When it comes to booking vacations, cruising is somewhat different than most other options. In some ways that's great. For example, you can book a cruise in advance and put down 10% - 20% and then pay over time. The flip side is that there are lots of dates to remember. If you need to cancel or postpone your trip or change passengers you want to make sure you get it done in time or it could cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars!
To help you out, we're breaking down all of the important dates you'll need to remember if you're cruising with Virgin Voyages.
Whether you book your cruise three months or a year in a half in advance, you 'll want to make sure to remember these dates - like when you can book excursions, when your final payment is due and even when to start the check-in process online. It can be overwhelming - hopefully this article will help you keep track of everything you'll need to remember!
Within 24 Hours of Finding a Cruise: You can hold any cruise without a deposit for 24 hours. If you don't return to complete the booking and make your deposit it will be automatically released after 24 hours.
135 Days Before Departure: Sailors who are booked in Rockstar or Mega Rockstar quarters can now book Shore Things. These can be booked on the Virgin Voyages app, over the phone with Sailor Services or through your travel advisor.
121 Days or More Before Departure: If you book your cruise earlier than 120 days prior to departure you can hold your booking with a 20% deposit.
If you need to cancel your cruise, you can cancel for a full refund within 7 days of booking as long as you are 121 days or more away from your sailing date.
If you need to cancel your cruise that you booked more than 7 days ago, you may do so, but at this point your 20% deposit will not be refunded. Instead, it will be given to you in the form of a Future Voyage Credit (FVC). Anything that you have paid OVER the 20% deposit will be refunded to you during this time period.
120 Days Before Departure: This is an important day for two reasons!
Your booking MUST be paid in full.
Shore Things (Excursions) can now be reserved by all sailors. You can do this on the app, online, by calling Sailor Services or just let your travel advisor take care of it for you!
Also, remember to double check that you have your passport and it is not within 6 months of expiring.
120 Days - 45 Days Prior to Departure: You can still hold a booking for 24 hours without making a payment during this time but if you do decide to book you will need to make payment in full. You can also cancel your cruise during this period but you will receive the entire value in the form of a Future Voyage Credit (FVC).
60 Days Prior to Departure: Sailors in Rockstar and Mega Rockstar Quarters can now make dining reservations and select their disembarkation time.
45 Days Prior to Departure: This is another really important day to remember!
Bookings made between 45 days and 48 hours of departure can NOT be held for 24 hours. They must be paid in full when booked and they are non-refundable at this point, including a Future Voyage Credit.
Existing booking are no longer eligible for a Future Cruise Credit if canceled.
The good news is that all sailors can now make dining reservations and choose a disembarkation time!
48 Hours Prior to Departure: At any time up to 48 hours before boarding, sailors can change sailors names with no penalty or charge. This is a big deal as most cruise lines charge for name changes and will only allow you to change the name of one guest in a stateroom. If you must cancel within 45 days of departure and don't have trip insurance this option would allow someone else to cruise in your place.
Just a few other things to keep in mind when planning your Virgin Voyages Cruise:
Bar Tabs can only be purchased prior to cruising. You can, of course, purchase drinks without a purchasing a Bar Tab, however when you buy a $300 bar tab prior to cruising, Virgin will add $50 free!
Shore Things (Excursions) can be booked prior to cruising OR on the ship, but popular excursions fill up quickly so you may want to consider booking them as soon as they become available.
You are allowed to purchase trip insurance through Virgin Voyages anytime up until you make the final payment on your cruise.
If keeping track of all these dates sounds overwhelming, we'd love to take over all the planning for you! Using Palm Paradise Travel costs you nothing - you can learn more about how we make money here. We promise we will save you lots of time, find you the perfect cruise, and remind you of all the important dates and things that need to be done prior to your trip. In the event you need to make changes or have any issues we handle those for you too! Feel free to fill out the form below or call/text us anytime at 800-368-3395. We're the least salesy people you'll ever meet and are always happy to answer questions even if you decide not to book with us! You can also browse cruises here or join our Facebook group where we discuss all things Virgin Voyages!
We hope to see you on the high seas soon!
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