Virgin Voyages cruise cabins and suites: Everything you want to know

True to its brand, Virgin Voyages does things a little differently than other cruise lines, and this ethos extends to its accommodations. Virgin Voyages’ cabins sport a minimalist look with futuristic touches, and its suites exude a rock-n-roll vibe with in-room turntables and peekaboo showers.

While these cruise rooms may be unique in the cruise industry, you won’t have trouble choosing your cabin or suite. Virgin offers a reasonable three styles of standard cabin and eight categories of suites, so your choice will be guided by your requirements around space, price and light.

Virgin also does not use standard cruise industry lingo to refer to its rooms. Inside cabins are Insider rooms, ocean views are Sea Views, and balconies are Sea Terrace cabins. Suites are RockStar Quarters. Many rooms can accommodate one to four guests, often in slightly unusual bed layouts, so pay attention if you’re traveling in a pack and looking to save a few bucks on your cruise fare.

Whether this is your first cruise ever or your first with this cruise line, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with Virgin Voyages’ cabins and suites before you make that booking. Here’s everything you need to know.

A Virgin Voyages cabin primer

Virgin Voyages sails three identical ships, with one more on the way by the end of 2023. Cabin categories and design are standard across the fleet, so if you’re familiar with one ship, you’re familiar with them all.

Here is a breakdown of the cabin types on Scarlet Lady, which should be the same across all the sister ships:

• Insider inside cabins: 105 (8%)
• Sea view outside cabins: 96 (7%)
• Sea Terrace balcony cabins: 1,051 (79%)
• RockStar Quarters suites: 78 (6%)

The cruise line caters to adults only; all passengers must be 18 years old. That means you won’t find any family-focused accommodations. However, you will find Insider and Sea View cabins designed for solo passengers, with a 3/4 size bed (larger than a twin but smaller than a full.)

Other cabins and suites in all categories can sleep three or four guests. Groups who don’t want to squeeze four into a room (and we wouldn’t recommend it, given Virgin’s tiny bathrooms and limited storage) can take advantage of connecting rooms.

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Balcony cabins are designated either regular, extra-large, centrally located or limited-view, and your cruise fare will change depending on which you choose. Cheeky Corner and Suite Aft Suites are also divided into Pretty Big Terrace, Even Bigger Terrace and Biggest Terrace classes.

Related: The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship

Accessible cabins are available in Insider, Sea View, Central Sea Terrace, Extra-Large Sea Terrace and Seriously Suite categories.

All Virgin Voyages cabins mix a hip yet minimalist design (think IKEA or micro hotel) with tech-forward accessories (such as an iPad that controls the A/C, curtains and mood lighting). The look is more spare than you’ll find on other cruise lines that feature thick mattresses, fluffy duvets and faux-wood cabinetry in their cabins.

In standard cabins, the bed is modular – not only transforming from a queen bed to twins but also turning from a bed into an L-shaped lounging couch. In some quad layouts, a queen bed and an extra twin share the same headboard with a bunk overhead. The mattresses are rearranged on a long platform to form various arrangements; any uncovered portion of the platform serves as a nightstand or low table.

A triangular-with-rounded-edges odd-shaped white table serves as a desk and vanity in most standard cabins, with a round vegan leather stool beneath. It partially overlaps the shelving unit beneath that houses a mini-fridge and small shelves. Above is a round mirror and a shelf holding the room-controlling tablet.

Sea View and Sea Terrace cabins trade out the typical cruise ship cabin couch or love seat for a spare director’s style chair with a faux leather partial back and a padded seat.

Virgin also skips a full wardrobe for a more minimalist closet area where a hanging rod and a two-shelf luggage rack with storage baskets are hidden behind a curtain. A narrow floor-to-ceiling wardrobe contains four slim drawers, shelves housing the safe, life jackets and extra linens and a full-length mirror.

It’s not a lot of storage space — perfect for one, manageable for two and likely impossible for three or four.

Standard bathrooms are also tiny and lacking in storage space. The shower has one measly shelf and pump bottles of Red Flower shampoo, conditioner and body wash. It offers both a rain shower head and a wand. The rest of the tiny bathroom features a bowl sink and a small vanity where you can store toiletries if you move the hand towels somewhere else (possibly the shelf below with the garbage can).

The entire space is tight, even for average-sized people. If you need spacious loos, you will need to book a suite.

