Virgin Voyages’ Splash of Romance Package: What It Includes and Is It Worth It?

February 10, 2025 Randy Young

Virgin Voyages is the premiere adult-only cruise line that has been sailing in North America, Europe, and Australia since 2021. While Virgin likes to boast that most things, like specialty dining and gratuities, are included in the base cruise fare, there are a few upgrade packages you can buy. One of the least understood packages is the “Splash of Romance” package.

I booked the Splash of Romance Package for my November 2024 cruise. Here are the details of what it included and my experience with it.

What the Virgin Voyages Splash of Romance Package Includes

The Splash of Romance package includes six different elements.

Priority Boarding

Virgin Voyages has much later boarding than other cruise lines. People don’t start boarding the ship until 1:30 – 2:00 PM. With Virgin Voyages, you select your boarding time when you book the cruise, and by the time I booked, the earliest time available was 3:45 PM. Because I like to take pictures for the website before people are onboard, I wanted priority boarding to be one of the first.

I booked “Splash of Romance” about seven months before sailing. At that time, the cost was $200 per couple, but it increased in April 2024 to $250.

The communication about Priority Boarding is pretty bad. At no point do they tell you what it means or how to do it. You still must pick a check-in time using the Virgin Voyages app and that later time is what the app will show you. However, you should completely disregard it. Instead, when you arrive at the cruise terminal, you walk directly up to the front doors and don’t get in any of the times lines. You’ll show them the “Splash of Romance” package add-on in your Virgin Voyages app and they’ll let you right in where you go through the check-in process ahead of the crowds. For departures from North America, you can get there around 1 PM and walk right into the lounge. You’ll then wait there until they start to board the ship around 1:45 PM.

Note: People on recent sailings have indicated that their boarding time in the app now shows 1:45-4:30, basically indicating to come anytime during the boarding window and get priority access.

Note: The communication about Priority Boarding is abysmal. At no point do they tell you what it means or how to do it. You still must pick a check-in time using the Virgin Voyages app and that later time is what the app will show you. However, you should completely disregard it. Instead, when you arrive at the cruise terminal, you walk directly up to the front doors and don’t get in any of the times lines. You’ll show them the “Splash of Romance” package add-on in your Virgin Voyages app and they’ll let you right in where you go through the check-in process ahead of the crowds. For departures from North America, you can get there around 1 PM and walk right into the lounge. You’ll then wait there until they start to board the ship around 1:45 PM.

Cold Pressed Juice Each Morning

Value: $8 – $9 per person per day.

Both guests in the cabin can get a cold-pressed juice each morning. The drink is available at the Gym & Tonic Bar on Deck 15 between 8 AM and 11 AM. You can select any of these cold-pressed juices:

Tangerine
Got the Beet (beet, apple, lime)
Green with Envy (kale, cucumber, lime, ginger)
I Can See Clearly Now (orange, carrot, ginger)

Cocktail Reception Party

All guests with the Splash of Romance package are invited to a special cocktail hour. During this event, one of the musical acts on board will perform a set while you enjoy the beautiful views from The Perch, the highest point on board the ship. During the event, they’ll serve champagne and sangria (typically unlimited).

The actual timing of your party will depend on your sailing/itinerary, but it’s usually from 5 PM to 6 PM on Day 6 of the cruise.

Snacks

Cabins with the Splash of Romance package will receive “sultry bites” delivered to their cabin. The treats are typically small bite-sized desserts like macarons or truffles. For 4- and 5-day cruises, they’re delivered on Day 2 and Day 4. For 6-night or longer voyages, they’ll also receive an additional treat on the sixth day night.

Thermal Spa Access

Value: $39 on port days, $79 on sea days

Both guests get a 3-hour session in the Redemption Spa as part of the package. While it doesn’t include any treatments, guests can enjoy all the facilities in the Redemption Spa, including the salt room, mud room, steam room, dry sauna, cold plunge pools, heated granite, and regular relaxation pool. You schedule this by going to the spa as soon as you board the ship and booking one of the slots.

