Virgin Voyages - Scarlet Lady Seacation
The Scarlet Lady was the very first cruise ship launched by the Virgin Brand and we were really excited to see what it had to offer. We sailed on the 9th August which was just the second sailing so everything was still very new. There were a few hiccups and the app was a bit of a headache but overall we had a great time. Boarding was straight forward considering everyone had to go through the covid testing centre and they started to let us onboard from 1pm.
Our cabin was amazing and it was definitely a highlight of the trip. It was super spacious and had a huge marble bathroom with oversized walk in shower, robes and lovely toiletries. The suite also came complete with a fantastic mini bar and cocktail making equipment along with a record player and selection of vinyl records. We had Queen which was brilliant. I believe you can swap your records somewhere onboard but we didn't feel the need to. Our 'Rockstar Agent' was very helpful and she was easy to contact via the messaging function on the app. Every balcony cabin has a hammock which was fun .. and I think I'd definitely make better use of that in the Caribbean than in the English Channel. haha.
All of the restaurants onboard are FREE to dine in - there is no 'premium dining' upgrades available which was great. We very much enjoyed trying out the various options including a Korean BBQ, Mexican, Italian and the quirky Razzle Dazzle. There is also the 'Galley' which is Virgin's take on the traditional buffet. We also enjoyed Tapas style food at The Dock and Pizzas at The Pizza Place .. oh and not forgetting the amazing ice cream too.
There is no 'theatre' as such but they do have the 'Red Room' which is where we saw an acrobatics show and I believe it changed into a nightclub in the evening. There is also the Manor which is over 2 floors and is a lounge club and bar with a stage for a variety of shows. Pop up entertainment kind of just 'happened' around the ship and there was live bands in different bars. All of their group classes are included - we did an early morning guided meditation class followed by yoga on one morning which was really nice.
As we had a Rockstar Cabin this also allowed us access to 'Richards Rooftop Bar' which is on the top deck of the ship right at the front. It has a private bar, lots of lounge-beds and a couple of hot tubs. I must admit I spent most of my time in the hot tubs chatting to other sailors and making new friends. There never seemed to be a lot going on up there but I guess this will be different in warmer climates. The hot tubs are open until midnight so on one evening myself and David grabbed some of our drinks from our mini-bar and headed up to Richards Rooftop. We sat in one of the hot tubs and listened some music that was being played on the pool deck below whilst watching the stars. It was lovely and quiet but also strange that there was nothing really else going on. We aren't party people so in the evening we did struggle a little bit for things to do but the restaurants and food made up for that.
Virgin don't offer a drinks package but they do have a 'bar tab' facility which you can add funds into and they add more to it as a bonus. At the moment if you pay in $300 they add $50 but this might change. The only downside to this is, that at my time of sailing, they wouldn't refund back any unused credit so just be aware of this.
Virgin Voyages have two more ships - The Valiant Lady launched in March 2022 and The Resilient Lady with itineraries available to book now for May 2023 onwards.
Contact me for more details about special offers, itineraries and availability on these fantastic new ships.
