Virgin Voyages' Sailing Club Review

It feels good to be a sailor

You know what I’m a big fan of? Simple things.

We can definitely say that Virgin Voyages’ Loyalty Program - the Sailing Club - is simple. It has only three tiers, and you can reach the highest tier after just five trips with them. Being simple, however, doesn’t mean this is a bad loyalty program, oh nooo! There are some amazing perks, such as unlimited premium Wi-Fi at the top tier. The Sailing Club also offers a status match that can catapult you to the best perks if you have traveled a lot with another cruise line in the past.

Virgin Voyages Sailing Club.webp — Virgin Voyages©

Here are the three different tiers:

Sailing Club: the first tier is achieved after just one completed voyage. As expected, it doesn’t give you much, just some exclusive offers and alerts to promos
Blue Extras: After completing two voyages with Virgin Voyages, you’ll start receiving Blue Extras perks on your third and fourth trips. These perks include one complimentary specialty coffee per day, access to an exclusive cocktail event, and one bag of complimentary laundry service.
Deep Blue Extras: This tier begins with your fifth voyage. Perks include two specialty coffees per day, a $100 Bar Tab credit, unlimited premium Wi-Fi, additional items in your complimentary laundry service, priority embarkation and disembarkation, and more.

Check the image below or click on this link for a full list of benefits.

What we like about the Sailing Club

Virgin Voyages Sailing Club perks.webp — Virgin Voyages©

What I really love about this Loyalty Program is its simplicity. Unlike other cruise lines with a gigazillion number of tiers, this program is straightforward: you earn one point per cruise, no matter its length. Whether you take a 4-day Caribbean cruise or a 180-day world voyage, you receive one point either way. This must be a full-fare sailing, though! After completing two voyages, you become a Blue Extras member, and after only four trips, you advance to a Deep Blue Extras member. Easy!

Another great aspect? It’s really easy to reach the top tier. You could even complete four trips in one month if you wanted to and achieve Deep Blue Extras status in record time. The combination of a straightforward loyalty program and the ease of reaching the top tier makes it stand out from the crowd. Many guests don’t even realize they’ve reached Deep Blue Extras status until they start enjoying the perks.

The Blue Extras perks may not be that great, but they include 1 complimentary bag of laundry, which can be quite useful on shorter cruises. You also get access to 1 specialty coffee per day and an invitation to a special cocktail party on longer cruises. While the perks might not be spectacular, they’re a nice bonus, especially since you can achieve this status after just two trips.

Virgin Voyages Rockstar Quarter balcony.webp — Virgin Voyages©

The top tier, Deep Blue Extras, offers some nice perks as well. Key perks include priority boarding at embarkation and unlimited premium Wi-Fi, so you can binge your favorite Netflix series onboard Virgin Voyages 24/7. You also receive an upgraded complimentary laundry service and a $100 bar tab credit to use for pre-paying drinks on your cruise.

We also can’t overlook the status match program offered by the Sailing Club. If you’ve never sailed with Virgin Voyages before but have a high status with another cruise line like Royal Caribbean, they might offer you a status match and grant you Deep Blue Extras status based on your current level. The program has parity with several cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and more.

What we don’t like about the Sailing Club

Virgin Voyages Arcade Room.webp — Virgin Voyages©

We could very well copy/paste what we say about every Loyalty Program here: the initial tiers are just lame. The first tier, Virgin Voyages Sailing Club, only offers a newsletter and access to some special promotions. Seriously, not even a bottle of water? It’s hard to see the point of this tier. It’s also puzzling that Virgin Voyages includes “gratuities” and “basic Wi-Fi” in their list of Sailing Club benefits, given that these are perks provided to all guests.

There isn’t much to dislike about the Sailing Club. Sure, I could wish for a mind-blowing perk like a free cruise, but given that this rewards program has only a few tiers and you can reach the top tier after just four trips, a free cruise wouldn't really make sense.

So, is this one of the best cruise loyalty programs out there? I think so. It’s easy to understand, offers unlimited premium Wi-Fi, bar tab credit, and a status match program. Ah, it feels good to be a Sailor!