Virgin Voyages onboard credit — known as Sailor Loot — is one of the most versatile tools in your booking toolkit. It can cover everything from cocktails and spa treatments to Shore Things and, in some cases, casino play. But how you get it, how you use it, and what happens if you don’t use it all work differently depending on the source.
This guide breaks down every way to earn or buy Sailor Loot, what it can and can’t be used for, and the insider strategies Serious Sailors™ recommends to get the most value from your Virgin Voyages onboard credit.
Sailor Loot is Virgin Voyages’ version of onboard credit. It lives on your onboard account and can be applied to nearly anything you purchase during your voyage — specialty drinks, spa appointments at Redemption Spa, Shore Things, retail, tattoos, and more.
Unlike a Bar Tab, which only covers drinks, Sailor Loot is general-purpose credit. That flexibility makes it one of the most valuable perks a Sailor can have onboard.
One important restriction: Sailor Loot cannot be used for pre-voyage purchases. That means you can’t apply it to a Bar Tab, add-on packages, or anything else bought before embarkation day. It only activates once you’re onboard.
There’s no single path to Sailor Loot. It comes from multiple sources — and stacking them is where smart Sailors get real value.
Virgin Voyages regularly runs promotions that include Sailor Loot as a booking incentive. Recent examples include up to $300 in Sailor Loot per cabin during the January 2026 Wave promotion, and voyage-specific Brilliant Lady Sailor Loot offers in March 2026. These are typically tied to specific booking windows, fare types, and sail dates — and they almost always require a Base, Essential, or Premium fare booking.
Promotional Sailor Loot follows the same use-it-or-lose-it rule. It’s not redeemable for cash, not refundable, and not transferable to another Sailor or voyage.
One of the most reliable ways to earn Sailor Loot is through My Next Virgin Voyage certificates. At $150 each (purchased onboard), MNVVs unlock future-voyage savings and come with Sailor Loot when redeemed. You can buy up to four per Sailor, and they’re valid on sailings of 4 nights or longer.
The post-voyage MNVV offer — available within 14 days of disembarking — also generates Sailor Loot when applied to a future booking. MNVVs are purchased with a personal credit or debit card only. For the post-voyage offer, existing Future Voyage Credits and Sailor Loot are not accepted, and corporate cards are excluded.
Pro Tip: MNVVs almost always make sense to buy onboard, even if you’re unsure about your next voyage. The $150 deposit locks in onboard credit you wouldn’t otherwise have, and you have two years to book and sail. If you cancel within 7 days, you get a full refund. After 7 days, the deposit converts to a Future Voyage Credit valid for one year.
First Mate agencies like Serious Sailors sometimes have access to additional Sailor Loot offers tied to specific sailings or booking campaigns. These are separate from the promotions Virgin runs directly, and they can stack with other sources of Sailor Loot on the same booking.
You can buy Sailor Loot in advance through your booking. There’s no bonus for pre-purchasing — a $200 Sailor Loot purchase gives you exactly $200 onboard. So why would you do it? Two reasons:
Pro Tip: Promotional Sailor Loot used in the casino can fund gameplay but cannot be cashed out. Winnings from casino play go to your onboard account, but the initial Sailor Loot itself is non-refundable regardless of whether you play or not.
The Sailing Club loyalty program can also be a source of onboard credit at higher tiers. Blue Extras and Deep Blue Extras come with per-voyage perks that may include a promotional Bar Tab — but eligibility depends on sailing history and fare type.
As of October 7, 2025, Base, Essential, and Premium fare bookings are eligible for Sailing Club perks. However, voyages booked with discounted access keys, gifted cruises, comped casino sailings, or points-based bookings do not count toward earning or receiving Sailing Club perks.
Credit for a voyage accrues 30 days after completion — and back-to-back Sailors who qualify for the next perks tier won’t see those benefits on their immediate next voyage.
