Anyone RCI lovers cruise Virgin Voyages?

[ALKID]

One of the larger RCCL ships is probably better for a T/A.  There is a lot more entertainment and the meals are just as good, especially dont mind paying for the specialty dining once in a while.

[Another_Critic]

56 minutes ago, ALKID said:

One of the larger RCCL ships is probably better for a T/A.  There is a lot more entertainment and the meals are just as good, especially dont mind paying for the specialty dining once in a while.

I've done TAs on as small as Azamara Journey (30,277 GT) and as large as Quantum and Anthem (168,666 GT).  Also Vision of the Seas (78,340 GT), Celebrity Constellation (90,940 GT)), and Star Princess (109,000 GT).  Next up is Voyager of the Seas (137,276 GT).

 

Azamara Journey was one of my favorite TAs.

[ownedbypets]

I am going with an open mind. We watched all the commercials for RC Oasis Class, read reviews and comments and decided it was not for us. After a few years we booked Oasis and fell in love. We would have missed out on some fantastic cruises if our initial thoughts held us back.

[Jimbo]

2 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

I've done TAs on as small as Azamara Journey (30,277 GT) and as large as Quantum and Anthem (168,666 GT).  Also Vision of the Seas (78,340 GT), Celebrity Constellation (90,940 GT)), and Star Princess (109,000 GT).  Next up is Voyager of the Seas (137,276 GT).

 

Azamara Journey was one of my favorite TAs.

How were the seas on Journey, did you run into any weather issues on that small of ship on the TA?

[johnnylikely]

20 hours ago, matt1 said:

Thanks again for all of the great input. Since Anthem of the Seas was the last ship I sailed, I can’t help but keep comparing the entertainment and dining options against that of Valiant Lady. 
 

One of my biggest hesitations on booking this cruise is the dining - I’m definitely a dress-down casual diner using the buffet for practically every meal, with the occasional Italian or other specialty restaurant to break up my routine. Going in and surveying the options, grabbing what I want, and my eat-and-run kind of mentality (I thank all those years in the military for that) all weight significantly on the ships I choose. Sitting down and ordering from a menu for multi-course meals sort of kills it for me. And The Galley on Valiant Lady appears to leave a lot to be desired.

 

Having watched quite a few videos on the dining options, ships with a full buffet (like what was on Anthem of the Seas) win every time over the sit down venues on Virgin. 
 

And as the last post indicated, I don’t consider myself a prude either. But the risqué entertainment is way out of my comfort range, as are late nights (I’m usually in bed well before 11pm even on a cruise) and LOUD anything - and being on the ship for 14-nts I don’t want to resort to in-cabin movies as my sole method of leisure. On Anthem I loved the Music Hall and two70, and truly enjoyed just simple daily events like Trivia or stage shows (sort of like The Beatle's music celebration or We Will Rock You). 
 

With all of that said, I think that I’m talking myself out of this. ☹️

The food in VV is exquisite- the 'speciality' restaurants are really great and included. BUT the fact that the buffet/galley is pretty much exactly the same every day is a no no. I would much prefer a lesser quality buffet that changes every day.

 

Also, the ents is lacking- I would be bored AF on a VV cruise that long. RC really have entertainment down and I love theirs.

 

Defo try a shorter cruise on VV before commiting to something that long!

[Big_G]

On 8/17/2022 at 7:14 AM, Sancho_proudfoot said:

Over here in the UK  a recent TV series ( 6 x60 minute episodes) was focused on the Scarlet Lady  doing its 5 night cruises. 

 

I watched all 6 episodes,  and saw absolutely  nothing to entice me to VV.

 

What was the name of the show?

[UKWLDCruise]

7 minutes ago, Big_G said:

 

What was the name of the show?

 

This should help https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/7008/

 

Edited August 19, 2022 by UKWLDCruise
missed link

[Sarah1974]

45 minutes ago, Big_G said:

 

What was the name of the show?

It was called "The Cruise" and was on Channel 5 in the UK

[Another_Critic]

16 hours ago, Jimbo said:

How were the seas on Journey, did you run into any weather issues on that small of ship on the TA?

I don't recall any weather issues.  It was a mid-October 10 night non-stop Lisbon to San Juan.

