Virgin Voyages?

[+ KensingtonHomo]

Me and my husband are booking a Greek isle cruise on Virgin Voyages for this June. We're told is super gay friendly and generally 15-30 percent gay folks on board. I'm curious if anyone on here has been and what your experience was like. 

[56harrisond]

I am a huge fan of Virgin cruises. Everyone seemed very comfortable and inviting. Plus there's no kids, so it's a very enjoyable atmosphere. It's certainly LGBTQ friendly, diverse mix of passengers and ship events and entertainment. The audience participation The Miss Behave Show is a must see. And there's even a drag show.

The crew and staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. When I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise, I'd walk by a staff member and passing by them was like ships in the night. On Virgin, every staff member made a point to say 'hi' or offer a pleasantry.

The food is incredible and really fresh. There's a wide variety of offerings and eatery options. There isn't a main dinner dining room, but you don't miss it.

The cabins are comparable to other cruise lines, except Virgin ships are only a few years old, so the furniture and tech is new and up to date.

[BillyMan]

Agree with all of the above.  It helped that I was also with a gay group: 

Two Bad Tourists | LGBTQ+ Travel Guides & Gay Tours

TWOBADTOURISTS.COM

---

Explore the world with confidence with our LGBTQ+ travel guides featuring dining, gay nightlife, hotels, tours, sightseeing & more. Plus, find gay group & guided tours...

 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

I've sailed on all of their ships.  It's a solid product.

That said, the changes made since the first year are evident and they're trying to attract a more middle-America clientele like other cruise ships.

Less risque entertainment.  More typical cruise shit.

The food is still solid.  Some unique choices (for being on the ocean). 

The rooms are small and not beautifully built-out.  Even suites feel small, except for the bathrooms (which are huge).  The hammock on the balcony is a nice touch, but it concerns me how dirty they get and how infrequently they're cleaned.

The crew is amazing.  They speak to guests like normal people, ask real questions about your life and are encouraged to interact.  

... And by interact, I mean doing multiple shots of Jameson together.  A few of those nights were a blur thanks to the bar staff at The Loose Cannon.

Great gym facility.  Large spa.  Unique entertainment spaces.  A lot of small, quiet alcoves on the ship to hide out if you're not into the 'scene'

[BrooklynIrish]

Thanks guys. I’ve never been on a cruise before and this sounds really good. 

[KevinFL]

On 3/13/2025 at 11:15 PM, BenjaminNicholas said:

I've sailed on all of their ships.  It's a solid product.

That said, the changes made since the first year are evident and they're trying to attract a more middle-America clientele like other cruise ships.

Less risque entertainment.  More typical cruise shit.

The food is still solid.  Some unique choices (for being on the ocean). 

The rooms are small and not beautifully built-out.  Even suites feel small, except for the bathrooms (which are huge).  The hammock on the balcony is a nice touch, but it concerns me how dirty they get and how infrequently they're cleaned.

The crew is amazing.  They speak to guests like normal people, ask real questions about your life and are encouraged to interact.  

... And by interact, I mean doing multiple shots of Jameson together.  A few of those nights were a blur thanks to the bar staff at The Loose Cannon.

Great gym facility.  Large spa.  Unique entertainment spaces.  A lot of small, quiet alcoves on the ship to hide out if you're not into the 'scene'

or quiet alcoves to hide out with Benjamin

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

2 hours ago, KevinFL said:

or quiet alcoves to hide out with Benjamin

It sounds like fun, until you realize how tough it is to hide in plain sight with a 6'4" 220 ginger.

[DL_nudist]

How is the Scarlett Lady Bear Cruise? My partner and I are going on a Bear Cruise and want to know more about it. What can we expect? It's not a 100% gay cruise, which is fine, but we wonder about whether or not there are deck areas just for the gay cruisers, etc. 

[DL_nudist]

On 3/13/2025 at 8:28 PM, 56harrisond said:

I am a huge fan of Virgin cruises. Everyone seemed very comfortable and inviting. Plus there's no kids, so it's a very enjoyable atmosphere. It's certainly LGBTQ friendly, diverse mix of passengers and ship events and entertainment. The audience participation The Miss Behave Show is a must see. And there's even a drag show.

