There is much to say about Virgin Voyages and what is special about Virgin Voyages. And of the many, is a unique difference that comes with their ‘Virgin Voyages Sailing Club’ loyalty program. There’s a twist to this one – a great twist too.

If you’ve racked up loyalty with some other major cruise liners I think your ears will prick up with this bit of Virgin Voyages news about their ‘Match and Sea More Program’.  They’re sure to ruffle some feathers with other cruise companies with this one.  It’s a very direct attempt to bring across the hard-core loyal cruise fans of their competitors.  I don’t think it’s too cheeky – just makes sense for a new cruise company to fast track their loyal following. 

Gunbae on Virgin Voyages Encounter Travel groups
Gunbae, Korean Restaurant - a stand out!
The Galley, Virgin Voyages
The Galley. For casual dining onboard.
Yummy snacks at The Dock House, deck 5
A view across Gunbae Korean restaurant onboard

In their own words – about their Match & Sea Program;

we're inviting Sailors enrolled in other select rewards programs to come aboard our lady ships and we'll match your current loyalty status.

Very nice I think!  And here’s the snapshot of what Virgin Voyages will match. 

Loyalty Program

Membership Tier

Azamara's Circle

Explorer, Discoverer, Discover Plus, Discover Platinum

Carnival's VIFP Club

Platinum, Diamond

Celebrity Cruises' Captain's Club

Elite, Elite Plus, Zenith

Disney's Castaway

Silver, Gold, Platinum

Holland America's Mariner Society

3-Star, 4-Star, 5-Star

MSC's Voyagers Club

Gold, Black

Norwegian Cruise Line's Latitudes Rewards

Platinum, Sapphire, Diamond, Ambassador

Oceania's Oceania Club

Gold, Platinum, Diamond, President's Circle

P&O's Peninsular Club

Mediterranean Tier, Caribbean Tier, Baltic Tier, Ligurian Tier

Princess' Captain's Circle

Platinum, Elite

Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society

Diamond, Diamond Plus, Pinnacle Club

Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club

Gold

Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer

Gold, Platinum, Beyond

Windstar's Yacht Club

One Star, Two Star, Three Star, Four Star

She’s the new kid (or should I say ‘adult’) on the block - because, this is another of the many things that make Virgin Voyages different, and it’s a big one – it’s Adults Only cruising.  I am saving up the Adult Only cruising experience for the next blog.

I have full confidence spruiking her deals, promises and benefits. Virgin Voyages like to do things differently, and they deliver on their promise.  I was lucky to experience Valiant Lady on a Virgin Voyages cruise in September this year with a stunning sailing out of Barcelona to other Mediterranean Ports. There was nothing I did not like, or did not enjoy. She was spot on with delivering her promise of doing things differently.
 

Virgin Voyages
Another beautiful chill space onboard.
The Ship Show
Another great onboard ship venue
Virgin Voyages pool deck
Pool deck - a bigger than most ship pool

We’ve seen an amazing increase of cruise options out of Australia in the last decade. As an Australian travel company for solo travellers most of our cruise groups leave from Australia, so this addition coming later in 2023 will be another plus.


I think Virgin Voyages will rock the shores once they reach their home port for the season in Melbourne next year. We’re excited about extending our cruise group line up with Virgin Voyages starting with departures later next year onboard Resilient Lady.



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About the author

Justine Waddington

Justine Waddington is the founder and director of Encounter Travel, a company that creates holiday groups exclusively for solo travellers. As a solo traveller with 60 countries under her belt and 15 years of arranging travel groups, Justine is in the unique position of being able to offer tips and advice from the perspective of an experienced solo traveller and also that of a travel agent.

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