Cruising in Style on the Scarlet Lady
A cruise with no kids, all specialty dining, free gratuities, free fitness classes, free basic beverages and free WiFi – sounds like a dream, right? Well now your dreams can come true on the Scarlet Lady, the new cruise ship from Virgin Voyages. Owned by British billionaire Richard Branson, Virgin invites sailors to expect the unexpected and unleash your wanderlust.
We originally signed up to sail in October of 2020 for my 50th birthday celebration, but we all know what happened that year and the launch of the Scarlet Lady was delayed. When cruises started up again in 2021, we decided to give it another try. At the time all sailors and crew had to be vaccinated with a negative Covid test prior to sailing, and they even offered free Covid tests at the port. We cruised in mid-November of 2021, on the 4-night Fire and Sunset Soirees cruise out of Miami to Nassau and the Bimini Beach Club. Because so many people were still wary of cruising – we lucked out and had a sailing on a brand new ship that was only at 30% capacity. The ship holds 2770 sailors, and there were only a little over 800 on our cruise, which meant no lines, easy access to pool lounges, and dining reservations any time you wanted them. There were so few people, that we actually met most of the people on board and you saw people you knew everywhere you went – it was one big party!
Virgin attempts to make everything available on their Sailor app, and basic WiFi on the ship is free. We were able to check emails and update social media with no problem. If you have a need for greater speeds streaming internet is available for about $10 a day. Excursions are available to book 120 days out (Earlier if you’re a Rockstar). Dinner reservations are available on the app 15 days before the cruise, and until then they showed as “sold out” which was a little confusing (Again you can book earlier if you’re a Rockstar). Reservations opened for us at about 11:00 p.m. the day before the 15th day, and it was pretty easy to do. I would highly recommend making your reservations ahead of time. You can always make them on board, but if you know you want a particular time you should add it. You can always change it. Note: when you book a reservation, it will not allow you to book anything else for at least 2 hours afterwards, sometimes longer, and you’ll get an error message when you do. (Tip: Guest Services can manually change it so that you can book an activity closer if need be). You can only book one advance dinner reservation at each restaurant, and brunch can only be booked on board. The daily itinerary will tell you what time the shows are so you can plan dinner around them. There were a few shows that you could also book during this 15-day window, but many were only available to book on board with the ships Wi-Fi.
On cruise day we arrived at the port, and were walked through several different buildings to drop off our luggage, check-in, get our Covid test and our wristband. The process was very smooth, and it took less than 20 minutes to walk through, get tested and be brought to the waiting room to queue for our 2:00 p.m. boarding time. Virgin gives you a wrist band instead of the typical card which I liked better because you didn’t have to keep taking it on and off. It will let you charge things to your room, it is scanned to confirm your dinner or show reservation and it is used to open your door. Plus they have you names embossed on them so they’re pretty cute. One thing you should note, is that during our sail, access to the app was very sporadic. Hopefully they’ve worked the kinks out, but many people had a hard time booking things on board initially. We realized however, that while waiting to board your cruise, if you walked towards the window and got as close as you could to the ship, you could connect to the ships Wi-Fi and start booking your shows while you were waiting and get reserved ahead of everyone else. One cool thing about the app is that you can scan another sailor’s app and are then able to book shows or dining together.
The minute you board, you realize that this cruise is different. There were crew members dancing with drinks in hand (theirs not yours lol!) welcoming you aboard while party music was playing from the DJ at Vinyl, the onboard record store. The ship was full of Instagram worthy spots from the elevator with its LCD pictures, the mirrored wall near Pink Agave, the lighted hallway at The Manor, the “Save water drink champagne wall” on deck, the swings near the social club and even the striped walls of Razzle Dazzle itself. We marveled at the unique offerings like the Stubble and Groom barber, The Dry Dock Blowout Bar, and even Squid Ink – the first tattoo parlor at sea.
We went straight up to our rooms and our luggage was already there. There are several different categories of rooms on the Scarlet Lady. We opted for the Insider cabin as we don’t spend much time in our room and the darkness is great for sleeping. The rooms are configured so that you can have a bed down or turn it into a couch. There is a tablet in the room that will control the tv, call the concierge, open your curtains, let you add a maintenance request or even control the room lighting – complete with mood music. We had fun sampling them all, including the “let’s get it on” mode lol! All the rooms have a rain shower, hair dryer, USB ports and flat screen TVs.
The Seaview is Virgin’s version of the Oceanview state room, while the Sea Terrace is the balcony equivalent complete with a hammock. Virgin takes it up a notch with their Rockstar Suites and MegaRockStar Suites which have marble bathrooms, 24-7 agent attention, bottomless in room bars, early access to dining, transfers, access to Richard’s Rooftop Lounge and a whole lot more depending on which option you chose.
