Adriatic Sea and Greek Gems Itinerary from Athens
A bit of background, just so you know, I'm not some random person who doesn't know the difference between a boat and a ship. I've travelled, researched, and sent many clients on cruises of all kinds, from expedition to river to ocean going, from all the big names.
Whilst I don't like them all, they all have a place, and that's good because being on the wrong ship with the wrong crowd can make all the difference.
The short version:
If you enjoy clean, contemporary accommodation, a good choice of restaurants, modern entertainment, and no children onboard, Virgin should be on your shortlist.
Pros
Never had to wait for a lift
The choice of food was wonderful
The cabin was way bigger than other lines
It was the smoothest ship I'd ever sailed on. No juddering and noise when docking in port.
Loved how clean and fresh everything was
Loved the Bento boxes and snack boxes you could take back to the room and keep in the fridge
Loved the Ship Eats delivery service
The entertainment was fresh and different, and even the musicians were totally different from the standard fare.
There was lots of room to be loud and have fun or be quiet and relaxed. You could always find a spot (even on sea days)
No children
I love the choice; totally flexible as to how you dress, eat, get involved or not.
Cons
The coffee. Even the premium coffee was bitter for my taste (but bear in mind I love proper Italian coffee; I'm fussy)
The pool was not a place I wanted to hang out...it was rather small, and the film of suntan lotion on the surface wasn't great.
I love to dance. The disco in the Manor was sometimes packed, and you couldn't put your drink down.

The longer version:
She is absolutely beautiful — bright, shiny, and very clean. That was the first thing that struck me, shortly followed by the ease of getting on board, the immediate access to the cabin, and the wonderful welcome from the cabin stewards.
Within 20 minutes of being on board, the luggage was already outside the door, another first. Lou (our steward) also brought us extra hangers because we mentioned in passing that we had a lot of clothes. I was totally in awe. There is water in the cabin —no need to go up to the buffet to get that. In fact, there isn't a buffet, but I'll move on to that later.
Our cabin was an Aft Sea Terrace (a balcony room). I had debated whether to upgrade to an XL Sea Terrace for extra space, but I can honestly say that this cabin was the most spacious and roomy I'd ever had (apart from suites of course). Funky lighting and automatic were curtains controlled by a tablet, you could also choose your entertainment from here, there was a mini fridge to store your wine or snacks. Perfect. The bathroom was a standard size but well-designed with a good-sized rainfall shower. Lots of drawers and hanging space. I particularly liked the baskets; it was very useful to put partially worn clothes in for later use. The famous red hammock on the balcony was a great place to read a book or take a nap. Score 10/10
The food. Fabulous....really, really good. I absolutely loved that there wasn't what I call a traditional 'smash and grab'...a buffet. On other ships, it can sometimes be a free-for-all up there; people pick up food with their hands and putting it back again, overloading their plates, pushing in, and queues in the walkways. No such thing on Resilient Lady (or any of the Virgin ships)
The concept is like a food hall. You sit down, scan the menu, pop up your flag, and one of the servers will be there in a flash to take your order. You can also go up to the food station and place an order, and you'll be called when your food is ready. The great thing about ordering from a server is that it's brought straight to your table, no dodging people with food, and again, the service is speedy. I have to say that the food was excellent. Even if there were no other restaurants onboard there would be enough variety to keep me going for a week in the Galley. I particularly loved the French Toast and the chips from the Burger Bar, the salads from the Daily Mix and the Breakfast Bento boxes....well I liked it all really. Score 10/10
Moving on to the main dining options...and again there are many.
I tried them all apart from Extra Virgin and the Pizza place; mainly because all the other places were so good I wanted to take my fill of things I couldn't get every day. Let's start with Pink Agave, as that's one of my favourites (so much so I went there twice)
Pink Agave - Elevated Mexican
To be honest, it was pretty dark in there, and I couldn't really see the menu (take your glasses if you need them), so on the second visit, we just ordered a plate of everything from the small and medium plate selection and three out of the four large plates. I'd already seen someone else tucking into the steak, and there was no way I could eat all that. I'd highly recommend the corn starter and the duck...it really was out of this world. Score 10/10
The Test Kitchen - A Cooking Lab
This is like no other restaurant. It's a laboratory-turned-cooking school where the waiters wear lab coats and tell you all about the ingredients—because that's all you know, the main ingredient for that course. There were three menus on our sailing: A, B, and C. They rotate them every couple of days, so you can easily go more than once.
The meal is a six-course tasting menu with a choice of four optional drinks pairings to accompany each course (beer, wine, cocktails or non-alcoholic) should you wish; we didn't, as I can't drink that much. Don't let the idea of six courses put you off though, they're very small so you won't be too stuffed when you leave. Score 10/10
Those were my two preferred restaurants, so now we can move on to the others.
Razzle Dazzle
We only dined here at dinner, but the restaurant is open for brunch too. The menu offers meat and veggie options...it was originally veggie-only, but I guess that wasn't very popular. The food here was good when we got it. There seemed to be a lot of confusion, and the table next to us (which ordered exactly the same dishes after us), got theirs first. As it turned out that was good, because theres was cold. When our food did arrive, it was very good, and we met some great people on the table next to us and had a laugh, so we were happy. Score 8/10
The Wake
People rave about The Wake, the two-story elegant restaurant. The menu includes steak and seafood, as well as a raw bar for a supplement. I enjoyed the razor-clam chowder and a very tender filet mignon. To be honest, I found the service rather slow, and it was really COLD in there, so ladies, remember to cover your shoulders if they're exposed. Score 8/10
Gunbae - Korean Style BBQ
If you love BBQ and drinking games, you won't want to miss this one.
