Overview
2,770
1,150
2022
5NME
Itinerary
Melbourne’s vibrant character shines through its eclectic mix of architecture, culture, and green spaces. Stroll through Federation Square, where contemporary art and historic buildings collide, or explore the street art in hidden laneways like Hosier Lane. For a taste of local flavors, the Queen Victoria Market offers fresh produce and handmade goods. Don’t miss the Royal Botanic Gardens, a peaceful escape near the city’s core.
With a festival-like lineup featuring original, first-to-sea productions, extraordinary pop-up acts, and immersive experiences, the entertainment you’ll experience on board is something you’ve never seen before. It’s wild. It’s thought-provoking. It’s a full-on extravaganza. And it couldn’t be anything else. Digging deep into our musical roots, we’ve collaborated with the world’s most-talked-about directors, choreographers, and artists to create the live entertainment only a Virgin brand could.
Set in Twofold Bay on the Sapphire Coast, Eden is known for the migrating whales that cruise through its waters between May and November. While the whales are now protected and cherished here, the town was initially founded as a whaling centre and has many fascinating stories to tell. Ships will anchor offshore and tenders are provided to the port.
Top Things to Do in Eden:
- bush walk through Ben Boyd National Park
- visit Eden Lookout for the best views of Twofold Bay
- visit the Eden Killer Whale Museum
- cruise Twofold Bay
While exploring the city take the opportunity to stroll through the Royal Botanic Garden, offering breathtaking views of the harbor and a diverse collection of plants. Alternatively, The Rocks, Sydney's oldest neighborhood, is brimming with cobblestone streets, heritage buildings, and vibrant markets. For lunch, savor fresh seafood at one of Darling Harbour's waterfront restaurants & don't miss the chance to dip your toes in at Bondi Beach!
On our voyages, the biggest choice you’ll have to make is: which activity do I choose tonight? From our adult-oriented performances in the Red Room to live music every single night, bookable karaoke rooms, and special activations popping up all around the ship like pub crawls and pajama parties, there’s no shortage of things to do on a cruise with Virgin Voyages.
Melbourne’s vibrant character shines through its eclectic mix of architecture, culture, and green spaces. Stroll through Federation Square, where contemporary art and historic buildings collide, or explore the street art in hidden laneways like Hosier Lane. For a taste of local flavors, the Queen Victoria Market offers fresh produce and handmade goods. Don’t miss the Royal Botanic Gardens, a peaceful escape near the city’s core.
Life On Board
Built like a super yacht and styled like a chic hotel for adult only guests, welcome aboard Resilient Lady. Read more
With wellbeing at the centre of your onboard experience, you can be totally active, completely relaxed or somewhere in-between. Read more
Cutting edge, boundary pushing productions, the epic Scarlet night and pop up performances make for lively onboard entertainment. Read more
Forget formal dining rooms and enjoy all inclusive, made to order dining at more than 20 city style eateries and restaurants. Read more
We’ve partnered with some of the industry's most esteemed mixologists to offer quality drinks without the premium price tag. Read more
We've taken care of all the details — so all you have to do is kick back and have the relaxing vacation you deserve. Read more
Ship Reviews (5)
Special mention goes to the fully stocked bar with top shelf spirits, bottles of Moet, white wine and beer that you're welcome to polish off as they were all included in the fare. Megarock Star Suites get their bar replenished for free, but it would take a serious drinker to get through all that was on offer. A second special mention goes to the shower. I’ll give a budget hotel 5 stars if it provides me with decent shower pressure and I don’t have to bend down to get under the shower head. Virgin has come up trumps with their rain shower and handheld attachment. There was plenty of room and the water pressure was fantastic! A final special mention relates to my particular suite – the “Cheeky Corner Suite”. While the suite wasn’t that large, the balcony was. As least as large as the cabin, with two loungers, Virgin’s trademark hammock, an outdoor couch, table and two chairs. Plenty of room to invite a few friends over for a tipple or three.
It’s not all praise however…on the first night of the cruise the Captain had the Resilient Lady powering down the east coast and my suite was shaking the whole night. I was on level 10 (and there are another 5 levels above me) so I’m unsure if they felt it too. On the second day and night the ship slowed down and it was fine. I’m assuming this was a result of being right at the back of the ship and I’m guessing on top of the engine room? It wasn’t comfortable.
As for the rest of Resilient Lady. Well, she’s brand new, so everything is spotless and clean and fresh. She’s huge, and if like me you get lost easily, you might want to bring your pedometer onboard with you – on your return you’ll be able to impress everyone with the amount of steps you made – to make up for all the food you inhaled. That’s a nice segue onto the meals onboard. We only scraped the surface with all the options available, suffice to say I think there’s something for everyone. From our freshly cooked pizza when we first got onboard, to Japanese Bento boxes of fresh fruit, hamburgers & chips, sweet treats, dinner over a Korean hot plate and the fancy Wake Restaurant in the aft. There are supposed to be 20 restaurants on board but I didn’t even get to see some of them. I also frequented two cafes to get my 4 daily double shot Flat Whites. Virgin’s cup sizes are wrong for Downunder (way to big) but with a few instructions I managed to get my barista to make them to my satisfaction. I’m pretty picky about my coffee, so most people will be more than happy. Espresso coffees are extra and come off your bar tab.
On such a short trip I didn’t get to visit the spa or gym, but they looked impressive. On the first night we went to a show – “The Rose” – which is the only show you have to pay for onboard - as it includes drinks and dinner. I’m not sure it’s for everyone, but I loved it. A visual feast for the eyes – I think it was a modern take on Romeo and Juliet, not that that mattered – but the meals and drinks are all interwoven into the show and done very cleverly. With Virgin being an adults only ship, the shows and entertainment are certainly more risqué than on a traditional cruise.
So would I recommend it – definitely yes – great value, great ship with lots to keep you entertained (I even had a go at Dodgeball!) and different to the other cruise lines out in the market. Who would I recommend it too? Virgin are at pains to point out their cruises are for everyone, you just need to be open minded and want to enjoy yourself. So yes, you’ll find 20 somethings onboard as well as 70 somethings and if you want to embrace the flamboyance of the brand you can, but equally there are lots of bars and quiet nooks where you can lose yourself in a book and escape other humans.
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Virgin Voyages Worldwide (2024-26)
Prices & Dates
There are currently no departures available on this cruise. Either it's the end of the season and new departures will be released shortly, or this itinerary has been changed and is not operating this season. Feel free to contact us for information about when next seasons dates will be released or click here to view general release dates for all destinations.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by Virgin Voyages. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
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