[Oceansaway17]

On 8/16/2022 at 8:16 AM, shoptom said:

 

 

I loved the VV balcony hammock!  In your room they have free movies including still in theater titles.

that is nice to hear.  I remember when most cruiselines would have free movies in the room until a bean counter decided they want folks out drinking and shopping and gambling.

Nice to see hammocks on just like the AIDA ships have them.

[Big_G]

3 hours ago, Sarah1974 said:

It was called "The Cruise" and was on Channel 5 in the UK

 

Thanks. Found it on Youtube. May give it a watch. If anyone else is interested here is Season 1 Episode 1.

[CruisingWalter]

On 8/15/2022 at 11:09 AM, matt1 said:

The idea of an Adults Only cruise is very appealing, as are the eleven sea days between Barcelona and Miami. Ports of call to me are sort of secondary, and the ship is a much higher priority. 
 

Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated! 
 

Thank you! 😁

 

Hey there. So my wife and I have sailed Royal, Carnival, Celebrity, NCL, Princess, HAL, Disney and most recently Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady. Going into the VV cruise, I was prepared to be a 'one and done.' We originally booked the cruise because we really liked what VV was pushing with their food game. WE love good food, so we figured, let's go for it and booked pretty much as soon as the bookings opened here in the states. 3 years later we finally sailed Scarlet as a Rock Star in a Cheeky Corner Suite.

 

I was totally wrong. The Virgin experience FAR exceeded my expectations and I'm ready to book more VV cruises. And the experience is FAR different than what I was expecting based on the vlogs we watched.

 

First off, we found out that many of the crew are from Disney, Seabourn and Celebrity. The level and quality of the service shows. Prior to this cruise I would have told you to get the best service to sail Celebrity or Disney, but Virgin is right on par with both of those lines in terms of service. 

 

Secondly, Virgin has one of the highest pay scales in the entire industry AND the crew gets free WiFi. We heard from multiple crew members that the free WiFi is a HUGE. There is no other mainstream cruise line that gives them WiFi. And all crew members are allowed to eat the same restaurants we ate in. They were some of the most relaxed and laid back crew we have ever met, but incredibly attentive and fun. 

 

The ship itself is beautiful, I don't think folks really show the ship that well in vlogs and even watching my footage back, it doesn't capture the true feel of the ship. It has a casual elegance about it. At times retro, at times cheeky, at times very elegant. What truly surprised me is how intimate the ship is. There is no 3 story atrium or 3 story main dining room. Most all public spaces are single story, so the ship feels much smaller than it really is. There is so much seating everywhere with tons of nooks and crannies tucked all around the public spaces. Even the restaurants are not big boxes, they also have a lot of nooks and crannies so you feel like your sitting with a couple dozen people, not thousands of people at dinner. The ship honestly feels to me like it was designed to encourage socialization vs. being a big showplace to say "wow, look at this amazing ship we designed!" It was more like " here's your private resort, take off your shoes and stay awhile."  In fact there are times you almost forget you're on a ship because it is so intimate. I flat out loved that aspect of all the various seating.

 

The food exceeded all expectations. Prior to this cruise I would have told you Disney has the best food experience with Celebrity right behind. VV is right on par with Disney, with the exception of the Remy restaurant on the Disney Dream and Fantasy. Because all the meals are included, each and every night is a true restaurant experience. You don't feel like cattle lining up for the MDR or helping yourself to a buffet. Going to dinner is a true experience vs. just getting something to eat. We didn't have a bad meal all week with The Wake being the standout both for brunch and dinner and Razzle Dazzle being amazing for brunch. The Test Kitchen was incredibly unique, Pizza Place was AWESOME (egg and truffle pizza, yum!), Pink Agave is both excellent food and they have 120+ Mezcal and Tequila in the bar, Extra Virgin was good, and the food hall concept in The Galley is a step above any buffet except Disney. Most of the food in The Galley is made to order so it's much more fresh than anything you'll get in a buffet. Even the best Royal Caribbean restaurant doesn't hold a candle to the food we had on Scarlet Lady. Although we have not tried Wonderland yet, we will be trying that on Symphony in December. Afternoon tea was probably the best we've ever had at sea, but that's not surprising given that it's a British cruise line.

