🕒 Updated: December 21, 2024 | Published: December 20, 2024 | Written by: Joenid
If you plan to sail with the Virgin Voyages cruise 🚢, you must know about the sailor loot! While Virgin Voyages is famously known for its inclusive offerings and adult-only environment. There are a few extras you’ll need to pay from your pocket. That’s where sailor loot comes into play. In this article, I’ll dive into the sailor loot in detail, how to get it, and the best ways to spend it on board.
What Is Sailor Loot On Virgin Voyages?
Sailor loot is on board credit for sailors to enhance your cruise experience by covering several expenses. Some expenses include excursions (or “shore things”), rejuvenating spa treatments, premium beverages, and more, which I’ll cover in detail below. The sailor loot credit will be available to you as soon as you embark on the cruise. You’ll use the Virgin Vogayes app 📲 to track your sailor loot balance making it easy to enjoy on board.
Important Limitations On Sailor Loot
- Pre-Boarding Purchases: If you purchase a shore thing or bar tab before boarding the ship. Be aware that this cost will not be deducted from your sailor loot balance. You’ll have to pay it out of your own pocket.
- Onboard Restrictions: Once you’re on board, sailor loot cannot 🚫 be used for any pre-voyages purchase (commonly known as “My Next Virgin Voyages”).
- Balance Carryover: Most people think the unused balance is carried over to the next cruise. Unfortunately, any remaining Sailor Loot balance will not 🚫 transfer even on back-to-back sailings.
- No Cash-Out Option: Most importantly, you can’t 🚫 cash out the Virgin Voyages Sailor Loot balance. Ensure you fully use it, otherwise you’ll lose it all.
How To Get Sailor Loot On Virgin Voyages?
Technically you cannot 🚫 purchase sailor loot like you would with a bar tab (I’ll cover their differences below). I’ve found two effective methods to get sailor loot, the first time is booking my voyages through a First Mate.
A First Mate is a travel agent who specializes in Virgin Voyages and can offer special promotions that include sailor loot credit. This is my preferred method because a First Mate often has other credit offers and has assisted me in changing cabins when needed.
The second method I’ve got sailor loot is purchasing the “My Next Virgin Voyages” offer while on board 🚢. This offer is only available on board, and I highly recommend taking advantage of it.
Tip: Even if you haven’t decided on your future sailing plans. By putting down $300 as a placeholder, you’ll get up to 2 years to decide on your trip. Even if you end up not going you can easily transfer your MNVV to a friend or family member.
How Much Sailor Loot You Can Get?
In the past I was able to get $600 of Sailor Loot (which I totally loved) as shown in the Add-ons picture below. However, in the current MNVV offer the amount of Sailor Loot you can get varies depending on the length of your trip.
It starts on $150 credit (trips from 4-5 nights), $200 credit (trips from 6-8 nights), and $200 credit (trips over 9 nights). Nonetheless, booking through a First Mate you might get additional sailor loot credit, as you see in my Add-ons picture below.
Note: Sailor loot is assigned per person, not per cabin. Whoever is the primary sailor in your cabin will get the credit. Ensure you link 🔗 your account to your cabinmate if you are the primary sailor and you’re the one covering the expenses. Failing to do so means any purchases made by your cabinmate on board will be charged to their credit card in the Virgin Voyages app.
Bar Tab vs. Sailor Loot: Key Differences
The Bar Tab is a pre-paid option that covers exclusively premium beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks). The Sailor Loot is more versatile than the bar tab because it covers more than drinks (like shore things, spa treatments, premium beverages, and more).
Note: While Sailor Loot is more flexible you cannot buy it like a Bar Tab. Also, you cannot 🚫 use Sailor Loot to buy a Bar Tab.
Ways to Spend Your Virgin Voyages Sailor Loot
1. Drinks Beyond the Bar Tab
While sailing any available balance in your bar tab will cover premium drinks purchases until it’s fully depleted. After that, any additional drink goes into your Virgin Voyages sailor loot balance.
- If you’re celebrating a special occasion 🎉 or just want to enjoy a glass of champagne. You can shake your phone on board to reveal a secret bottom that allows you to order a Moët Champagne 🍾. A crew member will deliver it right to you anywhere you are on the ship!
- During my October 2024 sailing on the Valiant Lady, they had an “opa hour” at The Dock House (from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm). You can use your sailor loot to enjoy Kleo Patra cocktails 🍸 and bites.
- Drip coffee and basic beverages are complimentary. However, you can use your sailor loot for upgrades like espresso coffee ☕️, premium teas 🫖, smoothies, or cold press juices.
- For those who love culinary drink pairings 🍹, you can explore the Sip and Savor Menu offered in the dining restaurants. I highly recommend the drink pairing “Cocktail 35” in The Test Kitchen. Because in this restaurant, you’ll have more time 🕟 to enjoy dishes and drinks.
