Complimentary Gratuities Dining & More
- 20+ Complimentary Dining Venues! There is no main dining room onboard Virgin Voyages ships. Instead, there are 20+ venues to choose from, including sit-down and casual venues, as well as 24-hour room serivce…all included.
- Complimentary soda, non-pressed juice, coffee and tea all day long, plus your choice of endless still and sparkling water!
- Onboard gratuities are included!
- A fully equipped Fitness Center inclusive of aerobic machines, weights and yoga mats. Complimentary Group Fitness Classes are also be offered to all guests.
- Complimentary Wi-Fi access all across the ship!
Scarlet Lady Has The Strangest Toilets Ever
While were on the subject of toilets, Virgin Voyages managed to do something no other cruise line has done, that I know of, they changed the toilet!
It still has the same function but the seat is bigger.
The public toilets around the ship seemed to come in a couple of designs, a few were what I would describe as the black hole toilets where all the walls were black and some were tin foil toilets where it felt like being inside a big crisp packet.
The Food Rivals Popular Big
With no main dining area other than the food court-style Galley that offers everything from street tacos to ramen noodles, burgers, and a variety of grab-and-go meal boxes, there are multiple smaller dining venues that have dedicated chefs and staff to deliver dining experiences that truthfully rival those of popular big-city restaurants. Theres homemade pasta at Extra Virgin, authentic cooked-at-your table Korean barbecue at Gunbae . Vegans and their nonvegan friends can eat together at Razzle Dazzle, which has a naughty menu of nonvegan options that includes a fried chicken sandwich. Tastings and wine-pairing menus are offered at the Test Kitchen, traditional steaks and seafood at the Wake, and Mexican-inspired dishes with a host of mezcal and tequila-based drinks at Pink Agave. My favorites were Pink Agave and Gunbae, although I didnt have a chance to try Extra Virgin, a venue that really caught my eye.
The Mexican-inspired cuisine at the Pink Agave restaurant is a culinary highlight of the food-rich ship.
Courtesy of Virgin Voyages
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The Seabands Are Seriously Cool
Before boarding we were given our sea bands, these acted like our cruise cards onboard to open our cabin door and buy things, you dont get a cruise card at all, the band does it all.
Some peoples had their names on but mine just said make a splash which I have to admit I did find quite funny given the size of the pool.
The bands made from recycled ocean plastic which is cool.
The Roundabout And Lick Me Til Ice
When we got onboard I instantly recognised the spaces. In the middle youll find this atrium area that Virgin call the roundabout and off the sides youll find a draught beer house and other bars where you can get a drink.
To the side of the roundabout youll find an ice-cream parlour called lick me til ice cream.
I think people either love or hate this kind of naming, people either find it funny or in bad taste but either way the icecream was amazing, they had lots of cones and flavours to choose from and they had non dairy options too.
On other cruise lines Im pretty sure an ice-cream parlour of this quality would have cost extra, it was much better than the cone of soft scoop you usually get by the pool.
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Scarlet Ladys Tiny Swimming Pool Caused A Lot Of Controversy
This main pool caused a lot of controversy when we first visited. Admittedly the pool does look much better in the sunshine than it did the first time we visited but it is still incredibly small, theres no getting away from that.
I saw a few people describe it as handkerchief size and thats about right.
This is the only pool on the ship, theres no inside pool, or aft pool, this is it. Only the middle section is actually a pool, you could get your feet wet on this larger area but this part is the pool.
There is a whirlpool a little further on and it was quite funny to sit and watch people swim in circles around the whirlpool. I dont think it was designed for that but people clearly do want to swim and as the main pool is so tiny you can almost reach from one side to the other you really cant swim in it.
It didnt make a huge difference to us because it was pretty chilly on our UK cruise anyway, not exactly swimming weather but I do think its a strange choice given that the ship focuses a lot on exercise. I guess just not swimming.
I did pack a bikini but I wasnt brave enough to go in the pool, I did have every intention to but it was always quite busy and I didnt want to just stand in the pool with all the people on the seats around the pool staring into the middle.
The Manor And Our Hilarious 80s Themed Exercise Class
The Manor is a very cool space that is split over two levels and we did an 80s themed exercise class here.
I dont usually do too much exercise when I cruise, apart from walking up and down the stairs and around the ship but Virgin are all about the exercise classes.
They are included in the cruise fare so I decided to give it a go with a couple of friends.
