Scarlet Lady Review 11/11-11/16/2022

[Host Joe]

An honest review of Virgin Cruises from an avid cruiser. 

 

We did a 5-day on Scarlet Lady out of Miami going to Puerto Plata and Bimini. I have been posting amazing and fun pics and videos highlighting things we have found exciting the last few days thanks to those posting here on Cruise Critic. The ship is very visual and photographs well. We have had a wonderful trip, we always enjoy our travels. That being said, Virgin is trying so hard to be different that they are making vacation hard work in a lot of ways and losing out on some expectations that many have grown to love about cruises. I have always loved cruises because I don’t have to think. We love a lot of what Virgin offers, and will possibly consider it in the future keeping in mind all of the pitfalls, however they are pretty hard stops.  

 

The ship is super cool, modern and hip. It is a gorgeous design and thoughtfully designed to make you feel special. Similar to walking around a high end department store. It is extremely hard to navigate and signage is minimal and hard to figure out. There are no ship diagrams posted in elevator areas like all of the other lines. People wandered around lost all week. The staircase areas are brightly lit and sterile, constantly making me feel like we wandered into an employee area. 

 

Everything is on the app. When it works. It crashes constantly. 

 

Dining must be reserved. There is no buffet or main dining. I am on top of it and reserved dinner each night at a different restaurant. I did this 30 days prior at 3am when it opened after reading about it in a Facebook group. Thank god I did. We witnessed two women all dressed for dinner while we were in line for our dinner reservation unable to find a spot for dinner. The hostess told them all the restaurants were booked. They could get burgers upstairs or pizza after 9. We saw this repeatedly throughout the week, people turned away for not having a reservation. You do not spend thousands on a cruise to be turned away from having dinner.. Not okay. This ship is only half full. Design flaw. There is no buffet or main restaurant. So if you don’t know to plan you are stuck. 

 

Shows must be reserved. The showroom is tiny (200-ish, and there are 2800 people or so max capacity). Shows are bookable only after you board. We were in group 1, but suites, “rockstars”, board first. We got into one show (that’s all we could find) and it was quite good. That’s all we could get, very disappointed. 

 

Let’s talk air conditioning. This ship is supposed to be eco-friendly. The rooms get cool after some time (if you open your balcony door, give it two hours to cool back down), however most public areas are stuffy. I mean sticky warm. Hallways, staircases and some of the lounge areas are just not comfortable. In the Caribbean this is not welcome after hanging out in the sun all day. 

 

Breakfast in your room is booked through the app. Cool, but we learned the hard way it books up and sells out! Our first morning our choice was 5:30am or 10:30am. Now I watch all morning for booking to open for the next day. You should not have to work so hard for vacation. 

 

Room attendant… we learned the hard way that they service your room once daily. One of my favorite luxuries is coming back after dinner and our bed is all turned down and there are fresh towels and the room is tidy. Not on Virgin. I was quickly scolded by Sailor Services that’s not how they do it. Once daily service. 

 

Dinner in Test Kitchen was a series of 5 tablespoon sized bites. We went for burgers after. 

 

The Wake was super fancy, beautiful dining room and food very good but the server was inefficient and rude. She was only focused on a table of four that upgraded to $125 tomahawk steaks. 

 

Dinner at Extra Virgin (Italian) was off the charts good. Service and all was excellent, and the steak was much better than the Wake. 

 

Dinners in Pink Agave and Razzle Dazzle were both quite good. 

 

There is only one small pool up on top. Also, the area is to lay out and enjoy is small and congested… and no shade to move to. 

 

For evening cocktails before dinner despite all the areas on the ship that at first seem amazing, there are only two lounges and they are relatively small. There is no centrum like most ships. It is overall very strange. 

 

The staff are hit and miss nice or don’t give a darn. Super weird! Since there is no tipping, there is no motivation for the staff to service you. I cannot count how many times we had to seek out our own drinks while staff mill around and are chatting with each other. That is not okay. 

 

The food everywhere is mostly good. And during the day it is everywhere, although it gets stale with no changes or variety. There are lots of fun and quirky places to hang out. 

 

Drinks are good but expensive. $13-$17 each. There are no drink packages. We found that vodka sodas are $7 so that’s better. We loved the shake for champagne where you shake your phone and a few minutes later they show up with a bottle of Moët on ice! For $100. We had a credit for a bottle and enjoyed it thoroughly. 

