8 Ways To Get And Spend Virgin Voyages Sailor Loot

If you’re planning a Virgin Voyages cruise, there’s one thing you absolutely need to know: Sailor Loot. While Virgin Voyages is famous for its inclusive perks and adult-only vibe, some extras aren’t covered.

In this article, we’ll reveal exactly what Virgin Voyages Sailor Loot is, how to earn it, and the smartest ways to spend it on board, so you won’t miss a single perk.

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What Is Sailor Loot On Virgin Voyages?

Sailor loot is onboard credit for sailors to enhance the cruise experience by covering several expenses. Some expenses include excursions (or “shore things”), rejuvenating spa treatments, premium beverages, and more, which we’ll cover in detail below.

B-Complex Burn + Bike Gym Virgin Voyages — *B-Complex Burn + Bike Gym*

The Sailor’s Loot credit will be available to you as soon as you embark on the cruise. You’ll use the Virgin Voyages app 📲 to track your Sailor Loot balance, making it easy to enjoy onboard.

Important Limitations On Sailor Loot

Pre-Boarding Purchases: If you purchase a shore thing or bar tab before boarding the ship. This cost will not be deducted. You’ll have to pay it out of your pocket.
Onboard Restrictions: Once onboard, Sailor Loot cannot 🚫 be used for any future pre-voyage purchase (commonly known as “My Next Virgin Voyages”).
Balance Carryover: Many people think the unused balance carries over to the next cruise. Unfortunately, any remaining Sailor Loot balance will not 🚫 transfer even on back-to-back sailings.
No Cash-Out Option: You can’t 🚫 cash out the Virgin Voyages Sailor Loot balance. Ensure you fully use it, otherwise, you’ll lose it all.

Tip: Before you even board, make sure you’ve secured your flights to the departure port and a hotel for the night before. ➡️You can check the best flight and hotel deals here.

How Do You Get Sailor Loot On Virgin Voyages?

Technically, you cannot buy Sailor Loot as you would with a bar tab (we’ll cover the differences below). We’ve found two methods to get Sailor Loot:

First option: A First Mate is a travel agent who specializes in Virgin Voyages and can offer special promotions that include Sailor Loot credit. This is our preferred method because a First Mate often has other credit offers and has assisted us in changing cabins when needed.
Second option: Purchase the “My Next Virgin Voyages” offer. We highly recommend taking advantage of this.

What is MNVV Sailor Loot on Virgin Voyages?

The MNVV, which stands for My Next Virgin Voyage, is basically a placeholder deposit you can purchase while you’re onboard a Virgin Voyages cruise. However, even if you don’t purchase the MNVV while on the ship, you still have the opportunity to purchase it after your sail, as long as it is within 14 days.

Here’s how it works:

You put down $150, even if you haven’t decided on your next cruise plans yet.
You’ll have up to two years to choose your next trip.
If you decide not to use it, you can transfer it to a friend or family member instead.
When you book your next cruise using your MNVV, you’ll receive Sailor Loot, which is Virgin’s name for onboard credit. The amount of Sailor Loot you get depends on the length of your future sailing.

Note: The MNVV offer is only applicable for future sailings in “The Sea Terrace” cabins and higher-categorized cabins/suites (like Central Sea Terrace and RockStar Quarters). This means Insider and Sea View cabins cannot be booked using an MNVV offer.

How Much Sailor Loot Can You Get?

In the past, we were able to get $600 of Sailor Loot (which we 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 at a $150 credit (trips from 4-5 nights)
A $200 credit (trips from 6-8 nights)
A $250 credit (trips over 9 nights).

My next virgin voyages exclusive onboard offer joenidcorner — *My Next Virgin Voyages Exclusive Onboard Offer*

Nonetheless, by booking through a First Mate, you might get additional sailor loot credit, as you see on the Virgin Voyages Add-ons screenshot.

virgin voyages add ons sailor loot for onboard use joenidcorner — *Virgin Voyages Add-ons Screenshot*

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 the other sailors in your cabin will be charged directly to the personal credit card they have linked in their Virgin Voyages app.

Can you use Sailor Loot to pay for a sailor in another cabin?

Yes, you can use Sailor Loot to cover the expenses of a sailor in another cabin. You can do this by making sure they scan your wristband (which holds the Sailor Loot credit) for their purchases. Alternatively, if you want to seamlessly run all the expenses for a sailor in another cabin, you can go to Sailor Services (deck 5) onboard to get the other sailor’s account officially linked to yours.

Dry Dock Hair Salon Virgin Voyages — *Dry Dock Hair Salon*

Bar Tab vs. Sailor Loot: Key Differences

The Virgin Voyages Bar Tab is a pre-paid option that exclusively covers premium beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks). The Sailor Loot is more versatile than the Bar Tab because it can be used for drinks and also covers things like shore excursions, spa treatments, and premium beverages.

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.

Can I bring wine on Virgin Voyages?

Yes, you’re allowed to bring up to two 750ml bottles of wine per cabin on your Virgin Voyages trip. If you’d like more tips on what to know before sailing, you might be interested in our guide on Virgin Voyages tips and hacks for first-time sailors.