The 80s class was so much fun, it was ridiculous, funny and also a really hard workout.
Often when you do things like an 80s exercise class theyll just be kinda gimmicky with a bit of exercising, this was a proper exercise class led by 3 instructors.
There definitely was some innuendo going on, but thats Virgin Voyages for you. Scarlet Lady is a completely adult only ship, Virgin do have plans to build a family ship in future, but for now Virgin Voyages are strictly 18+. If you are easily offended, it might not be the cruise line for you.
The instructors were pretending to do all kinds of things with the shake weights, which just made us laugh so our abs were worked out too.
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Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you’ll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 – 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Virgin Voyages ship.
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Review Of Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages is a new cruise line company headquartered in Plantation . Virgin Voyages was created as a joint venture between Virgin Group Ltd and Bain Capital LP , with the latter having a majority shareholding. The establishment of Virgin Cruises was announced by Virgin Group on December 4, 2014. The new cruise line is scheduled to start operations in 2020.
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Scarlet Lady Doesnt Have A Buffet
Virgin Voyages were very firm on the idea that they dont have a buffet, and technically thats true. They do have a space that takes that place of the buffet though and when walking around the ship you would always hear everybody asking what time should I meet you in the buffet?.
The difference between Scarlet Ladys buffet, or galley as its called and a usual cruise ship buffet is that all of the food is made to order.
Usually, in a buffet the food will be there, being kept warm ready for somebody to take it, but in the Virgin Voyages galley, everything is only cooked when its ordered.
Its kind of like a food hall with lots of different sections that specialise in different things. Most of the food was ordered on the app, the avocado tacos from the taco stand are my personal recommendation, that and the breakfast pancakes.
I was really impressed with how fast the food came and how many crew members were around to get you a drink and take your order. There are self-serve soda and water/tea/coffee machines in the buffet and guests were free to use these whenever they liked.
The Casual Inclusive Come As You Are Atmosphere
Unlike many cruises, which often have at least one formal night and some basic rules about how to dress for dinner, there is no dress codeever. That meant I was able to keep my heels in my suitcase and slip on my favorite gold flip-flops for dinner.
Passengers can detox and unwind in the expansive spa and wellness areas.
Courtesy of Virgin Voyages
Many of the public restrooms and the entire spa, including locker rooms, are gender neutral. The dance shows feature all body shapes and dancers of varying sexual orientations. Both men and women were dressed as mermaids for the Retro-Glam pool party. Tattoos, costumes, piercings, cross-dressing, and wild-colored hair are all welcome and embraced. One of the most popular onboard services is Squid Ink, the tattoo and piercing parlor, which drew a nearly hour-long line of people when it opened to take appointments on departure.
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Virgin Voyages Has Put A Lot Of Thought Into Scarlet Lady Activities Cabins And Restaurants
The Virgin way is not just show. Special attention has been given to the food, which is exceptional. There is no main dining room, and each restaurant gets its own galley, executive chef and team, meaning both the food and the service is outstanding. We were genuinely impressed by the quality and the variety, from molecular gastronomy Test Kitchen to Korean BBQ Gunbae and vegetarian Razzle Dazzle and The Galley, essentially a food hall at sea.
We were blown away by the entertainment — a show called Duel Reality, which is a riff on Romeo & Juliet/West Side Story, with some of the most amazing — in fact, the most amazing — acrobatics we have ever seen. And it’s immersive if you are in the front row.
An impressive 86 percent of Scarlet Lady cruise ships cabins have a balcony, which are deeper and wider than on many other ships — and each has a hammock, which is a really lovely touch. The cabins’ design, with the walls at a slight angle, makes them less cookie-cutter than your traditional cruise ship, though it does mean shower rooms are smaller .
Staff are cheery and empowered sleeves rolled up, tattoos on display, piercings and stylish haircuts de rigeur. Theres a vibe onboard this ship like no other, almost like you are a specially invited guest. Thats a rockstar in Virgin parlance, and really thats how the ship and the crew make you feel.
Its Inclusive In A Wonderful Way
The fact that none of the restaurants mentioned above come with a charge is a big deal.
There are $2,000-a-night luxury ships such as Crystal Cruises new Crystal Endeavor that include the cost of dining in all of their restaurants in their fares. But you dont see this sort of thing on the bigger ships operated by the likes of Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.
