Virgin Voyages Additional Terms and Conditions

Our Voyages are adult-only, so Guests must be at least 18 years old to sail with us.

• These are our standard booking policies. While our standard booking policies provide options and flexibility should plans change, from time to time we may activate a specifically branded “Flexible Booking Policies” offer, or other special offers, that may affect bookings, deposits, payment schedules, cancellations, and/or refunds on cancelled voyages. Click here (or the Offer Terms & Conditions link above, which takes you to the same place) to see if Flexible Booking Policies or another special offer is in effect at the time you book.
• The minimum age to book a Voyage is 18 years old.
• A deposit is required to confirm a reservation in the amount of 20% of the total Voyage fare, excluding add-on components and ancillary purchases made prior to sailing, and taxes and fees.  
• Bookings can be held for 24 hours without deposit up to 45 days prior to the sail date. Bookings made within 44 days or less of the sailing date require full payment at time of booking (and will not be held for 24 hours).  
• Online direct bookings will require a credit card at the time of booking, but the deposit will not be charged until 24 hours have elapsed after the booking.  
• Beyond 121 days or more from the sailing date, Guest or Guest’s travel agent has 7 days from the initial booking date as a grace period to cancel the reservation and will receive a full refund of the deposit if cancelled within the grace period.   
• After the 7-day grace period, the deposit is 100% non-refundable.
• The 7-day grace period does not apply to bookings made at 120 days or less of the sail date, since full payment of the Voyage fare is required at this time.

Please visit this link for more information regarding Shore Things terms & conditions.

Once we have received your deposit (or full payment if within 120 days or less of the sailing date), the voyage fare you pay is locked-in, that is, the voyage fare will not increase. If you buy add-on components, such as flights and/or hotels and/or transfers, additional fees associated with these services will apply as well as any applicable governmental taxes and fees. All assessed government or quasi-government taxes and fees are subject to change without notice at any time, and we reserve the right to add a surcharge for these taxes and fees whether you have a confirmed booking under deposit or have made a final payment. That said, we will not add a fuel surcharge should fuel prices rise. All rates and information presented herein were in effect at time of printing and are subject to change with or without notice. 

• Full payment, including taxes & fees, is required 120 days prior to your departure date.  
• 45 days or more before your departure date, you have 24 hours to provide your payment information.  
• 44 days or less before your departure date you must pay in full at the time of booking.

If you or anybody travelling with you wishes to cancel either your/their holiday, you must contact Shoreside Sailor Services if booking direct (through our Contact Us page is best, or call in US 1-954-488-2955; if in the UK call +44-20-3003-4919), or your travel agent or tour operator, and give notice of the cancellation. The Voyage will only be cancelled on the date we receive the notice of cancellation.

- You have the most flexibility outside of 120 days prior to your departure date. If you're booking at this time, you have a 7-day grace period to request a full refund on your deposit and any other payments made. Refunds will be issued to your original form of payment.

- After the grace period (but still before the 120-day mark), you can receive a full refund on any payments, not including your deposit. For your deposit, you can request a Future Voyage Credit at this time.

- From 119 days up to 45 days from your departure date, your available options are:

• Receive a “Future Voyage Credit” in the amount paid that can be applied to a new sailing up to 1 year after the original Voyage date.
• Change to a new Voyage date up to 1 year after original Voyage date.
• Change names on the reservation; permissible up to 48 hours before your Voyage sailing date.
• Submit an insurance claim if travel protection (aka travel insurance) was purchased.   

- At 44 days from your departure date, all funds paid are final. But you do have the option to transfer, sell, or otherwise have someone go in your place up to 48 hours before your Voyage.

Note: the date of departure means the date the arrangements you have booked through us start.  So if you booked a flight or hotel add-on to your Voyage, it is the day the first add-on begins.  Conversely, It may be your Voyage sail date if that is the only thing you booked with us.  The sail date is the date the ship, on the Voyage portion of your holiday, departs the port of embarkation.  

Individual cancellation policies apply at the Guest level for any individual cancellation within a cabin.  

Depending on the reason for cancellation, you may be able to reclaim any unrefunded money (less any applicable excess) under the terms of your travel insurance policy. Claims must be made directly to your insurance company. As always, we recommend you purchase our Voyage Protection.

