Hello Lunatics!!
It is great to have you back here again for a really quick read, maybe? This time, I am sharing my experience cruising with Virgin Voyages. Keep in mind, this post is not sponsored by VV, but if you know anyone there who can sponsor me, please send them my way for a collab! Lol
First, this isn’t a post to bash Virgin Voyages – I would never! So, if you’re here for gossip.. I can’t do that. Now, you can always bet there’s a story with me, and there is no exception when it comes to Virgin. I have now cruised twice on Lady Scarlet and I am planning a third trip. That’s how badly they ruined me. Why? Only because I feel I shortchanged myself from experiencing everything the first two times, big time! The first time I cruised was December 2022 and then in March 2023, both times out of Miami. Let me tell you, both experiences totally blew off my mind!
I will do my best to summarize everything since both times, I arrived at the terminal straight from Miami international on an Uber. The first time, I did not check my bag because I only had a carry-on for the four day cruise. The second time, I did check my bag at the terminal and made my way to the check-in line.
The Crew is Ridiculous-l.y. F.U.N!!!!
Every “mate” is absolutely amazing! From the time I arrived, the baggage handlers were extremely nice. I believe they may be contracted, but regardless, they were really helpful.
The Virgin folks who greeted me at the terminal entrance were super informed, ready to help and ready to go. Some of them came out to cheer us on and get us in the spirit of cruising by singing and dancing, and just being silly – that was a nice touch!
Once the check in process began, they showed me up to the escalator and all along the way, every staff member I ran into was super polite and welcoming pointing me in the right direction.
During the first trip, I had problems with my app and could not get to my reservation, but everything was resolved in under 10 minutes at the check-in station. After that, I was able to see my restaurant reservations, my excursions, the schedules, my balance and other information I needed for my stay.
I proceeded to go onto the staging area where every group was being called in a sequence to board the ship. I wish I had taken pictures of that area because it was absolutely beautiful. All I have to say is – red couches!
When my turn finally came in, I dragged my roller board over the bridge and was greeted by someone with some fabulous white short shorts, shiny boots, dancing with a fan, welcoming me board! I got so hyped!
Stateroom
I arrived to the stateroom and was completely taken aback by the view from the balcony. The hammock made my day. It was completely phenomenal!! I was on the side of the ship that overlooks the terminal, so people were still coming in over the bridge to get onto the ship and I was pretty cool. Once we landed at other ports, it was nice to either have the full ocean view or the port view to see all the action below on land!
The room itself is very state-of-the-art in every way. From the keyless entry to using the tablet to control every gadget in the room, I was so impressed. I could set the mood and ambience, the temperature, close and or open the drapes – I loved it!
The furniture is very IKEA-like, and the mattress could have been a little thicker, but for only four nights, it was not too bad.
The other thing that could was a challenge the first time around was the bathroom storage. There wasn’t a lot of shelf room, so the second time around, I bought and brought with me a rollup storage bag that I hung from the bathroom door. I kept all my toiletries in it for the length of my cruise.
The Partying
The best feature: no children on board. I could drink all I wanted, or nothing at all, and not worry about kids getting in my way or waking me up screaming or crying from a nap! LOL
This also means that there is a party going on every night. It’s nice to have options to choose from throughout the ship depending on my preferences, the people I meet as the days go by, and the location. The Crew really makes an effort to get the passengers engaged in dancing and partying. Some of us like to chill sometimes and other times, we like to shake it until the morning. They do a great job trying though!
Drinking Onboard?
Yes, absolutely! If you’re so inclined, you can purchase a beverage package before your trip. You are not required to do so as you will leave a credit card during check-in time for “incidentals” and you can charge your drinks as you go. However, if you’re into drinking, at $13-15 a drink, it can add up after 4 days depending on how early you start drinking – I mean, Mimosas, anyone??
The Sweet Spot for Me
What really blew my mind and took my heart by storm? In addition to everything else that had already impressed me, Virgin really took it to the next level with their intentional push for diversity and inclusion. Virgin is very much welcoming to the LGBTQ community and people with disabilities. This to me was evident during my very first trip when Virgin had a group of deaf and hard-of-hearing passengers. There were ASL translators everywhere they went. Also, the staff is very culturally and ethnically diverse so I was able to speak Spanish with some of the crew members and some of the maintenance crew.
The food, oh. the. food!
Unlike the other cruise lines I’ve traveled on before, the Scarlet Lady does not have any buffet lines. We Also, the quality of the food and the presentation has ZERO comparison on a Virgin cruise. These are Michelin Chef curated recipes! There is no comparison! Passengers have several options to eat: room service (which I did not do), casual dining or formal restaurant dining.
The Galley
The way it worked was that, when I was hungry for something more casual like breakfast or a light lunch, I would head to The Galley and once I decided what I wanted to eat, I would take a seat. A crew member came by, took my order and left. A few minutes later, another crew member came by with my food. While I waited, I went to get water or something to drink.
Restaurant Dining
There are several options to eat at a more “formal” restaurant. Formal attire is not required, but I feel that “The Wake” deserves a little more dressing up than most restaurants. I did Scarlet night at “The Wake” both times and learned my lesson the second time around. I bought and wore a pretty red dress with silver high heel sandals. I was happy, not to mention that the view I had was incredible!
From Razzle Dazzle to Pink Agave, each restaurant has its own vibe. Again, the food was deliciously divine hitting every taste bud and fiber in my soul.
Finally, the cost
In comparison to other cruise lines I’ve been on, all I have to say is that you get what you pay for and the consumer experience on a Virgin Voyages cruise definitely shows. No kids? Take my money. Meeting other solo travelers? Take my money – and theirs. I am a solo traveler, remember? Partying up with fun people? Take my money. Great food? Yes, take. my. money.
In summary, I give it 5-stars all around! Were there glitches? Yes, only minor things like my app not working prior to boarding the wifi was a little challenging to post pictures on Insta. Other than that, I am happy I did it and will do it again – next time to another destination! I will write a post on my off shore experiences including the visit to Bimini Club… since THAT was an experience all in itself since it was Spring Break and I did not even know it!
