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Update, 6/15: The Chase transfer bonus ends today, so be sure to transfer those points today if you want to get this deal!
Update, 6/14: The AMEX transfer bonus ends today, so be sure to transfer those points today if you want to get this deal!
If you choose the Greece cruise, there is kosher food available in Mykonos, Rhodes, and Athens.
You can redeem just 80,000 Virgin Red points for a 7 night cruise for 2 passengers, departing from Athens or Barcelona this summer. You’ll need to book your own way to those cities. The price for a solo passenger is the same as for 2.
Virgin Red points and Virgin Atlantic points can be linked together and used in either program. You can transfer points from AMEX, Chase, or Citi to Virgin Atlantic or from Capital One to Virgin Red.
Plus, through 6/14, AMEX points get a 30% bonus for transfers to Virgin. Chase points also get a 30% bonus through 6/15, which will lower your cost to less than 62K points! All taxes, port fees, and tips are covered by the points as well.
That’s an incredible value for cruises that go for $3,000-$6,000 after tax!
Virgin cruises are for adults that are at least 18 years old only. All food, soft drinks, tips, group fitness classes, entertainment, and Wi-Fi are included.
As long as there are Sea Terrace or Limited View Sea Terrace cabins available, you can book them with points. You can’t upgrade during the booking process, but you may receive upgrade offers after booking.
Sadly though, Virgin cruises don’t offer kosher meals.
Worse yet, when I asked if they might be willing to accommodate passengers with some freezer space, they said they don’t allow guests to bring perishable food onboard, though I’m not sure if that’s actually enforced. If it’s not, you can always bring food in a Polar Bear and refill it with ice as needed. You can heat meals in a HotLogic. Otherwise, there’s always canned items, tuna, peanut butter, and shelf stable La Briute/Meal Mart meals? Plus, you might also be able to get a chef to accommodate you with double wrapped fish and the like. And for people that eat Cholov Stam, I’d imagine there would be milk, yogurt, and ice cream options that would work. Plus, you can always try to arrange for kosher food at some of the stops.
Back when Starwood auctioned off a cruise to Antarctica in 2016, I skipped it due to food restrictions. That worked out well as the Indians made the World Series during the cruise timeframe and I used Starpoints to throw out the first pitch before game 7 of that series and get 2nd row seats to the game. 2 years later I organized a fully catered kosher cruise of Antarctica for over 50 DansDeals readers, a far more enjoyable endeavor than the Starwood auction would have offered.
If you do want to go, you can choose from the following sailings:
Departing Athens (Ship: Resilient Lady)
Departures available on Sunday June 4, 18, 25, July 9, 16, 30, August 6, 20.
- Day 1 – Piraeus (Athens). Departs at 7:00pm.
- Day 2 – Santorini. Arrives at 9:00am, departs at 10:00pm.
- Day 3 – Rhodes. Arrives at 9:00am, departs at 6:00pm.
- Day 4 – Bodrum. Arrives at 8:00am, departs at 8:00pm.
- Day 5 – Sailing.
- Day 6 – Mykonos. Arrives at 9:00am.
- Day 7 – Mykonos. Departs at 2:00pm.
- Day 8 – Piraeus (Athens). Arrives at 6:30am.
Departing Athens:
Departures available on Sunday June 11, July 2, 23, August 13.
- Day 1 – Piraeus (Athens). Departs at 6:00pm.
- Day 2 – Sailing.
- Day 3 – Split. Arrives at 9:00am, departs at 9:00pm.
- Day 4 – Dubrovnik. Arrives at 9:00am, departs at 10:00pm.
- Day 5 – Kotor. Arrives at 9:00am, departs at 07:00pm.
- Day 6 – Corfu. Arrives at 9:00am, departs at 09:00pm.
- Day 7 – Sailing.
- Day 8 – Piraeus (Athens). Arrives at 0630.
Departing Barcelona (Ship: Valiant Lady)
Departures available on Sunday June 4, 18, July 2, 16, 30, August 13, 27.
- Day 1 – Barcelona. Departs at 6:00pm.
- Day 2 – Toulon. Arrives at 9:00am, departs at 6:00pm.
- Day 3 – Marina di Carrara. Arrives at 8:00am, departs at 8:00pm.