 

The wifi is very unreliable. We upgraded to the Premium and I was unable to make consistent wifi calls at any point on the cruise. They were all broken up when I could get through. On all other lines this is never an issue. This is a deal breaker for me as I have to work while traveling. 

 

Information, including signage and availability of what is going on is limited. There is no cruise director, no cruise director staff and no daily paper. Info on the app is very limited and it feels like a secret club where people bump around and find their way. There is no daily paper either digital or printed either. 

 

Breakfast… on the last day you cannot order room service, which is fine. So we went to the galley for breakfast (only option). Picture a buffet area where you sit down and wait for a server to get you your food from one of the surrounding buffet areas (you cannot walk up and get your own). We ordered omelettes and they were rubbery and had clearly been sitting on a steam table for a long time. Not a yummy breakfast. This is also your lunch area. It’s not a buffet, it is worse. You have a few options, which don’t change, and while you can see the food sitting out you have to wait for a server to bring it to you. 

 

Ports… 

 

in Puerto Plata they have a nice built area with swimming pools, bars and a restaurant that were all very overpriced. We headed back to the ship after walking around the small town and taking some pics and buying local art. The taxi drivers are very aggressive about taking you to the beach. We finally relented and went for an hour with another couple, it was $20 per couple and a ten minute drive. Very few services at the beach, except for very expensive beach food ($20-$40 sandwiches etc). We took a dip in the ocean and went back to the port and onto the ship to enjoy lunch etc there. 

 

In Bimini they have a private club. Very little to no information… as always with Virgin. They were pushing expensive shore excursions. We took the tram to their beach club and had a lovely day. We swam, ate, and did a Long Beach walk collecting shells. They then took our shells and threw them in the trash upon boarding, saying they “could” have live animals in them. 

 

In summary, the ship is very “trendy”, and we believe it is aimed at people who have not cruised before. They do not know what you should typically expect, so it’s an easy target. Most of those we met onboard who have cruised on other lines seemed to feel like us, not too impressed overall (other than the ship is beautiful) and full of question marks. Those who had not cruised before were mixed, some were impressed and thought this is just how it is, others decided cruising is not for them them, which makes me sad. 

 

This cruise was a lot of “work” and low on the enjoyment and relaxation factor. 

 

We will be sailing on with our favorites… Celebrity and Royal. 

[cantgetin]

Thanks for the in depth review.   I'm a little puzzled by some things because what you describe is very different from what we experienced on Valiant in October.

You mentioned you learned about dining reservations from a group, but many of your other discoveries, like rooms being cleaned once a day, could have been known in advance.  It should be noted that there is a team on call to service any later needs like fresh towels, bathroom supplies, or even a late cleaning should you decide to sleep till after 1pm.

 

Totally agree with Test Kitchen, especially the B menu.  We also went to dinner after that one.

I'm surprised that there were no walk in slots available for dinner on a half full ship.  We changed our reservations same day or did walk ins several times on our 14 night cruise. That included the night we did Test Kitchen--we went to a different restaurant at 9pm!  Pizza would have been another option.  

 

We liked The Galley much better than a buffet.  No one else is touching your food.  You can order things as you want them provided they have the ingredients.  For instance, tell them what  you  want in your omelet, salad, etc.  There are 9 or 10 stations, each serving a different type of food. There are many other lunch options--The Dock, Sun Cafe, etc. The Wake and Razzle Dazzle were also open for breakfast and brunch, with seating till about 1 each day.  Reservations for brunch are suggested, but we were able to do walk in with one exception (The Wake was full on one day, but made us a reservation for the next day).

I agree that the steak in Extra Virgin and the "secret" steak in Razzle Dazzle were better than what we had in The Wake.  Tomahawk is up to $125 now?  It was $75 in October.  We found that our favorite restaurants were some that we did not expect to be favorites.

 

Maybe prices went up all over.  Drinks on our cruise were $9-13, which included gratuities.  Some items were less.We did have a cocktail "forgotten" once in one of the restaurants--they were very apologetic.  Seems the waiter handed it off to the bar tender and the communication stopped at that point.

