Does Virgin Voyages have drink packages? Right here’s why Bar Tab could be higher

For the reason that complete level of Bar Tab is that it is a pay as you go beverage credit score, it might solely be bought earlier than your cruise (by means of the app or web site, or by calling Sailor Companies or a journey agent) and have to be added to your account no less than 24 hours earlier than crusing. The supply is not out there when you’re on board.

Which premium drinks does Bar Tab cowl?

Except for alcoholic drinks, premium drinks lined by Bar Tab additionally embody specialty coffees like espresso drinks and chilly brew, fresh-pressed juices, smoothies, mocktails and milkshakes (plus boozy shakes!). There is no want to fret about worth limits per drink since Bar Tab is only a credit score towards your beverage spend. That is what makes it so simple.

You may as well spend your Bar Tab credit score on afternoon tea on the Sip Champagne lounge or whenever you “Shake for Champagne,” an app characteristic that permits you to summon a bottle of bubbly with the press of a button from virtually wherever on the ship. In the event you’re crusing on a Caribbean itinerary, Bar Tab can be utilized on the bars on the Bimini Seashore Membership, too.

Bar Tab may even cowl your $25 corkage payment in the event you deliver your personal wine bottle to dinner at any of the onboard eating places. (Virgin cruisers can deliver as much as two 750-milliliter bottles of wine on board throughout embarkation per cabin, together with a dozen 12-ounce cans or cartons of water, gentle drinks, nonalcoholic beer or dietary dietary supplements.)

Bar Tab would not apply, nonetheless, to any of Virgin’s interactive beverage lessons, and it might’t be used for any bottles of wine or spirits meant to be taken off the ship (i.e., duty-free liquor purchases).

Are there any Virgin cruise drink bundle offers? How else can I save on drinks?

Whereas Virgin Voyages would not have drink packages, as we have talked about, the road usually runs limited-time presents that embody free Bar Tab credit. In November 2023, I noticed a suggestion awarding $300 in free drink credit on four- to six-night sailings and a $600 Bar Tab credit score for seven-night or longer sailings.

Virgin additionally sells a number of cruise bundle add-ons that embody Bar Tab credit or different free drinks. For instance, whenever you add the Splash of Romance bundle to your crusing, you get day by day cold-pressed juices, a complimentary Shake for Champagne and an unique Sailaway Hour, amongst different perks that are not beverage-related.

Equally, the celebratory Splash for Your Bash bundle contains drinks on your group at two particular personal occasions: a bottomless brunch and a cocktail party.

Passengers staying in a Mega RockStar Quarter suite all the time obtain limitless complimentary premium drinks (valued as much as $25 per drink) and two bottles of wine per day (valued as much as $90 per bottle). The suites price a premium, however you will not should spend something additional on drinks when you’re on board.

Lastly, enrolling in Virgin Voyage’s loyalty program, known as Crusing Membership, can even get you free drinks. Beginning along with your third cruise with Virgin, you will be eligible for a free $100 Bar Tab yearly, a day by day $10 specialty espresso credit score and an invite to an unique cocktail occasion on future sailings by means of the top of 2024.

Is a Virgin Voyages Bar Tab price it?

Just a few large variations between Virgin’s Bar Tab and the everyday drink bundle format on different cruise traces make getting your cash’s price simpler with Bar Tab.

Virgin Voyages doesn’t require that each visitor in a cabin have their very own Bar Tab (in contrast to many different cruise traces, which require all adults staying in the identical cabin to pay for their very own drink bundle). In actual fact, you may share your Bar Tab credit score along with your cabinmate (no have to be current once they’re ordering) and even pay for buddies’ (or strangers’) drinks, which is available in additional helpful in the event you nonetheless have credit to spend on the finish of your crusing.

As Virgin’s web site says, “it pays to prepay” — that’s, if you know the way a lot you propose to drink. The primary draw back is that your pay as you go Bar Tab is nonrefundable, so when you have any credit score left over on the finish of your crusing, you’ll lose the unused quantity.

To be sure that including a Bar Tab to your account is worth it and saves you cash moderately than wastes it, you will wish to make certain that you don’t prepay greater than you and your buddies can drink. You may also profit from utilizing your Bar Tab credit score as a useful approach to keep on with a particular beverage finances.

On Virgin Voyages, the specialty coffees common $4, beers common $6 to $7, primary cocktails common $10 and wines by the glass common $11. You should use these costs to estimate what number of drinks per day it could take to spend by means of a $300 or $600 Bar Tab credit score.

As an illustration, with a $300 Bar Tab on a six-night crusing, you’d have to spend no less than $50 per day on drinks to interrupt even. Divide this by two in the event you’re crusing with a associate, and it is clearly doable to satisfy your spend of $25 per individual per day with solely three alcoholic drinks every. Double your Bar Tab to $600 for that six-night crusing in the event you can see yourselves every ordering roughly 5 alcoholic drinks day by day.

In case your crusing is on the shorter aspect, say 4 nights, you might need to squeeze in some additional liquid enjoyable to burn by means of a $300 Bar Tab, as you will have to spend $75 per day on drinks. That is no less than seven or eight drinks per day in the event you’re imbibing solo (extra in the event you primarily drink beer) or solely 4 drinks per individual day by day in the event you’re sharing the Bar Tab with a cabinmate.