Scarlet Lady Review - What I loved (or didn't)

[Cloud9 Bob]

I took my first cruise since the pandemic this month . I had the pleasure of sailing the Scarlet Lady on her Domenican Daze itinerary as a solo sailor. There were so many things about the ship (and Virgin Voyages) that I loved, and a few things I hated. You will hear all about both. First just a short description of myself, so you will have a basis for knowing where I come from as a reviewer. I've recently retired from a 30 year career as a commercial photographer, specializing in advertising and product illustration. I'm young at heart and still think I'm 30 (in my mind anyway). I'm by no means a food snob, but I know food and enjoy everything from Michelin star restaurants to local rib joints. This was what first attracted me to Virgin. Supposedly they have some of the best food at sea. More on that later as well.

 

I arrived at Port of Miami from Ft. Lauderdale about two hours before my designated embarkation slot of 1:30PM. The Uber driver was a real pro and probably the best ride I've had in years. That means a lot when you are depending on someone else to start your vacation out right. Unfortunately Virgin dropped the ball quickly, but more on THAT later too.

 

I wound up sitting on the concrete crash bollards near the "Too Early" sign which I thought was a cute touch. I asked if I could be allowed to carry my own roller luggage through rather than check it but was told my suitcase was too big for carry through or the x-ray and that it had to be checked. I proceeded to do just that and watched the curbside employee tag and load my stuff on the cart. BTW, since I had so much time to kill I spoke to a lot of the employees in front of the terminal. FYI, they are not V.V. ship crew, but are contracted by the Port of Miami. They wear almost the exact same uniforms as ships crew, so it's easy to assume.

 

So I'm sitting on my concrete bench catching up on some email and texts and I'm approached over the next hour by no less than four employees suggesting that I take the free shuttle to Bayside Marketplace where I can eat and have something to do. I told them all that I was a local and had visited it more times than I care to and was happy to just sit and wait. Obviously they must have some deal with Bayside to funnel as many passengers there as possible, rather than have them wait at the terminals.
 
At about 1 PM they opened up the medical check in line and my covid negative letter from the day before was checked, as well as my vaccination card and ID. I got a green paper wrist band and shortly after that I was in line for those with a 1:30 PM embarkation. At 1:30 PM sharp we moved into the main V.V. terminal and were ushered to a large glass windowed waiting area where we could sit and stare at the beautiful Scarlet Lady through the glass.

I remember it being really loud in there with the piped in music. Fine by me though, I was about to be on vacation. They issued us our red wrist transponders and now I knew that I would soon be cruising. After a short wait they allowed us to proceed on the gangway and before I knew it I was on Deck 7 being greeted by a group of handsome and energetic crew to the Scarlet Lady. Everything seemed so new, from the terminal, to the massive gangway to the ship...probably because...it is new. Silly me.

 

Since we weren't setting sail until 7PM, I headed for the elevators to check out my solo insider cabin. It was on the 14th floor midship. As I booked my cruise quite a few months in advance, it was considered "best available". That's probably because it is a very short walk to the stairwell where you can just go up one flight and you are smack dab in the middle of The Galley. Very convenient for snacks and food. Not so good if you go to bed early. You are also right under the pool area and when the DJ is working, all you hear is the bass from the speakers. Since I'm a night owl, it didn't bother me, but it is one of the things I wanted to point out. I like to choose my own room from all available. It's not impossible with Virgin, just not convenient. You have to call them and speak with an agent. I just prefer not to do that. 

 

So, I get to my cabin and the first thing I notice is many have their luggage already, but not me. Still early, so I decide to check out my room. Yes, it's small but I loved it. Very cozy, spotless, everything you need and great air conditioning. I like it cold and it could actually be adjusted too cold for me. That's unusual. Basic internet was free and plenty fast to do video calls home, as well as standard resolution streaming. No YouTube and no VPN. I actually called an IT guy there, as I wanted to use my VPN to check on a bank account and he said it's blocked. C'mon Virgin. You tout state of the art wifi, yet I cant protect my data transmission by using my personal VPN? 