Virgin even does muster drills differently. Instead of everyone reporting to one part of the ship at the same time and inevitably waiting for all the stragglers to get there – we just watched a muster video on our tv, then went to our muster station to check in at our convenience. We were given a quick life jacket demonstration, and then we were on our way.
Our first stop was the Dock House on Deck 7, an amazing looking Mediterranean themed indoor/outdoor lounge at the end of the ship. This was one of my favorite places to go to kill time, the ambiance is amazing. The comfortable couches and pillows were scattered everywhere, and you were given a tray with the menu and a sign that you pulled down to let the waiters know when you wanted service. They had small plates such as Hangar Steak with pita, yogurt, anchovy & mint, Spanish Octopus with sunchokes and muhammara and Grilled Shrimp with garlic yogurt and aleppo butter which was to die for! There was even a to-go section with hummus and other goodies. One of the great things about Virgin is that all gratuities are included, even for spa treatments.
We had joined a Facebook group for our cruise so after the Dock House we went up to The Athletic Club bar to meet all our new friends and join them for a drink. Pro Tip: That rope net is not as fun as it looks lol! Basic Beverages on Virgin are free, such as sodas, drip coffee and non-pressed juices. There are no beverage packages for alcohol so you will pay by the drink, but the prices were reasonable, and they seem to always have a special where if you put $300 on your tab, they will add $50. If you’re feeling extra bougie just shake the Virgin App and a “Shake for Champagne” button will appear and you can have champagne delivered to you anywhere on the ship.
We were most looking forward to the food on the cruise, and it did not disappoint. Virgin does not have any buffet restaurants, and everything is made to order. If you want to grab a quick bite on the fly there is the Galley, a dining hall full of 10 international eateries such as Let’s Taco Bout It, Noodle Around, Bento Baby, Hot off the Press, Well Bread and the Sweet Side. There was even a Burger Bar serving pancakes and French toast for breakfast, and burgers around the clock. Once you walk around and figure out what looks good, you can sit at any table in the Galley and servers will take your order and bring you food from any of the booths, so you don’t have to stand there and wait. On our cruise there was always a server at our table ready to take our order before we even finished sitting down. The Pizza place was open until 1:30 a.m. for your late-night snacking and had several amazing made-fresh pizzas like the Classic (mozzarella and Tomato Sauce), White Truffle and Egg (mozzarella, cracked black pepper and tomato sauce), Pretty Fly for a White Pie (mozzarella, Ricotta, parmesan, fresh garlic and oregano) to name a few. There was also an ice cream booth, “Lick Me til Ice Cream”, which was absolutely delicious. (Do yourself a favor and get the Key Lime).
The Social Club American Diner is located near the Loose Cannon bar and is surrounded by the arcade as well as table games like foosball and air hockey. The diner has game time snacks, such as popcorn, hotdogs and warm pretzels, and you can even get boozy shakes for an upcharge. The diner has a candy counter in case you need a bag of gummy bears, some fudge or a praline to take back to your room – all free of charge! We spent many an evening in the Loose Cannon competing for the Salty Trivia title with our awesome Trivia partners who happened to live only 15 minutes away from us!
Since we were only on a 4-night cruise and there are 6 sit down restaurants on board that require reservations and most of those are open for dinner only, we had to choose wisely. Just kidding, since we were all about the food, we *may* have booked two dinners a few nights just to try everything lol. Spoiler Alert – we didn’t dislike any of the restaurants we tried. The first night we visited Pink Agave, Scarlet Lady’s Mexican restaurant. If you know me, you know that Mexican is my favorite cuisine, and I am a tough critic – but we really enjoyed it. The menu is split up into small plates like the Aguachile with tuna avocado and jicama (Deb’s favorite) or the Esquites with grilled corn, spicy aioli and lime (my favorite), medium plates like Hoja Santa with quesillo de Oaxaca, root beer leaf, salsa macha and pineapple or the Camaron En Amarillo with seared shrimp, mole Amarillo, and new potatoes, and large plates like the Bistec Marinero En Escabeche with ribeye steak, chile ancho & quesillo or the Cochinita Pibil with achiote marinated smoked pork with sour orange habanero & pico de gallo – and you could order one of each if you wanted. There were even chocolate tacos for dessert. After hours the Pink Agave has a Mezcal tasting that is reservation only and does have an added cost.