 

Every single bar I tried was awesome, even the pool bar makes awesome cocktails. Usually the pool bar is your frozen slushy and beer bar, but this one was really good. On the Rocks is an awesome bourbon bar. Sips Champagne lounge is your late night coffee stop as well, they have one of the most beautiful bars I've ever seen on a ship, and their espresso machines are hand pulled. So cool.

 

I was VERY concerned about the entertainment going in to the cruise because I saw all the 'weird stuff' in the vlogs. There is SO MUCH good entertainment throughout the ship that has nothing to do with the main theaters. On The Rocks has small bands, singers, we saw Slam Allan blues guitarist who was amazeballs. Evening trivia happens in the Dock House or Loose Cannon most nights. There was stargazing one evening out on The Dock. In the Red Room is a mix of shows that are definitely unique. I watched about 10 minutes of Untitled Dance Party Thing and it's about what you would expect from an experimental dance show. Duel Reality was their take on Romeo and Juliet with a lot of influence from West Side Story, it was a lot of fun. Ship In The Night is supposed to be good but it was cancelled on our cruise. The Diva drag show in The Manor was so freaking funny, she was great. The Manor is known for that amazing mirrored entrance but once you get inside, it's modeled after the original Studio 54 in New York and is an awesome venue. The arcade is completely free and features all retro games that made this 'kid of the 80's' feel like I was high school again. The Social Club IS AWESOME. Lots of games, including a cabinet of childhood favorites like Chutes and Ladders and Hungry Hungry Hippos along with Cards Against Humanity and Exploding Kittens. They have arts and crafts daily, scavenger hunts, trivia and more going on during the day. The schedule is NOT packed like many other ships, but there is a steady schedule of things to do. There's something for everyone on that ship. Oh and there is dodge ball. Actual, full on dodge ball in the sports court along with all sorts of super fun dance classes like 90's Boy Band Dance Class. 

 

As for the 'risque' stuff, yes they have a 'sexologist' or whatever she's known as who puts on a show called Never Sleep Alone and another show in The Manor. If you want to go see that, go. We watched 10 minutes of NSA and it wasn't what I expected, it was a cabaret style show that was trying a little too hard to be provocative. But in terms of 'risque' or 'sex' throughout the ship, it wasn't there. Other than the dildos in the sundries store. The ship was very relaxed and laid back. If you want to party all night, The Manor has you covered. If you want to sit back and listen to music at a bar, On The Rocks and a few other venues have you covered. If you want to sit and chat with friends, you can do that. The Casino is just the right size for the ship, it has oversized windows along one side which I've never seen on a ship, and like Celebrity the casino is non-smoking. My FAVORITE surprise was the private karaoke booths. I NEVER do karaoke, but they have three private booths, small, medium and large and we had SO MUCH FUN. I don't know the last time I laughed that hard on a cruise ship. 

 

The WiFi is solid. Awesome coverage throughout the ship and my wife had no issues streaming TikTok all day long on the basic WiFi. I paid $10/day to upgrade and did two one-hour livestreams from the ship with no issues and I could stream video from pretty much any site or service. It's the best WiFi experience I've ever had at sea.

 

Having the food, soft drinks, sparkling water, WiFi and gratuities all included in the far was liberating. Not having to sign anything at the bars, not having to pay for any Coke products or even sparkling water, even the candy was included at the Social Club Diner. It's so nice to go to dinner and not have to worry that 'we're paying $55-$150 for this meal.' We've already paid for it and if we want to have multiple entrees in the steakhouse we can do it. 🙂 

 

Yes, they have that silly too small of a pool but we did discover that the pool area itself is lovely when you go there in quiet times. Generally before 10:30am or when the ship is in port, like we did at Puerto Plata. It's quite lovely. The one area that was wasted is the very back of Deck 16 with that god awful net. It's awesome for an Instagram but hideously uncomfortable. That entire aft area of Deck 16 wasn't even used during our cruise. My hope is that when the ship goes in for the first drydock, they replace the net with a new aft pool, maybe one with a swim up bar and a new music venue. If they do that, Scarlet Lady will be an almost perfect ship. 

 

The overall vibe of the ship really reminded me of Celebrity. Celebrity has that casual elegance about it, I call it the white glove treatment but without the stuffy attitude. Virgin is the same, just a little more casual. I'd say the average age on our ship was between 45 and 55. We're 56 and felt right at home on the ship. The crew was just awesome. The Bimini Beach resort is now one of my favorites, really beautiful beach. 