 

I go to get something to eat in the Galley and really like the "Let's Taco About It" taco pastore with beef and pineapple. It's Virgins thing to be different and quirky. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Not really a fan of some of the monikers onboard. Almost like they are trying too hard to be different and cool. 

I get back to my cabin about an hour later and still no suitcase. Now I'm getting worried. I'm about to go down to Sailor Services, when there is a ring at my doorbell. It's my room attendant Singh. He wanted to introduce himself to me. I told him how I was very worried that my suitcase was lost. He immediately got a serious look on his face and told me not to worry that he would investigate it. He asked me to describe it. He then got on his phone and messaged all other attendants to check what they had outside their respective rooms. When nothing turned up he escalated it to the luggage supervisor. In about a half hour he brought me a suitcase without a tag. It was maroon instead of gray! I felt sick. By now it was 6:30 PM and the ship was pulling in lines to depart. I told Singh I was considering getting off the ship if my luggage was lost. He told me all the luggage is on the ship and it most likely had the tag ripped off in transit from security to the holding baggage rooms. He said the supervisor is a serious fellow and takes every thing personally. Just then the supervisor came to my room and told me they were doing everything to locate it and that he was sure it was on the ship. I only half believed him but agreed to stay put. Singh never quit. He was like my personal agent calling me every 10 minutes with an update. I'm now thinking I hope the ship stocks blood pressure meds for me. Remember, I planned on carrying that luggage with me, as I never pack my meds in checked baggage. I had this sick, sinking feeling as the doorbell once again rang. It was Singh of course. He took out his phone and showed me a picture. Is this it, sir? I couldn't believe it. He found it! He said "I'll go get it right now and bring it to you." Singh saved my vacation with his caring, professionalism and tenacity. What a staff Virgin Voyages has put together. They really care and it shows. My hat is off to you Singh.

 

I could now begin to enjoy my cruise. I bought a Narragansett beer from The Draught House and headed to the upper deck for sail away from Miami. It was a beautiful evening and I thoroughly enjoyed departure. I remember looking at the Miami shoreline at dusk and recalling what it looked like when I was going to college here at UM in the mid 1970's What a difference, they have a real skyline now. I was finally starting to relax.

 

My thoughts (once again) started to drift toward food and my 7:45 PM reservation at the Test Kitchen. I was so looking forward to this, and it did not disappoint. It was the cleanest and most immaculate space. All spotless stainless steel and glass. I chose the mushroom tasting menu with filet mignon as my main. The one thing that was not chosen was my waiter. His name was Bence and I highly recommend him. A more professional and knowledgeable waiter I've not met. He knew everything about how each course was prepared. I asked him to please tell me as much as possible about what I was tasting and he did not disappoint. He also knew when to just let me eat and always returned at the perfect time. He was the Michelin star restaurant of waiters. Ask for him when you go and you will not be disappointed. Warning, Bence will spoil you for all other servers. 

 

I went to see one of the shows after that. NSA or Never Sleep Alone. It's a bawdy show hosted by a sex therapist. If you sit downstairs and next to the stage you will become part of the show. I purposely sat upstairs in the small balcony. I have no problem with a show about sex. I just don't like being asked to interact with strangers about it. It made me uncomfortable and regardless of where you sit, the therapist does a lot of "turn to the person on your left or pick the nearest person to you and do this or ask this." Not my thing and it's one of those things that I was saying before, V.V. is trying too hard to be different and IMHO this is an example of a show that does not work. The gymnasts and singers in the other shows were great. I would love to see more variety in the entertainment. A comedian included in the lineup would be excellent. Maybe a jazz singer?

 

While I'm on the subject, let me say that music on this ship is piped in everywhere. It's a certain kind of techno pop genre. There is no escaping it. Sometimes, I just need quiet. There is very little of that on The Scarlet Lady. I know it's their business model, but business models need to be tweaked. Here is a good place to start. I'd like to see Scarlet Lady morph into a ship that's still innovative, but retains some of the characteristics of traditional cruising. Like the comedian, jazz singers and some quiet areas on deck etc. Maybe even a classical trio as a pop up?

