Upgrading your Virgin Voyages cabin doesn’t always mean placing a bid through Level Upgrade and hoping for the best. If you want to choose your exact cabin — specific deck, specific location, specific category — you can pay to upgrade directly through Sailor Services or your First Mate. This is the manual cabin upgrade path, and it works differently from bidding in almost every way that matters.
This guide covers who qualifies for a paid Virgin Voyages cabin upgrade, the timelines and fare rules that govern the process, and the critical risks that can catch Sailors off guard — especially those sitting on Legacy bookings made before October 7, 2025.
For the full picture of every upgrade path available, see our Virgin Voyages cabin upgrade hub. For Level Upgrade bidding mechanics, head to our dedicated Level Upgrade bidding guide.
Only Sailors booked on Essential or Premium voyage fares (or non-Lock It In RockStar and Mega RockStar suite fares) can request a manual cabin change or upgrade. This applies to both category changes (e.g., Insider to Sea Terrace) and specific cabin selections within a higher category.
Lock It In and Base fare bookings are completely locked. Virgin Voyages states: cabin assignments can’t be changed once booked. No exceptions, no workarounds through Sailor Services. If you’re on one of these fares and want to move up, Level Upgrade bidding is your only option — and even then, you don’t pick the specific cabin.
Not sure which fare you booked? Our fare tiers breakdown explains the differences and what each one includes.
RockStar and Mega RockStar suite bookings follow the same 46-day rule — as long as you didn’t book on a Lock It In fare. Suite Sailors can request cabin changes up to 46 days before sailing, subject to availability and any fare difference. Moving from a Cheeky Corner Suite to a Brilliant Suite, for example, requires paying the difference at the time of the change.
The Massive Suite is excluded from Level Upgrade bids entirely — so a manual upgrade is typically the only way to get into one after initial booking.
Virgin Voyages defines two distinct windows for cabin changes, and they work differently.
Essential and Premium Sailors can change their cabin category up to 46 days before the voyage by contacting Sailor Services or their First Mate. You’ll pay the fare difference at the time of the change. If you’re moving to a less expensive cabin, the difference comes back as onboard credit or a Future Voyage Certificate — not a cash refund.
This is the window most Sailors don’t know about. Virgin’s Ticket Contract states that cabin upgrades “may be made 45 days or less” before the sailing date, subject to availability. This isn’t a guaranteed right — it’s a discretionary window where Sailor Services can approve paid upgrades on a case-by-case basis.
In practice, this window overlaps with when Level Upgrade bids become active (45 days to 48 hours before sailing). The key difference: a manual upgrade in this window lets you pick your exact cabin, while a Level Upgrade bid only guarantees the category.
Pro Tip: If you’re eyeing a specific cabin — say, a particular XL Sea Terrace on a high deck — a manual upgrade in this informal window gives you that precision. A Level Upgrade bid might land you in the category but in a cabin location you’d never have chosen yourself.
This is the single biggest risk with manual cabin upgrades right now. If your booking was made on or before October 6, 2025, it sits under Legacy fare rules — and those rules come with significant perks, including locked-in promotional pricing and original fare structures.
Virgin Voyages has made this explicit: if you change your cabin after October 7, 2025, your entire reservation moves into the new VoyageFair Choices fare structure and reprices at today’s prevailing rate. You don’t just pay a fare difference on the upgrade — your entire booking gets repriced.
What that means in practice:
Pro Tip: If you’re sitting on a Legacy booking with strong promotional pricing, do not call Sailor Services to change your cabin without fully understanding the repricing risk. Talk to your First Mate first. In many cases, placing a Level Upgrade bid is the safer move — Virgin confirms that Legacy bookings upgraded via Level Upgrade keep all original Legacy booking perks.