Where any cancellation reduces the number of full paying party members below the number on which the price, number of free places and/or any concessions agreed for your booking were based, we will recalculate these items and re-invoice you at the applicable higher price. 

Cancellations shall be deemed effective at 11:59 p.m. local east coast United States time on the date Guest communicates such cancellation.

Per person taxes and fees will be refunded to the credit card on file.

We may have special and/or limited booking or cancellation policies in place for limited times, so click here or the “Offer Terms and Conditions” link below.

Virgin Voyages grants leeway to Guests to reschedule his or her Voyage up to 45 days of the originally-scheduled Virgin Voyages-arranged itinerary starts - meaning at 45 days before your departure date, there is flexibility, but at 44 days before your departure date, the deal is final (except we do permit you to transfer your voyage-only to someone up to 48 hours before the voyage sail date). We may have special offers in place, so click here or the “Offer Terms and Conditions” link above (both link to the same place). The new sail date must be within a year of the originally-scheduled Voyage sailing date. Per Guest taxes and fees will be collected or refunded to the original credit card(s) on file if the taxes and fees on the new sailing date differ from the original.

A cabin category may be changed up to 45 days of Voyage sail date, though cabin upgrades may be made inside 45 days of Voyage sail date and are subject to availability. For an up-category change, applicable fare increase is due at time of change. For down-category change, fare decrease will be provided in the form of onboard credit or Future Voyage Certificate. No change fees will be charged for Voyage date or cabin changes.

If 3 or 4 Guests are booked in a triple- or quadruple-occupancy cabin and 1 or 2 Guests cancel, we retain the right to move remaining Guests to a smaller cabin (triple- or double-occupancy) in the same category.

In the event of strikes, lockouts, labor issues, riots, health emergencies, weather conditions, mechanical difficulties or a variety of other reasons, Virgin Voyages has the right to cancel, advance, postpone or substitute any scheduled sailing or itinerary without prior notice. Virgin Voyages shall not be responsible for failure to adhere to published arrival and departure times for any of its ports of call. Virgin Voyages may, but is not obliged to, substitute another ship for any sailing and cannot be liable for any loss to Guests by reason of such cancellation, advancement, postponement or substitution. Reservations are subject to change or cancellation in the event of a full-ship charter, and in such event, Virgin Voyages shall refund all passage moneys paid by a Guest. Additional rights may apply to our U.K. Guests under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.

Whenever possible, Virgin Voyages will work to accommodate Guests with special needs. However, the following conditions apply:

• Due to the risks inherent in travel by sea, if a Guest has any special medical, physical or other requirements, the Guest, the Guest’s travel agent, or any person booking on Guest’s behalf is requested to inform us at the time of booking of any special need or other condition for which Guest or any person in Guest’s care may require medical attention or accommodation during the Voyage, or for which the use of a wheelchair or service animal is contemplated or necessary.
• Guests requiring the use of service animals (US) or assistance dogs (UK and EU) are asked to notify us not less than 21 days prior to the Voyage. 
• Notice of any of the above items may be made online at booking to our Shoreside Sailor Services by clicking here or calling in the US or Canada  1-954-488-2955 or if in the UK, +44-20-3003-4914. 
• If any such special need or condition arises after a Guest has booked a Voyage, the Guest is requested to report it to Shoreside Sailor Services as soon as Guest becomes aware of it. 
• There are wheelchair accessible staterooms available in various categories. 
• Not all areas or equipment on the vessel are suitable for access to disabled Guests or Guests with reduced mobility. But if you need help, we’ll do our utmost to provide it.
• Guest acknowledges and understands that certain international, foreign or local safety requirements, standards, and/or applicable regulations involving design, construction or operation of the vessel, docks, gangways, anchorages or other facilities on or off the vessel may restrict access to facilities or activities for persons with mobility, communication, or other impairments or special needs. 
• In limited situations where Guest would be unable to satisfy certain specified safety and other criteria, even when provided with appropriate auxiliary aids and services, we reserve the right to refuse permission to participate in all or part of the Voyage.  
• Virgin Voyages has the right to refuse or revoke passage to anyone who, in its judgment, is in a physical or mental condition unfit for travel or who may require care beyond that which Virgin Voyages can provide. Virgin Voyages reserves the right to deny participation in certain activities based on past or present medical conditions. For questions about whether our Voyage experience is right for you, please contact our Shoreside Sailor Services by clicking here or if in the US or Canada calling  1-954-488-2955 and if in the UK +44-20-3003-4914.
• Virgin Voyages similarly reserves the right to refuse or revoke passage to anyone who has failed to notify it of their specific needs with regard to accommodation; seating or services required from it or the terminal operator; their need to bring medical equipment; their need to bring a service animal on board the ship; or of any other known disabilities that require special assistance, special services, or privileges; who in the Carrier’s and/or Master’s opinion is unfit or unable to travel; or anyone whose condition may constitute a danger to themselves or others onboard on the grounds of safety.  
• Guests are under no obligation to identify themselves solely because they have a disability when they seek no special assistance, special services, or privileges. Guests may consider self-identifying their disability where notice to the vessel crew would prevent misunderstanding of a Guest’s particular impairment or disability.  
• Where necessary in order to comply with applicable safety requirements, we may require a Disabled Person or Person with Reduced Mobility to be accompanied by another person who is fit and able to assist them in day to day activities.

