Ship Ahoy Sailors

Time to sail away for a week of excitement and luxury! As many know, one of Richard Branson’s latest endeavor’s include forging a “new way” to cruise. Some will be very glad about this, and some will prefer what they have known from past experiences. If you find other cruise formats have been a little flat for your taste, then you may need to give this ship, aptly named the Scarlet Lady, a test run and give cruising another chance.

Upon hearing about this new cruise company among fellow travel friends we were not too sure what this new experience was about. What we did know is that people loved it by their raving reviews. In addition to this, we had also heard some untrue information about Virgin Voyages disposition. This trip is not a wild frat party on the ocean, and is largely misunderstood by long time sailors because it is geared to be more progressive in their take on cruising. Like any cruise (or vacation for that matter), it is what you personally make it to be. In other words, the trip becomes for you exactly what you behave like. It is certainly accurate that the company pushes the limits of what is the status quo in the way of food, design, and room comfort. It is not our opinion that this voyage becomes more questionable than other companies. To summarize this, there are a few concise statements I want to make to help you grasp the tone of the ship and better understand what the voyage is like.

1. It would be true to say millennials will welcome this as a break from the normal - you will recognize this by the time you board.

2. It would also be an unfair label to say anybody older than a millennial would not like this. If you like innovation & progress, you will like the cruise immensely. The voyagers were very diverse in age.

3. Flexibility is the name of the game - eat where you want, when you want, how you want, etc. etc.

4. There are no children aboard - this is meant to be a getaway for adults who want a break.

5. The food is fantastic. I know, I know, you think it is fantastic on other cruises… (and it is, kinda) - but the chefs on board have thought out how to improve every dish in taste AND presentation. So - raise your culinary expectations when boarding please.

6. It won’t be everybody’s favorite cruise style (and I personally don’t understand why) but most will love it, and it will become a favorite to some who typically don’t like cruising.

Let’s start with the unique social media ready style of the boat. Don’t let me lose you here. You can never pull out your phone and enjoy the ship fully. The Scarlet Lady is made to look good, and also made to make you look good while snapping photos for the ‘gram. I am personally not someone who needs to post everything I’m doing on social media - but if you carry those traits, you’ll not lack any opportunity to do so, and do so in style. You can tell a lot of attention has been given to make every corner of the boat look appealing, welcoming and modern. It’s a unique blend of all these things that work well together. Even in the public seating areas, the seating is arranged to where you never really feel like you are on top of somebody else and uncomfortable because of the proximity.

Different people will appreciate different aspects of the cruise the most. I usually gravitate towards the cuisine aspects while others enjoy things like excursions and spa trips. In any of these cases you are covered. For a moment, let’s begin by looking at the food options. Remember these tips if you decide on booking a Virgin Voyage cruise.

1. It is better to have reservations for popular restaurants, because like a normal restaurant on land, they can fill up. We were never turned down for a walk up meal, though I’m sure it happens.

2. The meals are all you can enjoy. If you want to order two plates of the same thing, go ahead. Or, try having two different selections, although it will be a lot of food.

3. Try all the restaurants you can. Even try the ones you think you may not like. You will be surprised by how well they have paired flavors in their food choices

4. If you are a foodie, don’t forget to try appetizers & desserts available in the lounge areas. We were seriously surprised by how well these dishes were done

5. Don’t ignore the Galley. It is a quick option that requires no reservations and is modeled as a food hall. Again, you will be surprised. I ate breakfast here many times but there are other options to choose from.

The available dinning options are:

• Pink Agave - upscale Mexican restaurant - our first meal of the cruise!

• Gunbae - Korean BBQ - better than it sounds - I promise

• Extra Virgin - Italian cuisine well done

  • Test Kitchen - An experimental restaurant designed like a laboratory that displays its adventurous side in both environment & food

• The Dock House - serves up smaller plates and salads

• The Galley - sandwiches, burgers, sushi, bento boxes, soups, panini’s, noodle bar, bakery & desserts. Open 24 hours

• The Pizza Place - pies made fresh in front of you to order. Flavorful and delicious - not frozen nonsense pretending to be Pizza. Tastes high end

• Razzle Dazzle - An experience for sure in visuals. I recommend breakfast here… & I’ll say it one more time but louder - EAT BREAKFAST HERE!

• The Wake - this is our personal favorite and is for many. It has stunning views & is perfect for a “dress formal” night - but formal is not required

• Ice Cream Parlor - pro tip - try brown butter flavor. Just trust me.

• Coffee bars & snack bars - are throughout the ship - offering everything from popcorn to chocolates & specialty coffee’s

• Room service - this is also an available option. However, it is much more fun to go out in the ship and enjoy the incredible ambience that Virgin Voyage has put together for your dining enjoyment!

