We just got off Resilient Lady and experienced Virgin Voyages’ Festival of the Senses during Eat & Drink Month. We’ve done Eat & Drink Month several times now, and one of the reasons we keep coming back is that Virgin gets so creative with these experiences.

It’s almost like a show of food. If they say they’re going to do something, it’s done to the nines.

This time we tried the Sensory Dinner Series, Feast of the Senses, the speakeasy and Color Me Curious. Some were easier to find than others, but there were definitely a few standouts.

The Sensory Dinner Series

The Sensory Dinner Series was held in the private dining area at The Wake with one long communal table. Each dinner is paired with a specific alcohol, and ours happened to be beer. We were very happy about our $50 except for the fact that we don’t drink beer, but we didn’t care. We were trying it anyways.

The chefs came out with every course and explained how they made it and why they paired it with the beer. We started with a charred carrot tartare, and it was unreal. It was so good we probably should have asked for another one.

We also had a tuna crudo course with a vegetarian alternative, a molasses coffee glazed short rib, and a roasted white chocolate dessert. One of the beers was 11.8% alcohol, and yes, we shouldn’t leave off that eight. It actually bumps it up a little higher.

The entire thing was absolutely phenomenal. It felt upscale and special without being stuffy, and the next day Virgin even left us a recipe book in our cabin as a thank-you gift.

Again, surprise and delight with Virgin. It’s why we love them. It’s why we keep coming back.

Feast of the Senses: Do Not Miss This

If you remember one thing from this post, make it this: do not miss Feast of the Senses. It is by far the best experience during Virgin Voyages Festival of the Senses!

It was in The Manor on our sailing, there was no reservation required, and it was completely free. There were food tastings, cocktail stations, demonstrations and screens showing what was being created around the room.

It was also slightly chaotic at first because we had no clue where to go. We accidentally ended up in a drink line and only realized it when friends told us, “You’re in the line for it.” That pretty much set the tone.

We tried a s’mores meringue, which was dangerous because s’mores are an all-time favorite. Then we had olive oil pearls with cucumber that somehow ended up going down a shirt, and by that point we had drinks, food, phones and Meta glasses that weren’t working.

We were a hot mess of epic proportions!

Then came the drinks. The

re was an invisible margarita, a gin drink with a ginger ice cube and a smoked Old Fashioned. We are not Old Fashioned drinkers in any way, shape or form, but listen, it’s free. And it was phenomenal.

Then someone told us about the beef.

“You got to get the beef. If you haven’t had the beef, get the beef.”

At that point we were both on a mission to find the beef. Eventually we found the beef pillows, and they were so good. Also incredibly messy. They were literally dripping down our face and neck, but they were worth it.

The craziest part is that everything we just mentioned was included.

Do not miss it. We are not kidding you. This is exactly the kind of thing Virgin does so well. They take food and drinks and turn them into an actual experience.

They just nailed it.

Virgin Voyages Festival of the Senses: The Speakeasy

The speakeasy was $25 and included a welcome drink. Additional drinks were available once you were inside, and people were staggered into the space throughout the night.

We learned one thing immediately: you can’t bring another drink in with you. Which became a problem because one of us left the other alone for a few minutes and came back to find another drink had somehow appeared.

“Where did you get that?”

“I don’t know. I just got a drink on the way.”

You left me alone. That’s what happened.

Inside, there were black lights, temporary tattoos and postcards you could write in invisible ink. We ended up with some unspeakable things written on our hands and really wish we had a black light afterward to see them.

It was a lot of fun, and we’d absolutely do it again.

Color Me Curious at Extra Virgin

Color Me Curious was probably the hardest thing to find. The booklet made it sound like it would be in the Virgin Voyages app, but it wasn’t there for us.

We hunted all over the app and asked everyone. Eventually we found out it was actually a separate menu at Extra Virgin, and you had to request it.

The experience was $35 per sailor and included three courses with three cocktails.

One of the first dishes featured purple cauliflower that changed to pink when lemon was squeezed over it, which was really cool. We wanted more color-changing things.

The standout main was the lamb shank osso buco. You barely had to touch it and it fell apart. The risotto underneath it was phenomenal too.

Dessert was a lemon chamomile polenta cake with sunflower and coconut cloud.

Oh, that was so good.

Is Virgin Voyages Festival of the Senses Worth It?

Absolutely.

The Sensory Dinner Series felt special without being stuffy. The speakeasy was fun and different. Color Me Curious was creative and worth hunting down.

But Feast of the Senses was the winner.

If you’re sailing during Festival of the Senses, go. We ate things we loved, drank things we normally wouldn’t order, got food down our clothes and spent part of the night wandering around The Manor looking for beef.

Basically, it was a great time.

This is what Virgin does best, and it’s why we keep coming back.

Ready to Sail Virgin Voyages?

If you want help planning your own Virgin Voyages sailing, reach out to Fabulous Adventures Travel. Samantha Robichaud and Kelly Roma are the only two Top 10 Virgin Voyages First Mates to earn that distinction four years in a row, so you’re working with people who know this brand inside and out.

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