Virgin Voyages is close to all-inclusive, but not quite. Your fare covers every restaurant on the ship, basic Wi-Fi, all the group fitness classes, water, soda, drip coffee, tea, and every major show.
Alcohol, specialty coffee, pressed juices, shore excursions, spa treatments, and gratuities are not included. That last one is new.
Since October 7, 2025, gratuities come out of the fare and sit on their own line at $20 per Sailor per day prepaid, or $22 if you settle onboard. The video below was filmed before that change, so you will hear me say gratuities are included. They were then. On a new booking, they are not.
I’m Christine Lozada, and between me and JC we have spent 60+ nights on these ships. Here is the honest line-by-line: what your fare actually covers, what costs extra, and whether you should tip on top.
What’s Actually Included in Your Virgin Voyages Fare
Virgin does include more than a standard cruise line, and the difference shows up in the places that usually cost the most.
- Every eatery on the ship. All 20+ of them, with no specialty dining cover charge.
- Still water, sparkling water, sodas, teas, non-pressed juices, and drip coffee.
- Basic Wi-Fi, ship-wide.
- Every group fitness class, whether it is run by the fitness team or the Happenings Cast.
- All the major shows and the bulk of the entertainment programming.
- Your visit to The Beach Club at Bimini on Caribbean sailings, food included.
The one that surprises people most is the dining. On most cruise lines, eating anywhere good means buying a specialty dining package first. Here there is no such package, because there is nothing to unlock.
What Costs Extra on Virgin Voyages
The list is short, and almost everything on it is optional in a way that does not change your trip.
- Alcohol. There is no drink package, so drinks are pay as you go.
- Premium non-alcoholic drinks: specialty coffee, freshly squeezed and pressed juices, smoothies.
- A handful of treat-yourself menu add-ons, like truffles, caviar, wagyu, and the seafood tower.
- Premium Wi-Fi, if you want streaming speed.
- Shore Things, which is what Virgin calls shore excursions.
- Spa treatments and the Thermal Suite.
- A few paid activities, like the Grog Walk and wine tastings.
- Gratuities, on any booking made from October 7, 2025 onward.
- Ship Eats delivery. The food is included, the delivery fee is not.
Here is the honest version of that list: most Sailors never touch half of it. The add-ons are a handful of items on menus that are otherwise entirely included, and plenty of people finish a week without noticing they exist.
Gratuities Changed on October 7, 2025
This is the single biggest change to what is included, and it is the thing most articles still get wrong.
Gratuities used to be baked into your fare. As of October 7, 2025 they are a separate daily charge: $20 per Sailor per day if you prepay, $22 per Sailor per day if you let it post to your account onboard. It is the same rate for every cabin type, RockStar suites included.
If you booked before October 7, 2025, you are on a legacy fare and your gratuities are still included. Changing your sail date can end that, so do not touch a legacy booking without asking first.
Once your gratuity is paid, nothing else is expected of you anywhere on the ship. I go through the full breakdown, including how to pay it with Sailor Loot, in my guide to Virgin Voyages gratuities in 2026.
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Food: Over 20 Eateries, No Cover Charge
Every restaurant on the ship is included. Pink Agave, The Wake, Razzle Dazzle, Gunbae, Extra Virgin, Test Kitchen, The Galley, all of it, at no extra charge.
I sailed recently with someone who kept asking how much she owed me for dinner at Pink Agave. The answer was nothing, and she did not believe it until the third night.
Valiant Lady’s newest restaurant makes the point better than any list can. Ariya by Razzle Dazzle serves Indian food built with chef Maneet Chauhan, it is the freshest thing on the ship, and it still carries no cover charge.
What is not included is a short list of treat-yourself add-ons. Freshly shaved truffles on the pasta at Extra Virgin, caviar, the wagyu at Gunbae, the seafood tower at The Wake.
These are add-ons to a menu that is otherwise free, not a second tier of the menu. A lot of people assume the good half costs money. It does not.
Drinks: There Is No Virgin Voyages Drink Package
Alcohol is not included, and unlike almost every other cruise line, there is no drink package to buy. You pay per drink, at the prices on the menu.
There are two ways to drink for free. The first is the Sail Away Party, where they hand out bubbly on embarkation day. The second is winning things: trivia, dodgeball, and the free activities all over the ship regularly pay out in cocktails.
Coffee splits down the middle. Regular coffee is included and it is genuinely good, available in The Galley all day. A flat white or anything else from The Grounds Club is an upcharge.
Same logic for juice. The juice at breakfast is included, but freshly squeezed orange juice, the pressed juices at The Dock, and the smoothies at the Athletic Club are all extra.
Water and Wi-Fi Are Included
Water is the clearest example of Virgin not nickel and diming you. There are refill stations all over the ship, and they put water in your cabin and refresh it daily.
Sparkling water and sodas are included too. On most ships, both of those are a line item.
Wi-Fi works the same way. Basic Wi-Fi is included and it is fine for messaging, email, and scrolling. Premium is the paid upgrade, and it is what you want if you are uploading or streaming.
My one tip: if you buy premium at all, buy it for embarkation day. That is when the entire ship is on the app booking dinners and shows at once. After day one, put the phone away.