 

If you enjoy going on Celebrity or maybe P&O over in England, you'll probably enjoy Virgin Voyages. Honestly if you're a fan of cruising you should really give them a try. It really IS different cruising without children. So far on 18 cruises with 8 different cruise lines we've never had a bad cruise. But the Scarlet Lady definitely ranks up there with the best of them. If you have any other specific questions about VV feel free to ask, happy to help. 

 

 

[matt1]

13 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Hey there. So my wife and I have sailed Royal, Carnival, Celebrity, NCL, Princess, HAL, Disney and most recently Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady. Going into the VV cruise, I was prepared to be a 'one and done.'..

 

I was totally wrong…

 

 

Superb post!!! This would be enough to change anyone’s mind. Very well done. 👍🏻😎 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 8/17/2022 at 7:14 AM, Sancho_proudfoot said:

Over here in the UK  a recent TV series ( 6 x60 minute episodes) was focused on the Scarlet Lady  doing its 5 night cruises. 

 

I watched all 6 episodes,  and saw absolutely  nothing to entice me to VV.

Totally agree. As for the food. I can cruise for a lot less in a much nicer larger cabin on other ships and just purchase a dining package. So having allyour dining covered is no big deal.

[matt1]

2 hours ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Totally agree. As for the food. I can cruise for a lot less in a much nicer larger cabin on other ships and just purchase a dining package. So having allyour dining covered is no big deal.

 

It may be no big deal for you, but in my case every little bit helps in the overall pricing of the trip. 
 

And maybe it’s the lack of a 200% single occupancy surcharge, and the “all inclusive” nature (specialty restaurants included) of the cruise rate, but I have yet to find any transatlantic cruise next fall (comparing balcony cabin to balcony cabin) that even comes close in pricing, with Valiant Lady easily being $1000-$1500 cheaper - and that’s before adding in tips, basic drink package, specialty meals, and Wi-Fi on the other ships. I particularly like the free scooped ice cream. 😉
 

That’s why it’s so difficult to pass this up. 
 

And it’s a shame I’m not traveling this November, looks like they’re giving everyone a $300 bar tab. Nice. 

[CruisingWalter]

5 hours ago, matt1 said:

Superb post!!! This would be enough to change anyone’s mind. Very well done. 👍🏻😎 

 

Glad it was helpful. My YouTube channel has a playlist for Scarlet Lady including a food tour, cabin tour and either tomorrow or Monday it'll have my full review. The food tour will really give you a good sense of the quality and service. Here's the channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/WheresWalterTV

 

Here's the food tour. Hope it's helpful. 🙂 

 

[Nunagoras]

18 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Hey there. So my wife and I have sailed Royal, Carnival, Celebrity, NCL, Princess, HAL, Disney and most recently Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady. Going into the VV cruise, I was prepared to be a 'one and done.' We originally booked the cruise because we really liked what VV was pushing with their food game. WE love good food, so we figured, let's go for it and booked pretty much as soon as the bookings opened here in the states. 3 years later we finally sailed Scarlet as a Rock Star in a Cheeky Corner Suite.

 

I was totally wrong. The Virgin experience FAR exceeded my expectations and I'm ready to book more VV cruises. And the experience is FAR different than what I was expecting based on the vlogs we watched.

 

First off, we found out that many of the crew are from Disney, Seabourn and Celebrity. The level and quality of the service shows. Prior to this cruise I would have told you to get the best service to sail Celebrity or Disney, but Virgin is right on par with both of those lines in terms of service. 

 

Secondly, Virgin has one of the highest pay scales in the entire industry AND the crew gets free WiFi. We heard from multiple crew members that the free WiFi is a HUGE. There is no other mainstream cruise line that gives them WiFi. And all crew members are allowed to eat the same restaurants we ate in. They were some of the most relaxed and laid back crew we have ever met, but incredibly attentive and fun. 