- Day 4 – Sailing.
- Day 5 – Ajaccio. Arrives at 8:00am, departs at 5:00pm.
- Day 6 – Ibiza. Arrives at 7:00pm.
- Day 7 – Ibiza. Departs at 6:00pm.
- Day 8 – Barcelona. Arrives at 6:30am.
Departing Barcelona:
Departures available on Sunday June 11, 25, July 9, 23, August 6, 20.
- Day 1 – Barcelona. Departs at 6:00pm.
- Day 2 – Marseille. Arrives at 8:00am, departs at 7:00pm.
- Day 3 – Cannes. Arrives at 8:00am, departs at 9:00pm.
- Day 4 – Palma de Mallorca. Arrives at 6:00pm.
- Day 5 – Palma de Mallorca. Departs at 6:00pm.
- Day 6 – Ibiza. Arrives at 7:00pm.
- Day 7 – Ibiza. Departs at 6:00pm.
- Day 8 – Barcelona. Arrives at 6:30am.
Want to earn Virgin Atlantic points?
- You can transfer AMEX, Chase, Capital One, Or Citi points to Virgin Atlantic at a 1:1 ratio or Marriott points at a 60K:25K ratio.
AMEX cards with transferable Membership Rewards points include:
- AMEX Blue Business Plus
- AMEX Platinum Business
- AMEX Gold Business Card
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Gold Card
- AMEX Green Consumer Card
- AMEX Everyday Preferred Consumer Card
- AMEX Everyday Consumer Card
If you, a member in your household, or an authorized user has one of the following Chase cards, you can transfer points into miles:
- Chase Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card® Card has a 60K signup bonus, earns 2.1 points per dollar on travel, 3.1 points per dollar on dining, streaming, and online groceries, has a $50 hotel credit, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1.3 cents each for paid travel or pay yourself back categories ($95 annual fee). Read more here.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a 60K signup bonus, earns 3 points per dollar on dining/travel, has a $300 travel credit, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1.5 cents each for paid travel or pay yourself back categories ($550 annual fee with $300 travel credit). Read more here.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card earns 3 points per dollar on shipping, advertising, and travel, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1.25 cents each for paid travel or pay yourself back categories ($95 annual fee). Read more here.
Chase no-annual fee cards that are fantastic for earning points, but require one of the cards above for points transfers include:
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card has a 75K signup bonus and earns 5 points per dollar on cable, TV, telecom, cellular, office supply stores, and gift cards from office supply stores, plus 2 points per dollar on dining and gas ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
- Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card has a 75K signup bonus and earns 1.5 points per dollar everywhere ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
- Chase Freedom Flex has a 20K signup bonus, plus 5 points on rotating categories, 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, and 3 points per dollar on dining and drugstores ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited® has a signup bonus offering 3 points per dollar on up to $20K of spending in your first 12 month, afterwards earn at least 1.5 points per dollar everywhere, 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, and 3 points per dollar on dining and drugstores ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
If you or a friend has one of the following Citi cards, you can transfer points into miles:
- Citi Premier® Card has a 60,000 point bonus for spending $4,000 in 3 months, 3 points per dollar on airfare, hotels, travel agents, groceries, gas, and dining. $95 annual fee. Read more here.
Citi no-annual fee cards that are fantastic for earning points, but require one of the cards above for points transfers include:
- The Citi Double Cash® Card offers 2% cash back or 2 points per dollar spent everywhere that can be transferred into ThankYou points. If you also have a Citi Premier® Card Card you can transfer points into miles. No annual fee. Read more here.
- The Citi Custom Cash® Card offers 5 points per dollar on up to $500 in purchases in your top eligible spending category each billing cycle. This is marketed as 5% cash back, but will actually come in the form of 5 ThankYou points per dollar spent! Eligible categories include Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs, and Live Entertainment. You will also get 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. No annual fee. Read more here.
- The Citi Rewards+® Card offering 20,000 points for spending $1,500 in 3 months. This card can’t transfer points on its own, but can transfer points if you have one of the Citi cards above. This card automatically rounds up rewards earned on every purchase to the nearest 10 points, meaning you earn 10 points on a $0.50 Amazon balance reload. Earn 2 points on $6K in annual spending at supermarkets, and a 10% points rebate when you redeem points, up to a 10K points rebate per year. If you also have a Citi Premier® Card Card you can transfer points into miles and get a 10% points rebate on transferred or redeemed miles. No annual fee. Read more here.