One thing worth packing: a refillable water bottle. Those refill stations are free and you will use them every single day.
Don’t forget to pack THIS!
Virgin Voyages has reimagined sailing and what you need to pack on for this trip is DIFFERENT than a normal cruise line. There are many items I wish I knew to bring (that I didn’t have with me on my first sailing).
Get a free printable pack list and save yourself the headache!
OR if you’re just looking for some inspo! See the curated list of Amazon items I’ve put together (and use!) for Virgin Voyages.
Entertainment and Fitness Classes Are Included
Every major show is included. Duel Reality with its acrobatics, It’s A Ship Show which is dinner and a show at once, and the run of entertainment happening around the ship all week.
Fitness classes are included too, and this one is a genuine difference. HIIT, yoga, spin, and whatever the Happenings Cast has invented that week are all free. On most cruise lines you pay per class.
A small set of activities do carry a charge, and you will spot them scrolling the app. The Grog Walk is a bar crawl with four stops and four cocktails, which is why it costs money. Wine tastings and the sushi-making session are the same idea.
You can skip all of them and still not get through everything. I met a couple on a back to back who said that in five nights they had not done half the ship.
Shore Things and the Spa Are the Two Normal Charges
These two work exactly like they do on every other cruise line, so there is no surprise here, just a cost to plan for.
Shore Things is what Virgin calls shore excursions. If you want to snorkel with sharks or take a tour in port, you pay for it, same as anywhere.
Spa services at Redemption Spa are also extra, and so is the Thermal Suite. That is the block of time with the salt room, the mud room, the cold plunge, and the hot tubs, and it is charged separately from any treatment.
Should You Tip on Top? My Honest Answer
No, you do not have to. Your daily gratuity covers it, and in 60+ nights on these ships I have been asked to tip exactly zero times.
I do tip on top anyway, and saying so out loud has earned me a genuinely impressive pile of hate comments. So here is the reasoning rather than just the behaviour.
The service on these ships is the best part of them. If I mention a specific glass of champagne, someone will walk to another bar and bring it to wherever I am sitting. That is not scripted, and I like being able to say thank you in cash.
The mistake I made on my first sailing was reading “tips are included” and bringing no cash at all. Most Sailors I meet say the same thing: bring some, and if you do not use it, you take it home.
This is completely optional and it is your money. What is not optional is comparing prices before you book, which is the one place you can save real money on a Virgin sailing.
Not sure if we can get you the best deal? Learn more about us in Virgin Voyages Facebook group by clicking here!
So What Does a Week Actually Cost You on Top of the Fare?
Two Sailors on a seven-night voyage will owe $280 in prepaid gratuities, or $308 if they let it post onboard. That is the one number you can count on, and it is worth prepaying to save the $28.
Everything after that is a choice. Skip the alcohol, the spa, and the excursions and your extras really can be close to zero, because the food, the shows, the classes, and the Wi-Fi are already paid for.
Drink normally, book a couple of Shore Things, and add a Thermal Suite pass, and you are looking at a few hundred dollars more per person. Prices move, so check the current ones in the Sailor App rather than trusting any article, including this one.
What you will not find is a surprise. There is no resort fee, no specialty dining upsell, and no automatic service charge appearing on a bar tab you already paid for.
Is Virgin Voyages All-Inclusive? FAQ
Is Virgin Voyages all-inclusive?
Not fully, but it is closer than most. All 20+ eateries, basic Wi-Fi, group fitness classes, water, soda, and drip coffee are included. Alcohol, specialty coffee, shore excursions, spa treatments, and gratuities are not.
Are gratuities included on Virgin Voyages?
Not on bookings made from October 7, 2025 onward. They are $20 per Sailor per day prepaid, or $22 per day settled onboard. Bookings made before that date still have gratuities included.
Is there a Virgin Voyages drink package?
No. There is no drink package at all. Alcohol is pay as you go, though you can prepay a Bar Tab and get bonus value on it.
Is food included on Virgin Voyages?
Yes, at every eatery on the ship, with no specialty dining charge. Only a few add-ons cost extra, like truffles, caviar, wagyu, and the seafood tower.
Is Wi-Fi included on Virgin Voyages?
Basic Wi-Fi is included. Premium Wi-Fi, which you want for streaming or uploading, is a paid upgrade.
Are drinks like water and soda included?
Yes. Still water, sparkling water, sodas, teas, non-pressed juices, and drip coffee are all included. Pressed juices, smoothies, and specialty coffee are not.
Do I have to tip extra on Virgin Voyages?
No. Once your daily gratuity is paid, nothing more is expected anywhere on the ship. Tipping on top is entirely optional.
So, Is Virgin Voyages All-Inclusive?
Close, and closer than almost anything else at the price. Every restaurant, the Wi-Fi, the classes, the shows, and the water are already yours. Alcohol, the spa, excursions, and gratuities are not.
The honest headline for 2026 is that one thing moved. Gratuities came out of the fare on October 7, 2025 and now sit on their own line at $20 a day. Nothing else about what is included changed.
And if you want someone watching these changes and telling you what they mean for your specific booking, that is exactly what JC and I do. No fees, ever.
