After sailing on Virgin Voyages a several times, I’ve realized the ships are full of little details that most people don’t notice right away.
Some are helpful (like where to grab a physical ship map), some are delicious (hello tres leches cake), and some are just fun little traditions I’ve picked up along the way.
None of these things are huge headline features of the cruise — but they’re the kind of random discoveries that end up making the experience even better.
If you're planning your first sailing, start with my Virgin Voyages Cruise Tips & Tricks: Ultimate Guide Before You Sail, then come back to this list. These are the little things you might not notice until you're already onboard.
And if you're still deciding whether a sailing is right for you, flights to your cruise port are easy to compare on Skyscanner, which lets you check prices across multiple airlines in one place.
Here are 7 random things I’ve discovered on Virgin Voyages that you might want to know about.
If you like having a physical map of the ship, there’s an easy place to grab one that a lot of sailors miss.
Head to Sailor Services on Deck 5. As soon as you walk in, there’s a small table with printed ship maps available.
Virgin Voyages does have a deck map inside the app, but if you prefer a physical copy, this is the place to get it.
I actually discovered this later in the cruise, and I wish I had grabbed one earlier. The printed map lets you see all the decks at once, which makes it much easier to understand how everything connects and navigate around the ship.
Sometimes it’s just easier to glance at a paper map than scroll through your phone while trying to figure out if you’re supposed to go up two decks or down one.
One of my favorite little discoveries on Virgin Voyages is the tres leches cake hiding in the grab-and-go coolers around the ship.
You’ll find these coolers in places like The Galley and also on the way out toward the Dock House outside. They’re easy to walk right past because everything is tucked inside a refrigerator case rather than displayed like a dessert counter.
Inside the cooler you’ll usually find a small container of tres leches cake topped with mango compote.
It’s a super moist vanilla cake, and the mango on top adds just the right amount of sweetness.
It’s available every day — and I know this because I somehow managed to eat one every single day of the cruise.
Sometimes I grabbed one at lunch as a little treat, and other times it became the perfect late-night snack after a show or a night out on the ship.
It’s one of those things that doesn’t jump out at you, but once you notice it, you’ll probably start checking that cooler every day too.
One thing a lot of people don’t realize about Virgin Voyages is that they actually offer several different cabin setups depending on who you're traveling with.
First, there are solo cabins, which are great if you’re traveling alone. There aren’t a ton of them though, so they tend to book quickly.
They also offer cabins that sleep three people. These rooms include a pull-down bed from the ceiling, which creates a third sleeping space without making the room feel crowded.
Another option that works really well if you're traveling with a friend is splitting the king bed into two twin beds.
I’ve actually done this twice when cruising with a friend, and it works great. You still have plenty of space, and you can tuck your luggage under one of the beds, which helps keep the room more open.
If you're comparing room types, see my full breakdown in Virgin Voyages Cabin Guide: Which Room Should You Book, where I explain the different layouts and what each one is best for.
It’s a simple setup, but it makes sharing a cabin much more comfortable when you're not traveling as a couple.
One of my favorite little traditions on Virgin Voyages usually happens after the evening shows, right before heading to bed.
I love stopping by The Social Club for a quick snack and then heading to the galley for a cup of tea.
They have a whole candy setup with jars of things like taffy and gummy bears, plus little treats like rice crispy squares and brownies.
If I’m feeling savory instead of sweet, I’ll sometimes grab a pretzel or popcorn, or even the Philly cheesesteak hot dog, which is one of my favorite snacks there.
Then I’ll head to The Galley to grab a cup of tea. They have plenty of options, but I almost always go for mint tea, add a little sugar, and splash in either whole milk or almond milk.
Sometimes we sit right there in The Social Club, and other nights we’ll take a little tea break in The Galley if we skipped the show and stayed up watching a movie.
It’s a simple little end-of-the-night routine, but somehow it became one of my favorite parts of the cruise.
One random thing I discovered on Virgin Voyages is that the screens inside the elevators actually show what’s happening around the ship that day.
I usually take the stairs when I can, so the few times I did hop in the elevator I was kind of entertained (and honestly a little delighted) to see the screens cycling through the daily highlights.
They show things like:
• shows
• trivia
• parties
• other events happening around the ship
It’s basically a quick snapshot of what’s going on without having to open the app.
Even if I already knew what I wanted to do that day, it was a nice little reminder of everything happening onboard.
If you walk to the very back of the ship in the afternoon, you’ll find one of my favorite food traditions on Virgin Voyages: Opa Hour at The Dock.
It runs every day from 3:30–5:30 PM and is one of the most relaxed food experiences on the ship.
The Dock sits at the back of the ship with comfortable seating and ocean views, making it a perfect place to relax for a bit in the afternoon.
The best part is you can just walk in and sit anywhere — no reservation needed. Each table has a small flag, and when you're ready to order you simply raise it and a crew member will come take your order.
The menu is made up of Mediterranean-style small plates and they also have mezze, which makes it fun to try a few different things.
Some of my personal must-orders are:
Watermelon and Feta Salad
micro basil / toasted pumpkin seeds
Walnut and Pomegranate Dip
piquillo pepper / cilantro
Shortbread
lemon yogurt / pomegranate
Since everything is served as small plates, it’s easy to order a few dishes and share while enjoying the ocean breeze.
And yes, this absolutely counts as a snack. Even if you already had lunch. Vacation calories don’t count anyway.
One of the best parts about dining on Virgin Voyages is that everything is included, which means you can try as much of the menu as you want.
And yes — that includes dessert.
If something looks good, just order it. Or order two. Or order all of them and share.
