Ahoy Sailors….

To be honest, until May 2023, I had never been interested in cruising. I had taken two cruises in my twenties and had no desire to repeat the experience. However, in a moment of weakness, my friend Mary (the best cruise travel agent ever!) persuaded me to book a last-minute cruise just six days before departure. I went, and to my surprise, I had an amazing time! It was so fantastic that I became convinced my sister would love it too. Knowing she would need a good deal to consider it, I set out to find one. I had to make it so good she couldn’t say NO and I think I really outdid myself.

Have you ever heard of the status merry-go-round? Well, I hopped on I got not only a steal of a deal from Virgin but also some other cruise deals (more on those later). You can check out more about the merry-go-round here The Status Match Merry Go Round™ Explained (Using Both Hotel and Casino Status Match Opportunities Year After Year) (milestalk.com).

I initially read about the merry-go-round on Reddit. It sounded too good to be true but all I had to do was try to get the Wynhdam business earner card with a $95 a year annual fee to get started so I thought let’s try this.

I got approved for the card which gives me platinum status with Wynhdam. Wynhdam Platnium status can be matched with Caesars Diamond. I was able to do this on the Wynhdam website. I was then able to download my card on the app. I sent pics my Caesar’s diamond card to several cruise lines on their casino websites. Virgin offered me a free balcony cabin on a cruise for up to 7 days. My sister and I decided to take the Mayan Sol cruise out of Miami in May. We just had to pay taxes and fees which was less than $350 for both of us. Virgin is a totally different cruise line so this includes all our speciality dining, internet, tips.

We flew down to Miami on Southwest. Southwest is amazing for point lovers. When they have sales the points needed for trips also go on sale. So I booked a free flight on points for myself. I have a companion pass for Southwest where someone can fly free with me on my flights. I made my sister my companion so she also flew for free to Miami. Our total out of pocket for flights was $22.40 for both of us.

I always recommend you fly at least a day before your cruise just to be safe. We needed a hotel to stay in for our night in Miami. Hyatt is my go to hotel when I travel. Unlike some of their competitors I can get rooms at Hyatt for cheap point values and our stay at the Hyatt Regency was no different. We were able to book a free night on points. We thought the Hyatt Regency was fantastic for a quick stay. I have already booked it again for upcoming cruises in August and November.

The night before our cruise, my sister finally looked at the virgin app and she couldn’t believe all the amazing restaurants I had booked. (Reservations open up 45 days before you cruise) She spent hours reading me the menus and talking about what she wanted to order. Now she was officially ready for an few days together!

I have already booked two more virgin cruises for this year. I don’t have casino deals for these but I love them so much I will gladly pay for them (gasp!) I will be cruising with my 18 year old next month and later this year with my husband. I am eager to show both of them this fabulous way to travel.

I love virgin cruises so much I decided to become a travel advisor. If you are tempted on checking out what virgin has to offer take a look here.