Virgin Voyages Refreshes Its Menus: The Dock, The Wake and a Bimini Overhaul

Virgin Voyages built its reputation on what it doesn’t do. No assigned dining times, no buffet line, no lukewarm chicken breast under a silver dome.

Virgin includes dining at its restaurants in the fare, although selected premium dishes cost extra — one of them turns up on the new menu below.

Even a strong kitchen needs a new setlist now and then, though, before the regulars start mouthing along to the old one.

On October 13, Virgin announced new menus at two of its onboard restaurants, The Wake and The Dock, plus a completely new lunch at The Beach Club at Bimini. If you have a Virgin sailing booked, your eating plan just changed.

Bimini Gets a Real Caribbean Lunch

On paper, Bimini is the biggest change.

Virgin brought in Chef Rashida Holmes, whose Los Angeles restaurant Bridgetown Roti is built on her Bajan and Trinidadian roots. Her curry chicken roti comes from her mother’s recipe, and her snapper patties started as a pandemic side business she ran over Instagram. Now both are lunch on a Bahamian beach.

The new menu runs to:

• Curry chicken roti and coconut curry channa
• Caribbean-style snapper and beef patties
• Tamarind BBQ pork skewers, built for sharing
• Grilled shrimp with pineapple chow
• Fried plantains, tostones with guacamole, and coconut rice pudding with tropical fruit

There are vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, too, including a garlic eggplant patty, and per Virgin it’s all included in your cruise.

One honest geography note: Bimini is in the Bahamas, and Barbados and Trinidad sit more than a thousand miles south of it, so this is Caribbean food with a story behind it, not strictly local food. That still beats another beach-club burger — and since I haven’t sailed Virgin, that’s a judgment on the idea, not the plate.

Check your ship before you start mentally ordering the roti. The rollout runs ship by ship:

Valiant Lady’s date is later for a simple reason: she isn’t back on her Bimini runs until April. Match the menu to the day your ship calls there.

The Wake Widens the Menu

The Wake is Virgin’s take on a classic steakhouse, and the menu’s original author is back. Michelin-starred chef Brad Farmerie helped create The Wake and has returned to update it, with more seasonal range and more seafood.

At brunch, look for a Waldorf salad, a russet sweet potato hash and a portobello mushroom Benedict.

Dinner gets the bigger shake-up, and it varies a little by ship:

• Pan-roasted salmon, grilled swordfish and caramelized sea scallops
• Chilled corn soup and leek and potato soup, with clam chowder moving to dinner only
• Bacon-wrapped twice-baked potatoes on every ship, and tuna tartare on some
• Two vegan, gluten-free options at both brunch and dinner
• Extra specials on sailings longer than seven nights

One line on that menu costs extra. Oysters Rockefeller arrive as a “Treat Yourself” add-on, so budget for them if you’re an oyster person.

For repeat sailors, this is the win: you can go back to The Wake on your third Virgin cruise and still find something you haven’t ordered.

The Dock Goes Mediterranean

The Dock is where Virgin wants you grazing, not committing to a three-course dinner, and the new menu leans hard into the Mediterranean with shared plates:

• Small plates: jeweled tabbouleh, sautéed eggplant, trumpet royale mushrooms, red lentil dip, Turkish deviled eggs and kebbeh
• Off the grill: pork souvlaki and beef kafta skewers
• Seafood: swordfish, yellowfin tuna and poached shrimp
• Dessert: a plum pita tart — on Resilient Lady only, so far

That’s the right direction for this venue. Order a few plates, add a drink, and stay a while — The Dock reads as a long, lazy afternoon, not a heavy meal. Unlike Bimini, both onboard menus are rolling out now.

My Take: Plan the Beach Day, Then the Brunch

Virgin’s food was already one of its strongest selling points, and these updates show the line isn’t coasting on it.

Bimini is the star. Giving the beach club a menu with a named chef and a real story behind it makes the whole island day feel more finished — and it’s included in your fare.

A few practical notes before you sail:

• Check your ship and your date against the Bimini rollout table above.
• Book The Wake ahead of time if you care about the time slot. Virgin recommends reserving its signature restaurants in advance, though walk-ins can work.
• Leave room for The Dock. Not every meal needs a reservation, and your vacation doesn’t need an appointment book.
• One for the family planners: Virgin is adults-only, 18 and up. If the kids are coming, this one’s a couples trip for another year.

Decide which day you want to spend on the beach, then build the rest of the week’s meals around it.