The crew and staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. When I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise, I'd walk by a staff member and passing by them was like ships in the night. On Virgin, every staff member made a point to say 'hi' or offer a pleasantry.

The food is incredible and really fresh. There's a wide variety of offerings and eatery options. There isn't a main dinner dining room, but you don't miss it.

The cabins are comparable to other cruise lines, except Virgin ships are only a few years old, so the furniture and tech is new and up to date.

Are there male massage therapists on any of the Virgin ships?? 

[56harrisond]

1 hour ago, DL_nudist said:

Are there male massage therapists on any of the Virgin ships?? 

I didn't get a massage at the spa, but I presume there are masseurs. Although it would vary by ship.

[BuffaloKyle]

Since no one has said this yet....

I'd love to go but I'm not a virgin, that ship sailed a long time ago!

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 11/2/2025 at 6:25 PM, DL_nudist said:

How is the Scarlett Lady Bear Cruise? My partner and I are going on a Bear Cruise and want to know more about it. What can we expect? It's not a 100% gay cruise, which is fine, but we wonder about whether or not there are deck areas just for the gay cruisers, etc. 

I have been on several Bears cruises:

Adventure Bears River Cruise (charter) 

Arno's Bear Cruise (group) 

Cruise4Bears with Spartacus (charter) 

Plus a handful of other gay group and gay chartered sailing (Vacaya, RSVP, OUTbound travel, Pied Piper Travel).

I have also been on a dozen cruises that didn't have a gay group on board when I was traveling with family and friends. 

I absolutely always look for gay groups or gay chartered sailings for my future travels.

I have not been on Virgin ships, because they look a little too Ikea for my tastes, and I look forward to conversation in the main dining room each night with others in the gay group.  Because Virgin has so many restaurants, the Bears group fine print says they only meet together the first evening for dinner.... Then after that everyone is on his own for the remainder of the evenings to find a location and dining partner each night.  That's just not appealing to me.

For my personal preference, I look for cruises with traditional dining, but also for men's only sauna and steam rooms on board to suit my desires for leisure "cruising" activities

 

Edited Wednesday at 05:59 PM by Vegas_Millennial

[56harrisond]

3 hours ago, BuffaloKyle said:

Since no one has said this yet....

I'd love to go but I'm not a virgin, that ship sailed a long time ago!

I didn't see any virgins when I was on my cruise. But I wasn't really looking for them.

[CuriousByNature]

4 hours ago, BuffaloKyle said:

Since no one has said this yet....

I'd love to go but I'm not a virgin, that ship sailed a long time ago!

Maybe I'd be the only guest on the ship - lol

[DL_nudist]

On 3/13/2025 at 8:28 PM, 56harrisond said:

I am a huge fan of Virgin cruises. Everyone seemed very comfortable and inviting. Plus there's no kids, so it's a very enjoyable atmosphere. It's certainly LGBTQ friendly, diverse mix of passengers and ship events and entertainment. The audience participation The Miss Behave Show is a must see. And there's even a drag show.

The crew and staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. When I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise, I'd walk by a staff member and passing by them was like ships in the night. On Virgin, every staff member made a point to say 'hi' or offer a pleasantry.

The food is incredible and really fresh. There's a wide variety of offerings and eatery options. There isn't a main dinner dining room, but you don't miss it.

The cabins are comparable to other cruise lines, except Virgin ships are only a few years old, so the furniture and tech is new and up to date.

We're looking forward to it and hope that we meet some like-minded guys who might enjoy playing together.

[PragueMen]

I love Virgin they’re the best cruise line. Yes since it’s 18+ it’s very gay friendly, and usually 20-30% of the passengers are gay. I have gone on several sailings with known models, and pretty sure they’ve gotten recognized on two of the three sailings we went on. I also saw a guy who was obviously with a male escort that had a public leakage incident, but that’s a story for another time.
 

I would highly recommend going and I know you’ll feel welcome and good.