 

The ship itself is beautiful, I don't think folks really show the ship that well in vlogs and even watching my footage back, it doesn't capture the true feel of the ship. It has a casual elegance about it. At times retro, at times cheeky, at times very elegant. What truly surprised me is how intimate the ship is. There is no 3 story atrium or 3 story main dining room. Most all public spaces are single story, so the ship feels much smaller than it really is. There is so much seating everywhere with tons of nooks and crannies tucked all around the public spaces. Even the restaurants are not big boxes, they also have a lot of nooks and crannies so you feel like your sitting with a couple dozen people, not thousands of people at dinner. The ship honestly feels to me like it was designed to encourage socialization vs. being a big showplace to say "wow, look at this amazing ship we designed!" It was more like " here's your private resort, take off your shoes and stay awhile."  In fact there are times you almost forget you're on a ship because it is so intimate. I flat out loved that aspect of all the various seating.

 

The food exceeded all expectations. Prior to this cruise I would have told you Disney has the best food experience with Celebrity right behind. VV is right on par with Disney, with the exception of the Remy restaurant on the Disney Dream and Fantasy. Because all the meals are included, each and every night is a true restaurant experience. You don't feel like cattle lining up for the MDR or helping yourself to a buffet. Going to dinner is a true experience vs. just getting something to eat. We didn't have a bad meal all week with The Wake being the standout both for brunch and dinner and Razzle Dazzle being amazing for brunch. The Test Kitchen was incredibly unique, Pizza Place was AWESOME (egg and truffle pizza, yum!), Pink Agave is both excellent food and they have 120+ Mezcal and Tequila in the bar, Extra Virgin was good, and the food hall concept in The Galley is a step above any buffet except Disney. Most of the food in The Galley is made to order so it's much more fresh than anything you'll get in a buffet. Even the best Royal Caribbean restaurant doesn't hold a candle to the food we had on Scarlet Lady. Although we have not tried Wonderland yet, we will be trying that on Symphony in December. Afternoon tea was probably the best we've ever had at sea, but that's not surprising given that it's a British cruise line.

 

Every single bar I tried was awesome, even the pool bar makes awesome cocktails. Usually the pool bar is your frozen slushy and beer bar, but this one was really good. On the Rocks is an awesome bourbon bar. Sips Champagne lounge is your late night coffee stop as well, they have one of the most beautiful bars I've ever seen on a ship, and their espresso machines are hand pulled. So cool.

 

I was VERY concerned about the entertainment going in to the cruise because I saw all the 'weird stuff' in the vlogs. There is SO MUCH good entertainment throughout the ship that has nothing to do with the main theaters. On The Rocks has small bands, singers, we saw Slam Allan blues guitarist who was amazeballs. Evening trivia happens in the Dock House or Loose Cannon most nights. There was stargazing one evening out on The Dock. In the Red Room is a mix of shows that are definitely unique. I watched about 10 minutes of Untitled Dance Party Thing and it's about what you would expect from an experimental dance show. Duel Reality was their take on Romeo and Juliet with a lot of influence from West Side Story, it was a lot of fun. Ship In The Night is supposed to be good but it was cancelled on our cruise. The Diva drag show in The Manor was so freaking funny, she was great. The Manor is known for that amazing mirrored entrance but once you get inside, it's modeled after the original Studio 54 in New York and is an awesome venue. The arcade is completely free and features all retro games that made this 'kid of the 80's' feel like I was high school again. The Social Club IS AWESOME. Lots of games, including a cabinet of childhood favorites like Chutes and Ladders and Hungry Hungry Hippos along with Cards Against Humanity and Exploding Kittens. They have arts and crafts daily, scavenger hunts, trivia and more going on during the day. The schedule is NOT packed like many other ships, but there is a steady schedule of things to do. There's something for everyone on that ship. Oh and there is dodge ball. Actual, full on dodge ball in the sports court along with all sorts of super fun dance classes like 90's Boy Band Dance Class. 

 

As for the 'risque' stuff, yes they have a 'sexologist' or whatever she's known as who puts on a show called Never Sleep Alone and another show in The Manor. If you want to go see that, go. We watched 10 minutes of NSA and it wasn't what I expected, it was a cabaret style show that was trying a little too hard to be provocative. But in terms of 'risque' or 'sex' throughout the ship, it wasn't there. Other than the dildos in the sundries store. The ship was very relaxed and laid back. If you want to party all night, The Manor has you covered. If you want to sit back and listen to music at a bar, On The Rocks and a few other venues have you covered. If you want to sit and chat with friends, you can do that. The Casino is just the right size for the ship, it has oversized windows along one side which I've never seen on a ship, and like Celebrity the casino is non-smoking. My FAVORITE surprise was the private karaoke booths. I NEVER do karaoke, but they have three private booths, small, medium and large and we had SO MUCH FUN. I don't know the last time I laughed that hard on a cruise ship. 