A social, dining experience, Gunbae features specially engineered flameless grills built into each table so sailors can grill meats to their preference. It's loud. The meal begins with a complimentary round of soju (a clear Korean alcoholic spirit) for the table to drink during a drinking game, which I won! You're seated at a table with other guests, there will be about 6-8 of you, so if you don't want to be social, it's perhaps better to skip this one. Score 7/10
The Dock - Alfresco Casual Mediterranean/Meze
If you get peckish whilst sunbathing, but hate to leave the rays, then The Dock House is just the place to refuel alfresco in style. The Dock has the same menu as the indoor Dock House, so you can enjoy your Meze and kebabs inside and out. Carts of Mediterranean-inspired small plates, dips and mezzes are on offer while an array of fresh meat and seafood skewers will be flame grilled to order. These were delicious! Score 9/10
Afternoon tea at Sip
Sip is a champagne bar that just so happens to offer a nice little extra. You can indulge in a fancy afternoon tea experience. For $19 per person (or $39 with a glass of something sparkly), you can choose from a selection of loose-leaf teas (in a pot) to compliment a selection of savoury sandwiches with a twist, scones (served with strawberry jam and clotted cream), plus a selection of little cakes.  We did this on the first sea day, and I have to say it was absolutely delicious. Score 9/10
Ship Eats (Room Service)
I don't normally use room service, but when you're lying in your hammock and you fancy a cocktail and a snack, the service was fantastic. They offer breakfast, dinner and snack options plus drinks (extra). Note there is a $7 cover charge for cabin Ship Eats service, however I do have a tip at the end. Your order comes in it's own little rucksack...so cute. Score 7/10
There's way too much to discuss in detail, so I'll write a separate post on the different food venues and dishes. If you'd like to know more, sign up for my mailing list, and I'll let you know when the post goes live!
The Entertainment.
This is NOT your standard cruise offering. There are no Broadway shows, mediocre bands, or lectures. I loved it, but it might not be for everyone. The Happenings cast were excellent, especially The Diva... I'll never forget Drag Bingo; it was hilarious. Her shows were also excellent and very high-energy (I'm not going to spoil it by telling you about them). I have to say that the musicians onboard were some of the best I've ever heard; if you want to see what I'm talking about, check out Matt Walden. He drew a huge crowd every time he played ....and little wonder. Score 10/10
As I'm interested in saying how it was, I'm not going to say everything was perfect, so I wanted to also point out things that I didn't like so much. The Manor was a great space, but it was way too small a venue for some of the events because they were so popular. At times, it felt like a rugby scrum, and that was a shame. I love to dance, but it was impossible. Oh well, better luck next time. Score 5/10
The Ports of Call
I loved the ports of call on this itinerary, it was one of the reasons I chose this cruise in the first place, but if I did it again I wouldn't go in July. It's way too hot (38 degrees some days) to explore properly. May/June, September/October would be my choice. There were also a lot of people around, it would have been a nicer to have a bit more space. For that reason, we didn't explore as much as we'd typically like to, but we did relax more which is what we needed so maybe it was for the best!
Athens
I wish I'd have booked longer in Athens before or after the trip. We stayed in a really cool hotel, and I would have liked to have been able to visit the sights earlier or later in the day. We did.t have a choice as we only stayed one night.
Split
A short walk from the ship, the centre of Split is a beautiful port town full of Roman history, which I love, so I was happy. The underground rooms of the Diocletian Palace were amazing, and very cool compared to the rest of the city.
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik was one of the main reasons I booked this cruise. I'd always wanted to go. I knew it would be busy; I just really didn't appreciate how busy. To be honest, it was heaving, you could hardly move. I'm not a fan of walking in huge groups all going in the same direction, so instead, we chose to take the cable car and admired it from a distance. That would be my advice, and once you get to the bottom station again, it's only a short walk to another entrance gate, which brings you close to the harbour end, and it's so much easier to walk around from there.
Kotor
The surprise of the trip. I loved Kotor; it reminded me of our neighbouring village in Italy, only by the sea. There are some lovely walks where you get to look down on the bay, and the centre is small and easily walkable right off the ship.
Corfu
I loved Corfu Town. A couple of shuttle buses take you from the port to the centre, where you can wander or go to the beach.
My Tips (not all of them; I save the best ones for my guests)
You make dining reservations on the app 60 days out from sailing if you're a Rockstar or 45days if you'r a regular sailor. Not all the slots are released so don't worry if you cant get your preferred time, you can make reservations on board or by visiting Sailor Services...you WONT go hungry.
Download the app as soon as you've booked. You'll get reminders of everything you need to do, including checking in, passport details and medical form. You'll also be able to book your shore things (excursions) and your dining.
Check out the activities onboard before you set sail. This will tell you when to expect the 'special nights' like Scarlet Night when you might like to dress up. It will also help you plan what times you might like to book for dinner reservations.
The Sun Club Café serves Hawaiian-inspired Poke Bowls. They also supply food for Richard's Rooftop, the private area for Rockstars. The food from there is really good.
The Manor - If you like to dance, get a seat at the SIDES of the dance floor, NOT by the entrance, or you won't be able to move from your seat; you may also get covered in your own drink as there's lots of bumping going on.
Want other tips?....then sign up to my newsletter or join the UK Cruise Network Facebook Group. Membership has its privileges.

In summing up
I have to say that this would be my cruise line of choice if there were offering the itinerary I'd like to do. They're not perfect, but they're not far off.
This review has been way too long, but I wanted to give you my thoughts. As I alluded to somewhere above, I will be writing several more in-depth reviews on food, accommodation, and other important points, so please do sign up if you're interested in finding out more. I'll also be offering very special deals with extra discounts for booking with me.
So until next time...happy sailing!