(EXPIRED) Virgin Red: Caribbean or Mediterranean cruise for 2 people for 110k-120K pts

Virgin Red is the points program that combines all of the different spheres of Virgin’s travel companies. Using Virgin Red, you can earn and spend Virgin points when staying at Virgin Hotels, flying with Virgin Atlantic or cruising with Virgin Voyages.

Currently Virgin Red is running several interesting promotions for redemptions on Virgin Voyages’ cruises. Through September 30th, you can book a 7-night, Mediterranean cruise for 2 using just 115,000 Virgin points. There are three different itineraries, all on the Virgin Valiant Lady. Each one leaves from Barcelona and visits several stops, including the French Riviera and various Mediterranean islands.

There’s a couple of Caribbean options as well, both departing from Miami: a 4-night cruise for 2 using 110,000 Virgin points or a 5-night cruise for 2 using 120,000 points. These utilize the Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady and visit several common ports along the way.

All three promotions are all-inclusive (except for alcohol) and offer accommodation in a room for up to two people with a sea-view balcony.

The Deal

Limited time offer to book the following Virgin Voyages’ cruises using Virgin Red:

• Choose ANY 7-night sailing from Barcelona on Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady for 115,000 Virgin Points.
• Valid for accommodation in a Sea Terrace cabin for up to 2 people.
• Book by 9/30/22 for departures until 10/16/22

Direct Link to Offer and Itineraries (must log-in to Virgin Red)

• Choose a 5-night sailing from Miami on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady for 120,000 Virgin Points. (h/t: TPG)
• Valid for accommodation in a Sea Terrace cabin for up to 2 people.
• Book by 9/30/22 for departures until 12/22/22

Direct Link to Offer and Itineraries (must log-in to Virgin Red)

• Choose a 4-night sailing from Miami on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady for 110,000 Virgin Points.
• Valid for accommodation in a Sea Terrace cabin for up to 2 people.
• Book by 9/30/22 for departures until 12/18/22

Direct Link to Offer and Itineraries (must log-in to Virgin Red)

Terms and Conditions

(these are for the Miami trips, Barcelona is similar)

• This offer is exclusive to Virgin Red members.
• Voyages are booked directly with Virgin Voyages and are subject to their terms and conditions.
• Flights and transfers are not included.
• All sailors (passengers) must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to sail with Virgin Voyages. Proof of vaccination, including brand and dates of doses, is required, and sailors will need to have completed a government-approved COVID-19 vaccine regime at least 2 weeks prior to their sailing date. Sailors are responsible for meeting the entry requirements for each port visited on the cruise, including any additional or differing COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
• Cabins are The Sea Terrace or Limited View Sea Terrace on Scarlet Lady, and will be determined by Virgin Voyages according to availability. The price is per cabin (one or two persons). There is no single sailor supplement available.
• Bookings must be completed no later than 30/09/2022
• Cabins are The Sea Terrace or Limited View Sea Terrace and will be determined by Virgin Voyages according to availability. The price is per cabin (one or two persons). There is no single sailor supplement available.
• Each Virgin Red member can book up to 4 The Sea Terrace or Limited View Sea Terrace cabins. The booking party must check-in at the same time.
• The Virgin Red member responsible for the booking must present their Virgin Red app to verify their eligibility before boarding.
• Bookings are subject to availability and confirmation of completion of booking process by Virgin Voyages.
• Cabin type cannot be upgraded when using an Access Key as part of the booking process, and any attempt to do so will result in the Access Key being void. However, once the booking of a The Sea Terrace or Limited Sea View Terrace cabin has been confirmed, it may be possible to upgrade if Virgin Voyages subsequently offer the chance to do so.
• All sailors (passengers) must be at least 18 (eighteen) years old.

Quick Thoughts

While I haven’t ever been on Virgin Voyages, they seem to get good reviews and are a step up from more common carriers like Carnival and Princess.

Looking at cash prices, the real deal here seems to be the Mediterranean options. Dates for the specified itineraries for a Sea Terrace cabin are hovering in the $2500+tax range, making this a very good use of 115,000 Virgin points. All food, soft drinks, tips, group fitness classes, entertainment and Wi-Fi are included. All cruises are adults-only.

The Caribbean options seem a little more hit-and-miss. The nice thing is that the dates extend all the way into December. However, many of the sailings can be had for around $1200-$1400 for two people, making an OK, if not spectacular, points redemption (our reasonable redemption values have Virgin Points at 1.3 cents per point). That said, only having to go to Miami and being able to cruise in the beginning of December (when rates are $2500-3000) may make this a more desirable option for some.

It’s worth noting that each Virgin member can book up to four cabins under these promotions, making it feasible for a larger group to travel together, provided that everyone is over 18.

Virgin Red is a transfer partner of Capital One, Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points and Bilt Rewards. Suffice it to say that there’s a lot of ways to transfer in. If you already have a Flying Club account, you can link this to your Virgin Red account and the points totals for both will theoretically sync…although it doesn’t always seem to be a smooth process.

If you’re in the market for a cruise, It’s also worth checking out Nick’s great post on getting extreme discounts on Carnival Cruises using status-matching.

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