 

I'd read about lack of signs so was surprised that we had many signs...by each elevator and in other  spots.  We were told that they were newly added on Valiant. We found the crew lovely and helpful.  THey earn about 3 times as much on other lines, and most say they like it a lot better than the tipping system.  The app needs help.  I'm sorry to hear that the wifi was bad.  It was ok in the Med, but awful during the crossing...we kept hearing from past sailors how it was so much better in the Caribbean.

 

We found the entertainment to be "spotty."  Some was excellent, some not to our taste.  There were multiple options available each night in different locations.  It isn't the normal model where everyone goes to one big theatre for either an early or late show.  There would be one show in the Red Room with a couple presentations each night, another in The Manor, and often some in other locations.  Then, different shows would be available at 10 or 11pm.

 

Totally agree that VV isn't for everyone, but it is our new favorite cruise line.  We've done over 40 cruises on many of the major standard lines. We've booked 3 more sailings on VV.  I'd rank it far ahead of the others for food quality, crew attitude, and options.  But people like different things...that's why there are different lines.

[Host Joe]

47 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

Thanks for the in depth review.   I'm a little puzzled by some things because what you describe is very different from what we experienced on Valiant in October.

You mentioned you learned about dining reservations from a group, but many of your other discoveries, like rooms being cleaned once a day, could have been known in advance.  It should be noted that there is a team on call to service any later needs like fresh towels, bathroom supplies, or even a late cleaning should you decide to sleep till after 1pm.

 

Totally agree with Test Kitchen, especially the B menu.  We also went to dinner after that one.

I'm surprised that there were no walk in slots available for dinner on a half full ship.  We changed our reservations same day or did walk ins several times on our 14 night cruise. That included the night we did Test Kitchen--we went to a different restaurant at 9pm!  Pizza would have been another option.  

 

We liked The Galley much better than a buffet.  No one else is touching your food.  You can order things as you want them provided they have the ingredients.  For instance, tell them what  you  want in your omelet, salad, etc.  There are 9 or 10 stations, each serving a different type of food. There are many other lunch options--The Dock, Sun Cafe, etc. The Wake and Razzle Dazzle were also open for breakfast and brunch, with seating till about 1 each day.  Reservations for brunch are suggested, but we were able to do walk in with one exception (The Wake was full on one day, but made us a reservation for the next day).

I agree that the steak in Extra Virgin and the "secret" steak in Razzle Dazzle were better than what we had in The Wake.  Tomahawk is up to $125 now?  It was $75 in October.  We found that our favorite restaurants were some that we did not expect to be favorites.

 

Maybe prices went up all over.  Drinks on our cruise were $9-13, which included gratuities.  Some items were less.We did have a cocktail "forgotten" once in one of the restaurants--they were very apologetic.  Seems the waiter handed it off to the bar tender and the communication stopped at that point.

 

I'd read about lack of signs so was surprised that we had many signs...by each elevator and in other  spots.  We were told that they were newly added on Valiant. We found the crew lovely and helpful.  THey earn about 3 times as much on other lines, and most say they like it a lot better than the tipping system.  The app needs help.  I'm sorry to hear that the wifi was bad.  It was ok in the Med, but awful during the crossing...we kept hearing from past sailors how it was so much better in the Caribbean.

 

We found the entertainment to be "spotty."  Some was excellent, some not to our taste.  There were multiple options available each night in different locations.  It isn't the normal model where everyone goes to one big theatre for either an early or late show.  There would be one show in the Red Room with a couple presentations each night, another in The Manor, and often some in other locations.  Then, different shows would be available at 10 or 11pm.

 

Totally agree that VV isn't for everyone, but it is our new favorite cruise line.  We've done over 40 cruises on many of the major standard lines. We've booked 3 more sailings on VV.  I'd rank it far ahead of the others for food quality, crew attitude, and options.  But people like different things...that's why there are different lines.

I wish I would have read about the cabin service only once daily, that was a mystery to us. Somehow that escaped me. 

 

And yes, there are different lines for everyone and I think this fills a new niche, one that we do not fit into. Celebrity and Royal for us 😊. Glad we tried it, and now we know. 

[Yukiie]

I appreciate you taking the time to post a review.

 

1 hour ago, Host Joe said:

I wish I would have read about the cabin service only once daily, that was a mystery to us. Somehow that escaped me. 