Virgin Voyages cannot accept Guests who will have entered their 24th week of pregnancy by the beginning of, or at any time during, the voyage. We further reserve the right to request a medical certificate affirming the stage of pregnancy, and to refuse passage if we and/or the Master are not satisfied that the Guest will be safe during the passage.

Our ships have at least one physician and four nurses on board for each Voyage. While our ships comply with all U.S. Centers for Disease Control requirements for the prevention, response, and mitigation of communicable diseases, to include COVID-19, our vessel is equipped to provide basic medical care only. Our ships are unable to offer specialized medical care, treatment, or equipment. Guests requiring such specialized care, or Guests experiencing a medical emergency, may be evacuated to shore at their expense. Further, your vessel may not be able to immediately evacuate a Guest in an emergency situation due to the ship’s location relative to the nearest evacuation-capable platform.

Each Guest shall be liable to and reimburse Virgin Voyages for all damage to the vessel and its furnishings, equipment and property caused by any willful or negligent act or omission by a Guest. A Responsible Adult, i.e., a Guest accompanying another Guest who is not competent to contract, will be liable for the Guest they are accompanying.

Smoking areas are provided around the ship. A Guest found smoking anything, to include “vapes,” in their room (including balcony) or other non-designated areas onboard, agree to a $500 fee to be added to their onboard account, and may be disembarked from the Voyage, which may be at a port of call. Virgin Voyages will have no further responsibility toward Guest in this instance; the cost of return to the port of embarkation or Guest’s home will be borne by the Guest. If an Under-21 Adult is disembarked for a violation of this policy, the Responsible Adult will be disembarked as well.  

Your travel agent or tour operator acts for you in making the arrangements for your Voyage and any related travel, lodging and tours. Virgin Voyages cannot be responsible for the financial condition or integrity of any travel agent utilized by you. Virgin Voyages is not responsible for any representations or conduct of your travel agent, including, but not limited to, failure to remit your deposit or other funds to Virgin Voyages, for which you shall at all times be liable to Virgin Voyages, or any failure to remit a refund from Virgin Voyages to you.

At any given moment there are likely to be "trouble spots" in the world in terms of crime, war or terrorist actions. Accordingly, it may be necessary to change the published Voyage or shore excursion itinerary. Any such changes are for your safety and beyond Virgin Voyages’ control. While we seek to provide reasonable protection for your comfort and safety on board our vessels, we cannot guarantee freedom from all risks associated with war, terrorism, crime, or other potential sources of harm. Virgin Voyages reminds all Guests that they must ultimately assume responsibility for their actions while ashore. The U.S. Department of State and U.K. Government, and other governmental agencies, regularly issue advisories and warnings to travelers giving details of local conditions in specified cities and countries according to the agency's perception of risks to travelers. Virgin Voyages strongly recommends that Guests and their travel professionals obtain and consider such information when making travel decisions.

