Lock It In on Virgin Voyages

Quick answer: Lock It In is Virgin's guaranteed ("GTY") rate. You pick a cabin category, Virgin guarantees that category or higher and assigns the actual cabin closer to sailing, possibly on sailing day. In exchange for a lower fare you accept a non-refundable booking with no date, name or cabin changes, Basic WiFi and dining reservations that open 15 days out. Virgin advises against it if you want to be near friends on the ship.

How the rate works

Most bookings tie you to a cabin type, and on the flexible fares you can pick and change your cabin. Lock It In flips that. You commit to a category (Insider, Sea View, Sea Terrace, RockStar Quarters or Mega RockStar Quarters) and Virgin keeps the right to put you anywhere in that category, or above it. The cabin it assigns has to suit the number of Sailors on the booking, so two friends will not be put in a solo cabin. Beyond that, deck, position and neighbors are Virgin's call.

Virgin's terms say the assignment can happen right up to sailing day. Once the cabin is assigned, Virgin does not take change requests, from you or your travel advisor.

What you give up

That is the same rigidity as the Base fare, with one more thing handed to Virgin: the cabin itself.

What you keep

Everything that happens once you are aboard. Lock It In Sailors eat in the same 20+ eateries, drink the same included essentials, take the same fitness classes and see the same shows. There is also an upside Virgin spells out: a Lock It In booking can be moved to a higher category at no extra cost, at Virgin's discretion. You can't ask for it or count on it, so book the category you would be happy to stay in.

Things that catch people out

• Dining on a short sailing. Reservations open 15 days before sailing, later than every other fare. On a four or five night trip, the most popular restaurants at the most popular times may be gone. See our dining reservations guide.
• Back-to-back sailings. Virgin warns that two consecutive Lock It In bookings may get different cabins, so you may have to move on changeover day.
• Light sleepers. You have no say over whether you end up near a late-night venue or at the end of the ship. Our quiet cabins guide explains why that matters to some people.
• My Next Virgin Voyage. Virgin's FAQ lists Lock It In among the rates the onboard My Next Virgin Voyage offer can't be used with; its terms page makes an exception for RockStar and Mega RockStar Lock It In suites. Ask your advisor which applies before you book.

If you are sailing with a group

Virgin's own advice is direct: if you are traveling with friends or family you want to be near, don't book Lock It In. Two friends sharing one cabin are fine, since they are on one booking and get one cabin. The issue is the rest of the group. Cabins booked on Lock It In can end up anywhere in their category, on any deck, and connecting cabins are off the table.

How much that matters depends on the group. On a hosted sailing, most of the time together is spent in the restaurants, the bars, the pool deck and the events, not in the corridors, so cabin location matters less than people expect. The group can meet in the Nautir app before boarding and agree where to gather on day one. What does matter is that nobody on Lock It In can swap their place to another person if they drop out, and nobody gets a refund.

When it makes sense

• Your dates are certain and so is everyone on the booking.
• You care more about the fare than about where your cabin is.
• You don't need to book dining weeks ahead.
• You are a solo sailor or a pair who will spend the trip out and about. Solo travelers should also look at our solo cabins guide and the solo sailings page.

If any of those is shaky, compare it with Essential or Premium in our fare types guide, or ask about the hosted group sailings.