Virgin Voyages Bar Tab offer: Is It Worth the Value?

Taking a Virgin Voyages cruise is about sailing into the sunset, while what you do on board forms the epicenter of your cruise journey. One of the benefits many sailors delve into is the Virgin Voyages Bar Tab. Below is all the information: what it is, if it is worth it, active bar tab promos and offers, drink price list, and per-cabin tips to help you with your decision.

What exactly is a Virgin Voyages Bar Tab?

Photo Courtesy: Virgin Voyages

Virgin Voyages Bar Tab is a prepaid credit that you buy before you go sailing and that acts as drink credit onboard. Different levels of bar tabs are offered (say, US$200, $300, $500, $750, or $1000), and with each bar tab, you have a bonus (extra credit) for purchasing in advance. It must be bought via the Virgin Voyages app or website at least 48 hours before your voyage.

These Bar Tabs are non-refundable and cannot be purchased onboard.

Virgin Voyages Bar Tab Promotion / Offer

Along with its famous slightly different bar tab promotion or bar tab offer where bonus credit may be received if one does so by pre-purchasing the Bar Tab, the Paramount Cruises reference says:

• $200 Bar Tab gets an extra $25 (≈12.5% extra)
• $300 Bar Tab gets $50 extra (≈16.7%)
• $500 Bar Tab gets $100 extra (20%)
• $750 Bar Tab gets $175 extra (≈23.3%)
• $1000 Bar Tab gets $250 extra (25%)

You may also get some further bonus by buying the $300 Bar Tab, should you hold the “Sea Rover” or “Sea Blazer” loyalty status.

These are among some of the things to consider with the bar tab. The offers only apply when purchased 48 hours prior to sailing.

Is the Virgin Voyages Bar Tab Worth It?

Bar Tabing at Virgin Voyages depends on how you drink aboard or otherwise consume beverages, on how many people in your cabin will be using it, and on what drinks they ordinarily order.

You should compare these to decide:

• The cost of drinks on the ship (cocktails, beers, wines, spirits, mocktails, soft drinks, and so forth)
• The bonus you get if you pre-purchase the bar tab.
• How much do you think you will consume with the credit?

Some companies might give examples of onboard prices, such as:

• By the glass of wine: about US$9
• Beer: about US$8
• Cocktails: about US$14
• Spirits / liquors (mixers free): about US$8 per measure
• Specialty soft drinks / mocktails / coffee etc.: Varies, starting at US$5.

If you plan on having two or more drinks daily, you will find the bar tab worth it, especially at higher levels where the bonus becomes more generous. But if you drink rarely, or mostly stick to water or discounted beverages (if any), it is less likely to be fully used. The best thing is to do a rough calculation (some might call it a "bar tab calculator") of how much you would actually spend versus how much bonus there is.

Virgin Cruise Bar Tab Per Cabin

The key to deciding the bar tab per cabin is to consider how many people share the cabin and how much each one may drink. If two or more intend to drink or just enjoy cocktails, wine, or spirits in the cabin, then it will make a lot of sense to pool the credit that comes with the bar tab. The decision on cane per-cabin consumption considers whether a smaller bar tab will suffice with some bonus, or a larger bar tab, so that each one has an amount comfortable to spend.

According to information available at present, Unconfirmed seems to be that Virgin Voyages does not limit the bar tab per cabin in terms of policy, but it would be great to go by the amount that corresponds to the combined consumption of the usage of your cabin. More drinkers = more usage = more opportunity to use the bar tab to its fullest.

Tips Before You Buy

• Buy 48 hours in advance: While you are eligible to receive bonus/offer only if reserved at least 48 hours in advance from your sailing.
• Use the Bar Tab Calculator: Use resources such as this calculator to forecast your likely expenditure onboard for drinks to best determine the tier to go for.
• Know the price of drinks: Know the price of your average drink to estimate your expenses.
• Check your loyalty status: If you are a Sea Rover or Sea Blazer, you perhaps might get additional bonus for certain tiers.

Conclusion

The bar tab program by Virgin Voyages would probably be worthwhile if you'll be drinking or perhaps enjoying special sodas, cocktails, spirits, and wines onboard, especially if more than one individual in your cabin is going to use the tabs. The Virgin Voyages bar tab offer plus bonus credit is really strong at higher levels. But light drinkers or those who prefer included/non-alcoholic options might not find the value in the prices.

With just a bit of advance planning (using the offer, checking the bonus, estimating spend per cabin), the Virgin Voyages Bar Tab can expand the whole cruise experience and provide good value.