The safety and security of our Guests and vessel are paramount. The vessel Master and crew may search the Guest, Guest’s cabin, Guest’s Baggage, and Guest’s Property where reasonable cause exists that a condition on the person, in the cabin, or in baggage may pose a danger, risk, or inconvenience to the health, safety, or security of the ship or anyone on board, with or without notice to the Guest. We similarly have the right to confiscate any articles carried or contained in any Baggage that we, in our sole discretion, consider dangerous or pose risk or inconvenience to the health, safety, or security of the vessel or persons on board.  

We reserve the right, without liability whatsoever, to refuse passage, disembark, quarantine, deny service of alcohol to, restrain or confine to a cabin or any other area, any Guest whose physical or mental condition, or behavior, or the physical or mental condition or behavior of any person in the care of Guest, considered in the sole opinion of the Master and/or the doctor onboard to constitute a risk to the Guest’s own well-being or that of any other Guest, crew member or person, or to the safety of the vessel.  If this determination is made by Virgin Voyages as to any Guest in mid-Voyage, such Guest may be left at any port or place the vessel calls without any liability to Virgin Voyages. Virgin Voyages shall not be required to refund any portion of the fare paid by any Guest who must leave the vessel prematurely for any of the reasons set forth in this paragraph or who voluntarily disembarks or leaves the vessel for any other reason, nor shall it be responsible for lodging, medical care expenses, meals, return transportation or other expenses incurred by such Guest.  For a list of prohibited items, see our FAQ section -- click on "What items are prohibited from being brought on board?” We will report incidents of illegal activity or behavior to the appropriate law enforcement authorities ashore. Unruly, abusive or aggressive behavior toward other Guests or crew will not be tolerated and may be grounds for disembarkation as well.

For the safety and security of Guests, we use closed circuit television (“CCTV”) or other surveillance means onboard the ship.  We also deploy body cameras on our Security Team members. The body cameras record interactions with Guests and crew to ensure the protection of our Guests, crew, and Security Team members. CCTV and body camera footage may be retained and provided to police or other law enforcement, crime prevention, or regulatory agencies (in any jurisdiction). Further, we use photographers and videographers to capture images of our Guests during their Voyage with or without enhancements for sale to those captured in the imagery. They are happy to take reasonable steps to avoid filming you where you indicate that this is your preference but you may be included unless you tell us otherwise. We are unable to guarantee that you will not be included in video footage and photographs on an incidental basis.  We may desire to use such imagery/footage in our marketing or promotional materials in print, on television, on our website, on our social media sites, or other media.  We will seek your express consent before doing so. Notwithstanding, where permitted by law, by boarding our vessel, you grant us permission to photograph, film and/or record you by any means.  Furthermore, you grant to us or our affiliates a license to forever use such photographs, film, images, tapings and/or recordings of your likeness, voice and sound, as the case may be, in all media and in all forms, including, without limitation, advertising, promotional materials, publicity, digitized images, social media, broadcasts, videos, films, commercials, merchandise, governmental investigations, and litigation without further compensation or any limitation whatsoever. Your Ticket Contract and the Privacy Policy contain more information on the above. Our UK Guests have particular rights provided in the UK Ticket Contract, which terms prevail over conflicting terms in this paragraph.

Arrival at the Terminal

• For your comfort and convenience, we recommend that Guests arrive at your selected arrival slot noted on your Voyage documents. Because of security regulations, Guests may not be allowed to enter the terminal prior to the scheduled embarkation time and may want to avoid waiting in potentially inclement weather as the waiting area outside and inside the terminal may be limited.

 
Boarding the Ship

• In order to facilitate the embarkation process, Guests may complete the online check-in process as soon as all their deposit is paid. We ask that all Guests complete the online check-in as soon as possible. Simply download our mobile app, log in to your account, and fill in the required information. Guests will be asked to access the Safety Brief via the Virgin Voyages mobile app or the in-cabin tablet once onboard the ship. All Guests must be checked-in and onboard the ship no later than one hour prior to the departure time noted on their Voyage documents or may not be permitted to sail. Any late-arriving Guest may join the ship at an approved port of call in the scheduled itinerary. Such a Guest will be responsible for all applicable fees and travel expenses to that subsequent port of call.

Reservations may be booked directly by travel agents or tour operators using our FirstMates.com website. For assistance, please call 1-800-430-5308, or in the UK +44-20-800-3688912.