Taking the Kids: A different kind of cruise

“I felt like the bigger cruise lines were nickel and diming you,” said John Fellin, an attorney from Long Island with his wife. “This is a good option and value.”

Passengers clearly enjoyed The Beach Club at Bimini with its huge pool, as well as the white sand beach with turquoise clear water. Lunch was locally inspired — think banana leaf-wrapped snapper, chicken curry and Bahamian rum cake, though portions were small.

Another big difference from other cruise lines was the lack of a buffet. Instead, in the Galley, there were options from freshly prepared dishes to street tacos, burgers (the French Toast burger is a big social media hit) salads and soups, Bento Boxes of sushi and Asian noodle dishes plus an assortment of breads, fruits and pastries — all served to guests who can scan the menu and then put up a mini flag on their table to let servers know they are ready to order.

“We made a conscious decision to eliminate buffets,” explained Levi Mezick, Virgin Voyages director of Culinary Development. “The buffet setup would have required us to discard food every four hours to ensure food safety. This kind of process inevitably creates more food waste versus made-to-order offerings. In the Galley, passengers are invited to try as many things as their hearts desire and can order with a server or take advantage of several grab-and-go options.”

Another difference is there is no charge for the specialty restaurants that range from a steakhouse to Mexican, upscale Italian (Extra Virgin is the most popular); a vegetarian-forward eatery (though meat is available on the “naughty” menu), a Korean BBQ where chefs grilled at communal tables and The Test Kitchen where guests simply get a list of ingredients which the chefs will use to create each course (ours included mushrooms, scallops, venison or beef, blue cheese and chocolate and dinner was terrific!)

There was no charge at the ice cream parlor, pizza parlor or Sun Club offering pool-side poke bowls. That they had to pay extra for specialty coffee didn’t dissuade anyone from their lattes.

“The cuisines were largely inspired by the world's top metropolitan cities, including New York, London, Barcelona and Mexico City,” explained Mezick, adding that “careful menu planning and execution,” has enabled the cruise line to offer high quality dining without charging the extra fees that most major cruise lines do for specialty dining, whether for brunch or dinner.

There is even the first tattoo parlor at sea. If passengers grumbled about anything, it was the quality of the entertainment. However, Virgin Voyages is in the process of introducing new shows, additional live music acts, an immersive cabaret and rotating stage performances.

Said Charlesworth-Miller “I’ve paid a lot more for cruises I’ve enjoyed a lot less.”

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia and The Kid’s Guide to Camping are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)