Your Guide to Dining on Virgin Voyages Cruise Ships
A Virgin Voyages cruise offers an exceptional dining experience every night you are on board their Lady Ships – from their food hall to their non-traditional main dining rooms – you will fall in love with their fabulous eateries.
Enjoy this complete guide to the different fine dining restaurants you can enjoy on each of the Virgin Voyages Ships!
Before we get started, I wanted to go over what makes Virgin Voyages one of the best cruise lines, and that is its “Always Included Luxury.”
It includes the food at any of their restaurants, essential drinks, Wi-Fi for browsing and posting, shows and entertainment, group fitness classes, and tips.
Certain things are an extra cost; however, all the delicious food mentioned below is included.
The Galley
Virgin Voyages (VV) enjoys doing things differently than the other cruise lines, especially the “buffet” option.
In short, VV does not have a buffet rather they have a food hall that is home to various regionally-inspired food options for every tastebud.
At The Galley, you will find paninis, tacos, noodles/ramen, burgers, popsicles, sushi, bento boxes, omelets, bacon, baked goods, salads, and other items depending on the time of day you go. The French toast, burgers, and desserts were so good!
Also, in The Galley is the 24-hour American Diner for your late-night snack needs.
Moreover, the main difference between a regular cruise buffet and The Galley is that you enter the room and sit down at a table while a waiter or waitress comes to take your order from the different food options within.
If you are running short on time, they even have grab-and-go items in the entrances of The Galley from Trail Mix to Salads to Wraps to Tres Leches and so on. I had about 7 of the Tres Leches while we were there.
Main Dining
Along with not having a buffet, Virgin Voyages eliminates the idea of having a main dining room and specialty restaurants being an upcharge.
At VV, the main dining room does not exist. Instead, they focus on their six specialty restaurants that are included in the price of your Virgin Voyage. Let’s take a closer look at what you can find at these six specialty restaurants.
Extra Virgin
Extra Virgin is an elevated Italian restaurant with many wine options. Here you can order an Antipasto, Affettati Misti, a Secondo or Pasta (you can order both), and dessert!
For antipasto, we ordered Semolina Fried Calamari and Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, the Chef’s Selection affettati misti, which was a charcuterie board; for pasta, we had Potato Gnocchi and Pappardelle al Ragú, and lastly, for dessert, we got Ricotta Bomboloni and Gelato.
The handmade pasta stole the show and was our favorite part of the meal!
The Wake
The Wake is known for its steak, seafood, and regal entrance as you enter through Deck 7 and take a grand staircase down to Deck 6, where the restaurant is.
At the bottom of the stairs, you will find ginormous windows that overlook the ripples the ship makes as it voyages through the ocean. This restaurant is open for brunch and dinner
For brunch, you will find an assortment of baked goods, steak and eggs, brioche caramelized banana French toast, layered crepe cake, and various other items. The steak and eggs and layered crepe cake were AMAZING!
For dinner, we decided to try a majority of their menu as we heard many good things about this restaurant, plus it was all included!
With that, we had all three of their appetizers: Razor Clam Chowder, Roasted Bone Marrow with French toast, and Hamachi Crudo.
For our entrees, we had the Pan Roasted Ora King Salmon, the New Zealand Lamb Chops, and the Filet Mignon. For sides, we ordered them all: asparagus, mushrooms, creamed spinach, twice-baked potatoes, and fries.
We ended our food tour at The Wake with their signature dessert, similar to a chocolate tart and an Apple Tart. The Wake’s Filet Mignon was the best I have ever had – incredibly soft and flavorful!
Honestly, almost everything we had was great, and on our next trip, this will probably be the first restaurant we visit!
Pink Agave
This restaurant serves elevated Mexican cuisine and is home to the largest tequila selection onboard.
Pink Agave splits its menu up into Botanas (Small Plates), Entradas (Medium Plates), Fuertes (Large Plates), and Postres (Desserts).
We had Guacamole, Esquites (Roasted Corn), Enchilada de Pollo (Chicken), Camarón (Shrimp) Amarillo, Pato (Duck), and Cochinita Pibil (Pork).
The Cochinita Pibil (Pork) came with fresh, warm corn tortillas, so I treated them like tacos, and it was so good!
Every plate we had at Pink Agave was incredible! For dessert, we ordered the bread pudding, the chocolate dulce de leche tacos, and the chocolate tamale – talk about sweetness overload!
I will have to say the chocolate tamale was not our favorite, but it did live up to its name.
