Virgin Voyages cruises are mostly cash free. There are some instances where it is helpful to bring cash on your cruise, but you may be able to have a fully cash-free experience.
Do you need to tip on Virgin Voyages cruises?
Virgin Voyages includes tips in your voyage fare. And yes, that it really is as simple as that. You will never be asked to tip on a Virgin Voyages cruise. In fact, Virgin Voyages specifically asks if anyone pressured you to tip (and they take their surveys seriously.) That said, you are free to tip if you receive exceptional service. You may choose to tip for a good massage, a lucky blackjack dealer, or an exceptional bartender. However, tipping is entirely up to you.
Do you need to tip for Shore Things?
Tips are not included for Shore Things, so I recommend having a few bucks on hand for exceptional service. I feel Virgin Voyages does not do a great job of communicating this. Virgin Voyages partners with local experts to provide fun and unique shore experiences, but those experts are not employed by Virgin Voyages. We did a pub crawl in Key West. Tipping was clearly not included, and one of the bartenders let us know. If you do a pub crawl, absolutely bring enough cash on shore to tip each of your bartenders, just as you would back home.
Do you need cash to shop on Virgin Voyages ships?
No. All purchases are made by swiping The Band. In fact, the stores on High Street won’t accept cash even if you asked them to. All charges will be applied to your account, and you will get a detailed invoice at the end of your cruise. Any Sailor Loot you have will be applied first, so make sure to ask how I can get you extra Sailor Loot for booking directly with me.
Do you need cash for the arcade?
No! All games are free to play in the arcade, so save your quarters for drinking games. There is a claw machine that costs $2 to play, but that is just slightly outside the arcade so my original point still stands.
Bring cash or use Sailor Loot at the casino
The casino does have an ATM onsite, but it was unavailable both times I tried to use it. There is an additional ATM at Sailor Services on Deck 5, but nobody wants to trudge down there to get a few bucks for the slot machine. You can use Sailor Loot for casino credits, but this doesn’t work exactly like cash. If you want to use Sailor Loot at the casino, you can swipe your band on the slot machine. There is a fee to use Sailor Loot at a slot machine, so I recommend sticking with cash.
If table games are your thing, simply tell the dealer you would like to use Sailor Loot. They will give you promotional chips that can be used to play but cannot be redeemed for cash. Think of your Sailor Loot as free play, but winnings are paid out in actual chips that can be exchanged for US Dollars.
Cash at ports of call
Cash is king at ports of call throughout the Caribbean and is convenient to have while haggling for the best deals in Mexico. Some ports are safer than others. I was warned that pickpocketing is relatively common in Cozumel, so I kept my wallet in my front pocket. Most places accept major credit cards, but you may not get the same deal you would get with cash.
I used USD in Mexico, mainly because I didn’t want to worry about converting pesos to dollars. You can exchange USD for local currency in the Caribbean, but USD is accepted almost everywhere. For sailings in Europe or Australia, I recommend carrying local currency whenever possible.
Cash is helpful but may not be necessary on Virgin Voyages cruises
Ultimately, the decision to carry cash or not is up to you. I recommend having a couple hundred dollars for the casino and shore days. Every cabin has a safe if you do not feel like carrying a wallet, so you don’t have to worry about leaving cash in your cabin. You can have a great cashless experience with Virgin Voyages, but I think you’ll appreciate the flexibility cash offers for the casino and shore days. Tips for everything onboard truly are included in your voyage fare, but Shore Things are not conducted by Virgin Voyages crew members, and tips are appreciated.
Book a Virgin Voyages cruise
Ready to book your Virgin Voyages cruise? Drop me a line or fill out the Customer Inquiry Form, and I will get back to you within 24 hours. Even if you already booked, I may be able to get you some extra perks like free Sailor Loot! More of a do-it-yourselfer? Book online directly with Virgin Voyages (you’ll see my name in the upper left hand corner), and I will be happy to assist you as much (or as little) as you’d like! Until next time, happy sailing sailor!