ARRIVAL
First, I must say, the Virgin Voyage Scarlet Lady cruise was an experience like no other! As we drove up to the cruise line at the dock in Miami, the distinction between the Virgin Voyage and the other cruise lines was very apparent. It was absolutely top-tier! We were welcomed by its bright red, posh exterior, which made it stand out among the other ships. My first thought was how new, fresh, and trendy it looked. At first sight, I was beyond impressed!
The theme of red was evident throughout the dock area and as we went up the escalator, I couldn’t help but admire the ship’s gold anchor which turned out to be the perfect spot for a mini Instagram photoshoot! It was the first of many because Virgin Voyage prides itself on providing the ideal settings for you to whip out your camera and get into full vacation mode! These photos are the
kind of photos that make your friends jealous that they didn’t join you!
REGISTRATION
The registration process was actually a lot different than other cruise lines. It almost gave me award show vibes with a red carpet and matching roping everywhere. To make the first impression even more prestigious, at the desks where you sign in, we were gifted with some really cool Virgin Voyage bracelets!
The bracelet is so unique—it’s gray with red yarn and has the words “Make a Splash” written on top—even more encouragement to have the time of your life on the cruise! What’s even more amazing about this accessory is how functional it is. If you happen to misplace or leave your cabin card in your room, your bracelet allows you to get in and out of your cabin at any time! You can even have them scan it so you can put drinks on your tab which I found to be super cool!!
TIME TO PARTY!
That’s definitely what it felt like as we ventured further onto the cruise line. There was immediate excitement! We were eagerly greeted by a lady who let us know that the bars are open! It really felt like she was thrilled to have us there. We continued on the red carpet and it was as if we entered a groovy club. Even the crew members’ outfits were unique. They were mainly young, dressed in red full-body suits, in keeping with the bright, bold, and fun theme of the Virgin Voyage. After all, it is the Scarlet Lady, and what a beauty she is!
THE CABIN
As we entered the cabin, the blinds opened immediately which really brightened the room, so you can just imagine how beautiful that looked and how pleasantly surprised I was! The overall design of the room wasn’t as luxurious as I thought it would be but was more so a mixture of Ikea meets college dorm room meets technology and luxury. Let me know if a picture just popped into your head of what that would look like! Also, the closets seemed to be hidden behind a sheet which definitely reminded me of my college days.
What I did love though was the red-and-white color combination of the washcloths in the bathroom, primarily for makeup, since ladies you know how it is when we wipe our face and makeup gets everywhere, so that was really handy and such a special touch! Overall, the bathroom was clean but what would have made it so much better was if there was more space to move around. Let’s just say, it was a bit tight in there.
As I entered the bedroom, I noticed that the bed folds into a couch and it certainly felt like it, haha!! It wasn’t as comfortable as it should be but the pillows, which I loved, and the nifty side table helped to make up for that.
We made good use of the TV too! Anthony and I ended up spending a great deal of time watching old movies from a collection that the cruise line had in the cabin. We really enjoyed that. We actually watched about four movies in total! Still, it gets even better with the balcony! The balcony provided us with the ample space that we needed but what really wowed me was the red hammock that the cruise ship offers; it has become a staple throughout the Virgin Voyage cruise.
TIME TO EAT!
The Galley
It was time to experience the culinary options offered at the Virgin Voyage Scarlet Lady, so we ventured to The Galley which is a food hall that offers a combination of over eight shops and food carts. The server actually comes to you so you can tell them what you’d like to have from one of the food stations. There’s so much to choose from too! From the panini shop to the burger grill, taco shack, noodle bar, bakery and pastry shop, soup and salad stand, sushi bar, plus a 24-hour American diner!
It turned out that we simply loved the other food spots/restaurants on the cruise way more than this food hall. I tried a ton of the options at the food hall but I wasn’t blown away by any of them. I ordered a fried shrimp tempura roll—it wasn’t my favorite though since it was a bit cold because the fried shrimp had been cooked earlier in the day. I wasn’t that impressed with the Asian soup and panini either. In the meantime, Anthony had the burger and fries. Collectively, the food at The Galley didn’t win us over, but believe me when I say, the other food spots on the ship certainly did!!
THE PIZZA PLACE
We left The Galley and headed to the The Pizza Place on Deck 6, and I have one word to describe this spot, “amazing!!” It was like a real boutique pizza restaurant with so many options to choose from! We got the pepperoni and truffle pizzas. Needless to say, The Pizza Place was incredible!
After enjoying every bit of our time there we went back to the room for a while before we decided to explore the ship some more. One thing I will say is, a “we are here” map would be so helpful on the Virgin Voyage. It is not that big of a ship, but we had some trouble getting around. Regardless, that didn’t couldn’t keep us from our final restaurant stop for the day, Pink Agave. We went there for dinner and it became one of the highlights of the cruise!
SAILING AWAY PARTY
This experience felt like a get-together at somebody’s house that we didn’t know. There was a dj playing music, everyone was outside, but it wasn’t very cohesive! I know Virgin Voyage is trying to be different, but I think they need a cruise director to give the party some direction and rally everyone together so you feel like you’re a part of the party.
“NEVER SLEEP ALONE” AND PINK AGAVE
As we were on our way to dinner at Pink Agave, we noticed people were lining up at The Manor to see the show “Never Sleep Alone”. To my surprise, when we walked into the show, they asked us and all the attendees “On a scale of 1-10, what is your level of adventure?” If you answered “10”, they’d guide you to the first floor and if you said a number that’s lower, you’d be guided to the balcony. Anthony and I said “1” and were told to sit in the balcony.
While we were up there watching the show, we realized that at the front of everyone’s seat there was a condom and a masquerade mask, which we found to be quite interesting! We were like, “woah, what are we gonna get into here??” Then, Rosyln Hart aka Dr. Alex Schiller came out. She’s a sex therapist and she began by sharing her history and a little bit about herself. She told the audience that she would be selecting guests to join her on stage and they would be awarded with a gold condom for participating. She also shared the safe word for the night for any of the guests to use to let her know that they were uncomfortable while on stage. After that, she invited a couple to the stand and had them makeout for the audience. It was very uncomfortable to watch because one of the guys in the couple didn't want to make out with his partner in front of everyone and it looked like he felt pressured [because he was on stage] to participate. Next, she asked everyone to put on their masks, find someone in the audience with the same colored mask and tell them their first erotic memory. The sequence of events certainly progressed into an adventurous show. However, we didn’t see it in its entirety because we left early to go to dinner at Pink Agave.
Pink Agave is an urban and edgy twist on Mexican food. It really set the bar for me and became my favorite restaurant on the ship. It’s beautifully designed wth electric blue metallic lightning and large tables. The food was exceptional! As a matter of fact, it was insanely good. The server was friendly, witty and added to the amazing experience we had. We had servings of shrimp, tacos, a corn dish, and a incredible dessert. I would definitely recommend securing your spot ahead of time for Pink Agave since Virgin Voyage does require you to make reservations.
Virgin Voyage is such a beauty and I still can’t get over the ambience and taste of Pink Agave! It was such a memorable way to end day 1 of our Virgin Voyage cruise. At the end of Day 1, I can definitely say that Virgin Voyage is like no other cruise that I have ever been on.
Email info@icantwaittotravel.com to determine if Virgin Voyage is the right cruise for you.