And its not just the restaurants that are included in the fare on Scarlet Lady. So are gratuities for the ships staff, a line item that can cost $15 a day per person or more on many lines, and onboard Wi-Fi .
In addition, a wide array of wellness classes, including spin classes and yoga classes, are included in the fare. Thats not something you see on many lines.
A common complaint about Virgin Voyages that I have heard from cruising regulars over the past year as it has prepared to debut is that its pricing is too high. And, indeed, its not an inexpensive line. The starting rate for four-night Scarlet Lady sailings out of Miami over the coming months is $650 per person. Thats more than four times as much as the $151 per person starting rate youll find for some four-night sailings out of Miami on what many cruisers consider the port citys best short-haul ship: Royal Caribbeans Freedom of the Seas.
But youll pay a lot more in extras if sailing on Freedom of the Seas, where specialty restaurants, gratuities and Wi-Fi are not included in the fare.
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You Need To Download Virgin Voyages Online App
The onboard app is used for more things than just looking at menus. You can see your onboard spend on the app and it is also where youll find the daily schedule of sorts.
You dont get a piece of paper in your cabin each night with the next days events like you usually would on a cruise.
One thing that I thought was missing from the app was clear deck plans. On most other cruise lines the app will have deck plans which I usually look at to work out where I am or where the nearest toilets are.
The Seating In The Public Areas Is Different
After I shared my initial review I had a lot of comments about the seating in the public areas. There definitely were some seats around with strange designs, some that were very low to the ground, made of strange materials or ones where you had to climb onto them.
There were a lot of more practical seats around too. A lot of the ship had quite an industrial design, particularly outside but I think thats trendy at the moment and it goes with Scarlet Ladys battleship grey colours.
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Scarlet Lady Has Lots Of Promenade Deck Seating
In the evening we would sit out here on the promenade deck, there were lots of comfy seats and Im glad that Scarlet Lady makes use of the promenade deck.
Lots of modern cruise ships have lost the promenade deck completely and although this one is blocked by lifeboats for a lot of the way, it does go all the way around.
Celebrity Cruises Will Launch The Celebrity Ascent In December 2023 Which Will Have True King
I had a hard time sleeping onboard the Wonder of the Seas cruise ship. In my oceanview stateroom, I slept on two twin-sized beds pushed together to form a king-size bed and I often found myself waking up in the crevice.
However, luxury cruise line Celebrity Cruises, which is owned by Royal Caribbean, is known for having cozy, cashmere-topped true king-sized beds.
But I’m especially intrigued by their forthcoming ship, Celebrity Ascent, which will have 32 cabins designed for solo travelers, according to the company’s website. As someone who traveled solo on a cruise, I think these single staterooms are much needed within the cruising industry.
Because I sailed alone, when booking my Wonder of the Seas cruise, the listed rates for my ship were per person, not per room like most hotels. When switching between one and two guests in my search, the cost per person doubled when I had just one person selected. This is known as the “single supplement.” Solo cabins were not available when I booked my Wonder of the Seas cruise.
These solo cabins will be smaller than rooms for more than one person, but cheaper. I think it’s a great alternative to paying the dreaded single supplement, where solo cruisers may have to pay double to occupy a room meant for two people. This is because it helps the cruise line make up for the lost revenue that would have come from having a second person onboard staying in the cabin, according to the LA Times.
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The Virgin Voyages App Was Frustrating
Our cruise experience got off to a bit of a frustrating start trying to use the Virgin Voyages app.
It worked well for the embarkation info but when it came to booking dining reservations all kinds of weird things would happen. I would book a table and only half the people would go through, it would book for other people and not for me, then I didnt have permission to delete them or add myself, I never managed to get it to work.
The customer services people called sailor services did book the restaurants for me in the end and Im glad I preserved because a lot of the restaurants were fully booked by the time we got onboard.
I knew I had to try Razzle Dazzle and we ate a LOT of food on this cruise, I would have been so annoyed if I missed out because it was already fully booked.
Virgin dont have the traditional main dining room, speciality dining kinda of set up. All of the restaurants are included which is awesome and its all about the kinda small intimate spaces.
Virgin are very tech-focused so hopefully, theyll iron out the problems with the app, they are a very new cruise line so some little kinks are to be expected but it was very frustrating. It has 1.9*s in the app store so its not just me that struggled with the app and Ive seen newspapers mention how frustrating it was too.