Sea Terrace, XL Sea Terrace or Insider: Which Virgin Voyages Cabin Should You Choose?

Your cabin on Virgin Voyages is less of a “room” and more of a base. The ships are built for being out and about, and most of the good stuff happens beyond your door. That said, the right cabin makes a real difference to how rested you feel, how much you spend and how much you enjoy sea days.

We’ve spent 100+ nights on Virgin Voyages across 16 sailings on all four ships, including stays in an Insider, standard Sea Terraces and an XL Sea Terrace. Here’s how to choose.

Virgin Voyages cabins compared

Cabin	Approx. size	Outside view	Best for	Watch out for
Insider	105–177 sq ft	None	Budget, short sailings, people who are rarely in the cabin	No natural light; can feel snug for two
Sea View	130–190 sq ft	Window, no balcony	Natural light for less than a balcony	No outdoor space
Sea Terrace	185–225 sq ft	Private balcony with hammock	Most Sailors; Caribbean and Alaska scenery	Some have a limited view
XL Sea Terrace	Larger than a standard Sea Terrace	Balcony, usually with hammock	Longer sailings, more space to spread out	Higher price, smaller choice
RockStar Quarters	352–857 sq ft	Larger terrace	Priority perks and a dedicated agent	Big jump in price
Mega RockStar	Over 2,000 sq ft at the top end	Huge terrace	The full VIP experience	Only around 15 per ship

Sizes are Virgin’s own published ranges and vary by ship and exact cabin. See our full Virgin Voyages cabins guide for every category.

Insider cabins: smart value, no window

Insiders are inside cabins with no window. They are the cheapest way on board, and on Virgin they’re cleverly designed: good storage, mood lighting and the same comfy bed as everywhere else. There’s also a Solo Insider, built for one person, if you’re sailing on your own.

Choose an Insider if:

• You’re on a short sailing (three to five nights) and plan to be out all day.
• You want to put the money you save towards the spa, a supper club or your Bar Tab.
• You sleep better in total darkness.

Skip it if you like waking to daylight, plan to spend a lot of time in the cabin, or get cabin fever easily. We’ve stayed in one ourselves, and our full Insider cabin guide has our photos and tips.

Here’s our Insider cabin tour on video:

Sea View cabins: daylight on a budget

Sea View cabins have a window but no balcony. They’re a nice middle ground: natural light and a sense of where you are, for less than a Sea Terrace. Virgin designs them with a window seat for two, and there are solo versions with an extra-large single bed. Numbers vary by ship, so if you have your heart set on one, book early.

Sea Terrace: the one most people book

The Sea Terrace is Virgin’s signature cabin. You get a private balcony with the famous red hammock, which is where many of our favourite moments on board have happened: coffee as Brilliant Lady slid past glaciers in Alaska, and a lazy afternoon swinging in the sun in the Caribbean.

It’s the cabin we recommend nine times out of ten. A standard Sea Terrace gives you a full, unobstructed balcony with the hammock, it works with My Next Virgin Voyage (MNVV) placeholders, and you’re not paying the extra for a Central or XL. Where on the ship is a personal choice, and we cover it in the location tips below.

Within this category, Virgin sells a few variations:

• Central Sea Terrace: a location close to the middle of the ship. Worth it if you’re worried about motion, though Virgin’s ships sail quite slowly, so in our experience motion is rarely an issue. On Deck 8, Central Sea Terraces can hear The Roundabout late at night.
• Limited View Sea Terrace: a balcony where part of the view is blocked, usually by lifeboats or structure. Cheaper, and fine if you mainly want fresh air.
• Balcony differences: some terraces have glass panels, others metal, and the hammock position varies.

Our Sea Terrace cabin guide goes into the detail, and you can see one on video in our Resilient Lady Sea Terrace cabin tour.

Watch our full Sea Terrace cabin tour:

XL Sea Terrace: worth the upgrade?

An XL Sea Terrace gives you more interior space than a standard Sea Terrace; the exact size varies by ship and cabin, so check the listing for yours. We’ve stayed in one, and we loved the bigger bathroom. It fixed our one real complaint about Virgin cabins, which is the bathrooms.

The trade-offs:

• Location. XLs are right at the front of the ship, so you’re further from The Roundabout, The Galley and the pool.
• The hammock. Some forward XLs have a chair or egg chair on the terrace instead of the hammock, so check before you book if the hammock matters to you.
• Price. You pay a premium over a standard Sea Terrace.

It’s worth it when you’re sailing seven nights or more, have lots of luggage (say, a fly-cruise with a hotel stay either side), or the bathroom is the thing you’d most like to upgrade. On a four-night Caribbean sailing from Miami, we’d usually put the difference towards something else.