 

I believe most cruise lines have switched to once daily post COVID. The 3 Holland cruises (2 in suites) I've taken this year were apologetic but said that they only visited once a day unless you specifically needed something. I think if I cared and was pushy they would have provided a turn down service but I prefer once a day myself. 

 

I assume you would get two visits with Virgin if you had them switch the bed to a couch since they have to return it to a bed at night. I'm not sure what the second visit would entail aside from reconfiguration.

 

4 hours ago, Host Joe said:

It is extremely hard to navigate and signage is minimal and hard to figure out. There are no ship diagrams posted in elevator areas like all of the other lines.

 

This is quite frankly bizarre to me. I hope they take this feedback and make some signs to put near elevators. I get turned around easily onboard so I've always relied on signage near elevators to get my bearings. Although I am old enough to remember the days of little fold out maps that you would try to navigate from. 

 

[cantgetin]

1 hour ago, Yukiie said:

 

This is quite frankly bizarre to me. I hope they take this feedback and make some signs to put near elevators. I get turned around easily onboard so I've always relied on signage near elevators to get my bearings. Although I am old enough to remember the days of little fold out maps that you would try to navigate from. 

As I noted, signs have been added on Valiant Lady.  Also, OP was concerned about the lack of daily programs.  We found them available in multiple locations--both Grounds Club location, Sailor Services, etc.

1 hour ago, Yukiie said:

 

 

[Host Joe]

1 hour ago, cantgetin said:

As I noted, signs have been added on Valiant Lady.  Also, OP was concerned about the lack of daily programs.  We found them available in multiple locations--both Grounds Club location, Sailor Services, etc.

 

Shouldn’t they be available in your stateroom or on the app? That would be logical to me. And if they are available only in those two pick up locations wouldn’t it be wise to let passengers know that?

[CineGraphic]

Everyone has a different take on things, and I'm sorry that the cruise wasn't enjoyable for you.

We didn't experience any of the problems you mention, and have cancelled our bookings on other lines.

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2022 by CineGraphic

[aqlollipop]

So strange, my experience on the Valiant in Sept was we had access to the daily schedule in the app, on the TV in the room, or we could pick up a paper copy in the Grounds Club (I never remembered to do this and usually relied on the app). I also saw on large TVs near the main elevators a sort of brief "upcoming" listing of what was happening soon. But my sailing also did not seem to experience the same issues with wifi that yours did. 

 

[scubagal44]

Thanks for your review!  Much of it is reminiscent of what I experienced on Valiant in the Med in October.  I do have a future VV sailing booked in 2024 because I was thinking maybe the Caribbean is a better destination for this line, and I was also wondering if many of the missteps were due to the high number of sailors on our trip and the staff had never had to deal with such a high passenger load thus far.  

 

Anyway, yeah, I like to keep an open mind with these kinds of things so will give VV one more go after a decent amount of time by which they should be used to fuller sailings.  

[_tacocat_]

4 hours ago, Host Joe said:

Shouldn’t they be available in your stateroom or on the app? That would be logical to me. And if they are available only in those two pick up locations wouldn’t it be wise to let passengers know that?

They aim to reduce waste, so not printing 1k+ flyers every day helps with that.  They didn’t start offering them until (what im

assuming were) experienced cruisers requested them repeatedly.  
 

Plus if anything changes last minute, the app/TVs around the ship have the most up to date info.

[Roel94]

I never had problems with my cabin being clean. I  left wet towels hanging and come back to dry ones after dinner. My bed was made iwhenever I came back. Shows I saw three out of five. 
 

signs..could be better but I found what I wanted but the spa never walked by. And forgot the thermal suite.

[cantgetin]

5 hours ago, Host Joe said:

Shouldn’t they be available in your stateroom or on the app? That would be logical to me. And if they are available only in those two pick up locations wouldn’t it be wise to let passengers know that?

They are available on the app.  And I listed 3 locations where they are available (grounds club, grounds club too, sailor services.  There were other locations such as the rebooking area, the big red desk near there, etc.

The idea is to reduce waste and not print them for people who are happy getting the info on the app. Actually, many other lines have gone to a "grab them if you want them" concept rather than sliding them under the door.  The other thing we didn't get was 5 or 6 pages of ads each night like you do on DCL, Princess, and Celebrity. And, as noted above, any last minute changes are on the app and on the screens  on decks 5 and 6.

