I Stayed There: The Scarlet Lady, Virgin Voyages

A girlfriend and I recently set sail with Virgin Voyages for a fun four-night Caribbean adventure. The Scarlet Lady called at Nassau and The Beach Club at Bimini plus had a day at sea during our sailing, and we couldn’t have had a better time! Neither of us are experienced cruisers and as novice “Sailors”, we appreciated everything we experienced aboard the ship.

The Vibe

From the time we stepped on board in Miami until we disembarked, our vacation was nonstop fun. All the crew members we met were quick to converse with a smile on their faces. I’m sure it is hard work, but they made it seem like they were having the time of their lives too, which made for a more enjoyable vacation. Entertainment was integrated everywhere you turned so you didn’t have to specifically seek out activities — they just appeared. For example, one night we were walking around the ship when a crew member approached us. He asked us to join him on a secret mission that turned out to be a pirate-themed scavenger hunt seeking the ingredients for making rum punch which culminated in a private magic show. We didn’t have to go to a specific location at a particular time to be entertained – it just spontaneously happened which made it more fun for me.

How I Felt  

It might be odd to say this about an Adult-by-Design cruise, but I felt like a kid again! Virgin Voyages took the best parts of childhood, like scavenger hunts and playgrounds and re-tooled them for adults. Deck 16 featured The Athletic Club with adult-sized teeter totters, swings and more. While I didn’t take part in a fitness class there, I did have a great time and worked up a sweat one afternoon in The Manor at VHS (Videos, Headbands, Simmons). This 80s-style class combined entertainment with fitness, and I couldn’t stop laughing at our Shake Weights and the three crew members who hosted it … especially the one who looked just like Screech from Saved by the Bell.

The Digs

Our cabin was a Sea Terrace and we loved the bright and modern design. We really appreciated the technology touches like the tablet that could control the lights, TV and music, and had fun trying out the different preset mood options. After a lot of late nights dancing away at The Manor, our favorite option was Hangover which dimmed the lights to a soothing blue hue and pulled the curtains shut. Our cabin was great, but we didn’t spend a lot of time there because we were too busy exploring the ship to sit still for long.  

The Agenda

We didn’t have any plan for our vacation when we boarded, which worked out well for us since the ship was operating at a lower occupancy. We just explored at our own pace, enjoyed leisurely afternoons with frose by the pool, made new friends with other guests and crew, and even stopped by Squid Ink for tattoos from Ink Masters. We even watched an impromptu wedding one night. Oh, and we laughed and laughed with Heather McDonald at The Beach Club at Bimini.

If I sail again on Virgin in the future, I will plan a little better and get reservations for some of the entertainment events. We were able to just walk into an afternoon performance of Duel Reality without reservations but we missed seeing Never Sleep Alone because we didn’t plan in advance.  

The Eats

The food and drinks onboard Scarlet Lady were plentiful and all delicious. On our first night we were wowed by the creative presentation of each course at The Test Kitchen, and from there it just kept getting better and better! For a quick bite anytime, we enjoyed the many options at The Galley. The best dinner we tried was at Pink Agave with Mexican specialties that melted in our mouths.  My overall favorite though was the bottomless Bloody Mary brunch at The Wake with a panoramic sea view and scrumptious crab benedict.

Why I Would Go Back

There are so many reasons why I cannot wait to sail on Virgin again. I didn’t have a chance to have high tea at Sip Lounge, go to the drag brunch at Razzle Dazzle or make a fool of myself at the bungee yoga class. Oh, and while I took my own homemade Richard-on-a-stick on board, I did not get to meet the real Richard. I guess I’ll just have to keep on sailing on Virgin Voyages until that becomes a reality.