As this would be my first cruise ever, my initial concern was how in the world was I going to pass the time during a 16-day, 15-night transatlantic crossing. This would be a cruise that, for over a week – eight days in a row to be precise, would experience “sea days” with nothing but views of the Atlantic Ocean to gaze upon. It’s over 4,000 miles between Miami and Lisbon, Portugal, our first European port of call! I started thinking about what books to pack and how I should probably start downloading hours of podcasts as there’s probably no Internet connectivity out in the middle of nowhere. I figured there would be plenty of food so I shouldn’t starve and maybe a few first-run movies to watch so I wouldn’t be totally bored.
Boy, was that thinking ever a massive cruise rookie mistake!
As I started to explore what the actual Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady “Miami to Med” cruise entailed, I discovered that it offered almost non-stop entertainment and activities. It didn’t take long to figure out that if I chose to participate in even a few of the offerings there would be very little time – or necessity – to read or listen to podcasts.
I found out there is no “main dining room” on the Valiant Lady where all meals are served but rather six reservations-required, uniquely themed restaurants plus another dozen or so drop-in eateries available for my food requirements. And, lucky me – each of the 20 or so places to eat has its own connected or nearby bar so finding an adult beverage aboard should be no problem. In addition to the established food locations almost every night there is a dinner show available at one of the venues that are later converted into nightclubs complete with live music or Vegas-style acts.
The six reservation-required restaurants include The Wake (Elegant Steak and Seafood), Pink Agave (Upscale Mexican), Gunbae (Korean BBQ), Razzle Dazzle (Vegetarian / Vegan ), Extra Virgin (Upscale Italian), and The Test Kitchen (Cooking Lab). And yes, I have reservations at each and every restaurant – some more than once. For more information about all of the Valiant Lady’s eateries click her.
When I’m not busy eating, drinking, or being entertained there are a number of workout facilities available, a barber shop for the guys, a hair salon for the ladies, plus a full-service spa. There’s also a casino and even a tattoo parlor.
And there is Wi-Fi on board. While I understand the connection is slow and not suitable for streaming or downloading large files I’m hoping it will be strong enough for me to exchange emails and text messages and work on this blog.
Not surprisingly, Virgin Voyages leans heavily on social media and especially on its app. Pretty much everything is done through the app including all restaurant reservations, activity bookings, and even cabin service.
This cruise has its very own Facebook Group with a collection of sub-groups that’s populated with hundreds of members who are super engaged in social media chatter.
There’s more but you get the idea. I’m leaving the books and podcasts behind and plan to eat and drink my way across the Atlantic. I sure hope I don’t put on too much additional personal tonnage with this “cruise plan”‘