Great series. I just sailed the NCL Viva in April in a solo studio. While it wasn't cheap ($2500 for 7 days, 6 ports, free at sea plus to get unlimited wifi, streaming and extra dining credits), I loved the cabin, solo lounge and curated solo activities! They did a great job maximizing the functionality of that small space. The bed was high enough to put luggage under, lots of storage and the bathroom was larger than the sea terrace on Virgin Voyages. The $152 on NCL for gratuities on unlimited drinks was much cheaper than a VV bar tab or drink package on other cruises. I did love the food on VV better. I still think the almost all inclusiveness of VV is the best value for me.
Yes, NCL sounds like it really has the best solo cruiser program and it sounds like such a great experience. I really didn't realize how much I liked Virgin's inclusive price until I did this comparison. But still, I'm looking forward to sailing NCL for their solo experience!
That’s great to hear! Between cruises, I’m looking to create content that will help others. I look forward to meeting you on a ship in the future as well!
I found you through Travel Spree’s recent live. I appreciate your review! I did upgrade my room already since I booked my first ever cruise, so I am not saving much on VV. But I think having a hammock and access to a balcony will help my introverted self.
Virgin is a little pricey and they say WiFi, gratuity and dining included but they are actually charging everyone upfront in the price opposed to other cruise lines having a smidge lower price and charging a la carte for WiFi and specialty dining. Appreciate how you show the difference in pricing.
Great point, Cydney! Yes I agree and believe that when there’s a claim of an all-inclusive price, it’s actually just built it. It may be beneficial if you normally purchase those items but if you don’t, it’s not beneficial. But it works also be interesting to subtract out gratuities and WiFi prices compared to others to estimate a base price! 🤔 Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks so much. I’m an agent as well and the nickel and diming on “other” cruise lines is irritating. I love the simplicity of paying for my cruise, knowing I don’t “need” a ton of money and I can dine at every restaurant. Virgin Voyages is my favorite cruise line. No kids is a bonus! To be fair I like the solo lounge provided by NCL. I’ll be trying out their ship for the first time this summer. Keep up the great work!!
I will admit, this exercise made me see the difference. As I went through Virgin in like 2 or 3 clicks, but then had to show additional line item after line item for NCL to make the comparison...that made me appreciate the Virgin booking more. Thank you so much for the feedback and thank you for watching and commenting!
Wow! This video is a goldmine of valuable insights. As a fellow introverted solo cruiser, I often struggle to determine the best value for my trips. Your explanation was incredibly clear and elegant! While I've never considered Virgin before, thinking I may be older than their preferred passenger demographic, your insights have piqued my interest. I'll definitely be checking them out. Thank you for sharing such excellent content!
So glad you found this helpful! And I think I'm older than their demographic as well. I think we can definitely enjoy their ships too. There are a lot of things that aren't shown in a lot of vlogs I've seen. I'm looking forward to sailing with them again on my own to experience their ship a bit more. I think you should too!
I am 68, and I sailed on Scarlet Lady last June with my 29-year-old daughter. We both enjoyed it immensely, and we each have a second cruise booked for this year, on Valiant Lady this time.
Virgin Voyages 4 nights not interested that's a party cruise. I book 7 nights at least. I don't drink so for me I prefer ncl. At 58 I'm not looking for a younger drinking cruise. Seen a few videos of vv too wild for me.
I agree. I prefer 7 night cruises too but I still mix in shorter cruises. I’m not a partier either but other people partying never bothers me so I can do the short cruises too. And that’s the thing…there’s another side to Virgin. To me, there is a toned down side to Virgin, but I agree you, you never see that. All you see is partying!
I would like to try Virgin one day, but I have yet to find an itinerary that I like that is at a decent price. NCL has a much larger and better selection of itineraries. If I'm going to pay luxury prices for a cruise, I'm going for an all-inclusive, luxury cruise line. Virgin has the high prices without being all-inclusive. For some, it's more about the experience on the ship. For me, it's more about the excursions. NCL is far from fancy, but they do offer a $50 credit toward excursions. I end up paying $0 to $20 for each excursion.
Great points! And yes, I think many have different ideas about what's important in selecting a cruise. I know some who do sail for the ship and others for ports but I absolutely get what you're saying. That $50 credit does sound like a benefit for NCL. Thank you so much for watching and commenting!
Cheryl this is great content for us. I do enjoy NCL ships for the price and excursions. I don't care about the internet. since I unplug when I'm on vacation. I just wish the ships would offer 5mins of free internet to check in for my return flight. VV is still on my list to try. one day.
Thank you for the feedback! I agree with you about the wifi. Of course, I use wifi daily when I cruise because of what I do, I do understand that others like to unplug. It would be great for the lines to offer free wifi to check flights, or a station to check flights or something. Yes, I think you should keep Virgin on the list to try. It's a great experience!