Razzle Dazzle
Razzle Dazzle is a vegan-forward / vegetarian restaurant that encourages its patrons to explore vegetarian and vegan options while visiting them.
However, if you are a meat eater, do not fret they have a “Naughty” menu and a “Secret” menu, as well. This restaurant also serves brunch and dinner, similar to The Wake.
The signature dish at brunch is the Unicorn Toast, but they also have Açaí bowls, a regular American breakfast dish, and a fried chicken sandwich – to name a few.
For dessert, you will find cereal-infused milk with different flavored cookies and Rainbow Churros with Ice Cream.
Gunbae
Gunbae is a Korean BBQ restaurant onboard. The tables fit around six people around a grill, so there is a high chance you will sit with strangers if your party is not big enough.
This typically starts off awkward; however, Gunbae begins the night with a drinking game (you can drink water if you do not drink alcohol) to break the ice! This restaurant’s menu consists of Small Bites, Rice/Noodles/Stew, Korean BBQ, and Soft Serve.
We ordered the Dakgangjeong (Crispy Chicken), Haemul Pajeon (Seafood “Corn Dog”), Bibimbap (Fried Rice), Japchae (Noodles), Seaweed, Dumplings, Chef’s Combo, and Shikye/Black Sesame Soft Serve.
The noodles here were the best on board, and the seafood corn dog was good; however, this restaurant was not our favorite, and we were still hungry at the end.
The Test Kitchen
This restaurant is a unique concept made for the adventurous eater! The Test Kitchen is set up like a laboratory, and the waiters/waitresses wear lab coats.
The menu here is a bit different compared to the other specialty restaurants onboard – you are provided a small piece of paper with a list of ingredients.
Our paper read, “Corn, Salmon, Beetroot, Shrimp/Lamb, Asparagus, and Strawberry” all down the card in typewriter font.
At this restaurant, you will not place an order off a menu. Instead, the wait staff comes out with each meal creation per the set menu, explains what the chef made / what is in front of you, and then you can try it.
It is a six-course meal, but the plates are small, so you will be able to try them all. The “Strawberry” dessert (minus the wasabi), lamb, and shrimp were our favorite parts, and the rest were “eatable.”
You would need a distinct palate for this restaurant; however, it is included in your normal cruise fare and an experience I recommend at least once!
Other Food Options
Besides the above main restaurants, Virgin Voyages has various other options when it comes to food. For example, they have:
- The Pizza Place, which has the best pizza I have ever had
- Lick Me Till… Ice Cream, which has various ice cream flavors for you to choose from
- The Dock (Outdoors) and The Dock House (Indoors) – Casual Mediterranean
- The Social Club Diner – Classic Carnival Eats like popcorn, wings, and hot dogs
- Sun Club Café – Hawaiian-Inspired Poke Bowls and Bao Buns
- Room Service called Ship Eats – This service is offered 24/7 and includes breakfast, appetizers, entrees, desserts, and drinks. There is an additional cost for this service unless you order a chargeable item, like a glass of wine or specialty coffee – or if you are staying in one of the RockStar Suites.
Essential Drinks
As previously mentioned, Virgin Voyages incorporates essential drinks in your cruise fare. It includes regular coffee and tea, still and sparkling water, non-pressed juice, and soda.
Premium Drinks
These drinks are not part of the Essential Drinks category, so you pay for them on top of your cruise fare.
Virgin Voyages has plenty of bars onboard from a Champagne lounge to a martini and cocktail bar to Draught Haus to Gym and Tonic, and so on.
There is a bar for every occasion! VV also has this unique feature where you open the VV app on your phone and shake it, the cruise staff will bring you Champagne to where you are on the ship – it is too cool!
For coffee drinkers, VV also has a Grounds Club for your specialty coffee needs, including drip coffee.
Virgin Voyages does not offer unlimited drink packages, but you can purchase a bar tab before boarding! If you pre-purchase a $100, $200, or $300 bar tab, they will throw in a bonus bar tab credit to enhance your drink experience.
The bar tab can be used for all types of premium beverages, from champagne, beer, and wine to pressed juices, smoothies, and specialty coffee.
Eat, Drink, Eat, and RepEAT
If you are looking for a hub of food curated by Michelin star Chefs, then embark on Virgin Voyages to taste it all!
The menu items mentioned above are from our visit to Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady in late 2022. As such, the menu items may change by the time you go. However, I am sure they will still be delicious!
Have you been on a Virgin Voyages cruise? Let me know in the comments below!
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