Virgin Voyages Deposits and Cancellation
Quick answer: Virgin takes a deposit of 20% of the voyage fare (taxes and fees aside) when you book, and the balance 120 days before sailing. Book inside 120 days and you pay in full. What happens if you cancel depends on your fare: Base and Lock It In are non-refundable from day one, while Essential and Premium give you 7 days for a full refund, then turn money into Future Voyage Credit, and become final 44 days out. Taxes and fees are refundable on every fare.
The payment timeline
- Booking day. 20% of the voyage fare, excluding taxes and fees.
- 120 days before sailing. The rest is due. This is also the last point to add Voyage Protection, Virgin's insurance plan, which is priced as a share of the fare and can be added only before final payment is due.
- Inside 120 days. A new booking is paid in full on the spot.
You can pay through My Account on Virgin's site, through Sailor Services, or through your travel advisor. Virgin takes Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal, in US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand dollars, pounds or euros. Card issuers may add foreign transaction fees. US and Canadian residents can apply for Flexpay to spread the cost, including add-ons like Voyage Protection and Shore Things.
Paying by wire? Virgin says the transfer has to arrive within 24 hours, or the booking may be canceled automatically and you would have to rebook at whatever rate is available then.
The cancellation clock, by fare
For bookings made on or after October 7, 2025:
| When you cancel | Base and Lock It In | Essential | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120+ days out, within 7 days of deposit | Non-refundable | Full refund | Full refund |
| 120+ days out, after 7 days | Non-refundable | Deposit becomes credit, other payments refunded | Deposit becomes credit, other payments refunded |
| 119 to 45 days out | Non-refundable | Fare payments become credit | Non-refundable, but you can move payments to credit, change dates or change names |
| 44 days or less | Non-refundable | Final; Sailors other than Sailor 1 can be swapped | Final; any Sailor can be swapped |
"Credit" here is Virgin's Future Voyage Credit. Taxes and fees come back on every row. Our fare types guide covers what else changes between the fares, and the Lock It In guide covers the guaranteed rate.
How Future Voyage Credit works
Future Voyage Credit is not cash. Virgin issues it per Sailor, it can't be passed to anyone else, and it has to go on a voyage booked and sailed within one year of the original sail date. It can't buy Sailor Loot (onboard credit), but it can pay for a pre-voyage Bar Tab. You can see your balance on your account dashboard. The practical point: credit earned by cancelling a long sailing has to be used fairly soon, so if you are cancelling, think about when you could sail again.
Two dates worth putting in a calendar
- Deposit day plus 7. On Essential or Premium booked more than 120 days out, this is the last day for a full refund.
- 45 days before sailing. The last day for a date change on Essential or Premium, and the end of the window where cancelling still turns payments into credit.
The 120-day mark matters too, since it is final payment and the Voyage Protection cutoff. If you prepay the service gratuity, note that Virgin treats prepaid gratuities as non-refundable; see the gratuities guide.
Refund timing
Virgin aims to process a voyage fare refund within 7 days of receiving the request, and says your bank may take up to 14 days to show it.
If you are sailing with a group
Each cabin's booking runs on its own clock. In Virgin's group program, cabins can be held for a group without names, but a cabin is assigned only once the Sailors' details and a 20% deposit are in, and the held cabins must be fully paid at 120 days. Every booking in a group uses the same travel advisor agency and currency. For a hosted group sailing, your advisor tells you the date your names and deposit are needed; the group can meet in the Nautir app before boarding and nudge anyone who is late.
Friends sharing a cabin share one booking, one deposit and one cancellation clock, so agree up front who pays what. A solo sailor has only their own dates to track. See the upcoming hosted group sailings or our solo sailings.
FAQ
How much is the deposit on a Virgin Voyages cruise?
20% of the voyage fare, not counting taxes and fees, paid when you book. If you book 120 days or less before sailing, you pay the whole fare at once.
When is final payment due on Virgin Voyages?
120 days before the voyage starts. Virgin takes Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal, and US and Canadian residents can apply to pay over time through Flexpay.
Can I get my deposit back if I cancel?
On Essential and Premium, yes if you cancel within 7 days of paying the deposit and you are more than 120 days out. After that the deposit becomes Future Voyage Credit. On Base and Lock It In, no: everything but taxes and fees is non-refundable from the start.
How long does Future Voyage Credit last?
Virgin says it must be used on a voyage booked and sailed within one year of your original sail date. It is issued per Sailor, can't be transferred, and can't be used as onboard credit, though it can pay for a pre-voyage Bar Tab.
What if I booked before October 7, 2025?
Older bookings keep the older rules: a 7-day grace period for a full refund when booked 120+ days out, the deposit held as credit after that, everything converting to credit between 119 and 45 days, and payments final from 44 days, when the booking can be transferred to someone else up to 48 hours before sailing.
Details checked against virginvoyages.com on November 9, 2026. Virgin changes its terms often; your advisor confirms them for your booking.