The question we get asked more than any other about Virgin Voyages: “Is there really no buffet?” There really isn’t. Instead there’s The Galley, a food hall of separate counters, each cooking its own thing to order. It’s included in your fare, and after more than 100 nights on board it’s the place we eat more often than anywhere else on the ship.
Here’s every counter, how the menu changes from breakfast to dinner, the daily specials worth looking out for, what the drinks cost and what we order ourselves.
How The Galley works
When Virgin launched, The Galley was purely table service: you sat down, put the little flag up on your menu card, and a waiter came over and brought whatever you ordered. Today it’s a hybrid, and you can do it either way:
- Take a table and raise the flag. Every table has a menu card with a little flag on it. Put it up and a waiter will come and take your order from any counter. This is still our favourite way to do it.
- Queue at the counter. If you’d rather choose with your eyes, walk up to any counter and order there.
- Grab a pager. At some counters, such as the ramen, the tacos and Hot Off the Press, you can order, take a pager and come back when it buzzes. Your mileage may vary on this one: on a busy morning, we still think the table and flag is the best way.
- Dine in or take it away. Grab a table (the window seats go first) or take a plate out on deck.
- Mix and match. Tacos from one counter, sushi from another and a doughnut for afters. Nobody minds.
- It’s included. Every counter’s food is in your fare, as are water, filter coffee, tea and soft drinks. Speciality coffee, fresh juice and alcohol are extra.
- Check the app for hours. Opening times vary by ship and by day, and the app always has the latest.
Breakfast, then dinner: the menu changes through the day
The Galley runs two menus. In the morning it’s breakfast across every counter: bagels, omelettes, pancakes, burritos, fruit bentos and noodle bowls. Later in the day it switches to the lunch and dinner menu, and the counters change what they’re cooking: burgers, sushi rolls, salads, roast beef sandos and a full dessert line-up.
The exception is Diner & Dash. It serves breakfast 24 hours a day, so eggs and an omelette are on whatever time you surface. For every breakfast option on the ship, including the sit-down ones, see where to eat breakfast on Virgin Voyages.
Express Breakfast
In a hurry? There’s also an Express Breakfast counter with a plated cooked breakfast ready to go: scrambled eggs, bacon, a hash brown, grilled tomato, chicken sausage and toast. It’s the fastest way to eat before an early excursion.
When The Galley’s busy: breakfast in Gunbae
On busy mornings, Virgin opens Gunbae, the Korean barbecue restaurant, for breakfast as an overflow. It happens most on repositioning sailings, with lots of sea days, and in Alaska, where everyone’s up early for the scenery. Our tip: don’t sit too far round the corner in Gunbae. You can get overlooked, and service can be a bit slow.
Every counter in The Galley
The line-up below is from our recent sailings and the current menus. Names and dishes shift a little between ships and over time, but this is what you’ll find.
The Daily Mix
The healthy-ish corner. At breakfast it’s bagels, breads, spreads and toppings, cereals and steel-cut oatmeal. At lunch and dinner it becomes the salad counter: Caesar, Greek, mixed green and spinach and quinoa, with protein add-ons and a soup of the day. This is where one of us heads every morning for a breakfast bagel.
Diner & Dash
Virgin’s all-day diner, and the counter behind the 24-hour breakfast. Expect omelettes made to order (classic, ham and cheese, Western, veggie or egg white), two eggs any style, bacon and sausages, hash browns and toast. In the evening it adds a hot roast beef sando, and there’s always a special of the day. It’s worth checking the specials board every time you walk past.
Burger Bar
At breakfast this is the sweet counter: buttermilk pancakes, French toast and the French toast burger, which is exactly as indulgent as it sounds. From lunch it’s burgers: The Classic, an Impossible (plant-based) burger and fries, plus a daily special burger that changes each day.
Let’s Taco ‘Bout It
Breakfast burritos in the morning (avocado, or chorizo if you want a kick), and this is also where you’ll find eggs Benedict at breakfast. Tacos take over later in the day. Our tip: even when there’s a special version on and plain eggs Benedict isn’t on the menu, just ask for it. Our usual Galley breakfast is eggs Benedict or the chorizo burrito.
Bento Baby
Fruit bentos at breakfast (mixed berry, mixed fruit or tropical), then sushi rolls and sushi combos for lunch and dinner. A box of sushi is our go-to light lunch on a sea day, when we don’t want to be too full for dinner.