 

Moving on to the second day meant sea day. I discovered the many jacuzzis and got one for myself every time. There are benefits to a ship sailing at less than 50% capacity. They were well maintained and spotless. There were tons of fresh towels nearby in case you forgot your own. Drinks were reasonably priced for the venue. I got a Bacardi and Coke for $7.00 Virgin has another great plus I would like to mention. Coffee, tea, soda and most regular juices are all complimentary. Fresh squeezed is extra.

 

That night I ate at The Wake. I picked dusk, so I could enjoy day going into night. I lucked out and was sat at one of the four tables directly in front of the rear facing picture window. It was surreal eating such a nice dinner in an area with such a beautiful view as...what else...the propellers wake. When it got darker these ultramarine blue lights kicked in and illuminated the frothy turbulence a beautiful intense blue. 

 

Aside from the view, The Wake is also a stunningly designed space with a beautiful staircase and lovely décor. They claim it's a steak house, but it really doesn'took like one at all. I had the Clam Chowder and the Salt Crusted Dorade for my entrée. I heard so much about the chowder before the cruise, so I absolutely had to try it. It was beautifully presented, but it was a bit salty for my taste. The Dorade came baked in a golden bread shell that is discarded and the fish deboned table side. Delicious, super moist and fun to watch. I won't dwell on the food too much, as there are YouTube videos that cover this in minute detail. I would like to add that you can have a dynamite breakfast here every morning by just walking in. It's the place to be for Eggs Benedict and IMHO the OJ here is the best....and free. Need I mention the view again? Gorgeous!

 

On Sunday we docked in Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic. I took the cable car ride to the top of the mountain for not only a breathtaking view of the city and ocean, but there is a kind of rain forest up there. It was very beautiful with many tropical flowers growing wild. Hint, go early. The clouds roll in later in the day and you may not be able to see the stellar view of the city. After that, we got a short tour of the city and then to lunch at a very good and pretty restaurant. Some of the best coconut flan I've ever tasted too. The V.V. excursions are all pretty reasonably priced and I think this one was $60.00 USD

 

That evening I ate at Extra Virgin, the upscaled Italian eatery. I heard so much about this restaurant prior to visiting. Some people said it was their absolute favorite. I unfortunately was not a fan. The décor was beautiful and the service was very good. I ordered the fresh gnocchi. Now I'm sure there will be many that disagree with me, but when I eat Italian, I realize garlic is an integral ingredient. I have always felt that it should compliment the other spices and blend seamlessly into them. My gnocchi were covered in fresh grated garlic to the point that it's all I could taste. If you are in the "more garlic is better camp" the you will love Extra Virgin. I will probably skip it next time.

 

Monday was another sea day and I got relaxed in the jacuzzi again. Lunch was from the pizza place. They get their dough from a special restaurant in Miami and they do one heck of a job getting you a hot, perfect pizza. Best of any in the cruise world. You can even take one back to your room in a box. My only criticism is it's very loaded with mozzarella cheese, but very little sauce. I love my pizza the other way around. I tried to order a second one the next day as a special order, but it came exactly as the first. I decided not to try and tempt fate again but continued to eat them for lunch and snacks.

 

That night I dined at Pink Agave the upscaled Mexican restaurant. I ordered fresh guacamole, which was outstanding, a chicken enchilada and the pulled pork with orange sauce glaze. All were amazing and enjoyable. Service was very attentive and as always, very friendly.

 

That night was Scarlet Night and the pop up entertainment was so much fun. All the hallways switched from violet to red light. I got a juggling lessson from one of the shows actors. Many sailors were wearing red all day, but many ramped it up at around 9PM. I changed into my costume (photo below) and headed to the upper deck for the dance party segment of the evening. It was one wild scene with DJ music and people dancing in the pool. I was by the pool most of that time. A good time was had by all. Scarlet Night was my favorite event of the cruise. Very unique in a good way.