[_tacocat_]

1 hour ago, Roel94 said:

I never had problems with my cabin being clean. I  left wet towels hanging and come back to dry ones after dinner. My bed was made iwhenever I came back. Shows I saw three out of five. 
 

signs..could be better but I found what I wanted but the spa never walked by. And forgot the thermal suite.

You were in a suite, right?  Suites get regular daily cleaning in the morning and turndown in the evening (plus our cabin stews seemed to come in at some point in the afternoon to freshen up towels if needed.  Normal cabins are just once a day, but you can press a button in the app to get extra towels, collect room service dishes, etc.

[conandrob240]

I’ve got questions:

 

“Shows must be reserved. The showroom is tiny (200-ish, and there are 2800 people or so max capacity). Shows are bookable only after you board. We were in group 1, but suites, “rockstars”, board first. We got into one show (that’s all we could find) and it was quite good. That’s all we could get, very disappointed.”

are you saying that in boarding group 1, you went into the app or to a desk to book these and only one show was available for your entire cruise? Or only one that worked for your times? Please elaborate.

 

“Room attendant… we learned the hard way that they service your room once daily. One of my favorite luxuries is coming back after dinner and our bed is all turned down and there are fresh towels and the room is tidy. Not on Virgin. I was quickly scolded by Sailor Services that’s not how they do it. Once daily service.” 

Is this true? I thought you could request service/ bed change on your iPad at any time? What’s others’ experiences?

 

“Dinner in Test Kitchen was a series of 5 tablespoon sized bites. We went for burgers after.” Could you have asked for more? And are burgers the only option after dinner? I thought I saw Ramen, pizza, burgers, diner and the Mediterranean grill? 
 

“For evening cocktails before dinner despite all the areas on the ship that at first seem amazing, there are only two lounges and they are relatively small. There is no centrum like most ships. It is overall very strange.” I see around 8 bars listed. Are you saying they weren’t open? Did they open later? Maybe you ate very early? I’m so confused.
 

Thanks for any insight you can share

[Host Joe]

2 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

They aim to reduce waste, so not printing 1k+ flyers every day helps with that.  They didn’t start offering them until (what im

assuming were) experienced cruisers requested them repeatedly.  
 

Plus if anything changes last minute, the app/TVs around the ship have the most up to date info.

If in fact the app had the information needed that would be great. Oh, and if it didn’t crash constantly. 

[Host Joe]

41 minutes ago, conandrob240 said:

I’ve got questions:

 

“Shows must be reserved. The showroom is tiny (200-ish, and there are 2800 people or so max capacity). Shows are bookable only after you board. We were in group 1, but suites, “rockstars”, board first. We got into one show (that’s all we could find) and it was quite good. That’s all we could get, very disappointed.”

are you saying that in boarding group 1, you went into the app or to a desk to book these and only one show was available for your entire cruise? Or only one that worked for your times? Please elaborate.

 

“Room attendant… we learned the hard way that they service your room once daily. One of my favorite luxuries is coming back after dinner and our bed is all turned down and there are fresh towels and the room is tidy. Not on Virgin. I was quickly scolded by Sailor Services that’s not how they do it. Once daily service.” 

Is this true? I thought you could request service/ bed change on your iPad at any time? What’s others’ experiences?

 

“Dinner in Test Kitchen was a series of 5 tablespoon sized bites. We went for burgers after.” Could you have asked for more? And are burgers the only option after dinner? I thought I saw Ramen, pizza, burgers, diner and the Mediterranean grill? 
 

“For evening cocktails before dinner despite all the areas on the ship that at first seem amazing, there are only two lounges and they are relatively small. There is no centrum like most ships. It is overall very strange.” I see around 8 bars listed. Are you saying they weren’t open? Did they open later? Maybe you ate very early? I’m so confused.
 

Thanks for any insight you can share

Have you been on this ship? 
 

I am saying that there were NO bookings available. Simple math. 200 people in a show… one show… 1700 onboard. Rockstars board first and there are a lot of them. When these ships start sailing full I cannot imagine the show and dining problems that are already out of control. 
 

On the app you can request fresh towels, etc. You missed the point. You should not have to do that.

 

Test kitchen is a robotic service with set menu and portions. We went to the Galley afterwards and all that was available at that hour was burgers and all day breakfast. Pizza was not even open. 
 

