a virgin voyages success story: how I found unbeatable deals
To be honest, until May 2023, I had never been interested in cruising. I had taken two cruises in my twenties and had no desire to repeat the experience. However, in a moment of weakness, my friend Mary (the best cruise travel agent ever!) persuaded me to book a last-minute cruise just six days before departure. I went, and to my surprise, I had an amazing time! It was so fantastic that I became convinced my sister would love it too. Knowing she would need a good deal to consider it, I set out to find one. I had to make it so good she couldn’t say NO, and I think I outdid myself.
Travel Hack
Have you ever heard of the status merry-go-round? Well, I hopped on and got not only a steal of a deal from Virgin but also some other cruise deals (more on those later). I initially read about the merry-go-round on Reddit. It sounded too good to be true, but all I had to do was try to get the Wynhdam business earner card with a $95 a year annual fee to get started, so I thought, let’s try this.
Update: this is currently not an option this time. I am leaving this up because you never know when a deal like this will pop up!
I got approved for the card, which gives me platinum status with Wynhdam. Wynhdam Platinum status can be matched with Caesars Diamond. I was able to do this on the Wynhdam website. I was then able to download my card on the app. I sent pics of my Caesar’s diamond card to cruise lines on their casino websites. Virgin Voyages offered me a free balcony cabin on a cruise for up to 7 days. My sister and I decided to take the Mayan Sol cruise out of Miami in May. We just had to pay taxes and fees, which were less than $350 for both of us. Virgin is a different cruise line, so this includes all our specialty dining, internet, and tips.
FLIGHTS
We flew down to Miami on Southwest. Southwest is amazing for point lovers. When they have sales, the points needed for trips also go on sale. So I booked a free flight on points for myself. I have a companion pass for Southwest, so someone can fly free with me on my flights. I made my sister my companion, so she flew for free to Miami. Our total out-of-pocket for flights was $22.40 for both of us.
hotel
I always recommend you fly in at least a day before your cruise, just to be safe. We needed a hotel to stay in for our night in Miami. Hyatt is my go-to hotel when I travel. Unlike some of their competitors, I can get rooms at Hyatt for cheap point values, and our stay at the Hyatt Regency was no different. We were able to book a free night on points. We thought the Hyatt Regency Miami was fantastic for a quick stay. I have already booked it again for upcoming cruises in August and November. It was within walking distance of a Whole Foods. Before we set sail, we went and grabbed two bottles of wine for our cabin. We each were allowed to bring a bottle of wine onto the ship. You need to place it in your carry-on.
The Cruise
The night before our cruise, my sister finally looked at the Virgin app, and she couldn’t believe all the amazing restaurants I had booked. (Reservations open up 45 days before you cruise) She spent hours reading the menus and talking about what she wanted to order. Now she was officially ready for a few days together!
I have already booked two more Virgin cruises for this year. I don’t have casino deals for these, but I love them so much I will gladly pay for them (gasp!) I will be cruising with my 18-year-old next month and later this year with my husband. I am eager to show both of them this fabulous way to travel.
I love Virgin Cruises so much that I became a travel advisor. If you are tempted to check out what Virgin has to offer, take a look here. Please note this is a link to my Firstmates page. If you book through my link, I may earn a commission.
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