 

The WiFi is solid. Awesome coverage throughout the ship and my wife had no issues streaming TikTok all day long on the basic WiFi. I paid $10/day to upgrade and did two one-hour livestreams from the ship with no issues and I could stream video from pretty much any site or service. It's the best WiFi experience I've ever had at sea.

 

Having the food, soft drinks, sparkling water, WiFi and gratuities all included in the far was liberating. Not having to sign anything at the bars, not having to pay for any Coke products or even sparkling water, even the candy was included at the Social Club Diner. It's so nice to go to dinner and not have to worry that 'we're paying $55-$150 for this meal.' We've already paid for it and if we want to have multiple entrees in the steakhouse we can do it. 🙂 

 

Yes, they have that silly too small of a pool but we did discover that the pool area itself is lovely when you go there in quiet times. Generally before 10:30am or when the ship is in port, like we did at Puerto Plata. It's quite lovely. The one area that was wasted is the very back of Deck 16 with that god awful net. It's awesome for an Instagram but hideously uncomfortable. That entire aft area of Deck 16 wasn't even used during our cruise. My hope is that when the ship goes in for the first drydock, they replace the net with a new aft pool, maybe one with a swim up bar and a new music venue. If they do that, Scarlet Lady will be an almost perfect ship. 

 

The overall vibe of the ship really reminded me of Celebrity. Celebrity has that casual elegance about it, I call it the white glove treatment but without the stuffy attitude. Virgin is the same, just a little more casual. I'd say the average age on our ship was between 45 and 55. We're 56 and felt right at home on the ship. The crew was just awesome. The Bimini Beach resort is now one of my favorites, really beautiful beach. 

 

If you enjoy going on Celebrity or maybe P&O over in England, you'll probably enjoy Virgin Voyages. Honestly if you're a fan of cruising you should really give them a try. It really IS different cruising without children. So far on 18 cruises with 8 different cruise lines we've never had a bad cruise. But the Scarlet Lady definitely ranks up there with the best of them. If you have any other specific questions about VV feel free to ask, happy to help. 

 

 

Wonderful very well written review, many thanks!

 

When I first saw any reference to VV, I thought: "Oh, my gosh: Do you Mr. Branson think that you can to make that woke cruise line to ever succeed with what in general the cruise community is about? Do you really think you will fill some 4 to 6 ships with just all of the most radical fringe of the woke brigade out there? Things don't work this way, dude!..." And; for the most part, me thinks that the youngsters are now sort of going out of the woke brigade, pushing for, at least such a more stable sort of world experience... Oh, well, but that is for other places, let me to return to VV. Surely Mr. Branson tried hard to deliver that sort of woky experience to the ship on those few cruises before the pandemic. It failed miserably as expected... But, surprise, surprise... They learnt their lesson!... Such an year and a half later, when the final product came out for the real paying costumers the product has effectively changed a bit... Or a lot, from the eyes of this humble market analyst I used to be... Surely: They'll to have something to please those on the woke brigade in search of a different experience, but that's it. Problem? Sometimes the first impressions prevail... And one cannot overrun all the errors on a single movement. The odd pool deck and some of the design mistakes will need the first 5yo dry dock to be solved. Other minor ones they have solved them already. It seems that they have "calibrated" the ship in some ways. The most recent videos seem to just show a sort of different ship than the first ones before the pandemic, even if just slightly different, but noticeable... Surely first time reviews were attentively seen... Problem: Maybe they're having such a problem filling some sailings. "Old line" cruise lines are now full of FCC programs to run out... Virgin may be empty of them all, so to give some promotions may be on order these days...

 

Me thinks that as such a balanced product between tradition and modernity, VV can survive and have a long history to tell us about. I don't think they'll ever to lead the industry evolution like some of the NCL initiatives have done in the not so distant past or those done by RCI on the lovely Oasis class... But they'll eventually to have a say on the top corner of the mainstream cruising, kissing the premium or half luxury one. It seems that X, Princess, HAL, Disney, and even the likes of Oceania have here a hard competitor to have in consideration...

