Sant Beltrà

We docked in Barcelona early, and what a painless disembarkation process it was. Packed in half an hour, breakfast, walked off the ship just 7am with no queue, straight to our awaiting transfer for a quick 15-minute run to the airport.

And what did we think? Well, we would absolutely travel Virgin Voyages again!
- the cabin was spacious and beautiful, very techy, and I *loved* the hammock on the balcony. A great selection of in-room entertainment available.
- the food was unbelievable. Absolutely superb. That all restaurants were included was brilliant too and gave lots of choice (and it was great that you could book specific times for these before the holiday). Honestly don't think I've ever eaten as much.
- the staff couldn't do enough for you
- the entertainment was excellent: great (and plentiful trivia), superb board game selection, and The Diva was hilarious!
- the online app was brilliant. Much better than having a paper copy of the agenda delivered daily, easy to use and effective. The messenger function meant we were never short of information.
- the baggage drop at embarkation was excellent (and allowed us to explore Pireaus)
- the gym was spacious, very well equipped with great views and, unusually, not jam-packed with people.

What was noticeably different?
- no tannoy announcements, at all.
- the ship's deck/bridge crew was broadly hidden away from the passengers, which was unusual
- there was no real dress code, at all (beyond a request to not wear swimwear in eating areas). This was in some ways good, but also undercut the fancy feel of restaurants like The Wake or The Test Kitchen
- Bracelets rather than cruise cards
- tips, WiFi, and soft drinks all included (and fitness classes, although we didn't do any)
- a much more modern ship, that had been well designed. Public spaces were well laid out and bars felt like bars, not thoroughfares.
- no single Cruise Director; instead, a range of crew with different responsibilities (e.g. The Artist, The Diva, etc.)
- lack of a buffet (which was really nice). The Galley on Deck 15 had fixed counters (noodle counter, pastry counter, sushi counter, etc.) all staffed and taking orders. This made for a much less chaotic meal and great choice of superb quality food.
- a much, much more international audience than e.g. P&O.

Finally, the lifts looked really nice...but of course, we didn't use them!! And as we stand here ready to board the plane, the heavens have absolutely opened - the first rain we've seen all holiday!Read more