The Test Kitchen was something out of my normal comfort zone and I must admit, I really enjoyed it. You are told what the main ingredients are (Mushroom, Egg, Scallops, Venison or Beef, Blue Cheese and Chocolate), but not how they are used. Then everyone is served the same 7 courses of food created by Michelin starred chefs. (They will ask about food allergies and preferences and will substitute based on those choices). As they bring each dish the server explains what was in it, and how it was made. Our first course was a mushroom pate with four different types of mushroom puree with cream as a spread on a crisp bread. I don’t even LIKE mushrooms, and this may have been my favorite dish – I think I ate some of Debbie’s. The second course was confit egg yolk with English peas on a bed of parsley with sturgeon caviar. This one I was not a fan of, but the presentation in a smoking dish was beautiful. The third course was diver scallop with serrano ham and seaweed. Next up were 70-layer potatoes with bacon powder and chives, then filet on a beetroot puree topped with dark chocolate twig and smoky au jus with pickled blueberries. Our sixth course was Bleu cheese semifreddo (ice cream) served with honey roasted peans, Asian pears, and drizzled with citrus oil. I thought this sounded odd, but it was actually pretty good. The final course was a chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse, a layer of vanilla sponge cake, a coconut sub layer, topped with strawberry caviar and served atop a strawberry puree. They even offered a wine pairing for each course at an extra charge.
Razzle Dazzle is one of the reserved restaurants that is open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Beginning in January of 2022 it will also be the home of the Drag Brunch which we are very sorry to have missed. RD does its best to Dazzle with its bold patterned walls and furnishings which almost make you feel like you’re at a circus. RD has a vegetarian forward menu with items like a nutty gazpacho appetizer and the Impossible Burger with poblano salsa, paprika vegenaise, and avocado, and the heirloom winter squash ravioli with sylvetta, argula, mountain huckleberry and braised chestnuts which Deb had. If you’re not a vegan not to worry, there are some menu items for us meat lovers like the black garlic bowtie pasta with fennel braised pork chanterelles (which I had and loved) and a ½ fried chicken with buttered cholula hot sauce. For those who love beef, you won’t find it on the menu but there is a “secret steak”, and if you ask the waiter, they will give you a knowing glance and bring you one. The steak has a cheesy sauce, bacon and vegetables which sounds a little much, but people seemed to enjoy it. For dessert we had the Unicorn Jenga (rainbow churros with ube ice cream and strawberry caramel) and the loaded cookies (stuffed red velvet and matcha white chocolate). We went back for brunch one morning and I had the Coconut Milk Fairy Toast with rainbow sprinkles while Deb had the Pinterest worthy watermelon round topped with frozen raspberries, blackberries, granola, and micro-grains with a yogurt drizzle.
We ate at the Wake three times on our trip, once for dinner and twice for breakfast – If you’re there for breakfast – do yourself a favor and get the French Toast! The Wake is one of the most upscale restaurants on board and features steak and seafood. I had the New York Strip with twice baked potato & caramelized onions. For dessert it was the Meyer lemon cheesecake with blackberry compote and a cinnamon cookie crumble. Deb had the New Zealand lamb chops, brown butter roasted wild mushrooms, and a creamed spinach appetizer. The food was really good, and the sides were enough for two. A total bonus was the parker house rolls they served with dinner.
Somehow, we paced ourselves and ate a second dinner after the Wake and went to Extra Virgin the Scarlet Lady’s Italian restaurant. Deb had the Crispy Artichoke appetizer with caper aioli and charred lemon, and Grilled Mediterranean Sea Bass with lemon, roasted fennel, and Yukon potatoes. I was too full to go for an appetizer and had a Bolognese pasta. There was even affogato prepared tableside. For dessert we somehow managed to eat a chocolate olive oil cake with red wine poached pears and candied marcona almonds. Most people said this was their favorite meal of the trip was at Extra Virgin.
The one restaurant we didn’t get to sample was GunBae, we had reservations, but ended up having to leave halfway through to meet friends because we didn’t realize the dinner lasted so long. Gunbae is a Korean BBQ group experience and will take a couple of hours. You start at a round table which is always full no matter the size of your party. The loudest servers at sea (their description not mine) will come around with free Soju shots and encourage you to play Korean drinking games on a spinning lazy susan prior to the meal, so that by the time it is done you are all the best of friends. The table is circled around a flameless grill where you do your own cooking. This is the one regret I had about the trip, that we didn’t get to stay for our meal – but there’s always next time.