Hot Off the Press
The toastie and toast counter. Open-faced options include avocado toast, banana and Nutella, and smoked salmon. Toasted ones include buffalo mozzarella, bagel and egg, a BLT with avocado, and ham and cheese. Handy if you’re gluten free: the menu says every item can be made with gluten-free bread. Our gluten-free guide to Virgin Voyages has more.
Noodle Around
Steaming bowls of miso udon, tonkotsu ramen, Thai curry ramen and spicy tonkotsu. Yes, even at breakfast. Ramen is our usual lunchtime pick-me-up: light but filling, and very good after a long day ashore.
The Sweet Side (desserts)
The dangerous corner. The dessert line-up changes, but recent menus have included tropical cheesecake, a chocolate dessert named after the ship, raspberry macarons, peach crumble, coconut pavlova and a chocolate and ginger crisp. And then there are the doughnuts. We never leave The Galley without at least one.
Coffee and drinks
Filter coffee, tea, water and soft drinks are included. For a proper flat white there’s a Grounds Club Too coffee counter in The Galley, serving Intelligentsia coffee, and there’s a bar for cocktails, wine and beer. These were the prices on Resilient Lady’s Galley drinks menu in April 2026 (in US dollars, plus an automatic 20% service charge):
| Drink | Price |
|---|---|
| Espresso | $4 single, $6 double |
| Latte, cappuccino or flat white | $5 |
| Mocha | $6 |
| Loose-leaf tea | $6 |
| Spiked coffee add-on | $7 to $9 |
| Cocktails | $11 (espresso martini $13) |
| Fizz by the glass | from $9 |
| Wine | from $9 a glass, $40 a bottle |
| Beer | $8 to $11 |
If you’re drinking a lot of these, a Bar Tab might make sense. Our Virgin Voyages drinks prices guide has a calculator to work it out.
Quickeze grab-and-go
Don’t forget Quickeze, Virgin’s grab-and-go fridges, which you’ll spot around the ship. They’re really good for grab-and-go: there are often really nice salads and desserts ready to take away, and you can pop them in your cabin fridge for later. Just keep an eye on the shelf life: the cabin fridges are more like coolers than proper fridges, so don’t leave things too long.
What we actually order
After 100+ nights on board, this is our Galley routine:
- Breakfast: eggs Benedict or a chorizo burrito from Let’s Taco ‘Bout It for one of us, and a bagel from The Daily Mix for the other.
- Lunch: ramen from Noodle Around, or sushi from Bento Baby for a lighter bite.
- Tacos whenever they’re on later in the day.
- Doughnuts and desserts. One of each, at least. We’re on holiday.
Tips for The Galley
- Take a table and raise the flag. It’s still the easiest way to order, especially when the queues build.
- Expect it to be busy on sea days, particularly on repositioning sailings and in Alaska. If you’re sent to Gunbae, sit where the waiters can see you.
- Check the specials at Diner & Dash and Burger Bar. They change daily and are often the best thing on.
- Don’t over-order. Everything’s made fresh, so you can always go back.
- Save room. The Galley is great, but Virgin’s sit-down restaurants are included too and they’re the real stars.
FAQs
Is The Galley on Virgin Voyages free?
Yes. All the food at The Galley is included in your fare, as are water, filter coffee, tea and soft drinks. Speciality coffee, fresh juice and alcohol are extra.
Is there a buffet on Virgin Voyages?
No. The Galley replaces the buffet. Food is cooked to order or served to you at each counter, rather than left out for self-service.
Is The Galley table service?
It’s a hybrid. You can take a table and put the flag up on your menu card for a waiter, queue at any counter, or take a pager at some counters. We still prefer the table and flag.
Where do I eat breakfast if The Galley is full?
On busy mornings Virgin opens Gunbae for breakfast as an overflow. Try not to sit too far round the corner, as service can be slower there.
Is The Galley open 24 hours?
Diner & Dash serves breakfast 24 hours a day. Opening times for the other counters vary by ship and day, so check the app.
Does The Galley have daily specials?
Yes. Diner & Dash has a special of the day, Burger Bar has a daily special burger, and The Daily Mix has a soup of the day.
Can I get gluten-free food at The Galley?
Yes. Hot Off the Press can make every item with gluten-free bread, and the crew can tell you what’s safe at each counter. Our gluten-free guide has more.
Can I take food from The Galley back to my cabin?
Yes, everything can be taken away. If you’d rather have food delivered, ShipEats room service runs 24/7.
More ways to eat on board
See our Virgin Voyages restaurants guide, every Virgin menu and where to eat breakfast. Rather eat in your cabin? ShipEats room service runs 24/7.
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