As I’m writing this, I just got off the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady three days ago after being on this 2,770-passenger ship for four weeks traveling around the Mediterranean Sea with a promotional package called “Scarlet Summer Season Pass.” It was possibly the ultimate of sea soirees that I could ever experience and I wasn’t ready to get off the ship when it docked in Barcelona.
The morning I left, I said goodbye to many special friends I had made in 30 days. I said au revoir to my Grounds Club baristas and our cabin steward; and I wondered aloud who would now make my bed each day, cook for me, serve me drinks, deliver fresh towels, and basically cater to me when I got home.
Sigh.
But the good times, memories made and a once-in-lifetime cruise deal will keep me afloat for a long time. I still cannot believe the awesome deal I got on this cruise.
If you too are planning on cruising around the Mediterranean Sea with Virgin Voyages, this Scarlet Lady review is for you. It includes exactly what to expect.
Overview of The Scarlet Lady
The Scarlet Lady typically sails from Miami, but they repositioned it for the Mediterranean to offer the “Work from Helm” (Home) Summer Season Pass. With a crew of 1,160 crew, the ship has over 1,400 cabins that can accommodate more than 2,770 passengers.
There are currently four “Lady Ships” including Scarlet Lady, Resilient Lady, Brilliant Lady, and Valiant Lady. In this review, I will focus on Scarlet Lady, however, as this is the ship I was on.
What differentiates Virgin Voyages from other cruise lines is that it offers adult-only sailing. You have to be 18 or older so you have no screaming babies, and no children running and ripping around.
During our four-week cruise, the passenger count varied from 1,800 on the first week to 2,500 on the last. Each cabin with a balcony offers a signature red hammock and I found out the average age of passengers was about 47.
Virgin is DIFFERENT from other cruise lines. Richard Branson set out to disrupt the cruise industry and I believe he succeeded. The ship never seemed crowded. I never had to wait for elevators. The muster video you watch before you embark sets the stage with its humor and you smile often at different aspects of the cruise as you experience the hip, fresh energy of the ship.
I’ve been on many cruises, but I was a newbie to Richard Branson’s Virgin Voyages brand. From a marketing standpoint, I give the company the highest of marks regarding “nailing” the brand voice. It’s as though when you read all their messages a British rockstar is talking to you. It’s cheeky with a punch of humor and edge, and the nomenclature is unique to its brand. There are no passengers on board. Only sailors. There’s no cruise director. You have a Happenings Cast which includes titles such as balancer, hostess, foodie, spark, and gamer.
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Scarlet Summer Season Pass
The package I opted for is called the Scarlet Summer Season Pass. It cost $9,990 for two people and included:
- Premium wi-fi
- Dedicated sailor services support
- One specialty coffee per day
- Happy hour each evening featuring Moet champagne and free drinks at Richard’s Rooftop
- Access to Richard’s Rooftop 24/7
- Wash and fold laundry services each week.
>> Click here for last-minute Virgin Voyages cruise deals
Cabins and Suites
My cabin (two people)
Options abound for your choice of cabins or suites. My cabin was on the 9th floor in the middle of the ship on what they refer to as “Sea Terrace.” It seemed a little narrower than other cruise cabins, but the hammock on the balcony was pretty cool for people who love to sway beside the ocean.
It’s good to know that 86 percent of Virgin Voyages cabins feature a balcony, and 93 percent feature an ocean view.
All cabins are “clever cabins” and are technologically superior to many other cruise lines. When you open your door, the black-out curtains automatically open and the cabins are tricked out to the max for comfort and ease. A tablet is used to control the TV and the room temperature.
>> Check out my post featuring unique items to bring on a cruise to make the most out of your trip!
Cabins for three or four people
On a particular Sunday when we were docked in Barcelona and I needed to get some work done, my travel companion and I set off to explore the ship while it was being turned over for the next group of cruisers.
We were amazed to find out that there are some regular-sized cabins down the hall from us that can sleep not just two people, but three and four as well. Virgin has cabins where the bed comes out of the ceiling as well as a fourth bed that converts from a couch.