Great analysis. Ive cruised with NCL a number of times as a solo. I keep going back to them because of their solo meetups each day, I love that and Ive met some wonderful people that way. This made me think more about VV but then I looked at their itineraries. Well, NCL also has more ships and more itineraries to select from. So I appreciate VV benefits in some ways but on the smaller NCL ships that aren’t sailing in the Caribbean, I’ve hardly seen any kids. I’ll keep VV in mind, but not sure if I’m ready to give them a try yet.
Absolutely nothing wrong with that! And that’s one point that I try to make. Everyone sees value their own way. I did a poll on my page and a few cruisers said solo programs were worth a higher cost. I don’t think one is better than the other, but rather, they offer us options. 😊 And everyone can select the option that’s best for them. Thank you so much for watching and sharing your experience! ❤️❤️❤️
What a clear, informative comparison! I was thinking NCL originally, but now i can see the value in Virgin, along with all the razzle dazzle. No kids, and better dining are real plusses.
I definitely see the value in Virgin! I will still cruise the other lines for variety but yes, I love what Virgin offers as a solo cruiser. Thank you so much for watching and commenting!
Great video, but I would side with NCL as the better value for solo cruisers. Not only was it cheaper, but it offered more (for a drinker you cannot beat it even with the added gratuity). I cruised VV a year ago and wasn't impressed at all. The food was the worse I've had on any cruise ship and I've been on over 20 cruises. I also found it boring. The shows were good though.
Yes, everyone is different and it’s great to hear that you find the NCL brand to be a great solo experience! My experience on the two lines is the reverse. I found Virgin to have much better food options in taste and quality. And much better ship entertainment, especially music. Yes, NCL was cheaper than Virgin but Virgin is definitely a more premium experience and worth the extra cost. To me, Carnival’s larger classes are a more affordable alternative to NCL with a much better experience. Basic services on Carnival were subpar on my NCL experience (app, GF dining protocol, coffee, just to name a few). But I think it’s okay that people have different experiences and perceptions of value. It’s all about finding the experience that best suits you! Thank you so much for the feedback and thank you for watching and commenting!!! ❤️❤️❤️
@SIGCruiser I think my expectations going into VV were too high. I expected the food to blow me away and it didn't. Actually walked out of the Test Kitchen because the food was horrible and service slow. Gunbae, Razzle Dazzle was ok, but extremely slow as well. I didn't get an "upscale dining" experience from them. On the level of the main dining on NCL/Carnival/Royal to me. Now that white pizza was probably the best I've had on a cruise ship. Missed activities such as water slides, rock climbing walls, ropes course, laser tag, etc.
@lilcw76 Aaahhhh….yes. Personal preferences and expectations. This is why it’s great that we have cruise lines that offer different experiences so we can choose what best suited our likes! See, I don’t care for the water slides, ropes courses, etc. And food is always subjective. I actually enjoyed the experiences you didn’t like. 😂 So glad there are cruise lines and ships for both of us! 😊
Hi Cheryl, this was so informative 🙌🏽🙌🏽 This was such a thorough video. I would definitely pay you this commercial!!! It sounds like Virgin definitely has a lock on how to solo cruise the right way. Great video!
Thank you so much, Etta! Yes, I do like Virgin's pricing and I'm looking forward to going back for the solo experience. I'm looking forward to that on NCL as well! Maybe I'll vlog the experience of both ships! Thank you so much for watching and commenting!
Nice! Yes, it doesn't have to be either or. Just awareness. I'm looking forward to my NCL sailing! Thank you so much for watching and commenting, Sylvia!
Cheryl, this is a great series! The content you create is so valuable for solo cruisers, and your explanations are easy to understand and very entertaining.
Yeaaahh, this is an awesome series 🎉 It really helps us during the cruise booking process (esp for us solos) on which cruise line would be better in value. I love NCL, but the way u broke it down compared to VV, makes me want to look into cruising with them one day soon. Great tips 👏🏽
Thanks, Ro! So glad you think this will be helpful, especially to solos! And I really didn't come to a final thought on this until I actually went through the comparison. Although I still will try the NCL solo experience for myself, it makes me just want to book a normal cabin at double occupancy when I sail NCL in the future. Yes, I think you will actually like Virgin. I think there's so much to it besides all the parties you tend to see in the vlogs.
@@SIGCruiser Yea I’ve never sailed in anything other than a NCL regular cabin bc I want space. And yes, the comparison at the end recaps the video nicely 👌🏽
Hello Linda! Feel free to use my link to book and I can assist you when needed (or I can book if for you if you ever desire): www.virginvoyages.com/book/voyage-planner/find-a-voyage?cabins=1&USD[%E2%80%A6]lors=2&toDate=2022-10-04&agentId=101657&agencyId=422 Virgin is a great all-adult experience. I think you will love it!