A few things worth knowing about the status match program: the status match gives you Blue Extras starting with your first eligible sailing. But it only counts as one paid voyage toward tier progression. To reach Deep Blue Extras, you still need to complete three additional paid sailings after the match — not two. New loyalty tiers beyond the current structure may be introduced but haven’t been announced yet.
This is one of the most common points of confusion among Sailors. Both Sailor Loot and Bar Tab are forms of onboard credit, but they work very differently.
| Feature | Sailor Loot | Bar Tab |
|---|---|---|
| Can be used for drinks | Yes | Yes |
| Can be used for spa, retail, Shore Things | Yes | No |
| Can be used for casino play | Yes (promotional Loot only; no cash-out) | No |
| Refundable if unused | No | No |
| Rolls over to next voyage | No | No |
| Can be canceled pre-voyage | Varies by source | Yes, up to 24 hours before sailing |
For a deeper dive, see our Bar Tab vs. Sailor Loot comparison. The short version: Bar Tab is drink-only credit. Sailor Loot is everything credit. They’re different line items on your account and don’t combine or convert into each other.
Nearly everything onboard. Here’s what Sailor Loot covers:
What it cannot cover: pre-voyage purchases of any kind — that includes Bar Tab, cabin add-ons, flower packages, and celebration bundles. If you want to explore those options, check out our guides to champagne deliveries and Splash Your Bash packages.
It disappears. Any Sailor Loot — whether purchased, promotional, or earned through MNVV — that isn’t spent by the end of your voyage is forfeited. No refund. No rollover. Generally, no exceptions.
This applies even on back-to-back sailings on the same ship. Each voyage is treated as a separate account. Loot from voyage one does not carry into voyage two.
Pro Tip: On your last sea day, check your onboard account balance. If you have leftover Sailor Loot, spend it — grab a bottle of wine at The Wake, book a last-minute spa treatment, or pick up something from the retail shop. Don’t leave money on the table.
Officially, no. Virgin Voyages’ payments FAQ states that Future Voyage Credits cannot be used to purchase Sailor Loot. However, community reports and current Serious Sailors experience indicate that Sailor Services is sometimes allowing this conversion in practice.
This is a case where official terms and conditions don’t fully match current operations. If you have an FVC and want to convert it to Sailor Loot, contact Sailor Services or your First Mate before your voyage — but don’t count on it being available permanently. Policies can change at any time.
Not all fares qualify for every promotion. Since the October 2025 fare restructure, promotional Sailor Loot offers typically require a Base, Essential, or Premium fare. Lock It In rates and certain cabin categories — like Mega RockStar Suites, Sea View, and Insider meta cabins — are often excluded from Sailor Loot promotions.
If you’re choosing between Lock It In and Base fares, factor in whether a current promotion would give you Sailor Loot on one fare but not the other. The savings from Lock It In can evaporate quickly if you lose $200–$300 in promotional onboard credit.
Even experienced Sailors run into issues. Here are the most common ones:
No. Sailor Loot can only be used onboard and cannot be applied to pre-voyage purchases, including Bar Tab. Bar Tab must be purchased separately up to 24 hours before sailing.
No. MNVV is only valid on sailings of 4 nights or longer. Shorter weekend voyages are excluded entirely.
An eligible voyage is a full-fare sailing — Base, Essential, or Premium — that hasn’t used a discounted access key or low-fare method. Gifted cruises, comped casino voyages, and bookings made with airline points are explicitly excluded.
Sailor Loot functions as general onboard credit and can be used for purchases during your voyage. Bar Tab credit is specifically confirmed for use at The Beach Club — for Sailor Loot, check with Sailor Services onboard for current availability at Bimini.
Virgin Voyages onboard credit is genuinely useful — as long as you understand how it works and plan to spend it. Stack your sources, know what your fare qualifies for, and don’t leave Sailor Loot sitting in your account when the gangway closes. A Serious Sailors First Mate can help you maximize every dollar of credit on your next voyage — reach out and let us help you book.