Rockstar Suites
Also, as we were exploring all the huge rockstar suites on the forward and aft of the ship, an energetic and kind deck manager, Stan, appeared and proceeded to tour us around and show us the most ginormous suites on The Virgin Lady. These are called Mega RockStar Quarters and they are aptly named “Fab Suite, Posh Suite, Gorgeous Suite, and the piece de resistance…the Massive Suite.”
Wow…the Massive Suite is 2,147 square feet and at a price tag of $30,000 for a week, I was simply stunned by this home away from home with unrivaled views.
Appointed with semi-circular leather sofas, floor-to-ceiling marble bathrooms, and bottomless in-room bars, the multiple-room suite has everything you need to live your most lavish life.
Located on the forward of the ship, the Massive Suite has an expanded balcony with a jacuzzi, space for yoga or private exercise, an eight-person dining table, and enough space for at least 20 or more of your best friends.
Mega Rockstar Suites
Out of 78 Rockstar Suites, there are 15 Mega Rockstar Suites. As a mega rockstar, you have a personal concierge, luxury private transfer, a team to unpack and repack your bags, premium wi-fi, access to Richard’s rooftop, early access to restaurants and entertainment, personalized bar service, and laundry services.
I got to know the passenger who was booked in the Massive Suite during the third week of our voyage pretty well and at the end of his journey, I asked him if it was worth the hefty price tag. He answered, “Absolutely! I am used to having a lot of space and I’m not going to travel without this feature.” He then offered all his extra liquor to us and we gladly accepted his kind gift. He brought it up to Richard’s Rooftop and set it out like he was operating a liquor store. I happily picked up his bottles of red wine. 😀
Food and Drinks
Eateries: The Galley
Creativity and innovation continue with food and beverage options on Virgin ships.
As I mentioned before, Virgin has designed its ships to make you feel you have plenty of space while you eat out. I found The Galley to be superbly designed. It’s your go-to spot when you don’t want to go to one of the other fine dining eateries where you make reservations. It can either be a dine-in or to-go place and I found myself there more than anywhere else. Why? Because it’s got eight eateries to choose from. Plus, this is not your average cruise ship buffet area.
All food is served to the guest by a member of the staff. Therefore, you don’t see people with huge food portions piled up from grazing at the buffet bar and serving themselves.
Plus, I noticed that most people took pride in how they dressed to eat inside this casual setting. I didn’t see passengers in their wet bathing suits and cover-ups. The Virgin passenger, simply, is more refined and I like this! It’s important to keep in mind what to wear on a cruise, after all.
Here are the eateries within The Galley:
- The Daily Mix: If you want a toasted bagel, bread, or hot cereal, you head here. It’s got spreads, avocado, and all kinds of toppings for your carbs.
- Diner and Dash: Where you get your omelet made to order or scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, bacon 24-7.
- Burger Bar: Burgers grilled to perfection and fresh fries right out of the basket. During breakfast, you can order buttermilk pancakes, French toast, and French toast burger.
- Bento Baby: I loved this spot. You can get sushi to go in the Bento Box or opt for homemade granola or Greek yogurt in a mixed berry bento.
- Let’s Taco Bout It: In the mood for Mexican? How about an avocado burrito or a chorizo burrito?
- Noodle Around: Asian specialties like Miso Udon, Thai Curry Ramen, and Spicy Tonkotsu are available.
- Hot Off the Press: If you’re in the mood for whole wheat avocado toast, banana & Nutella, or toasted buffalo mozzarella sandwich, they make them fresh here.
- The Sweet Side: Last but not least, this is where you can get tasty, fresh fruit every day PLUS every dessert imaginable. Definitely get the daily dessert The Scarlet Lady. It’s red, shaped like a ship, and has chocolate mousse inside. During my Behind the Scenes tour, I learned their pastry chefs bake all pastries, desserts, and breads on board. Yes, I did have an extra croissant that day!