 

Tuesday was our last day of cruising and we woke up in beautiful Bimini. The water is so greenish blue here. Only 55 miles from Miami, yet it seems like it could be 10,000. After a nice brunch at The Wake, I disembarked for my excursion. It was for the city cultural tour with lunch included. Our guide Billy was a vault of historical and cultural knowledge. I got a real feel for how the area lives and sustains itself. The entire island is powered by four huge diesel run generators. Gas is currently $6.85 per gallon and there is but one station. They have a tiny Mom & Pop Hardware store which he calls "our version of Home Depot" My favorite stop was The Dolphin House. It's a combination museum, hotel and gift shop completely built by one man, Mr. Ashley Saunders. He even made his own cement by crushing conch shells and mixing with beach sand. What makes Dolphin House so unique though is the fact that almost every square inch of wall space is decorated with scraps of anything that has washed up, been found or donated to Mr. Saunders. He is also a walking encyclopedia of Bahamian history. It's incredible what he has created. He has a nice website if you'd like to see it, but nothing compares to seeing it with your own eyes. It's a beautiful place that instantly puts you at ease. Know how some places paint the bottom of their telephone poles white? Well in Bimini they paint them pink. Would you have expected anything less?

 

The one negative thing I'll have to mention about Bimini, and it really surprised me and others on the tour, is the amount of discarded trash like bottles, cans and other items on the side of the roadways. It's significant and I was told by our guide that it's the younger locals that do it. The city has even offered payment to clean it up, but it hasn't helped much. It's a shame that the people that do this don't realize that the island depends on it's serene beauty and tourism in general for it's survival. Trash hurts everyone. It was the one thing on this beautiful island that made me sad.

 

I got back from the cultural tour in time to try out the Beach Club. One real plus is that even though the club is ten minutes from the ship, they import the wifi from the ship there so you can totally keep connected while you enjoy its offerings. I'm not a big sun worshipper, so I went to check out the lunch. Not quite the quality of lunch on board Scarlet Lady, but pretty darn good for a Beach Club. The resort is well maintained and had a very nice vibe. It's for exclusive use by Virgin Voyages guests when their ships are in port. They have two huge pools that make the one on Scarlet look like a postage stamp. What were they thinking there? Onboard Scarlet they have more exercise equipment than a small city could use, yet the pool onboard is tiny? What happens if they eventually max out the passenger load at 2700? They need to build a second enclosed quiet pool with lots of surrounding glass. That's the ticket.

 

My last night was left free to try and get a reservation at a restaurant for the second time. I chose Test Kitchen and Bence. I was successful, as they were not busy at 6 PM. I chose the vegetarian tasting this time. It was just as good as the regular tasting. I was surprisingly full and my palate was satisfied. The Almond Joy cake for desert (my nickname, not Virgins) was one of my best deserts in a long while. It was beautifully presented (see below) I highly recommend the vegetarian offering there even if you are a meat eater like me.

 

Well, I hope you have enjoyed my review of the lovely Scarlet Lady. I'm sure not everyone will agree with what I had to say, but I can only give you my experiences and impressions and hope it will help you decide if she's the girl for you.

 

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by Cloud9 Bob

[CruisingWalter]

Thanks so much for the great review, we're sailing on July 8 on the same itinerary. Great to hear your experiences with the food as that's what I'm looking forward to the most.

 

And yes, I'll agree with you on the pool. Ever since I first saw it, I could not believe that's all they had for a Caribbean based ship. They missed a great opportunity in the aft to create an incredible swim up bar, pool bar area where the net is. It could have been a massive bar with a really nice pool back there instead of the net that is really just a gimmick at the end of the day. 

 

As for the the terminal staff, they are always Port employees no matter the cruise line. There might be a few cruise line supervisors, but almost all of them work for the Port authority, just dressed in the cruise line uniforms. 