Virgin Voyages ships have eight types of suites, ranging from 352-square-foot Seriously Suites (which are essentially extra-spacious regular cabins with slightly nicer furnishings and a much larger bathroom) to the 2,147-square-foot Massive Suite with separate living and sleeping areas, a music room, and a gigantic terrace with a dining table (with steps up in case you want to pull a Richard Branson and dance on it) and hot tub.

Related: Why you should splurge for a suite on your next cruise

Suites are split into two categories — RockStar Quarters and Mega RockStar Quarters — which determine which additional perks come with your booking.

Virgin claims that 86% of its cabins feature private balconies, and if you can, you want to book one of these. Why? Because nearly every Sea Terrace comes with a sustainably sourced hammock that is extremely comfortable and unusual in the cruise industry — and for us, was the best part of the entire Virgin accommodation experience.

Inside cabins on Virgin Voyages cruise ships

Insider cabins are Virgin’s name for windowless interior rooms. They measure 105 to 177 square feet and can sleep one (Solo Insiders) to four people (Social Insiders). As we mentioned above, the Solo Insiders have a 3/4-sized bed. The four-person arrangement is two twin beds arranged in an L shape head to head, with two bunkbeds also in L shape right above. The intent is for the lower beds to be made up as couches during the day and transformed into beds at night.

The room is laid out like a standard Scarlet Lady cabin, but on the far wall, where a window would be, there’s a red, round art piece evocative of a porthole.

Ocean-view cabins on Virgin Voyages cruise ships

Sea View cabins are slightly bigger at 130 to 190 square feet and can sleep one to three people, with one pull-down bunk and beds that convert from a queen to two twins. They are arranged identically to the Insider cabins, except they have a large round porthole window with a window seat on the exterior wall.

Some Sea View cabins come in slightly different configurations, especially the rooms located where the ship’s superstructure juts out at an angle. We toured one of these practically V-shaped rooms, which had one rectangular window rather than a full porthole. The window was on the same wall as the bed and chair, and the opposite wall had the desk, mini-fridge and mirror. The converging angle of the two walls made it a tight squeeze between the bed and the desk.

Related: Inside vs. outside cabin: Which affordable cruise room is best for you?

The bottom of the V, if you will, had a tall wardrobe and full-length mirror. The top of the V was the wall with the entry door, the bathroom and the closet hidden away in a tight corner by the window.

Balcony cabins on Virgin Voyages cruise ships

Virgin calls its balcony cabins Sea Terraces. They measure 185 to 225 square feet, including the 45-square-foot terrace. They can sleep two to four people, but there’s only one bunkbed. To sleep four, two people will need to share a bed, the third bed will be perpendicular in an L shape (so three heads in close proximity) and the fourth is a bunk flush with the cabin wall above.

Sea Terraces share the layout of the other standard cabins, but the placement of the sleeping and living areas alternates in adjacent rooms. Some cabins have the bed by the bathroom and the desk by the balcony, while the rooms on either side will have the reverse layout, with the bed by the balcony and the desk by the bathroom.

Balconies are outfitted with two upright not-that-comfortable metal chairs and a circular drinks table just big enough for two glasses. The real attraction here is the full-size red hammock hung from the ceiling. A grown adult can easily lay out or simply sit and swing in the hammock. Be prepared to come to blows with your cabinmate over who gets the hammock first and for how long.

Related: Why it pays to upgrade your cruise ship cabin

Hammock fans should be aware that certain cabins at the front of each ship do not have a hammock due to constraints around the ship's steel structure and higher winds in these areas. Instead, these balconies have hanging "egg" chairs.

If you love your hammock so much you can’t live without it, you can buy one on board. The custom-designed hammocks are handwoven by women in rural Thailand and sold by Yellow Leaf, an organization focused on community transformation and female empowerment.

Suites on Virgin Voyages cruise ships

Virgin Voyages’ 78 RockStar Quarters are broken down as follows (based on Scarlet Lady’s deck plans):

• Two Massive Suites
• Two Fab Suites
• Two Posh Suites
• nine Gorgeous Suites
• 18 Brilliant Suites
• 14 Cheeky Corner Suites (six Biggest Terrace, four Even Bigger Terrace and four Pretty Big Terrace suites)
• 24 Seriously Suites
• Seven Sweet Aft Suites (three Biggest Terrace, two Even Bigger Terrace and two Pretty Big Terrace suites)

The Sweet Aft, Seriously, Cheeky Corner and Brilliant suites are considered RockStar Quarters. They come with the following perks:

• Access to Richard’s Rooftop sun deck with hot tubs and a bar
• Complimentary in-room bar setup (no refills)
• Priority access to dinner and event reservations, plus shore excursion signups
• RockStar agents (i.e. concierges) who can help you 24/7
• Priority embarkation