Brad and I usually end up ordering every dessert on the menu and splitting them so we can try everything. The servers never question it and are always happy to bring them out.
There are a couple places though where I don’t bother ordering extras because I already know exactly what I want.
At The Wake, I always get the lemon cheesecake. It’s so good that I don’t even try the other desserts there anymore. If you’re dining with someone else, just order two because you’ll probably want your own.
And at Extra Virgin, I always order the affogato with chocolate hazelnut ice cream. Same rule applies here — just order two.
But everywhere else? We usually just order the whole dessert menu and share.
When it’s all included, why not?
If you're planning your dining strategy before your sailing, check out my Virgin Voyages Restaurant Guide, where I break down what to order at each restaurant.
Most Virgin Voyages sailings depart from Miami, so if you're arriving the night before (which I highly recommend), it helps to stay close to the port.
You can browse hotels near PortMiami here, which makes embarkation morning much easier when the ship is only a short drive away.
Many hotels in downtown Miami are just minutes from the port and offer easy access to cruise terminals and transportation.
Virgin Voyages does a lot of things differently from traditional cruise lines, and sometimes it’s the little unexpected details that make the experience even more fun.
Whether it’s grabbing a hidden dessert from a cooler, discovering Opa Hour at The Dock, or starting your own late-night snack tradition after a show, these are the kinds of small moments that end up becoming some of my favorite memories on the ship.
And if you take nothing else from this list, just remember one thing:
Order all the desserts.
If you want more onboard tips, activities, and cruise planning advice, you’ll probably also enjoy my 20 Things First-Time Virgin Voyages Sailors Should Know.
A three-hour walking food tour through Old Town Key West that functioned as breakfast, lunch, and my new personality.
The Secret Food Tour hits five stops... and no, I’m not telling you where because discovering them is genuinely part of it. What I will tell you: the mutton snapper fish tacos with key lime mustard sauce were the dish I kept thinking about for days. There was also key lime pie involved at some point, which should surprise no one.
Our guide Deanna was excellent! She mixed local history and food stories in a way that felt like being shown around by someone who actually lives there rather than following a checklist. The group was small, the pacing was easy, and by the end I was completely full and slightly sad it was over.
Full review with everything you need to know before booking | link in bio 🌴
If you’re doing a Netherlands tulip trip and renting a car, staying directly in Amsterdam might actually be working against you…
We stayed at Hotel Heemskerk it’s on a historic estate outside the city, quieter than I expected, and about 20-30 minutes from the tulip fields. Free parking included, which after seeing Amsterdam parking prices felt genuinely exciting in a way I’m not embarrassed about. @hotelheemskerk worked really well as a base for exploring northern Holland without fighting city traffic every single morning.
Full review with room details, parking tips, location breakdown, and what’s nearby | link in bio. 🌷
I planned to spend maybe an hour at a cheese farm outside Amsterdam and left several hours later with an engraved clog birdhouse, way too much cheese, and a strong opinion on 1.5-year aged Gouda.
Clara Maria Cheese Farm near Amstelveen does a free cheese and clog demonstration that was genuinely one of my favorite things from the entire Netherlands trip. The farm is over 160 years old, the people running it are wonderful, and the tour guide Delo was hilarious in a way I was not prepared for.
A few things that surprised me: Dutch cheese gets its golden color naturally from beta carotene in cow’s milk. The entire cheese-making process is still done largely by hand pressed, flipped, salt-soaked, and hand-waxed before aging even starts. And Americans (myself included) have been pronouncing Gouda wrong our whole lives. It’s closer to “HOW-da.” I understand this now and will still panic and say it wrong anyway.
We tried about ten cheeses ranging from fresh to 20 years aged. The 20-year was aggressively pungent, think concentrated smelly feet... but the 1.5-year was perfect. We also met the cows. Honestly the whole thing was a lot more personal than I expected from a tourist stop.
Full review with what to know before you go, link in bio. 🧀
There’s a little cottage tucked inside a forest just south of Amsterdam that serves giant Dutch pancakes, and somehow I ended up there on a bike ride with no plan and left completely obsessed. 🥞
Boerderij Meerzicht is inside Amsterdamse Bos, Amsterdam’s massive outdoor park full of biking trails, canals, deer, and families spending the whole afternoon outside. It doesn’t feel like a tourist spot. It feels like something locals actually go to, which is exactly why I liked it.
Dutch pancakes are nothing like American pancakes. They’re huge, thin, somewhere between a crepe and a flapjack, and the toppings cover the whole thing. The honest caveat: the ordering system is slightly confusing at first because pancakes are ordered separately from everything else. Watch one other table do it and suddenly it all makes sense.
I got the apple pancake with cinnamon and powdered sugar, and it was exactly what I wanted. Also got the savory bacon, apple, and syrup combination, which sounds wrong and tasted very right.
Full review with the ordering process breakdown, what we ate, prices, and a tip for navigating there without getting lost | link in bio.
The tulip fields in the Netherlands look exactly like the photos, except the photos don’t capture how massive the color blocks actually are stretching across the countryside. Or the windmills. Or the sheep randomly standing in the middle of everything like they don’t know they’re in the most photogenic country on earth.
The honest caveat: tulip season moves fast, the fields rotate every year, and peak bloom is not a guarantee, it depends on the weather, the harvest schedule, and a little bit of luck. But that’s also part of what makes it feel less like a tourist attraction and more like something you actually found.
Full driving route with towns, parking tips, and what to expect | linked in bio. 🌷
#netherlands #travelling #tulipfields #exploreeurope
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