Virgin Voyages Eat & Drink Festival Returns This July

Today, Virgin Voyages announced that their Eat & Drink Festival will return to ships this July. It’ll be the third time Virgin Voyages has run this at-sea Festival, which will have some new twists for 2024. The festival will have more than 20 special activations, including wine pairings, hidden speakeasy pop-ups, spirited dinner series, culinary demos, and dedicated food and drink happenings aboard each ship.

Virgin Voyages Eat & Drink Festival Special Events

Asian Night Market at Sea – The Galley, Virgin Voyages food hall-like concept that replaces a buffet, will turn into an immersive Asian Night Market at Sea. According to Virgin Voyages, guests will be able to explore the rich tapestry of Asian cultures through authentic tastes and an array of delectable dishes and unique beverages. (Fleet-Wide)

Seven Sea Sippers – Enjoy the ultimate treasure hunt at sea with this bar crawl. Guests will receive a map that highlights hidden cocktail treasures around the ship. Along their route, they’ll explore popular watering holes, taste seven distinct cocktails or mocktails, and earn stamps that may lead to a secret treasure. (Fleet-Wide)

Brand New Menu at Test Kitchen – The Test Kitchen on a Virgin Voyages ship is the ultimate experience for foodies. The food here blends molecular gastronomy techniques, the freshest ingredients, and global flavors for a unique tasting menu. For the Eat & Drink festival, they’ll debut a third 6-course tasting menu from Michelin-starred chef Matt Lambert. (Fleet-Wide)

Shhh… – This event is a pop-up speakeasy where guests can have an immersive, phone-free experience. Bartenders from around the world will provide unique and impressive cocktails in this hidden room. (Fleet-Wide)

Amuse Bouche at Signature Eateries – Start every meal off right with a specially crafted amuse bouche at all the signature restaurants on board. (Fleet-Wide)

Spirited Dinner Series at The Wake – The Eat & Drink Festival will see a new dinner series at The Wake restaurant. It offers a four-course meal crafted by a Michelin-starred chef paired with a selection of fine spirits, beers, or wines. (Fleet-Wide)

Afternoon Tea Cocktail Extravaganza at Sip – Have a tea party with a kick at this event. Guests will enjoy herbal flavors, teapot cocktails, and an exquisite single-malt whiskey and chocolate pairing. Virgin Voyages says this event combines “the charm of traditional British tea with innovative mixology.” (Fleet-Wide)

Let’s Get Choco-Lit – This culinary demo will combine two things many sailors love: chocolate and pastry. Here, guests will discover how to make things like chocolate pralines and irresistible rocher treats. (Scarlet Lady) 

Master The Art of Wine – This 60-minute wine tasting takes place at The Wake.

Master The Art of (Red) Wine – Scarlet Lady / Valiant Lady / Resilient Lady

Master The Art of (White) Wine – Scarlet Lady / Valiant Lady / Resilient Lady

Master The Art of (Rose) Wine – Valiant Lady 

Meat & Cheese, If You Please – This one-hour demo is dedicated to the trendy charcuterie board. The event takes place in the Test Kitchen, where Virgin Voyages’ Happenings Cast will help guests build their own mini-board, complete with salami roses and cheese zippers. (Valiant Lady)

Shot For Shot – This even combines the art of cocktails with photography. It’s an interactive beverage class hosted in The Test Kitchen. Ultimate, they’ll make four signature cocktails and learn how to snap the perfect photo of them. (Valiant Lady)

Acai What You Did There – In this demo, guests will make açaí bowls. (Resilient Lady)

Guests who book now will receive a $200 Bar Tab

Virgin Voyages doesn’t have a drink package available. Instead, guests can purchase a bar tab at a discount to cover the costs. Guests who book now for the Eat & Drink Festival will receive $200 in bar tab that can 

Short notice for such a special event

The timing of this announcement is quite odd. Other cruise lines are reporting record bookings with very limited capacity for Summer 2024. In fact, most of them are already starting on their 2025 bookings. But Virgin Voyages is announcing this festival which is just a couple of months away. It might be a sign that Virgin Voyages new, higher pricing that guests are seeing isn’t holding up as well as they’d hoped. 

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