Shake for Champagne

Value: $105

The Splash of Romance includes one complimentary Shake for Champagne. When you want to claim the campaign, you open the Virgin Voyages app and shake your phone. A popup will come up to get your location, and then within 30 minutes or so, someone will deliver a chilled bottle of Moet champagne in a signature red ice bucked and two glasses.

Note: After you claim your shake for champagne, it will automatically appear in your onboard portfolio. However, it will be removed before the last day of the cruise.

Splash of Romance Cost

When it first launched, the price was $200 per cabin. In April 2024, the price increased to $250 per cabin.

How to Book Splash of Romance

Virgin offers a limited number of Splash of Romance packages for each sailing, only 90 cabins per sailing.

You book it using the Virgin Voyages website and add it on like you would excursions or extra Bar Tab. The $250 cost is per couple, not per cabin, but when you book it, you have to select a person it applies to. Even though it only shows under one person, both guests in the cabin can access all the benefits.

Was Splash of Romance Worth It?

So, was the Splash of Romance worth it for me? I’m on the fence. I don’t regret getting it, but I don’t know if I’d do it in the future.

Priority Boarding: I have to admit, this feature was nice. We literally just walked up to the doors when we arrived at Terminal V in Miami, and they ushered us right in while everyone else was outside waiting in line. We breezed through check-in and security and then waited in the lounge for about 30 minutes before boarding began.

I was able to connect to the ship’s WiFi from the lounge as soon as boarding started, so I had all our restaurant reservations made before we stepped foot on the ship. Once I was onboard, it was all about relaxation.

Snacks: I only received one set of sultry bites on our 5-day sailing. It was four decadent rose, gold, and aleppo pepper macarons. While the “bites” were nice, with so much free food available on Virgin Voyages ships, it wasn’t necessary. I could have gotten just as tasty sweets in The Galley, The Social Club, or The Grounds Club.

Shake for Champagne: I’m not a huge champagne fan, but since this was included in the package, I tried it out. One thing that’s tricky is you don’t know when it’ll come, so you have to time it where you’ll be somewhere for an hour. For us, it only took twelve minutes to arrive at the bar we were sitting at.

Redemption Spa: The spa was a nice treat, but it wasn’t a necessity for me. Without nice heated loungers or seating, I couldn’t see spending a lot of time there. I only spent about an hour of the three I was allowed in the spa. Still, it was a nice way to spend a sea day morning, especially because the pools and hot tubs are so small on the ship. I’ve heard people say avoid sea days, but I did the 9 AM to 12 PM slot and there were barely 20 other people in there. At most, I had to share a treatment room with two people.

Pressed Juice: The value of this depends on if you like cold-pressed juices. Honestly, it’s not a big thing for me. To get it, I went to the Gym and Tonic Bar by the Wellness Pool, where the attendant said I could choose any cold-pressed juice on the menu. Then, he just grabbed a pre-made bag of juice and poured it into a cup. I was really underwhelmed. It wasn’t freshly squeezed, and nothing on the menu appealed to me. I doubt many people use this part of the package, as the attendant didn’t even check my name to confirm I had Splash of Romance.

Cocktail Party: Our cocktail party was on the day we were in Costa Maya, Mexico, so we had to head back to the cabin, shower, and then head up to The Perch. It was a perfect place to watch the sunset as live acoustic music played. I didn’t love the setup, though; the seating was arranged more like a theater watching a performance than a cocktail party. There wasn’t much socializing going on.

Overall, it was a nice package and offered at a reasonable price point, but I don’t know if it’s a “must-have” for every sailing. It’s definitely nice if you want to treat yourself and your significant other to something a bit fancier without going all-out. For me, the priority boarding was the biggest perk. If you don’t care about that or already have Rockstar or Deep Blue Extra status, which gives you early boarding, the package loses a lot of its appeal.

Splash of Romance Might Be Worth It for You If…

You enjoy Moet champagne and are going to order a bottle anyway
You want priority boarding
You want to treat yourself without spending too much (compared to booking a suite)