New Year's Ahoy on Virgin Voyages: The SmokyMtnBears' Journey to San Juan

New Year's Ahoy on Virgin Voyages: The SmokyMtnBears' Journey to San Juan

The adventure began with a road trip to Atlanta, where we parked our car using SpotHero. If you haven't heard of SpotHero, it's a game-changer for travelers. This service allows you to reserve parking at airport hotels for as low as $8-12 per day, making long-term parking affordable and convenient.

From Atlanta, we took a Spirit Airlines flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico. We had never flown Spirit before, as we've heard all the stories, but we were pleasantly surprised. Our flight experience was great, especially since we opted for the "big comfy seats." Not only did these seats provide extra comfort, but they also came with unlimited drinks and snacks—which you can take with you.

We landed in San Juan at 1:45 AM on December 26, where our pre-arranged car service was waiting. We always prefer to book a car service ahead of time to avoid the stress of searching for luggage, then scrambling for a taxi or Uber. It's a hassle-free way to start the trip.  (www.tinyurl.com/seanscarservice – use code TCT40 to get 40% off!)

Our accommodations for the night were at Aire de Olive, a beachfront hotel. While we weren’t thrilled with the third-shift employee, we understand that the property is under new ownership. The owners of OLV 55 and Olive Hotel took over Aire de Olive less than a year ago and have already made significant renovations.

After a much-needed sleep-in on December 26, we spent the day unwinding by the pool and beach, soaking up the sun and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. That evening, we had a special group dinner at OLV 55 with 20 of our fellow travelers who had arrived early. OLV 55 is truly next-level luxury, complete with a gold Rolls Royce inside the restaurant and breathtaking views of Condado Bay. Our dinner took place at Arya, the rooftop restaurant, and the entire experience was phenomenal.

On December 27, we offered our group a variety of tour options. Some chose to explore the El Yunque Rainforest, others strolled through Old San Juan, and a few had planned to visit a clothing-optional beach—though the weather forced that plan to be canceled.

Later that afternoon, we gathered everyone into a Vito Van and headed to Ron del Barrilito, San Juan’s oldest rum distillery. The tour was fascinating, offering insights into the history and craftsmanship behind this legendary rum. A highlight of the visit was the mixology class, where we got to create and enjoy two different cocktails—everyone had a blast!

Following our rum-filled adventure, our van took us to Old San Juan for dinner at Carli’s Fine Bistro. Carli, the owner, is a talented pianist and author who is best known for playing with The Beach Boys for years. The dinner was exceptional, and Carli’s live piano performance added an intimate, unforgettable touch. We took up most of the restaurant, and every single guest raved about both the food and entertainment.

This was just the beginning of our New Year’s Ahoy adventure!

Saturday, December 28, was embarkation day, and we rented three vans to take everyone to the port to board Virgin Voyages. We did have to wait as we arrived a bit after noon, and the doors didn’t open until 1 PM, but it was a mild day in San Juan. Once onboard, our group was off and running, making dinner reservations, booking shows, and getting settled in.

We stopped by Sip Lounge, where we met Chris & Alex and chatted for a bit before heading to our cabin to unpack. Soon after, we made our way to the Sail Away Party, where we enjoyed some free champagne before heading to Razzle Dazzle for our group dinner. We were thrilled to have 32 people join us for this meal, and even more excited to see one of our favorite Virgin employees, Harris, who we requested as our server.

Later that night, we grabbed drinks at On the Rocks and enjoyed live Latin music. The PJ Party, typically held outside on Deck 16, was moved indoors to The Manor due to weather. Our group decided to go all out and dress as Mrs. Roper—those who participated had a blast, while others opted to catch up on sleep instead!

On December 29, we arrived in port at Tortola. Since we've been there many times, we decided to sleep in and grab lunch at The Galley while others in our group went on tours. In the afternoon, we took a leisurely walk around Tortola, snapping photos and enjoying the scenery.

Later that day, we attended Opa Hour at The Dock, indulging in delicious small bites before heading to dinner at Extra Virgin. The pasta was outstanding, but we made sure to save room for the gelato cart—it’s a must!

That evening, we watched the Ms. Behave show, which had us laughing the entire time. We had seen it before, but this time there was a new Ms. Behave, a British performer whose dry humor made the experience even better. After the show, we stopped by We Fancy, the nightclub for the night, but found that the music was a bit too heavy on hip-hop and Latin beats for our taste. Instead, we opted to return to On the Rocks to enjoy another night of live music.

Monday, December 30, was a day at sea. We love a day at sea! We started our morning with breakfast at The Galley, where we met with Linn, our Virgin Voyages Group Coordinator. She is absolutely amazing, and we cannot say enough good things about her.

