A Guide to Virgin Voyages' French Daze & Ibiza Nights Cruise

Prior to our trip, we had the opportunity to bid for a lottery upgrade for the Rockstar quarters and after winning the bid, got to stay in their Sweet Aft Suite. This upgrade offers access to Richards Rooftop, a rock star status—exclusive lounge which offers many special events and champagne hours. Also included in Rockstar status is a personal concierge service, or Rockstar Agent that helps book services, advises on itinerary ideas, and anticipates the need for dramamine on a particularly rocky day at sea. As much as rockstar status offered us, I know we would have enjoyed our stay on Virgin Voyages just as much. The ship offers tons of lounging and deck space, so you don’t have to worry about reserving poolside chairs at 5 am.

Rockstar Sweet Aft Suite Balcony

The ship utilizes its “Virgin Voyages app” on board, which is how you get access to complimentary wifi, make reservations, contact your concierge, order food, access the ship’s activity schedule, and view the ship’s port schedule. This app made it easy to make reservations for activities and food, but it was great to get our rockstar agent’s guidance on what she enjoyed most and what days she felt were best for certain events. Though we were busy most days at port stops, there were great gym classes, performances, live music, and plenty of things to do at sea or after returning from port.

The food and snacks available on board were exemplary and geared more toward restaurant-style experiences different from the typical buffet and hall-style sit-downs. Everything was well curated and thought out, down to the bracelet key cards, which also act like your credit card on board. Each room has its own hammock, which is the perfect spot to watch the ship arrive and depart from port. It’s also where we enjoyed breakfast each morning, delivered through room service. Lastly, one of the most unique services I’ve ever seen on a cruise was the Champagne shake. On the Virgin Voyages app, there’s a “Shake for Champagne” feature—just shake your phone anywhere on the ship, and within 10–15 minutes, a bottle of champagne and glassware will be delivered right to you. My mom and I used our complimentary Shake (a perk of our Rockstar status) to celebrate a lucky night in the casino. It was such a fun and memorable touch!

Champagne shake

Pink Agave — aboard Virgin Voyages

This trip, French Days & Ibiza Nights, started in Barcelona. Barcelona was a great place to fly in and out of. We arrived a few days early to spend more time in Spain. This cruise is supposed to have Marseille (Provence), France; Cannes, France; Palma de Mallorca, Spain; and Ibiza Town, Spain (overnight stay); and finally return to Barcelona. Unfortunately, due to bad weather, the ship detoured in Corsica, France, in lieu of our scheduled stop in Cannes. As bummed as we were, we ended up having a beautiful day in Ajaccio, lounging at the beach and having drinks and appetizers before getting back on the ship.

Ibiza

Port: Ajaccio, Corsica

Overall, I highly recommend this itinerary to anyone who wants to see as many of the beach towns in the south of France and Spain in a short amount of time.

Since the restaurants on board are restaurant style, it’s important to research the places and style of food you want to try, and make reservations as early as possible. We had no trouble getting into any of the restaurants. However, one night we ate a little later than we thought because that was the only time available. A note for my introverts: the Gunbae is the ship’s KBBQ/hibachi-style restaurant where they will seat you with other ship guests and encourage you to play games. For us, it was a really enjoyable experience—we even met another mother-daughter duo on board and ended up spending the evening with them at the casino, sharing champagne and good conversation. Unrelated: buy your sunscreen at any pharmacy in France—it’s just amazing quality (to this day, it remains my favorite sunscreen) and it’s one less thing to pack!

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