Capital One cards with transferable points include:
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles for spending $4,000 in 3 months, plus earn 2 miles per dollar spent, $300 annual travel credit, 10K anniversary bonus miles, Global Entry/Pre-Check, Capital One lounge access, Priority Pass Lounge membership, and more. Read more here.
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles for spending $4,000 in 3 months, plus 2 miles per dollar spent. Read more here.
- Capital One Spark Miles for Business: Earn 50,000 bonus miles, plus 2 miles per dollar spent.
- Capital One Spark Cash Plus: Earn up to 100,000 bonus miles, plus 2 miles per dollar spent, convertible into transferrable miles with any of the 3 cards above. Read more here.
Marriott cards with transferable points include:
- Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Consumer Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express®Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card
Will you transfer points from Citi to Virgin Atlantic to take advantage of this bonus? What other award sweet spots do you take advantage of?
Will you redeem points to cruise Europe this summer?
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40 Comments On "[Final Day To Transfer With Chase Bonus] You Can Book A 7 Night Virgin Cruise For Just 61.5K Miles Per Cabin, But Kosher Meals Will Be Tricky"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
which of these 2 ships are nicer?
You might also be able to get a chef to accommodate you with double wrapped fish and the like.
I had it Norwegian. After a few days I realized the fish had like grill marks. I asked the chef how do you prepare this. He said, I have a special pot that I use and when its done. I double wrap it for you in foil . Lol.
That was the end of that
LOL.
Another reason I’ve never done that. Though if you do, ask to participate and watch the process.
I asked to watch how they do it.
Due to insurance purposes we can’t let you inside the kitchen
Obviously the basic of kashrus is you must watch them doing it from beginning to end. Should be self understood in any such circumstance, like all inclusive hotel etc….
what about bishul aku”m? was it cooked first or edible raw?
Kashrus is one thing, what about taruvous and tznious???????
+1000
That’s why such places having no kosher food should be good news.
+100
How does Shabbos work when you go on these cruises?
My understanding is that ships very much enforce the perishable food requirements due to potential safety and customs concerns. And all bags are x rayed.
Do you have experience with Virgin?
At least in Antarctica, our ship didn’t search through people’s bags.
Our Disney cruise did.
Per the terms & conditions its looks like the Account Holder needs to be the one checking in and you cannot use someone else’s account or have someone gist you the stay. Is there a way around this?
“Each Virgin Red member can book up to four Central Sea Terrace or The Sea Terrace cabins. The booking party must check-in at the same time.”
Also, it look like it deducts your points right away in which case I assume you get it back if you cannot find a cruise. Or does it mean you just need 80K points in your account to check availability???
I have Virgin Atlantic points how do I redeem it for this promotion
Click the first link in the post and link a Virgin Red account.
Ticket prices to Europe are crazy this summer and not a lot of mileage availability. Was going to book July 9th Cruise from Athens but cheapest economy tickets are well over $2000 each!!! With that in mind its cheaper and easier to cruise from the USA!!!
As someone that has cruised before, do NOT count on:
bringing perishable food onboard or even bringing along a HotLogic. your bags will be scanned and they’re strict.
same goes for assuming there will be Cholov Stam milk, yogurt, and ice cream options etc. available on ship especially for cruises departing from European cities.
Probably worth mentioning that “cholov stam “ only exists in the USA and maybe in other countries with the same types of government regulation. There’s no such thing as “I eat all milk even if it isn’t cholov Yisroel” this is agreed upon by ALL. The idea of “cholov stam “ in america is simply that because of the strict govt regulations, it is as if there is a moshgiach present. Absent that assumption, (like on a private farm that doesn’t have government oversight) or in other countries without the same regulations AND PENALTIES for violators, ALL agree that milk is forbidden without a religious Jewish moshgiach.
Many rabbonim say the EU is reliable as well as even in countries thst serve trief milk, it is marked as such.
Again, just ask LOR
There have been cases of mixing of camel milk as preservative to keep the cows milk longer, need good government regulation to rely on chalav stam.