 

And sadly, all the trash on the side of the roads is a constant throughout the Caribbean. Anything from bottles and litter to mounds of garbage bags, mattresses and more discarded most anywhere. Doesn't matter which island, we've seen it most everywhere East and West Caribbean over our many cruises.

 

Thanks again for the great review, this will be our 8th different cruise line so we're really curious to see if we like this experience or possibly be a 'one-and-done' with Virgin. 

[Nayola]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your review.  Thanks for sharing your experience.

[mmpgoodtogo]

Thanks for the review.  We sail in September! I noticed the comment about capacity and have seen that a few times.  Any idea on if they are limiting capacity or is it kind of just sailing by sailing it varies?  

 

[Fogcityca13]

I’ve seen some screenshots from VV that they are keeping an eye on capacity. They did pull some November sailings temporarily, and the screenshot was addressing capacity as the reason for placing a hold on the bookings. Encouraging that VV seems to be listening and adapting.

[CruisingWalter]

52 minutes ago, mmpgoodtogo said:

Thanks for the review.  We sail in September! I noticed the comment about capacity and have seen that a few times.  Any idea on if they are limiting capacity or is it kind of just sailing by sailing it varies?  

 

 

From what we understand, no limits on capacity, they're just not selling out yet in the US. It's been a slower growth because they badly misjudged their initial marketing and branding. Many seasoned cruisers were turned off and felt the cruise line 'didn't care or want them' onboard because it was all 18-25 year olds in the marketing. And Virgin specifically marketed that they were targeting people who had never considered cruising before.

 

But now they've made a hard shift in their marketing to be much more inclusive and wide ranging. In fact I noticed this image in the Suites section today that was certainly not a part of their early marketing efforts. 🙂 I think they finally realized that to make inroads in the US, they have to welcome 'seasoned cruisers' as well as those who have never cruised before if they want to fill their US based ships.

 

[cantgetin]

I think Walter is correct, and agree with his reasons.  On the phone, a VV rep told me that their "target" for the next cruise I'm booked on is 65% but they were "no where near that yet."  From that, I would infer that they have sales targets, but from what I've read in reviews, most Caribbean sailings are at about 25% booked.  They have taken the approach of not reducing fares beyond offering the "we pick your cabin," probably as to not anger those who booked early.  I've read that upgrades at the port are easily obtained if requested.

At Walter noted, the original advertising turned off many people, including me.  I thought the ship was  a bunch of 20 year olds cruising on daddy's money.  It took some good words from people who had cruised with them and their no kid policy to get me on board.  Their recent ads are definitely targeting a mixed age range.

 

The other issue is likely to be their 4-5 night cruises.  While this is great to "try out" a line, many people feel that they want a longer cruise to make it worth the travel to the port.  People tend to prefer a 7-8 night cruise.  Whether VV will adapt to that is unknown, but for now, they are seeing a higher rate of B2B cruisers than most lines.  Finally, their prices are higher than many of the popular lines--another reason someone who is just "looking for a cruise" might choose another line.  However, for many, once you cruise on VV, you are hooked.

[rebeccac]

There will be longer sailings in the Caribbean once the Valiant Lady finishes up her season in Europe.  

[dessleo]

Appreciate the review! Hubby and I are booked on this itinerary departing in 3 weeks. Can't wait!

[keels81]

About the capacity thing -- the beverage director told me our sailing (6/29) was at 860 people, roughly the same as the previous sailing. They were hoping to have capacity upped to around 1000 for these sailings, but it "all depends on Branson" and that the first sailing with 2/3rds or so capacity would be his birthday cruise and that would be the capacity going forward.

 

Personally, if they can pull it off financially, I do think it is smart to leave it at a smaller capacity so people can experience more of what the ship has to offer (also, while they work out kinks and menu refinements and the like) and share the pictures, positive reviews, experiences, etc., with friends on social and word of mouth.

 

I had a class with The Foodie and just in conversation, we discovered that this was the second sailing where the Test Kitchen switched the traditional (aka non-vegan/vegetarian menu) on sea day of the sailing to the new menu. I'd had the original menu (mushroom, egg, blue cheese) just the night before and had the pictures to show her. 