Restaurant and Bars
There are 11 eateries on the ship including:
- Razzle Dazzle: A fave for vegetarians
- The Wake: Steak and seafood restaurant
- The Test Kitchen: Chef-inspired tasting menus with Experiential Dining
- Extra Virgin: Italian
- Gunbae: Korean Barbeque
- Pink Agave: Shareable, social, and sexy Mexican
- The Dock: Outdoor aft lounge for food and drinks
- The Dock House: Cozy place inside where you can get bite-sized appetizers
- Social Club: Pretzels, hotdogs and milkshakes
- The Pizza Place: Perfect place at 1:30 a.m. to get pizza
- Lick Me Till…Ice Cream: One scoop, two scoop or more, you choose
With stunning views of the ship’s trail, The Wake was my favorite restaurant. A classic chophouse, it serves filet mignon, seafood, perfectly prepared roasted vegetables, and designer desserts.
As for bars, the Sip Lounge tickled my fancy because of its decor. It’s a curated champagne lounge and quite intimate at night.
During the day from noon to 4 p.m., it serves afternoon tea, cakes, scones, and sandwiches fit for a queen. What a lovely place to have a proper English tea experience!
Pool
Here’s the only spot on the entire ship where I feel the designers led Sir Richard Branson astray. I think the ship needs to have a larger pool.
I’ve been on many cruises and this one disappointed me. There’s one part of the pool that is about an ankle and a half deep and then there’s the deep end. My opinion is they needed to make it a few yards longer for people who want to really swim around.
In addition, there is a smaller pool on Deck 15, but this one is more like a huge jacuzzi-type pool with cold water. You can sit in the round in the water, but again, it’s just not a true pool.
On Deck 15, there were also hot jacuzzi tubs which were very popular.
Activities
I cannot do justice in describing how busy I stayed during my four weeks at sea and I still feel I could go back and do another round of other activities!
This ship is a dynamo for people like me who like to stay busy with action-filled events. Here are just a few things I did on an average day:
- On-the-Upswing Bungee Class
- Growth and Guided Meditation Class
- Perfect your Posture Workshop
- Pickleball
- MAC makeup demonstration
- 80s Richard Simmons VHS Workout
I’m not a huge trivia devotee, but there’s a huge fan base of passengers who love this activity. There’s a place on Deck 7 where The Loose Cannon Bar hooks up with The Arcade and where the Social Club backs up to the Resort Store and somewhere in all of this you can find all these passengers all day long playing board games, trivia games and competing at a shuffleboard table.
I landed there one day to eat a hot dog and a gigantic pretzel and be entertained by this female vocalist/pianist while also watching a tennis tournament. A lot was going on in this space and I found it interesting the huge contingency of passengers constantly playing cards and board games!
Even the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em robot was there to mess around with and I truly enjoyed playing this iconic 1960s game. To be honest, I seldom had time to ever get back to that area of the ship because I was always on the upper decks near the pool and gym.
Entertainment
When I think about entertainment on most cruises, I imagine Broadway shows–the singing/dancing/acting theatre like New York City.
Virgin’s entertainment is not this. It’s more immersive and allows passengers to help create the entertainment.
For instance, one night there is a Pajama Party in which the Virgin entertainers do a live show, but offer you the chance to take part in the activities.
On another night, it’s Scarlet Lady: The Pool Party where the Virgin dancers get into the pool, and encourage guests to dance all the while getting wet in their clothes and being perfectly happy doing so.
And, of course, music is in the DNA of Virgin’s brand so there was a 90’s Rock Show, Around the World in 80 Minutes with the Diva, and a Dual Reality Show in which acrobatic stunts like you see on Cirque du Soleil took center stage in The Red Room.
Itineraries
The voyage I took was the first time The Scarlet Lady had been in the Mediterranean. She is usually found sailing the Caribbean.
Our itinerary consisted of many ports in Spain, France, and Italy, and each week on Sundays we would return to Barcelona to start a new itinerary. The ports we visited included Marseille, Cannes, Toulon, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Marina di Carrara, Corsica, and Civitavecchia (Rome).