Here’s our tour of XL Sea Terrace 9350A on Valiant Lady, so you can see the extra space (and that bathroom) for yourself:

RockStar and Mega RockStar suites in brief

RockStar Quarters are Virgin’s suites. On top of more space and a bigger terrace, you get priority embarkation and disembarkation, an earlier dining booking window, a dedicated reservations agent, an in-room bar setup and access to Richard’s Rooftop. Richard’s Rooftop is suite-only on all four ships. Virgin does sometimes invite VIPs up, but the only guaranteed way in is to book a RockStar suite. Mega RockStars go further, with very large terraces and complimentary drinks within set limits.

If you want this level, talk to us first. The perks vary by suite type and they’re quite different from a standard cabin.

Location tips: where to book on the ship

The cabin category matters, but so does where it sits. Open the Virgin Voyages deck plans for your ship (Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady, Resilient Lady, Brilliant Lady) and check what’s above, below and next door.

• Our own pick: aft, decks 10 to 13. We tend to book towards the back of the ship on decks 10 to 13. It gives us quick access to the back of the ship and The Galley, which is where we spend a lot of our time.
• Midship if you worry about motion. A midship cabin keeps you central, and if you’re prone to seasickness, a lower, central cabin moves least. See our seasickness and best cabins guide.
• Port or starboard? Cabin numbers ending in A are on the port (left) side, and those ending in Z are on the starboard (right) side.
• Deck 8 Central and The Roundabout. Central Sea Terraces on Deck 8 can hear The Roundabout late at night.
• Watch what’s above you. Cabins near the Aquatic Club pool deck, the gym or The Manor nightclub can be noisier at busy times.
• Near the lifts is handy, but busy. Close to the lifts saves walking but can mean corridor chatter late at night.
• Check the view on Limited View cabins. Use the deck plan to see whether lifeboats sit in front of your terrace.

For the specific spots we’d steer clear of, see our Virgin Voyages cabins to avoid guide.

Why you sometimes can’t pick your cabin number

This catches a lot of people out. Since Virgin introduced VoyageFair Choices fares, whether you can pick a particular cabin depends on the fare you book. On Essential and Premium fares, we can book a particular cabin number for you. On Base fares, Virgin assigns your cabin. Our VoyageFair Choices guide explains the fares in full.

Fare	How your cabin is chosen	Can you change later?
Base	Assigned automatically within the category you booked	No
Essential	We can book a particular cabin for you	Yes, if availability allows
Premium	We can book a particular cabin for you	Yes, if availability allows
Lock It In	Guaranteed your category or higher; location assigned closer to sailing	No

This is based on Virgin’s official FAQ for bookings made from 7 October 2025. In practice, if you care about where you are on the ship, book Essential or above early, when there’s the most choice, and tell us which cabin or area you’d like so we can book it for you. If you just want the best price and don’t mind where you are, Base or Lock It In can be good value.

Connecting cabins are limited too, and are only available on fares that allow cabin changes.

Our quick decision guide

• Short sailing, on a budget: Insider.
• Want daylight but not a balcony price: Sea View.
• First Virgin cruise, any itinerary (and most repeat cruises too): a standard Sea Terrace.
• Want to be near The Galley and the back of the ship (our choice): a standard Sea Terrace aft, decks 10 to 13.
• Worried about motion: a midship or Central Sea Terrace.
• Seven nights or more, and a bigger bathroom matters: XL Sea Terrace.
• Celebrating something big: RockStar.

Not sure Virgin is for you at all? Try our which cruise line is right for me quiz.

FAQs

What is the best cabin on Virgin Voyages? For most people, a standard Sea Terrace. It gives you a full balcony and hammock, works with MNVV placeholders and costs less than a Central or XL. We book ours aft on decks 10 to 13 for quick access to The Galley; choose midship if you worry about motion.

Are Insider cabins on Virgin Voyages too small? They’re compact, around 105 to 177 sq ft, but well designed. They work well for short sailings and people who spend little time in the cabin.

Is the XL Sea Terrace worth it? We loved the bigger bathroom, but XLs are right at the front of the ship and some have a chair instead of the hammock. On longer sailings it can be worth it; on a short Caribbean cruise, a standard Sea Terrace is usually enough.

Can I choose my cabin number on Virgin Voyages? It depends on your fare. Base and Lock It In cabins are assigned for you. On Essential and Premium fares, we can book a particular cabin for you, and you can change later if availability allows.

What is a Limited View Sea Terrace? A balcony cabin where part of the view is blocked, often by lifeboats. It’s cheaper and still gives you fresh air and a hammock.

Which deck is quietest on Virgin Voyages? Look for cabins with other cabins above and below, away from The Manor, the pool deck and the gym. Check your ship’s deck plan before booking.

Plan it with us

Choosing a Virgin cabin is easier with someone who’s slept in most of them. We’re Virgin Voyages Gold Tier First Mates and First Mate Champion 2024, and we’ll match the right cabin and fare to your sailing and budget. Call 07307 602030, email hello@magical-traveller.com or contact us.