 

So I definitely think capacity controlling sailings helps them refine how they want the capacity sailings to go -- from changing menus up so people don't pre-book so much dining, but instead let the menus guide their plans to even changing times of on-board entertainment the day before to keep things more fluid and flexible.

Edited July 4, 2022 by keels81

[YuppieDog]

I booked my Virgin Voyage French Daze & Ibiza sailing for Oct 9 2022. I was just wondering what was the process for providing the Covid Vaccine cards. I got my Covid vaccines overseas and lost my vaccine paperwork. I have to contact the country health department to request a copy now but not sure how long it will take. Do you need to uploaded the vaccine paperwork to a portal before sailing or do they ask for it the day of embarking the vessel?

[cantgetin]

Usually day of sailing.  We had to upload passport and attest that we had been vaccinated, but they didn't need to card until embarkation day.  I know you said your vaccines were international.  The state I was in has both an on line version as well as the physical card; might that be a possibility where you were?

[YuppieDog]

It was in Colombia. Not sure, but I will give them a call. I think I will have time to receive a copy if I just need to show it upon embarkation  Thanks for the info.

[biddi45]

On 7/6/2022 at 10:11 PM, YuppieDog said:

I booked my Virgin Voyage French Daze & Ibiza sailing for Oct 9 2022. I was just wondering what was the process for providing the Covid Vaccine cards. I got my Covid vaccines overseas and lost my vaccine paperwork. I have to contact the country health department to request a copy now but not sure how long it will take. Do you need to uploaded the vaccine paperwork to a portal before sailing or do they ask for it the day of embarking the vessel?

I am also booked on the same sailing on Oct 9th. Do you want to do the Sailor loot thing?

[McGarrett5oh]

We're booked on the 9/30/22 cruise and looking forward to it especially after reading all the positive reviews around the interweb.  Sure there are could-a-shouldas but it sure seems like VV is on the right path.  We've been receiving the VV emails since they launched and their message finally had some impact on us.  

 

That said, it took some digging & research to still get past the "party on Garth" initial impressions to be able to see that there is alot more there there.  We're in our 60s but also consider ourselves to be only 40ish. 🤸‍♀️🤪

 

If you're thinking about giving Sir Richard's Navy a whirl, here are two YouTube Videos that helped us get over the hump.

 

 

Walter has really good cruising videos for Scarlet Lady and many other ships.  Great resource!

 

https://www.youtube.com/c/WheresWalterTV

 

 

This one is good tour once you get past the Spa (IMHO):

 

 

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Great review, and thanks for posting! 👍

 

I have one question, and it's a deal-breaker.  Are you required to be tethered to your digital leash, colloquially known as a "smartphone", to scan QR codes and such?  Or can you cruise old-school, by using paper menus and schedules, and unlocking your cabin with a ship card?

 

Also, masks and/or social distancing; please say "no"!  Vax card, I can handle.

Edited September 5, 2022 by LandlockedCruiser01

[_tacocat_]

29 minutes ago, LandlockedCruiser01 said:

Great review, and thanks for posting! 👍

 

I have one question, and it's a deal-breaker.  Are you required to be tethered to your digital leash, colloquially known as a "smartphone", to scan QR codes and such?  Or can you cruise old-school, by using paper menus and schedules, and unlocking your cabin with a ship card?

 

Also, masks and/or social distancing; please say "no"!  Vax card, I can handle.

 Restaurants do have paper menus, and they started printing “dailies” that can be picked up at the coffee shop on 7 and in the galley coffee shop on 15.  The caveat there is that if anything changes in the schedule, your paper version is outdated vs the app that’s updated real-time.  They also have TV screens by some elevators and a channel in your cabin that has a list of activities/opening hours and a timeline of what’s going on now.

 

theres no ship card- your room key is a fob on a bracelet. You charge everything to that bracelet and check into events with it too.
 

masks and social distancing aren’t required at this point.