We took advantage of the Cruise Shuttle promoted by our hotel, Hyatt House Seattle Downtown. The cost for the shuttle was only $12pp. Our shuttle was scheduled to pick us up at 12 noon and was a few minutes late, which was no big deal since our embarkation time was not until 1:30 pm. However, we wanted to show up at the pier a little early to sort out an embarkation issue.

Even though we are staying in a standard Central Sea Terrace stateroom, the PR department at Virgin Voyages extended us Rockstar privileges so that we could include information about that in our review. Virgin often will do this for certain influencers. However, Virgin did not provide our stateroom. We paid for this cruise. Our concern is that the Virgin app says nothing about this Rockstar status, and even shows that we should embark at 2:45 pm instead of the Rockstar embarkation time of 1:30 pm. So, we want to arrive early in hopes that we can sort this out.

*Rockstars wear black wristbands and enjoy certain perks*

We dropped our luggage with a porter and several Virgin staff began asking us if we were Rockstar, so we said “yes” and they pointed us into the terminal building for check-in. When we arrived at the first check-in counter, we showed our passports and the boarding passes (which did not say Rockstar) and, as I anticipated, their computer system had no record of us being extended Rockstar status. Fortunately, I had brought a print out of an email exchange with the PR department indicating that we were to have Rockstar perks. We went through several different employees before one lady took the letter and did some research. Eventually, we received our black Rockstar wristbands and were escorted to the Rockstar embarkation area.

*Virgin Voyages staff were diligent in confirming our Rockstar status*

For those who have sailed with Virgin out of Miami, be forewarned: the terminal in Seattle is not nearly as nice as the purpose-built one in Miami. The Rockstar waiting area is basically just a roped off area at the back of the cruise terminal and the snacks are very limited. There were juices and water available.

*Rockstar embarkation in Seattle lacks the sophistication of the Miami Palm Way terminal*

While early Rockstar embarkation earns Virgin a point on the Luxury Scale, we feel as though they could have put more effort into the refreshments offered in the waiting area, so we deduct a half point for the lack of refreshments.

*Rockstar embarkation refreshments reflected a lack of effort*

I should note that all of the employees we dealt with at the terminal were extremely pleasant and went out of their way to accommodate us. We were able to board with the Rockstar group at 1:15pm. We were escorted onto Brilliant Lady where we were greeted by several enthusiastic Happenings Cast members. Embarking a Virgin Voyages’ ship is where you realize this is not your typical cruise line. While many cruise lines try to rewrite the book of cruise travel, Virgin literally shredded the book and wrote their own. The emphasis here is on adult-oriented fun. This is where you come to let your hair down, shed your inhibitions and just have a good time.

*Welcome aboard Champagne at Sip Lounge*

We were directed to the Sip Lounge (one of the ship’s bars) where we were offered glasses of complimentary champagne. Members of the Happenings Cast were circulating through the lounge, greeting guests and offering assistance. We were asked if we had made all of our dining reservations, which we had not. One of the crew members directed me to a table where another crew member was assisting with specialty dining reservations. Within minutes, Myka had us set up with all of the restaurants we wanted to experience, which was all of them!

After a glass of bubbly, we decided to see if our stateroom was ready, which it was. Our luggage had already been delivered and was waiting outside of our stateroom. We dropped off our hand luggage and headed to The Dock (Deck 7 aft) where I ordered a beer and Rickee had a Lemoncello/sparkling wine cocktail. We also ordered a few of the small bites offered here to tide us over until dinner.

Our next task was to check in at our muster station, which only takes a few minutes. Basically, a crew member scans your wristband and confirms that you have watched the safety video. Very simple and efficient.

We then head back to our stateroom to start unpacking and getting ready for our 6:30 dinner reservation at Pink Agave, the ship’s Mexican specialty restaurant. It sure seems like this Central Sea Terrace stateroom is smaller than the one we occupied on Scarlet Lady. The bathroom definitely seems smaller. Is this just our imagination?

While Rickee was finishing the unpacking, I made my way up to Deck 16 for the Sailaway party. The pool areas were packed with guests soaking up the unseasonably warm Seattle weather. Complimentary champagne was being handed out at the bars, if you could get close to one. The ship feels much more crowded than our Scarlet Lady cruise in 2023. My guess is that this sailing is fully booked.

*Decks 15 and 16 are packed for Sailaway*

Virgin’s Happenings Cast put on quite a show for Sailaway with the ship’s DJ rocking some seriously loud music which had many up dancing and celebrating the start of an Alaskan cruise.

After sailaway, I returned to our stateroom where Rickee and I got ready for our 6:30 dinner at Pink Agave.

On our way to Pink Agave, we pass by Sailor Services (Virgin’s Guest Services) and had time to sort out one more issue with the Rockstar perks we had received. The Sailor Servicees staff member was very helpful and resolved our issue promptly.

We arrived at Pink Agave at 6:30 and were quickly seated at a table for two. The restaurant was packed and, honestly, very noisy. This is not the place for a quiet, romantic dinner. Our server was very polite and efficient, so overall, the service was great. The food, however, was a disappointment. The small plate starters were pretty good with the grilled corn (ESQUITES) and Guacamole being the highlights. Rickee’s chicken enchilada was served lukewarm and lacked flavor. I decided to try the pork main course which was very fatty and quite bland. Actually, the mezze dishes at The Dock were better.

Tomorrow will be a day at sea aboard Brilliant Lady and we have dinner reservations at Rojo, the Spanish Tapas restaurant. Hopefully, we will have a better dining experience there.

Day 1 - Embarkation in Seattle

Pre-Cruise in Seattle