These two paths look similar on the surface — both move you to a better cabin — but they work in fundamentally different ways.
| Factor | Manual Upgrade | Level Upgrade Bid |
|---|---|---|
| Cabin selection | You choose the exact cabin | Virgin assigns the cabin within the category |
| Fare impact | Reprices at today’s prevailing rate | You pay only the bid amount on top of your existing fare |
| Legacy booking perks | Lost if changed after Oct 7, 2025 | Preserved |
| Available fares | Essential, Premium, non-Lock It In Suites | All categories except Massive Suite |
| Timing | Up to 46 days (standard); 45 days–48 hours (informal) | 45 days–48 hours before sailing |
| Certainty | Confirmed immediately upon payment | Bid may or may not be accepted |
Choose a manual upgrade when you need a specific cabin on a specific deck, you’re booking under VoyageFair Choices (not Legacy), or you want certainty — no waiting, no wondering.
Choose Level Upgrade bidding when you have a Legacy booking you don’t want to reprice, you’re flexible on which exact cabin you get, or you want to try for a significant jump (like Sea Terrace to RockStar Quarters) at a fraction of the published fare difference.
This is where things get murky — and it’s one of the most important distinctions between the two upgrade paths.
With Level Upgrade bids, Virgin is explicit: you keep your existing promotions. Your Sailor Loot, Bar Tab, and any other promotional perks carry over intact.
With manual upgrades, the answer isn’t as clear. Because a manual cabin change can trigger a full fare reprice — especially for Legacy bookings — there’s no official guarantee that all promotional line items survive the transition. Community reports consistently flag that Sailor Loot and Bar Tab credits can disappear from the app or booking portal after Sailor Services processes a cabin change. In most cases, these can be reinstated, but it requires follow-up calls and sometimes proof of your original booking confirmation.
Pro Tip: Before requesting any manual cabin change, screenshot or save a PDF of your full booking confirmation — including Sailor Loot balances, Bar Tab status, and any promotional credits. If anything drops off after the change, you’ll need that documentation to get it reinstated.
If your booking is financed through Flexpay, you can still upgrade your cabin — but you’ll need to re-apply for a new Flexpay loan for the updated fare. This adds a step (and possibly a new credit check), so factor that in before making the call.
If you purchased Voyage Protection through Virgin Voyages and your cabin upgrade increases the total voyage fare, you may be responsible for the incremental insurance cost. This applies to accepted Level Upgrade bids, and can apply to manual upgrades. The amount is based on your new fare — it’s not a flat fee.
Connecting cabins follow the same fare-based restrictions. Post-October 7, 2025, connecting cabins are only available if your fare allows cabin changes — meaning Essential, Premium, and non-Lock It In Suites. If you’re on Lock It In or Base, connecting cabins aren’t an option after booking.
For help choosing the right cabin from the start — so you’re less likely to need a change later — our best cabins by traveler type guide is a solid starting point.
Yes, but you’ll need to re-apply for a new Flexpay loan at the updated fare amount. Your existing Flexpay arrangement doesn’t automatically adjust — it’s a new application with a new credit check.
No. Level Upgrade does not include any additional promotions, but you keep every promotion already attached to your booking. Manual upgrades, by contrast, reprice the fare — which means promotional pricing may not survive.
All cabin categories except the Massive Suite are eligible for Level Upgrade bids, based on availability for each sailing. Manual upgrades have the same category access but are restricted to Essential, Premium, and non-Lock It In Suite fares.
Virgin’s policy contains conflicting language. The Ticket Contract states no change fees for cruise date or cabin changes, while it also reserves the right to charge up to $300 for guest-initiated changes. In practice, the fare difference — not a separate fee — is what you’ll pay. Confirm with your First Mate before proceeding.
A manual Virgin Voyages cabin upgrade gives you precision and certainty — you pick the exact cabin and it’s confirmed immediately. But that control comes with real trade-offs, especially the repricing risk on Legacy bookings that can erase promotional savings you spent months locking in. If you’re on a Legacy fare, Level Upgrade bidding is almost always the safer path. If you’re on a VoyageFair Choices booking and want a specific cabin, manual is the way to go.
Your Serious Sailors™ First Mate can walk you through both options and help you decide which path protects your booking — and your budget. Reach out to get started.