Gorgeous, Posh, Fab and Massive Suites are considered Mega RockStar Quarters. They come with all the RockStar perks plus additional benefits:

• A daily bar tab for complimentary drinks and bottles of wine throughout the ship
• Complimentary Thermal Suite access at the Redemption Spa
• Private transfers to the ship or free parking (depending on the departure port)
• A personal RockStar Agent
• Limitless in-room bar
• Premium Wi-Fi on Caribbean cruises, allowing streaming on up to two devices

The suite that’s right for you will depend on your budget, the perks you value and where on the ship you wish to stay.

Related: How to snag cruise ship suites for less

Among the RockStar Quarters, the Seriously Suite is the most common suite type on board. It measures 352 square feet, including the balcony. It features a European king bed facing the floor-to-ceiling glass balcony doors, tall closet wardrobes, a brass vanity, a shelving unit with a turntable and bar setup and a window behind the bed looking into the extra-large shower. The bathroom is spacious with a marble tile look, and the terrace is only slightly larger than a standard one, with the same furnishings.

The Sweet Aft Suite ranges in size from 416 to 661 square feet, depending on the deck and the size of the balcony. The higher the deck, the bigger the suite and terrace. There’s one Sweet Aft Suite on each deck between decks 8 and 14, and each is located smack in the center of the back of each deck.

These suites also have a bed facing the windows, but the bathroom is to the side with a shower porthole looking onto the oversized balcony. In addition to the standard hammock, the terrace features two padded lounge chairs, a couch and a round metal table (meant for Champagne) and chairs.

The Brilliant Suite measures 482 square feet and looks like an expanded version of the Seriously Suite. The extra space allows for a modular couch that can double as a bed; this suite can sleep up to four. Its balcony is slightly longer than the Seriously Suite’s, meaning it can offer the larger Champagne table of the Brilliant Suite.

The Cheeky Corner Suite also comes in a range of sizes, 615 to 857 square feet, based on deck and balcony size. The 14 suites are at the back corners of the ship on decks 8 – 14, on either side of the Sweet Aft Suites.

Balconies wrap around the back and sides of the ships, and offer the same furnishings as the Sweet Afts but with the hammock tucked away in the side corner. Inside, the room has a corner sofa area and a large wardrobe.

Related: What not to do on a cruise balcony

All of the Mega RockStar Quarters are on Deck 15, directly beneath Richard’s Rooftop, for easy access.

The Gorgeous Suite is the smallest at 570 square feet, and can sleep up to four. Its interior is similar to the Brilliant Suite, but the difference is in the balcony. The suite has a double-depth balcony with an outdoor shower and lounge chairs.

The Posh Suite measures 833 square feet, with living and sleeping areas divided by a wall. It can sleep four (the living room sofa can convert to a bed) and has a bath and a half (the master with a peekaboo shower looking into the bedroom and out the balcony doors beyond). The balcony is similar to the other suite terraces with lounge chairs, a hammock, Champagne table and chairs and a small couch.

The Fab Suite, at 950 square feet, is essentially an oversized version of the Posh Suite. The extra space allows for additional seating areas in both the living room and bedroom. It can also sleep four.

All the way forward on Deck 15, each of the two Massive Suites lives up to its name, coming in at a whopping 2,147 square feet. You enter the main living area with a circular couch seating area and a full bar. To one side is the music room, which can double as an extra bedroom; the suite sleeps up to four — that is if you don’t stay up rocking out on the provided guitars all night. An adjacent guest bathroom is ideal for hosting parties.

On the other side, the master bedroom has privacy behind sliding doors and floor-to-ceiling windows. Just behind, the marble-tiled dressing area features two closets and a soaking tub; turn the corner to find the rest of the bathroom, complete with the signature windowed shower.

The also-massive terrace is your own private backyard with a hot tub, outdoor shower, dining table for six, two hammocks, circular couch seating and padded lounge chairs.

Bottom line

Virgin Voyages’ cabins get the job done. However, its standard rooms won’t keep you inside when the real fun is found in the ships' public areas. Their best feature is the hammock on every balcony.

For more spacious bathrooms, tricked-out terraces, lounge and seating spaces, and extra perks, upgrade to the RockStar Quarters. While you might want to bring the after-party back to your social living quarters, you miss out if you hide out in your upper-deck digs rather than immerse yourself in the entertainment and cozy hangouts found around Virgin Voyages’ ships.

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