Bars are different from lounges. You know, where there is a/c and you are dressed for dinner… so that eliminates all of the outdoor bars… I am talking about lounges. There are two. Sip and On The Rocks. 
 

 

[Roel94]

Yes I was in a suite.felt it help with included booze vs worrying about bill. I went to Test Kitchen And had the menu with meat.not a meat eater and still left full. I left full all four nights.

 

I drank in Sup,Rocks And the  Dock.  By the time I was dancing I was not drinking anything but water.

 

paying for a suite is worth it to me.

 

I went and looked twice at the galley ..not overly busy but lots of food. Pizza was open every night from 9 to 2.so I never went as dinner was over by 930. 

[Roel94]

3 hours ago, conandrob240 said:

I’ve got questions:

 

“Shows must be reserved. The showroom is tiny (200-ish, and there are 2800 people or so max capacity). Shows are bookable only after you board. We were in group 1, but suites, “rockstars”, board first. We got into one show (that’s all we could find) and it was quite good. That’s all we could get, very disappointed.”

are you saying that in boarding group 1, you went into the app or to a desk to book these and only one show was available for your entire cruise? Or only one that worked for your times? Please elaborate.

 

“Room attendant… we learned the hard way that they service your room once daily. One of my favorite luxuries is coming back after dinner and our bed is all turned down and there are fresh towels and the room is tidy. Not on Virgin. I was quickly scolded by Sailor Services that’s not how they do it. Once daily service.” 

Is this true? I thought you could request service/ bed change on your iPad at any time? What’s others’ experiences?

 

“Dinner in Test Kitchen was a series of 5 tablespoon sized bites. We went for burgers after.” Could you have asked for more? And are burgers the only option after dinner? I thought I saw Ramen, pizza, burgers, diner and the Mediterranean grill? 
 

“For evening cocktails before dinner despite all the areas on the ship that at first seem amazing, there are only two lounges and they are relatively small. There is no centrum like most ships. It is overall very strange.” I see around 8 bars listed. Are you saying they weren’t open? Did they open later? Maybe you ate very early? I’m so confused.
 

Thanks for any insight you can share

Think these people needed air con to drink but  different bars have different hours,yes, you can get  cleaning help in cabin by asking.

[cantgetin]

On our cruise the shows were repeated multiple times, usually twice each night and at least 2 nights during the cruise. There is also a standby line so that if the people who have made reservations have not checked in by 5 minutes prior to the start of the show, they will seat people from the standby line.  I honestly don't know how many people can be seated in each venue; I suspect that 200 is a low estimate for the Red Room, which is where many of the shows are located.  200 would be 10 rows of 20 people.  There were more rows than that, and there is also an upper level.  We did have difficulty getting reservations to one of the shows.  After a quick chat with a fellow passenger, we learned that the fully booked show the night before had been more than half empty when people didn't show up.  That was our lesson in "try the standby line."

There will always be conflicts in scheduling.  There are typically at least 2 different shows each night, each show running twice. They usually have different start times...and you have to get dinner in there sometime.

 

Food availability--did you know that you can actually go to another restaurant if you are still hungry after Test Kitchen and the restaurant is still open?  We went to Razzle Dazzle about 9 after an early dinner at Test Kitchen.  No, we didn't eat a second dinner, but got something!The only place open 24/7 is Diner and Dash.  We found Noodle Around and the salad place re-opened in the late evening; we went up and got custom made salads one night.  Pizza was open until 1am.  Each place has different hours.  I can't begin to quote you the hours of each place, but again, they are on the app and on the daily sheet. Room service was available late and they have real food available, not just typical room service junk.  Food hint--the selections of the "to go" boxes changes throughout the day.  Get a box of cut fruit in the morning or cheese selection around noon and pop it into your fridge for an afternoon or evening snack.

 

There is a back up housekeeping team available from 2 (when the main team finishes) till into the evening.  You can request service on the tablet, the app, or by calling on the phone. If you want the bed converted every day, let your host know and he will set it up for the entire cruise.  If you need towels, water, or anything, just contact them.

 

There are bars all over the ship, and other than mornings, most of them seemed to be open  thru the afternoons and evenings.  There are bars outside of a couple of the restaurants.  You can go there whether you plan to dine at that restaurant or not.  The restaurants that don't have a bar outside so serve alcohol once you enter.  It is true that not all bars are equipped to make the same drinks. For instance, one bar specializes in Mezcal and tequila drinks.  Most can make the common drinks, but you have to be in the right place to get something special.  True that there is no huge central atrium--which is mostly wasted space on other lines.  The closest thing is the Roundabout, a stairway with various gathering areas on each floor.