Why would they do that when camel milk, pig’s milk etc. is sooo much more expensive. It would make absolutely NO sense from an economics perspective to use any other milk to “preserve” the cheapest milk i.e. cows’ milk.
is there a way to purchase for someone else?
Per the T&C the Virgin red account holder must check in.
In order to book more than one cabin, each booking has to be made separately each with its own unique access code. I booked 3 separate bookings only one of which is in my own name. There should be no reason then that you can’t book for someone else as well.
And as always… Thank You Dan for letting us know! We are so excited for the trip!
Thank you Dan & JJ We were able to hop on this deal for 62k for a 7 day Greek Isle Cruise. I am shocked there were no taxes / port fees / gratuity
We are excited for the trip!
Which week are you going? If you keep kosher please post your experience.
Awesome, please post a trip report here or on DDF!
We’ll be on the July 9th from Barcelona. If anyone else going, be in touch!
For kashrus, we bring a pan and have them fry eggs for us, raw fish and double wrapped cooked in front of us, salads.
Bringing shabbos and havedala candles, Bartenura cans of wine.
Any other suggestions?
Just wanted to say thank you again! Just got back from a “back-to-back” (2 weeks on the same ship) with different itineraries. The crew could not have been nicer! They do have 2 kosher wine choices on board along with so many options for alcohol. They are willing to go the extra mile when it comes to helping with dietary restrictions (kosher) and any other restrictions or allergies. What an amazing 2 weeks! I’m ready to go back!
Awesome, can you share more about what they did for kosher meals?
Did you bring any food onboard?
We just got off the cruise as well. Thank You Dan & JJ!! This was once of the best deals you have ever posted!!! It was a truly incredible experience!!! This was the 7th cruise we have been on including two of newest Royal Caribbean Oasis class ships and this was definitely as good and as high end as any ship we’ve been on.
Before the cruise we tried reaching out to Virgin customer service regarding kosher food accommodations and they were very unresponsive and non-committal. With this in mind we brought a lot of Tuna and dry foods and planned on eating lots of vegetables. However, two days into the cruise we met with the head of F&B and he came though for us in a big way. From that point on they double wrapped fish (Salmon, Tuna, Sea Bass), Potatoes, sweet Potatoes, squash, string beans and heated it up for us. They also provided fresh raw salmon and tuna. Of course we had all types of other fruits & vegetables. We brought our own spices, condiments and dressings. For breakfast they had kelloggs cereal from the US, Lox and Tuna with hashgacha. The bagels did NOT have an hashgacha. They make fresh sour dough bread on board that some people would eat as it consists of only flour and water. We found other products such as taffys and licorice with an hashgacha. The ice cream was homemade on the ship and was not kosher. They allow you to bring 2 bottles of wine per cabin. I am not approving any of these food options so ask you LOR what is or isn’t permissible!!
Another problem is that the ship is very tech savvy so you need to figure out the Shabbos issues. Everything in the cabin is electrical and is controlled with a a tablet. We left the door slightly open and put out valuables in the safe.
There are also amazing kosher food options on 3 of the ports. We had lunch at Chabad in Athens on the way from the airport to the Cruise terminal. We also enjoyed an amazing early dinner at Chabad in Rhodes before we headed back to the ship. There is a Kosher restaurant on Mykonos but you can only pick it up or have it delivered. We could have had it delivered to the beach club where we spent the day but it was on Friday and we didn’t want to stuff ourselves before Shabbos. You can order the complete shabbos but you risk it all being confiscated when you board the ship.
Awesome!
Were you able to bring any food onto the ship in the beginning? Did you try bringing food onto the ship at any port?
How did you work out lights and sensors for Shabbos?
I only brought Tuna and lots of sealed dry foods such as bread, Peanut Butter, crackers, protein bars.When I checked in they took my luggage and brought it to my cabin. They didn’t ask any questions so I probably could have gotten away with a lot more. When you re-board after excursions they seem t be stricter. They opened my bags a few times.
I only left the bathroom light on. I taped the locks and didn’t close it all the way so that the lights and curtains shouldn’t automatically open.
Thanks!
Did you ask if disabling that automation was possible? Did you lock valuables up before Shabbos?
Yes, I locked up all valuables. I did not ask them to disable.