🌴 Southern Caribbean Cruise

Upcoming Expenses & Planning Guide

Hey Crew! 🛳️🌴

As we get closer to our Southern Caribbean Crew adventure, I want to make sure everyone is prepared for the upcoming expenses outside of airfare. I know it’s much easier to enjoy the vacation when you already know what to expect financially, so here’s a breakdown of the items you’ll want to plan for.

Some expenses are required, while others are completely optional. Please review everything below and make your selections accordingly.

💰 1. Virgin Voyages Gratuity — REQUIRED

As some of you may know, Virgin Voyages no longer bundles gratuity into the voyage fare. Gratuity must now be paid separately, either before sailing or onboard the ship.

For our cruise:

Pre-Paid Gratuity:
💵 $120 per person

Gratuity Paid Onboard:
💵 $132 per person

I highly recommend pre-paying your gratuity. Not only does it save you $12 per person, but it also allows you to take care of this expense before the cruise so you don't have to think about it once we're onboard.

If you choose to pay onboard, the $132 will be added to your shipboard account/folio.

My recommendation: PRE-PAY IT! ✅ Let me know, and I can send you a payment link.

🏨 2. San Juan Hotel — OPTIONAL, BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

For those staying in San Juan before the cruise, we have a room block at:

Sheraton Puerto Rico Resort & Casino

Our group rate starts at $319 per night, plus applicable taxes and resort fees.

✨ Breakfast for two is included with the room rate!

Upon arrival, each guest will also be responsible for approximately $9 to cover gratuities for bell service and housekeeping.

Important: The hotel requires you to pre-pay for your stay when booking.

📅 Room block deadline: October 13, 2026

Please use this link to reserve your room: Book your group rate for Jones Pre-Cruise Nov2026. If you plan to stay in San Juan with the group, please reserve your room before the deadline.

⛵ 3. Group Shore Thing — St. Lucia

Wednesday, November 18

Virgin Voyages calls their excursions Shore Things, and I’m looking at an amazing option for our group in St. Lucia!

🌴 Catamaran Sailing to the Pitons

Get ready to see one of St. Lucia's most iconic sights — the magnificent Pitons, two volcanic peaks rising dramatically from the Caribbean Sea.

We'll sail along the beautiful coastline toward this UNESCO World Heritage Site, taking in spectacular views along the way. The excursion includes time to relax, enjoy a glass of champagne, and take in the scenery before stopping for a swim in the beautiful Caribbean waters.

We'll cruise past gorgeous bays, lush coastline, and beautiful sandy beaches before eventually being dropped back near the port and our ship.

💵 $110 per person

This is an optional excursion, but I think it would be a fantastic experience for the group!

👉 If you're interested, please let me know, and I will book it for you.

🍹 4. Bar Tab — OPTIONAL

Virgin Voyages does things a little differently when it comes to drinks.

Unlike many other cruise lines, Virgin does not have traditional drink packages. Instead, your drinks are charged individually to your onboard account as you purchase them.

And here's the fun part:
You can purchase drinks for yourself, another person, or the group — there are no restrictions on who you're buying for.

But here's my advice, especially for those of us who enjoy a cocktail or two…or three! 😂🍹

💳 Consider purchasing at least a $200 Bar Tab.

A $200 Bar Tab currently comes with a $25 bonus, giving you $225 to spend on drinks.

It also helps you set a budget before you get onboard.

Because let's be honest…

You can scan that wristband, scan it again, scan it one more time…
and then suddenly you're looking at a $700 bar bill at the end of the cruise! 😩😂

A Bar Tab lets you set aside money specifically for drinks and makes it easier to manage your spending throughout the cruise.

My recommendation: If you know you're going to be enjoying cocktails, wine, beer, etc., consider getting a Bar Tab before sailing.

🏖️ 5. Friday, November 20 — Post-Cruise Day Pass

For those of you with later flights out of Puerto Rico on Friday, November 20, I’m also looking into an option for us after we disembark.

The idea is to purchase a resort day pass where we can:

🏝️ Enjoy the resort amenities
🏊🏽‍♀️ Relax by the pool or at the beach
🍹 Grab food and drinks
🧳 Have somewhere to keep our luggage
🌴 Spend the day relaxing instead of sitting at the airport
🌆 Or use it as a home base while we explore San Juan

I’m currently looking at a couple of resort options to see availability and pricing.

This will be completely optional, and I'll share the details and cost once everything is confirmed.

💵 QUICK EXPENSE CHECKLIST

Here's what you should be thinking about as we get closer:

Expense	Cost	Required?
Virgin Voyages Gratuity	$120 pp prepaid / $132 onboard	✅ Yes
San Juan Hotel	From $319/night + taxes/resort fee	Optional
Hotel Gratuities	Approx. $9 pp	If staying at hotel
St. Lucia Catamaran	$110 pp	Optional
Bar Tab	$200 + $25 bonus	Optional
Post-Cruise Resort Day Pass	TBD	Optional

🗓️ Important Date

October 13, 2026 — San Juan Sheraton room block closes.

Most importantly, don't wait until the last minute to start planning for these expenses. The goal is to have everything taken care of ahead of time so that when we arrive in San Juan, we can relax, celebrate, and enjoy our Southern Caribbean Crew adventure! 🥂🌴🛳️

More cruise details and reminders are coming soon!

Let's get ready, Crew! The countdown is ON! ❤️🛳️🌴