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 drink purchases until it’s fully depleted. After that, any additional drink goes into your Virgin Voyages Sailor Loot balance. Ways to spend Sailor Loot:

If you’re celebrating a special occasion 🎉 or just want to enjoy a glass of champagne, you literally shake your phone, and it’s going to reveal a secret button that allows you to order Moët Champagne 🍾. A crew member will deliver it right to you anywhere you are on the ship.
On all sailings, they host an “Opa Hour” at The Dock House (from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm). While the delicious mezze bites are complimentary, you can use your Sailor Loot to pay for the Kleo Patra cocktails 🍸.
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.

virgin voyages the dock house opa hour menu joenidcorner — *The Dock House “Opa Hour” Menu*

virgin voyages grounds club too — *Ordering Espresso Coffee at Grounds Club Too*

Enjoy a bottomless brunch drink option (mimosa, rosé wine, or Filthy Bloody Mary) at The Wake or Razzle Dazzle. Keep in mind this is only available at these two restaurants from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. Also, this offer is not available on disembarkation day, so make sure you enjoy it prior to your last day.
For those who love culinary drink pairings 🍹, you can explore the Sip and Savor Menu offered in the dining restaurants. We 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.

The Test Kitchen Virgin Voyages Dining Area — *The Test Kitchen Virgin Voyages*

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 Sailor Loot to cover the additional fee. Unfortunately, we haven’t tried any of the “Treat Yourself” upgrades because those specific upgraded dishes don’t offer vegan and gluten-free options, but rest assured there are plenty of other incredible vegan options on board.

Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady aquatic club pool

DON’T FORGET TO READ:

Must-Know: Virgin Voyages Tips for an Amazing Experience

3. Onboard Experiences

Another way to use your Sailor loot is by booking onboard 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. Some of the popular ones include:

Grog Walk: This is a perfect activity for anyone, especially for solo sailors looking to connect with other cruisers. You hop from bar to bar and enjoy 4 different premade cocktails (prices typically start at $50). 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 Voyages’ secret 🤫 onboard experiences.

Afternoon Tea: This experience is at the Sip Lounge, which includes not only tea 🫖 but also pastries 🍰. However, we haven’t tried it because none of their pastries are vegan and gluten-free, and we find it too pricey to spend $19 for just the tea.

4. Shore Things

Once onboard, any ‘shore thing’ (which is Virgin Voyages’ term for a port excursion) you book using the ship’s Wi-Fi will be charged to your Sailor Loot balance. However, any excursions booked before boarding will be charged directly 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. We highly recommend not waiting until you’re onboard because some get booked quickly.

puerto plata Taino Bay cruise port big pool joenidcorner — *Taino Bay Pool*

Shore Things vary per trip and port location. If you decide not to book Shore Things, there are cruise ports in the Caribbean with wonderful things to do. For instance, the Taino Bay Puerto Plata cruise port offers gorgeous free pool access. At Bimini port, we always head to the Virgin Voyages 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. We have visited Bimini before and have a detailed guide on what to expect when visiting the Bimini Beach Club, which includes details on cabana locations and pricing.

The Main House Virgin Voyages The Beach Club at Bimini Reviews — *Bimini Beach Club Entrance*

5. Spa and Beauty

Virgin Voyages Redemption Spa offers massages, 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 our favorite way to relax onboard, 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).

Read Mode: Curious if the Thermal Suite experience is worth it? You might want to check out our post about the Virgin Voyages Redemption Spa to see if it’s your vibe.

virgin voyages redemption spa interior joenidcorner — *Redemption Spa*

Another way to use your sailor loot is to visit The Tune Up for a rejuvenating manicure 💅 and pedicure, IV therapy, and even a few wrinkle treatments. The location is hidden (in our 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 Deck 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, alcohol (they typically have an onboard alcohol store), essential personal items like feminine products, and over-the-counter medications.

The Tune Up Mani-Pedi Medi Spa Virgin Voyages — *The Tune Up for Mani-Pedi Medi Spa*

Tip: If you spot something you love, buy it right away! Merchandise is limited onboard 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 the item price instead. This specifically applies to premium, paid items (like espresso, alcohol, or Red Bull). You cannot waive the fee just by ordering multiple complimentary food items.

8. Virgin Voyages Sailor Loot Casino

The good news about Virgin Voyages is that you can use your Sailor Loot to play at the casino’s card tables. However, roulette seems not to be allowed, so always check with the casino staff prior to playing to ensure you can use your loot and withdraw your winnings. Keep in mind that the actual Sailor Loot you use to play cannot be cashed out, but the actual winnings you earn from it can be.

Bottom line

In our opinion, Sailor Loot is truly useful because it covers a lot of expenses, but remember, you can’t 🚫 buy Sailor Loot as you buy the Bar Tab. If you’re lucky to get Sailor Loot credits, the most important thing to remember is that if you don’t use them, you’ll lose them.

Keep track of your spending through the Virgin Voyages app and spend every last cent of your credit onboard.

More Virgin Voyages Guides?

If you enjoyed this guide, you might also like our other guide on what every first-time sailor should know before stepping on board:

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