 

My suspicion is that OP didn't do a lot of research before boarding Scarlet Lady.  I spent a lot of time on line, and felt well prepared for the things that are "different" on VV.  I liked most of the differences, OP did not.  Different lines for different people.  The things that DO need help are the app (great when it works, but it craps out a lot) and the wifi.  If you are looking for Princess or Celebrity, you will be disappointed on VV--that's not how this ship is designed physically or entertainment-wise.  Before our first Princess cruise, I suggested to my travel companion that if we compared everything to our favorite ship, we were bound to be disappointed, while if we looked at this as a new experience to see what this line had to offer, it was far more likely to be positive.  That is especially true on VV.  OP was unhappy when something wasn't as he expected; but I see most of the dis-satisfaction being that he didn't know how or where to get things to happen.  We found great food and great crew, as well as great prices.  Some of the entertainment was not to my taste, but that's on me, not the ship.  There were plenty of other things to do if we didn't choose to do one of the shows.

[Roel94]

I was in a four night ..three full day cruise. One show was several times and I never booked it.the last night the show was in twice. I missed the early due to booking a future cruise.the late was at a dinner with several guests. 
 

I found several places to drink before dinner but used bar in room.  I did forget about the Mexican bar but will make it in July.

 

inam older than many cruisers but still found my way into pool on red night. But that was live music night so I left friends for that. 
 

I really did not have a hard time finding thing if I wanted them. If I did not care never showed up.

 

indid prefer a paper copy of things and still missed trivia etc.

 

no biggie..still had fun.

[jon81uk]

8 hours ago, Host Joe said:

Have you been on this ship? 
 

I am saying that there were NO bookings available. Simple math. 200 people in a show… one show… 1700 onboard. Rockstars board first and there are a lot of them. When these ships start sailing full I cannot imagine the show and dining problems that are already out of control. 
 

On the app you can request fresh towels, etc. You missed the point. You should not have to do that.

 

Test kitchen is a robotic service with set menu and portions. We went to the Galley afterwards and all that was available at that hour was burgers and all day breakfast. Pizza was not even open. 
 

Bars are different from lounges. You know, where there is a/c and you are dressed for dinner… so that eliminates all of the outdoor bars… I am talking about lounges. There are two. Sip and On The Rocks. 
 

 

there are several indoor bars, Loose Cannon, Draft Haus, The Dock House as well as the Social Club area in addition to Sip, On the Rocks and the Casino bar.

 

Although the Red Room isn’t massive it holds a lot more than 200, I would estimate 400-500. Did you try for walk up at the shows? The Manor holds less for caberet but can be possible to find odd spaces and some shows aren’t ticketed at all.

 

I’ve never experienced robotic service at Test Kitchen, all our servers were friendly and wanted to chat. The B menu (salmon, lamb etc) isn’t as good as A (mushroom, pea, veal) but was worth trying.

 

why do you need fresh towels in the evening? Do you change them twice a day st home? If that’s a big deal there is a button on the tablet and app. But I’m fine in all hotels to just get my room straightened once a day and towels changed every few days.

[Host Joe]

Please remember this is my review, my opinions and my views. I have been on almost 90 cruises and have been a host here on Cruise Critic for 20 years. I definitely have my research capabilities down, and I also know what I like and that is okay. There are a lot of people who appreciate balanced reviews like I took the time to write… which is all about my experience.
 

My hope and intention was for the community to enjoy a well written and well balanced review.. and I know many do, and that is why I do it. Some feel they have to try and contradict, question and berate the OP for their opinions… and if they are a cheerleader for that line then they feel they have to defend and bully the OP instead of respecting their views and opinions. 
 

Note… the count of how many can fit in the theater is from asking a VV team member, “about 200”. Even if it were double that… and if they did two shows, with a capacity of 2800 it will never ever give everyone onboard the opportunity to see the shows. We looked over and over for openings. A couple of nights there were a couple shows… but sold out. I am not interested in showing up early for a show and stand in a line hoping for no-shows to allow us in. One couple told us they plan for this every night… they grab a drink and stand in line for 45 minutes ahead of the show and “most” times it works. That is not vacation to me. 
 

