time and spa appointments.
The writer's avocado toast at the Sip, Plate, Snap activity in the ship's Test Kitchen. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Megan PadillaBut when my sister suggested we meet up for Sip, Plate, Snap, a food
I've been on 18 cruises and I absolutely love them.
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