Entertainment on the ship is a bit different than other cruises, and probably the only thing I think they needed to improve. Virgin doesn’t have the typical faux Broadway shows that you’ll see on other ships. Their shows were a bit more edgy, like Duel Reality, which was more of a parkour/circus type with a Romeo and Juliet theme, Untitled Dance Party Show Thing which is a music video meets club scene dance party, and Never Sleep Alone which was an audience participation show with a sex therapist. (I don’t think any of us will ever forget Michele and Scott with the watermelon and banana) Pro Tip: Do not sit in the front unless you’re ready to join in. There were house bands that would play at different times, and a few small shows like the nerd show. They also had pop-up shows, where a band of singers and entertainers may serenade you and your partner, a pod of human jellyfish might put on a show, or a roving magician may hand you a card to attend a private magic show. The shows we saw were all great, but we felt like they needed more shows and a better variety. On our cruise there were shows that were full, and I can’t imagine what it would be like with a ship at capacity. Hopefully they adjust the number of shows accordingly. The ship also holds a few theme nights like pajama night your first night on board and Scarlet night where the entire ship dresses up in red and there are celebrations ship wide. There was one karaoke night but a cool feature of the ship if you are with friends is Groupie, the private karaoke rooms. These are free of charge and hold anywhere from 2-10 people. You have to reserve these the day of, at the Groupie desk – it cannot be done on the app. Unfortunately, the karaoke machines also give you a score, and let’s just say we did not do so well!
Virgin bills itself as being fitness conscious and it is, but this is truly optional. If you want to exercise, you’re in luck as there are plenty of opportunities, but if all you want to do is lay on deck with a daquiri in hand (like me lol!) there are plenty of opportunities for that also. The ship has a large gym with sections for cardio, spinning, barre, pilates and more. Group classes are free like sunrise yoga, meditation and HIIT workouts. There are even curated hikes at select ports. My favorite was the Richard Simmons 80s VHS workout ;). A word of warning, classes fill up so make sure you reserve asap. The Outdoor Athletic club is an outdoor work out space complete with a track, a boxing ring, and a basketball court.
For those who like to be pampered, the Redemption Spa is a beautiful space that has activities like hot stone massages, massages, pedicures, facials, a mudroom, a sauna and a seaweed wrap for an added charge. The Thermal Suite which cost about $70 for a day pass had heated stone loungers, a therapy pool, a steam room, and a salt room. The ship had two pools, and on our cruise there was no problem finding a lounger to relax in. The pools were kind of small though, and I have to wonder how it will be when the ship is filled to capacity.
One oddly cool feature was the bathrooms on the pool deck. When you enter, there are floor to ceiling windows which look out onto the scenery, or directly into the cabins of the cruise ship docked next to you. We were told the windows were one way, and the folks on the other cruise couldn’t see us, but I’m not sure I bought that.
Virgin sails to several different ports such as Costa Maya, Cozumel and Playa Del Carmen in Mexico, Puerto Plato in the Dominican Republic and the Nassau all from Miami. They also have the Valiant Lady with sailings out of the United Kingdom. Our first port was Nassau in the Bahamas. Since we’d been to Nassau several times and were really there to see the Scarlet Lady, we chose not to do an excursion. There is no tender to Nassau, and you don’t need a taxi. You can walk straight off the boat to visit the port city. We poked around to do a little purse shopping but went back to the boat early to enjoy brunch at Razzle Dazzle and compete in some more trivia.
Our second port was the Bimini Beach Club, which is a private beach owned by Virgin. You have to take a free tram from the ship to the club (I wouldn’t try and walk). The tram stops at both the Beach club and the casino. Once there you are greeted with two large pools with Flamingo floats, shady chaise lounges, a fire pit, and cabanas for rent, all within feet of the beach. There are several bars near the pool and throughout the day you can sign up for beach games, and there is a bonfire at night. It’s been said that on random dates famous DJs will be playing at the beach club, but it was standard music when we were there. The food at the Beach Club was very good, and much better than your typical cruise line private island fare. It seems the menu changes, but I had Caribbean chicken & coconut curry with ginger & cilantro as the main, with a side of grilled corn on the cob with jerk mayo & toasted coconut, a tropical fruit bowl with pineapple, passion fruit, ginger and cardamom, and a rum cake with guava sauce for dessert. 
The food here might have been better than some of the food on the ship. Unfortunately for us it was a rainy day at the beach club, and we didn’t get to stay that long (the downside is there is not much cover when the rain comes).
We loved the atmosphere on the Scarlet Lady and made some friendships that will continue on dry land. We were sad to see our cruise end and made sure to sign up for the latest Debarkation time so we could have another breakfast at Razzle Dazzle before walking out into the real world. If you get a chance to take a cruise on the Scarlet Lady, do it, you won’t regret it.
