Virgin Voyages offers two packages for sailors looking to improve their cruise experience and save some cash. Splash of Romance and Splash your Bash are available to purchase as an “add-on” in the app. Only a limited number of these are sold per cruise. I’d suggest purchasing Splash of Romance as soon as you book your cruise as it sells out quickly.
On our recent cruise, we added the Virgin Voyages Splash of Romance package. I’m going to breakdown what’s included in the package to determine if Splash of Romance is worth the cost.
Price = $250 total for 2 sailors
Virgin Voyages Splash of Romance Benefits:
Early Embarkation –
Board the ship around 1:45pm for Miami & San Juan (other port times may vary) regardless of the time chosen during check-in. You do still want to select a boarding time, you just don’t need to follow that selected timeframe. Boarding begins with Rockstars followed by sailors with Deep Blue Extras then Splash of Romance.
Monetary Value – $0
However, it a valuable perk to get on the ship early. You could realize a monetary value by saving on the cost of lunch and any entertainment that may have taken place while waiting for a later boarding time. You’ll also be onboard to make dining and fitness reservations before the crowds. Value $20-$50?
Daily Cold-Pressed Juice –
There are 4 juice choices available. These can only be obtained as part of the package between 8am-11am and only at the Gym & Tonic.
Monetary value – $12 for 2 juices, per day. If you’re on a 5 night cruise, and get juice 5x (including disembarkation day) the total cost would be $60.
*Downside is the limited availability and I personally wouldn’t spend the money on these if it wasn’t an included benefit. I also forgot to get the juices within the allocated time a couple of days.
Thermal Suite Access –
Get 3 hours of thermal suite access which includes salt room, sauna, cold plunge and more.
Monetary value – $59 per person on port days or $79 on sea days. Potentially a $158 value.
Tantalizing Treats –
Treats delivered to your stateroom twice during a 4 or 5 night sailing or three times if on a 6-day or longer sailing.
Monetary value – $0
You can get treats free from the galley and the treats delivered to the stateroom weren’t very good. I think something special like chocolate covered strawberries would be of value.
Cocktail Hour –
This event is held at the Perch for 1 hour with complimentary sparkling rosé and sangria plus live entertainment once per sailing.
Monetary value – Depends on how much you drink. Sparkling wine is $9 and sangria is $13. Assuming you each drink 1 of each beverage, we’ll value it at $44 on the low end.
*We each enjoyed 3 drinks while listening to music. Servers continually walked around refreshing beverages & I wasn’t exactly paying attention as they topped off my glass.
Shake for Champagne –
You’ll receive a bottle of Möet Chandon Impérial Brut as part of the apps Shake for Champagne feature.
Monetary value – $105
However, I wouldn’t normally purchase this so my value would be $9 or $11 per glass of sparkling wine = maybe $66 value for me.
Total Splash of Romance monetary value is approximately $367. This is without adding monetary value to early boarding.
I think this can be a great value for those who will use the benefits offered with the package. It’s like a little exclusive club onboard.
While early embarkation itself doesn’t have monetary value I can affix to it, I would consider the package for this benefit alone. In addition to starting your vacation earlier and not spending money for lunch in Miami, you can get onboard and reserve hard to come by fitness classes such as yoga and bungee, and ensure you get preferred times for dining. Only 30% of dining times are released prior to boarding, so you’ll get the chance to change or make reservations once onboard the ship.
Here’s why I won’t purchase the Splash of Romance package again:
We have Deep Blue Extra’s (VV’s highest tier loyalty program) so we get priority boarding through that benefit.
I wouldn’t purchase the pressed juices and I didn’t like the treats. While I loved the Shake for Champagne feature, I’d purchase single glasses of less expensive champagne. I don’t particularly like Möet Chandon Impérial Brut. My personal value is $66 on the high end for the Shake for Champagne perk.
We love the thermal suites and go once every cruise. We only go on port days as it’s less crowded making my value $118.
The cocktail hour is a nice perk and it’s great to listen to music, enjoying the sea breezes and indulging in “complimentary” beverages. You also get to meet fellow sailors in a small group setting. Since we each had 3 drinks (5 total rosé and 1 sangria), my value is $65. However, normally we would not drink that amount of alcohol in an hour. If I was at the bar listening to music for that length of time, I would have max 2 drinks, if that.
My total value was $249, so I just about broke even with the package. Next time, I’ll let other sailors enjoy the Splash of Romance package. It is popular and sells out quickly, so “add-on” as soon as you book your cruise.
Splash Your Bash Package:
I have not personally experienced Splash Your Bash. This could be a great package if you’re traveling with a few friends.
What’s included with Splash Your Bash:
- Bottomless brunch event at The Wake or Razzle Dazzle. For those who don’t drink alcohol (or can’t just yet!), non-alcoholic options including Noughty Sparkling Mimosas, Heineken 0.0%, and non-alcoholic Bloody Marys (value $25 per person)
- Revelrous dinner party with curated beverages and desserts (value unknown)
- A complimentary bubbly will be upgraded to Moët & Chandon (value $105)
- Valued at $375, you can lock it in for $250 per cabin
Virgin Voyages Splash of Romance and Splash Your Bash are great add-ons if you will use the benefits. As mentioned, the Splash of Romance priority boarding is a fantastic benefit itself. Adding in the thermal suite access, Shake for Champagne and cocktail hour can make the package worth the cost. If you won’t use all the perks, it may not be worth the cost. Browse the list of included Splash of Romance & Splash Your Bash benefits to see if the package is right for you.
*You only need to add the package to one sailor account per cabin. Splash of Romance is valid for 2 sailors while Splash Your Bash is valid for the entire cabin.
Have you sailed with Splash of Romance? Let us know if you think it was worth the cost.
More Articles:
- 50+ Virgin Voyages Cruise Tips & Tricks
- Virgin Voyages Miami Roundtrip: 5-Night Riviera Maya Review visiting Cozumel & Bimini
- 30 Things I Loved & Hated About Our Virgin Cruise
- 24 Things to Pack for a Cruise: Plus Printable Packing List for Cruise Vacations
- FREE Printable Cruise Planner (planner for your entire trip)
- Cruising Do’s & Don’ts – Essential Tips for a Great First Cruise
Leave a Reply