Virgin Voyages – A Splash of Romance Reviewed – Is it worth it?

Is the $250 Splash Of Romance package worth it? Here’s what to expect – our review.

We booked the Splash of Romance package for our 14-day transatlantic Virgin Voyages cruise on the Valiant Lady. Was the package worth it? Sort of, for us. But we wanted to know from other cruisers who tried this promotion what they thought and if it was worth the price.

Tip: In 2024, Virgin Voyages has increased the Splash of Romance package price from $200 per couple to $250 per couple. See more here at Virgin’s Website

• The Splash of Romance package on Virgin Voyages now costs $250 per couple and includes various perks.
• Some benefits, like enhanced boarding and access to exclusive events, did not meet passengers’ expectations.
• The package provided a complimentary bottle of Moet champagne via the Shake Champagne service, a three-hour thermal spa pass, morning juice drops, and aphrodisiac food cabin drops.
• Passengers reported inconsistencies in the delivery of amenities and experiences that differed from the initial promotion.
• Whether the package is worth it depends on individual preferences and the value placed on the included perks.
• Allegedly there is a capacity limit of only 50 packages available per sailing.

After speaking with a number of “sailors” who’ve recently taken a Virgin Voyages cruise (most on Valiant Lady), we’re getting a better idea of what other passengers experienced so you know what to expect. Of course, we’ll document OUR experience as we write about our 2-week voyage across the Atlantic as well.

Enhanced Boarding

One of the perks is “enhanced” boarding, in Virgin speak. But what that really means is a bit of a gray area. You still have to go through security, and there’s no fast-track option. Once past security, it was explained that the signage, if it exists, might be difficult to find (for the package customers). That said, there was a dedicated line but this did not do anything to offer an earlier boarding, simply a dedicated line to collect a wristband.

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Special Wristbands for the Splash of Romance

Initially, the concept of the wristband is to show you’ve participated in this package and get special perks and entry to the sail away party at Richard’s Rooftop (no longer possible). These bands are distributed at check-in. According to the promotion, when the crew spots these wristbands, you sometimes get an additional perk or in V.V. terms “A surprise and delight” (more on that later).

Exclusive Sail Away Hour

This is a benefit that caught my eye when we booked. The initial description of the Exclusive Sail Away Hour was to be at Richard’s Rooftop (where the guests in the Suites have their sail away party) and it was to be free-flowing Moet for the duration of the sail away. Guests who we’ve spoken with on the first sailings with The Splash of Romance package said this in fact did occur, but on subsequent sailings, the party was moved to different locations. Virgin has noticeably changed the terms of this promotion after it was offered from specifically stating “Access to Let’s Sail Away party on Richards Rooftop” to

Exclusive Sailaway Hour at a designated location at Virgin Voyages’ sole discretion

This modification is pretty significant, as the “Sail Away” party on Richard’s Rooftop is full of Moet champagne, and it seems they aren’t necessarily offering Moet for the Splash of Romance package now. When it comes to the value of the package, this diminishes it quite a bit.

The upside is that the Splash of Romance event was a separate event and not held on the sail away day. So we were able to attend the original Sail Away party and then attend a separate Splash of Romance gathering.

HERE’S WHAT REALLY HAPPENS:

There was an organized party at the Perch, not at Richard’s Rooftop. Additionally, there was no Moet. The cocktails served were the basic sparkling Rose with strawberries. If the guests weren’t into sparkling wine, there was bulk sangria available.

The upside is that this was a separate day than the Sail Away party, so you were able to “indulge” in complimentary beverages a second time.

Complimentary Shake for Champagne

Virgin Voyages has made champagne their thing. With the novel idea of shaking your phone and having a bottle of champagne delivered to you wherever you are. With this package, a complimentary bottle of Moet will be delivered to you via the Shake for Champagne method. This is represented as a $100 discount on your bar tab. This has been explained that it must be used for the Champagne and cannot be used for other drinks as a regular bar tab. This is a WIN in our mind, especially if you expect to try the shake for champagne anyway!

As expected: you get a bottle of Moet with the shake for the champagne feature. Delivered anywhere.

Three-Hour Thermal Spa Pass

The Thermal Spa is one of the reasons we’re excited about Virgin Voyages. So having a spa pass included in the Splash of Romance package was an extra bonus. We’d have purchased it anyway (A value of $39). You’re supposed to be able to use this included perk at a time and day of your choosing, despite what some other people are saying. It was rumored that you can only book this on port days. That is not the case. You can use the spa pass whenever you want (with reservations) So this is a WIN, but again, we’ve yet to come up with enough value to justify the $250 promotion, even with this spa pass included.

Morning Juice in your cabin, aka “Juice Drop”

The concept is nice and being able to try some of the unique juice options daily is a nice perk. These juices are similar to those purchased at Razzle Dazzle. With people’s tastes being so specific, and some people not loving the idea of random flavors of juice first thing in the morning, this may be a hit or miss with passengers. Personally, I call it a WIN since I like to try new things, and this gives me an opportunity to test flavors without committing to a $6 juice every day.

Aphrodisiac Food Cabin Drops, huh?

Again! Very taste-specific. But more importantly, WTF is Aphrodisiac Food Cabin Drops? One of the cruisers we spoke with described them as daily pastries (small bites) and petit fours. Random but very tasty. That little treat is mostly a WIN if you’re into the randomness of things left for you in your cabin. I liken this to some of the higher-end cruise lines that will leave chocolates for you in the evening. Depending on how this goes, I’d consider it a “WIN-ish”.

HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT

On day 6, a plate of 4 macarons was delivered to the room randomly. No other treats were offered or delivered. This is unfortunate, as we learned after inquiring about this that Virgin Voyages only planned on sending something to the cabins with the Splash of Romance package 3 times during a 14-day cruise. We only received 1 of those 3 days. Some of our travel companions got all of their treats, others got none.

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Is the Splash of Romance worth it? In short, it depends.

As one passenger simply put it, the value you derive from this package/promotion is subjective based on your tastes. But, if you’re expecting to be showered with gifts and glamorous little things throughout your cruise, adjust your expectations. It won’t happen.

However, as cruises start to fill up, getting early boarding will be worth it alone. This will get you on the ship and able to make reservations ahead of the masses.

From a monetary perspective, with the shake for champagne worth $99, the spa passes for two, and an additional event with champagne, it’s worth it, assuming you’d pay for these things anyway!

Since Virgin Voyages has made significant changes to the promotion, the first takers of the promotion were the most disappointed. However, people who book the Splash of Romance NOW, may feel different since the expectations have been set on what you really get.

In general, it’s hard to say that this is a good value unless you plan on purchasing champagne and spa passes anyway.

Worth Noting, Virgin states as a disclaimer on their terms & conditions page:

Virgin Voyages reserves the right to modify these terms, or cancel the offering, with or without notice (see them here)

They do seem to be making good on this disclaimer, which is unfortunate.