Onboard there are plenty of things to do. Although we did do an excursion & beach day, I could have been satisfied if I had never gotten off the boat. There are periodic shows that take place throughout the ship on certain days. All are executed by people with high talent levels, and I can say that confidently as someone who frequents Disney and Universal Studios shows. Some I would see, others I would skip according to if I was interested or not. There are classes and seminars you can sign up for too. These vary greatly, for example, there was yoga on the top of the ship at sunrise (beautiful views) and a podiatrist at midday who taught how to live with pronation when walking. Neither of these need to interest you - because there is literally everything in between you can choose from and participate in.

Are there basketball courts? Yep. Gymnasium? Of course. But what ship would be complete without destinations to relax in the sun? Multiple places on several decks are given to this very thing. Lounge chairs, swings and even seesaws (yes, you read that right) are options for relaxing or playfully enjoying the day. And don’t worry about being able to find a place to relax, there is plenty of room and thankfully, many more lounge chairs than seesaws.

Bingo & “Name that Tune” seemed to happen a lot and was always full, while others crafted sea horses in an art contests. The arcade was full of nostalgic games and of course, we have so far left out one key luxury. The Spa.

Redemption Spa

The spa, and I quote from the lips of a satisfied customer, was “Amazing!” Here is a real pro tip, get the day pass - on excursion day - if you aren’t going on an land that day. The day pass is sometimes cheaper & there are less people around to deal with. The spa has several elements to it. The thermal suite gives you fruit infused water, fresh towels and houses the hydrotherapy pool. There are also 3 plunge pools as well. You will have access to the quartz slabs which are heated for muscle relaxation and the Spa’s mud rooms, salt rooms, steam rooms, & sauna. Massages and various relaxation packages are available.

ROOMS

We were lucky enough to enjoy a room with a balcony. And if you can, it’s well worth the extra bit. Outside of your room on the balcony there will a red hammock swing to just sit in and enjoy the view of the ocean while the breeze blows. There was even a bird who must have been on board from port who would visit our balcony occasionally. The rooms were certainly spacious enough for a cruise ship and felt very clean, which I appreciated. They had a modern feel to them and most importantly, on a long cruise, the bed was very comfortable.

For excursions, we picked the Mayan pyramids in Chichen Itza and a sacred cenote. We have reviewed these in another place as they can be visited from a cruise ship or just as destination vacation. We also had a beach day at Bimini where Virgin Voyages owns the Beach Club and their own portion of the beach that is private and reserved just for your cruise. The water was warm and absolutely crystal clear. The Scarlet Lady docked for an entire day here so sailors were able to get away from the beach and explore the island. Many would rent golf carts, which I recommend, vs trying to taxi or Uber. Transportation just doesn’t always work the same in other countries and it didn’t here either. So… don’t rely on waiting for other people in this situation, just rent a golf cart if you wish to explore.

If you like the combination of relaxing, exploring, eating, and being carefree - then we can recommend this cruise for you. I mentioned at the beginning of this post that this cruise is different. So it you LIKE cruises, skip this part. Mainly because you will likely enjoy this cruise too and you may not understand what I’m talking about in the next paragraph. It may sound foreign. If you DON’T like cruises, let me speak to you for a moment. I need to be careful here not to make this company sound like the only good one. However, with that in mind, if a cruise is something you need to grow into, you may want to start here. Some younger people have listened to others speak about their experiences on cruises… and, it sounds, well…. bland . The idea of what opulence looks like has also changed with generations and will continue to. In the past some cruises are often described in a way that sound stuffy, formalized, scheduled, (be here at this time, do this on this day) and that can simply become frustrating to people who value flexibility and freedom. There are a group of people who like to do what they want, when they want, while on vacation and dressing formal sounds cumbersome and uptight. If you think a black tie affair for dinner is on par to hugging a porcupine, then this cruise has your back. By no means were people walking around in pajamas like at a Walmart - but a polo or graphic t-shirt would fit the bill here. Your whole thought process of being on a boat for a week may change on your voyage and you might discover - this can be fun! Which in turn, may open you to enjoy other cruise lines as well (trust me, other good ones exist). There are great deals dropping all the time for Virgin Voyages making this a perfect time to test the waters.

Ready to hit the seas?

As a licensed & knowledgeable travel agent my services are completely free to you. I use my ongoing training, experience & expertise to get you the best experience and best price available. Click the “get a quote” button above you’ll get a free quote on this or any other cruise so you can see what options are available for you. Being trained by the best, allows me to give you the best! There is not a better deal for you than here, so test those waters and see what adventures await you today!

Below are more pictures of the ship to enjoy!