I loved the double-decker buses in Barcelona, the beach clubs and fashion artisans in Ibiza, the shopping in Cannes, and the electric bikes in Corsica. Each week we got to return to Ibiza, a Balearic Island off the coast of Spain.
Ibiza is known for its late-night party scene and clubbing into the wee hours. On one particular night, I ended up at a David Guetta event at HI Ibiza, which bills itself as the #1 Club in the world. David is an electronic music sensation and I basically jumped up and down to the electronic beat with hundreds of other clubbers for a while just to say I had “clubbed” with the best of them. 🙂
But for me, I was drawn to Ibiza’s Castell d’Eivissa, a castle that sits atop the old town. Just steps from the marina, you can wander through the narrow streets and see some of the most beautiful clothes, shoes, and jewelry made by local designers. Superstars Paris Hilton and Kate Moss are known to travel to Ibiza for their unique fashion-forward pieces.
However, my fave part of the trip was truly the friends I made at Richard’s Rooftop. I met a true rockstar who used to be in the Marshall Tucker Band, plus Louise, Elan, Susan, Bob, George, Roger, Silvina, Biz, Madison, Paul and Jo, Kallie, Madi, Mike, Nina, Elisa, Saqeeb, Dr. Jenifer, Sue, Christina, Courtney, Jodi, Tracey, Nigel, Chris, Marilu and a host of others that were insanely fun to be around.
>> Click here for last-minute Virgin Voyages cruise deals
Richard’s Rooftop (for Those Who Book the Rockstar Suite)
Speaking of Richard’s Rooftop, Virgin Voyages describes this area as “your own private lounge” and:
The exclusive deck where elegance meets exuberance…. a lavish, elaborate, and members-only outdoor space for stargazing parties and pre-dinner cocktail hours for you and the other rockstars.
After spending four weeks on the Rooftop, I agree with this wholeheartedly. This space is a special enclave where you can escape the other 2,000 passengers. It’s designed for privacy with a color palette of warm whites and grays to create a place of peace. It’s where the complimentary Bubbles champagne cocktail party is hosted each day from 5 to 6 pm.
As part of our four-week package, we got complimentary access to this private area on the 16th Deck. Normally, only people who book a Rockstar Suite get access to this exclusive area.
We’d all gather for a recap of our journeys each day and help each other plan the next day’s itineraries based on what we all had googled and booked. Some days a group of us would head to an exciting beach club we had found online and other days we jumped on trains together to explore new cities.
Based on the camaraderie this experience afforded me, I would recommend booking a Suite on a future Virgin cruise. Vacations may last only a few days, but new friends can be a treasure forever!
Crew
Another thing that stood out was the energy, happiness, and kindness of the crew/staff. I often saw them support one another and give hugs to each other and I feel that Virgin Voyages’ internal culture is quite a joyful one compared to other brands. Every afternoon they anticipated our needs and served “our crew” pictured below with a “consider it done” attitude.
They would have the champagne popped and ready to flow at 5 p.m. sharp each day. They served us with smiles and made us all feel like rock stars.
Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady Review: Final Thoughts
And voila, I hope this Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady Review includes everything you wanted to know.
All in all, Virgin Voyages is an out-of-the-box, phenomenal cruise experience for passengers.
Since I got to observe their crew for four consecutive weeks, I believe they always went above and beyond to cater to me as a guest and went about their daily jobs happily. The food gets top marks for its quality, presentation, and delivery. My cabin was cleaned superbly every day and I noticed the cleanliness across all areas of the ship.
As I mentioned, the pool size is adequate, but I wish it could have been a little larger. The good news is that typically there is only one “at sea” day when everyone is on the ship at once so I wouldn’t say this is a make-or-break aspect of the cruise.
I give Virgin five stars and highly recommend this cruise to all my friends and family.
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Great write up!! You make me want to get “cruising”!!
Yes, Jone, we all need to cruise! Thanks for reading my blog.