One of the most exclusive experiences we offer for our group is our private cocktail hour at Loose Cannon. This intimate venue comfortably seats about 40 people, making it the perfect setting for a special gathering. Our group was treated to an hour-long cocktail party with a selection of delicious canapés, and they could order anything they wanted from the bar during that time, including our drink special. We took the opportunity to welcome everyone, express our gratitude for their participation, and celebrate another incredible voyage together. We had some special appearances from the Happenings Cast as well–including The Diva!

As we wandered around, we spotted two of our favorite Virgin employees, Xenia and Joanna. Both work in the Box Office, with Joanna serving as the Box Office Manager. We also met up with Chris & Alex and attended Another Rose, a dinner and show experience. Knowing the best seats from our previous visit, we secured floor-level seating.

The Evil Queen, a performer in the show, immediately recognized us from our visit in June 2023.  We later learned that she had worked in Sevier County at two different dinner shows and was also the first female ringmaster for Ringling Brothers Circus! She took us backstage, and Chris & Alex were in awe of the behind-the-scenes access.

The dinner and show were absolutely spectacular. There is an additional cost for this experience, but it includes unlimited alcohol, making it well worth it. Another Rose continues to be a must-do event whenever we sail with Virgin Voyages.

Tuesday, December 31, we arrived in Bridgetown, Barbados, where we decided on a Virgin Voyages shore excursion to high tea at Sunbury Plantation. It took us one hour to get there. The tour was nice, but the cost and the time it took to get there and back were not worth the price we paid. A pleasant surprise was that we “Uncle Mark” and Stephanie were on the trip! 

Dinner was at Pink Agave, where we were seated beside Callie and Rochet. We enjoyed dinner and then went upstairs to change into our New Year's Eve attire. We took a group picture on the stairs for those who made the picture. (Side note: Virgin is getting very picky about timing and group activity, many policies are changing–almost daily). The first band for NYE was ok, but the second band was much better. The bars around the pool deck, where Virgin transformed the pool deck into a dance floor and covered the pool, did not serve our bubbly.. On NYE, people want champagne! Amelia, the bar server, though, was amazing and went to get our group bottles. We went to get pizza at The Pizza Place at 1:50 am, knowing they closed at 2 am, but they were outside telling everyone they were closed. This is NYE—stay open later or have non-galley food available for those who have been out dancing and partying.  The night was still amazing however!

Wednesday, New Year's Day, January 1, 2025. We had a shore excursion but missed it as we didn’t get in until late from NYE. We went to lunch at The Galley, then decided to go to the pool area to relax and chill for a bit. We attended the Deep Blue Benefits Cocktail Party, where some of our group was in attendance.

Dinner was at The Wake, which is the steakhouse. It was very good as per usual.

After dinner, we decided to go to On the Rocks and order some drinks, but it took over 20 minutes for them to be made. When they finally arrived, the server couldn’t remember which drink was what and had the bartender do the straw test to determine them. This was disgusting, gross, and unacceptable. We promptly canceled the drinks and went to another bar. Needless to say, we did not go back to that server.

Thursday, January 2 - We ported in St. John's but did not do a shore excursion as all the ones Virgin had were either sold out or not of interest to us. Instead, we got off the ship and walked around the port area, and had a great time.  We found fun little places to go off the beaten path that we will be able to offer in the future!

Dinner was at Gumbae, which is Virgin’s Korean restaurant. We met several from our group for dinner and had a great time. As always, we took a photo at 8:15 PM for those who arrived timely.  Again, Virgin has locked down groups and now has three different program offerings for groups.  They are not as flexible as the once were.  That is more than understandable with the number of people on the trip, however.

Friday, January 3 - We ported in Philipsburg. Again, we did not do a shore excursion as none of the options particularly excited us.  So, we did our own thing.  Then, came back for lunch at The Galley and spent the day walking around the ship.

We had dinner at The Wake, but the highlight of the evening was a secret show with Chris the Charmer in the crew area. It was so fun and exciting! Later, we went to Persephone, as Scott loves this show. It's like Mad Max meets Cirque du Soleil with gods and goddesses—a truly great show, exclusive to Resilient Lady.

Saturday, January 4 - We had our traditional The Connected Traveler farewell brunch at The Wake. This is a come-and-go brunch as people have different flight times. Our group loves this as it's one more chance to see everyone and say goodbye to old and new friends.

Scott and I decided to spend a couple of days in San Juan so we didn't have to rush off the ship. We met our driver and were taken to our hotel in San Juan. We decided to try an inland hotel in a different area so we could provide folks some more options in the future. We stayed at the Hyatt Bayamon, which was next door to a Casino.  We opted for lunch and dinner at a local sports bar across the street from our hotel. When we say local, it is very local, but they had beer specials and amazing food!  This was a hole in the wall, but it was amazing!

As our incredible journey came to an end, we couldn't help but feel bittersweet about saying goodbye. The memories we've made, the laughter we've shared, and the friendships we've strengthened will stay with us forever. But this isn't goodbye—it's simply 'until we meet again.' Until the next adventure, we carry the spirit of our travels in our hearts, knowing that new horizons and unforgettable experiences await us in the future.

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