- Enjoy a bottomless brunch drink option (mimosa, rosé wine, or Filthy Bloody Mary) at The Wake.
Note: While on the ship, you can check your purchases and the remaining balance of your bar tab and sailor loot through the Virgin Voyages App. Once you deplete the bar tab and sailor loot, your credit card linked to your VV app profile covers any other purchases.
2. Dining Upgrades
- On some of the main dinner menus, you’ll find the specialty “Treat Yourself”, an upgraded dish designed to enhance your dining experience. You can use your Virgin Voyages Sailor Loot to cover the additional fee. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried any Treat Yourself upgrades because they don’t offer vegan and gluten-free dishes.
3. On board Experiences
Another way to use your Sailor loot is by booking on board experiences. If you want to participate, ensure you book them as soon as you gain access to Virgin Voyages Wi-Fi 🛜 because some are very popular and fill up quickly.
- Grog Walk is a perfect activity for anyone, especially for solo sailors looking to connect with other cruisers. Typically, the Grog Walk occurs on the sailing night and ends at the pajama party.
Note: The happening cast hosts this experience and takes participants to different bars for drinks. This is a perfect opportunity to meet the happening cast. If they like you, you might gain access to Virgin Voayages’ secret 🤫 on board experiences.
- Afternoon Tea experience at the Sip Lounge, which not only includes tea 🫖 but also pastries 🍰. However, I haven’t tried it because none of their pastries are vegan and gluten-free, and I find it too pricey to spend $19 for just the tea.
4. Shore Things
Once on board, any “shore thing” you book using the Virgin Voyages Wi-Fi will be charged to your sailor loot balance. Any shore thing booked before boarding will be charged to the credit card 💳 on your sailor file.
Tip: The shore things open 120 days before embarkation (135 days for 🎸Mega RockStar and RockStar Quarters). If there’s any shore thing you really want to book. I highly recommend not waiting until you’re on board because some get booked quickly.
- Shore things vary per trip and port location. I don’t book shore things because the ports I’ve visited during my Caribbean trips have plenty of wonderful places to explore. For instance, Puerto Plata port offers free pool access (which is gorgeous!). At Bimini port, we always head to the Beach Club because there is no additional fee to visit the facilities.
- If your trip stops in the Bimini Beach Club 🏖️ and you’re celebrating a special occasion 🎉, you can use your sailor loot to rent a Cabana.
5. Spa and Beauty
- Redemption Spa offers massage, facials, acupuncture, body treatments, and access to a thermal suite. The thermal suite consists of different rooms: a sauna, a salt therapy room, a mud room, and cold plunge pools. This is my favorite way to relax on board, and you can use sailor loot to cover any spa experience.
Note: The price for a thermal suite differs between sea days and port days (port days are cheaper).
- Another way to use your sailor loot is to visit The Tune Up for a rejuvenating manicure 💅 and pedicure. The location is hidden (in my opinion), you’ll find it by the aquatic pool on deck 15.
- If you want to prepare for Scarlet Night, visit the Dry Dock where you can use your sailor loot for a fabulous hair blowout. If you need a professional face shave service, go to the Stubble & Groom the onboard barbershop.
- Want to create a permanent memory of your Voyages? Visit Squid Ink, the dedicated tattoo and piercing studio onboard.
6. Shopping With Virgin Voyages Sailor Loot
Virgin Voyages High Street on Desk 6 is the sea shopping street 🛍️. High Street opens when you’re at sea, everything is duty-free and you can use your sailor loot to make purchases. You’ll find luxury jewelry 💍, sunglasses 🕶️, tote bags, essential personal items like feminine products, and over-the-counter medications.
Tip: If you spot something you love buy it right away! Merchandise is limited on board and might not be available when you decide to buy it.
7. Ship Eats fee
Ship Eats is the 24-hour room service option to order food and drinks from the Virgin Voyages app or cabin tablet. There is a $10 fee 💸 that you can cover with your sailor loot.
Tip: If you order items totaling $10 or more, the $10 fee can be waived, and you’ll only pay for the item price instead.
8. Virgin Voyages Sailor Loot Casino
The good news about Virgin Voyages is that you can use your Sailor Loot to play in the casino 🎰. You cannot cash out the sailor loot itself on the casino. However, any winning from playing with your sailor loot can be cashed out.
Bottom line
In my opinion, Sailor Loot is truly useful because it covers a lot of expenses. However, don’t forget you can’t 🚫 buy Sailor Loot as you buy the bar tab. If you luckily get sailor loot credits, the most important thing to remember is that if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.
Keep track of your spending through the Virgin Voyages app and spend every last cent of their Sailor Loot onboard—don’t let it go to waste!