 

Have a nice day!...

[CruisingWalter]

If this is helpful for anyone who wants to know what it's "really like" on the Scarlet Lady, our review just went live yesterday. I approached this review from the perspective of the things that surprised us and things we were not expecting when we boarded the ship. Like how the ship had a vibe more like Celebrity Cruises vs. a "party ship."  

 

 

[matt1]

@WheresWalter Quite the informative video!!! Very much appreciated. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
 

I do wish RCI had better availability and more options for their single-occupancy guests without paying a 200% surcharge, and that’s the driving force that’s pushing me towards Virgin Voyages, especially with their more competitive all-inclusive pricing approach. I’ve even price compared several RCI and Princess options, and I keep going back to Virgin Voyages where I can get a balcony on Valiant Lady for the price of an interior cabin on other lines. 
 

As for ship design, I loved that whole Royal Esplanade and The Via walkway running into Two70 on Anthem of the Seas - it was simply gorgeous, open, and inviting. Don’t get me wrong, and it’s not that the single-deck public spaces and more “intimate” approach is bad or would feel claustrophobic, it’s just different. Overall, Valiant Lady looks really amazing. 
 

It’s been mentioned to maybe try a shorter cruise instead of hoping onto a 14-night transatlantic, so I’ve been looking at Dec. 2023 cruises out of south Florida. 
 

Sooooo many cruises, so little time.
 

😁

[CruisingWalter]

2 minutes ago, matt1 said:

@WheresWalter Quite the informative video!!! Very much appreciated. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
 

I do wish RCI had better availability and more options for their single-occupancy guests without paying a 200% surcharge, and that’s the driving force that’s pushing me towards Virgin Voyages, especially with their more competitive all-inclusive pricing approach. I’ve even price compared several RCI and Princess options, and I keep going back to Virgin Voyages where I can get a balcony on Valiant Lady for the price of an interior cabin on other lines. 
 

As for ship design, I loved that whole Royal Esplanade and The Via walkway running into Two70 on Anthem of the Seas - it was simply gorgeous, open, and inviting. Don’t get me wrong, and it’s not that the single-deck public spaces and more “intimate” approach is bad or would feel claustrophobic, it’s just different. Overall, Valiant Lady looks really amazing. 
 

It’s been mentioned to maybe try a shorter cruise instead of hoping onto a 14-night transatlantic, so I’ve been looking at Dec. 2023 cruises out of south Florida. 
 

Sooooo many cruises, so little time.
 

😁

 

Glad the episode was helpful! 

 

Yeah that Single Sailor pricing is very sweet compared to Royal, especially when you factor in the inclusions. As for the design, if all ships were the same that would be boring. 🙂 

 

The intimacy of Scarlet Lady really works for that cruise and that vibe. The wide open spaces of Royal Caribbean really works for that cruise line and their vibe. The 'luxury resort' spaces on Celebrity really work for their vibe. That's why I find it very hard to compare cruise lines because even the ship design reflects their vibe and personalities. They are all incredibly similar yet so incredibly different. I think that's why we've been on 8 different cruise lines (and counting) because we love exploring the variety that comes with cruising. Again, thanks for the kind words and I'm glad the episode was helpful. 

[matt1]

28 minutes ago, WheresWalter said:

Glad the episode was helpful! 

 

Yeah that Single Sailor pricing is very sweet compared to Royal, especially when you factor in the inclusions. As for the design, if all ships were the same that would be boring. 🙂 

I think what I need to do now is sit down over the next week and drum up a few itinerary and port of embarkation specific questions for the Virgin Voyages Forum. Maybe I was getting a little too comfortable with the RCI routine and need to break out of my comfort zone and go crazy. LOL This is both scary and exhilarating at the same time! 😳😉

 

Life is an adventure. Take risks. 😎

[CruisingWalter]

41 minutes ago, matt1 said:

Life is an adventure. Take risks. 😎

 

The only constant in life is change. Embrace it! 😀

[ownedbypets]

I'm back from my cruise on Scarlett Lady. The previous few posts and reviews could have been written by me as they were very close to my experience. I went in with an open mind and had a fantastic time and booked another cruise while onboard.