One mentioned asking your “host” for help with services.. that is only for those in suites and are are Rockstars and have paid major $$. Those of us in regular balcony cabins get to to try and figure out everything on our own. Again, information is limited for everything. 
 

This line felt to us that it is full of “secret” things… apparently that is attractive to some, they love the mystery. I love cruising, enjoying vacation, good food, good service… not a mystery for everything. 
 

I love and respect all those that enjoy VV… there are lines for everyone. From their marketing and from the cheerleaders who did so many reviews I thought it may be for me too. The point of my review is to be honest and say it most definitely is not. 

[cantgetin]

When I said "host," I was referring to the room steward.  They call them something different on VV, but I couldn't remember what.  We were not in a suite and paid $96 pp per day for our cruise.

 

Sorry you didn't like VV; with 90+ cruises under your belt, you've obviously found lines you do enjoy.

[Dylan0474mac]

1 hour ago, Host Joe said:

Please remember this is my review, my opinions and my views. I have been on almost 90 cruises and have been a host here on Cruise Critic for 20 years. I definitely have my research capabilities down, and I also know what I like and that is okay. There are a lot of people who appreciate balanced reviews like I took the time to write… which is all about my experience.
 

My hope and intention was for the community to enjoy a well written and well balanced review.. and I know many do, and that is why I do it. Some feel they have to try and contradict, question and berate the OP for their opinions… and if they are a cheerleader for that line then they feel they have to defend and bully the OP instead of respecting their views and opinions. 
 

Note… the count of how many can fit in the theater is from asking a VV team member, “about 200”. Even if it were double that… and if they did two shows, with a capacity of 2800 it will never ever give everyone onboard the opportunity to see the shows. We looked over and over for openings. A couple of nights there were a couple shows… but sold out. I am not interested in showing up early for a show and stand in a line hoping for no-shows to allow us in. One couple told us they plan for this every night… they grab a drink and stand in line for 45 minutes ahead of the show and “most” times it works. That is not vacation to me. 
 

One mentioned asking your “host” for help with services.. that is only for those in suites and are are Rockstars and have paid major $$. Those of us in regular balcony cabins get to to try and figure out everything on our own. Again, information is limited for everything. 
 

This line felt to us that it is full of “secret” things… apparently that is attractive to some, they love the mystery. I love cruising, enjoying vacation, good food, good service… not a mystery for everything. 
 

I love and respect all those that enjoy VV… there are lines for everyone. From their marketing and from the cheerleaders who did so many reviews I thought it may be for me too. The point of my review is to be honest and say it most definitely is not. 

Thank you for taking the time to review. I am a big fan of VV and have been on 3 this year.  I agree with a lot of your points about having to work for your vacation. We do feel rushed to get on the app immediately in the terminal or else everything will be sold out.  There is still plenty of room for improvement. 

 

We are on Valiant Lady Dec 11th but trying out first celebrity cruise on Beyond in February. Excited to compare the 2 brands and experiences.

[Roel94]

5 hours ago, jon81uk said:

there are several indoor bars, Loose Cannon, Draft Haus, The Dock House as well as the Social Club area in addition to Sip, On the Rocks and the Casino bar.

 

Although the Red Room isn’t massive it holds a lot more than 200, I would estimate 400-500. Did you try for walk up at the shows? The Manor holds less for caberet but can be possible to find odd spaces and some shows aren’t ticketed at all.

 

I’ve never experienced robotic service at Test Kitchen, all our servers were friendly and wanted to chat. The B menu (salmon, lamb etc) isn’t as good as A (mushroom, pea, veal) but was worth trying.

 

why do you need fresh towels in the evening? Do you change them twice a day st home? If that’s a big deal there is a button on the tablet and app. But I’m fine in all hotels to just get my room straightened once a day and towels changed every few days.

I found all but the beer bar and  not a beer drinker. Think he wants a lounge like celebrity or Azamara or Oceania. 
 

unless one is in hot tub and wants to shower with a dry towel one does not need more towels. I had plenty  extras as inasked day one.

 

the only meal I had that was served to fast And not hot enough was at the Korean BBQ. Not sure why when food was cooked it was not served and all six were served at once. And the pancake was cold . Else I liked all my meals