 

I can't compare the stateroom as we cruise in suites on RC and on Virgin I was solo in a spacious sea terrace. The room was definitely large enough and had enough storage. Closet space was ample, along with 4 drawers, a few shelves, storage baskets and plenty of hanging space. A few hooks on the wall, cubbies space in the desk, cold refrigerator , carafes of still and sparkling water filled twice daily. Two very big drawers under the bed too. My daughters shared the exact room, with one bringing 14 pairs of shoes and they were ok. The bathroom was a little small but the shower was amazing. Great water pressure. My favorite was the hammock. All of my downtime was spent there!

 

The food was outstanding. From the restaurants, to the Galley, Pizza Place, and  ice cream. I'll admit I didn't like the Big green machine flavored ice cream but did love the brown butter. If that's my only dislike about the food that's a win. Others love it.

 

Entertainment and activities were always happening, We always found something to do if we chose to. Duel Reality is a must. It is all listed in the app and if you choose not to carry your phone they have printed daily list of activities along with giant touch screens that show you the times and place for the activities. We missed some because multiple things we planned at the same times and we had to make choices.

 

I don't know how but we were invited to 3 "special, private" events that were fun. Can't say enough for the Happenings Crew.

 

The crew really makes your cruise unique and fun. You can tell they are having fun, really love their jobs and want you to have fun. If you want quiet and alone time they can tell and give you your privacy. If you want to engage in conversation they are very friendly. Was told by one crew member that they are allowed to be themselves which makes them happy.

 

Kids have never bothered me on other cruises, we took ours on plenty, but the entire atmosphere of no kids is very noticeable and extremely nice. 

 

As we were leaving breakfast yesterday we were asked if we had a good time. I was honest and said we had cruised a lot on RC and loved it and will continue to do so but Virgin exceed all expectations.

 

Some of the things that we pay for when cruising Star Class on RC are included in Virgins price for everyone. Free WiFi , specialty dining, soft drinks, big selection in in room movies.

 

I wasn't sold on Virgin when I first saw the commercials and reviews but I'm so happy that I took the chance and tried something new. And the demographics of the sailors is very wide and diverse. I turned 60 on the cruise and my daughters are 28. We all had a great time.

 

 

 

[CruisingWalter]

2 hours ago, ownedbypets said:

I don't know how but we were invited to 3 "special, private" events that were fun. Can't say enough for the Happenings Crew.

 

3?!?!? We were only invited to one. Our friends were invited to 2. I don't think I've heard of anyone being invited to 3. Did you play the lottery when you got home?!? 😄

[bmc alabama]

We loved VV.  We've been on twice and as others have said, they have tweaked some things.  For instance, on our second trip, we noticed much more live music in the "atrium" area than on our first voyage. The food is amazing.  All of the restaurants are good and we really liked the galley.  I could eat Sushi for lunch everyday?  Yes Please!

 

I will also second one of the comments above.  Duel Reality is perhaps my favorite show at sea (with the other being Aqua80 on Oasis).  It's kind of a Cirque du Soleil kind of thing.  Very entertaining.

 

That said, we aren't big RCCL fans, and Virgin is very different, so if you like RCCL, not sure if you'd like Virgin.  I'd agree with others where it's more like Celebrity, Princess, or HAL or something like that, but with better food...

 

One other thing about VV is that ALL gratuities are included.  On more than one occasion I would hear people asking where the tip line was on, say, the bar bill when you ordered a drink and the crew would just say "it's included, don't worry about it".  I mean, I saw people literally freaking out because they couldn't figure out how to tip.  Another example, at sailor services, someone in front of us wanted to adjust they "Tips" up.  The crew member was trying to explain that all gratuities were taken care of and they didn't have gratuities . For whatever reason, that just didn't register with that person.  He argued for about 20 minutes before leaving.  I think that we are so used to the tipping culture that when you encounter a different system (like the "British" style system VV is using) it is hard for people to wrap their heads around it.  Virgin pays their crew much higher wages and as another poster mentioned, they are poaching a lot of staff off of the likes of Disney, Celebrity, Princess, etc.  And they all said they loved working for VV.  Interesting enough, I found this out because we'd go eat in the galley and VV lets their crew eat in there as well and talk, etc. with guests.  It was quite a different experience, but one that we enjoyed.