A little nervous about a cruise on Virgin

[Universe93B]

I will be going on a cruise with my wife on the Scarlet Lady at the end of July - have been on so many other cruise lines.  But I'm nervous about Virgin cruises being "party-only" type due to the no kids atmosphere?  I know people on here ask all the time on "what to expect other than no kids" on VV.  See, I've given up alcohol recently due to health reasons and I can't say it's been easy.  But overall, I feel better in health/energy. 

 

I think Virgin has the Heineken 0.0 beer at all the bars so I usually get that.  All of my other cruises have been full of kids and so I've always been busy with that and their activities.  Are there things to enjoy on VV other than drinking at the different bars all day?  Is it a good laid-back atmosphere where I can relax with my wife and perhaps other couples as well?  Those 3-day Carnival cruises Fri-Sun when I was like 19-20 y/o where alcohol flows like water and people are partying all night keeps popping in my head! 

[CineGraphic]

You have nothing to worry about.

There's a ton of non-party things to do, and making friends on board is very easy.

[Cloud9 Bob]

 

Once you've been on TSL, you'll get a good chuckle while thinking "What was I nervous about?"

 

It may actually be the most "sane" ship you've ever been on...except maybe for the late Scarlet Night pool party! 

[hoklun]

Went on Valiant mid-April and it wasn't very drunk party at all! Dock/Dock house was relaxing to hang out if you get a lounger, board/card games by the arcade, or deck above the pool deck with swings/private couch things with the numbers.

 

It was slightly odd, as when I did want a drink, there weren't as many servers serving drinks on outside upper decks compared to Royal/Celebrity/NCL (I.e. pool or near mid/back upper deck). I also found the bars kinda just meh tbh, Sip was nice - but limited seating and lighting was too bright. The overall bar setups, didn't seem condusive to sitting around but moreso grabbing a drink to bring somewhere else.

 

Crowd was the most diverse crowd I've been on a cruise before (in a good way). Fellow sailors also seemed way more considerate and quiet compared to other lines (hardly any cabin noise late night or early mornings on deck 11). Soda being included was also nice.

[cantgetin]

The only cabin issues we've had from neighbors has been smoking on balconies...both tobacco and pot.  Others have reported it on this cruise as well, but security seems unable or unwilling to do anything despite smoking on balconies being the leading cause of ship fires.

[Travel-and-See]

The "Adults Only" just means kids aren't allowed - the vibe on the ship is very relaxed and actually is quieter than other ships in my experience because there isn't a large, central atrium. There are lots of places to relax.   

 

The bars are just like any other cruise ship, they are around but will happily serve you a non-alcoholic drink. 

 

If you go to test kitchen and you have money on your beverage package - try the Zero Proof Cocktail pairings... they are excellent! 

 

I will echo the above complaint though... I have had issues with smelling pot from my balcony as well. 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Travel-and-See

[lisabucsfan1]

Echo everything everyone else said. I've sailed 3 times on The Scarlett Lady and have 2 more cruises booked with a prepaid deposit sitting there for the future.

[Roneill76]

Not having a drink package really affects how "Party" and "Drunk" the ship gets. It's actually pretty relaxed. I dont drink and I had a blast

 

[cantgetin]

I also like the "bar tab" concept rather than the drink package.  First, because we drink very little, a drink package was never a good financial choice for us, but a bar tab lets us share and enjoy.  Secondly, because there are no people on board trying to max out the daily limit on their drink package.  I've encountered one "ugly drunk" on my current cruise, and none on my previous cruise.

[annmarz]

We found the passengers on our recent Scarlet Lady cruise (1st time on Virgin) to be happy, friendly, polite,  and having a great time without being boorish or rude at all.  This is probably the only of my 42 cruises where I can honestly say I didn't encounter at least one jerk!  I smelled no smoke anywhere but we were in the second last aft Sea Terrace cabin.  But I did not find the ship to be quiet. In fact this was one of my few negatives - music playing everywhere all the time, sometimes way too loudly.  The outside areas, especially on Deck 7 were quieter, but we generally don't like to sit in the sun much. I was longing for a "Sanctuary," ala Royal Carribbean, or the Observation lounge at the top of the newest Norwegian ships at times.  Our cabin, however, was blissfully quiet.

Edited May 4, 2023 by annmarz

[lisabucsfan1]

14 hours ago, annmarz said:

 I was longing for a "Sanctuary," ala Royal Carribbean, or the Observation lounge at the top of the newest Norwegian ships at times.  

 

Did you happen to go up to deck 16? You have to chase the shade a bit, but it's nice and quiet and some good shady spots, depending upon the time of day.
Deck 15, immediately under 16 at the back of the boat, is also quite shady. 

[cantgetin]

I concur, there are good areas on deck 16 and on deck 7 to "hang out" in peace.  The front of deck 16 by the net is almost always empty....or has been on this cruise.

[leisuretraveler223]

Every bar SHOULD have Heineken 0.0.  But in our experience, the bars SUCKED at restocking. It wasn't that the ship was out of something, but every bar we went to was constantly out of various things.

 

As for the party atmosphere, yeah, that's what it is.  Also note that it's basically a sex cruise.  People are constantly trying to pretty much hump anything that moves. Like getting hit on by guys, girls, couples, every time you speak a word? Then this is the cruise for you.

 

Oh, and the ship has all the aesthetic appeal of a 1960s office building to boot!

[gentscruising]

12 minutes ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

Every bar SHOULD have Heineken 0.0.  But in our experience, the bars SUCKED at restocking. It wasn't that the ship was out of something, but every bar we went to was constantly out of various things.

 

As for the party atmosphere, yeah, that's what it is.  Also note that it's basically a sex cruise.  People are constantly trying to pretty much hump anything that moves. Like getting hit on by guys, girls, couples, every time you speak a word? Then this is the cruise for you.

 

Oh, and the ship has all the aesthetic appeal of a 1960s office building to boot!

This was not our experience at all! Never once were my husband or I hit on! We had a wonderful time and truly enjoyed the people we met!

[rebeccac]

It's obvious (from several posts) that somebody really HATED Virgin.  Personally, I enjoyed myself on Scarlet Lady and will be back on Virgin again, but I will also still cruise other lines.  Luckily, there are cruise lines to fit every person.  Some of us like all of them for different reasons, but if you find that one line that works for you stick with that.  

[Travel-and-See]

4 hours ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

As for the party atmosphere, yeah, that's what it is.  Also note that it's basically a sex cruise.  People are constantly trying to pretty much hump anything that moves. Like getting hit on by guys, girls, couples, every time you speak a word? Then this is the cruise for you.

Definitely not my experience at all on multiple Virgin Cruises. I will say the shorter 4-night Virgin Cruise had a more party atmosphere than the longer trips, but I think that's true for any cruise line. 

[AdoraBelle]

5 hours ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

As for the party atmosphere, yeah, that's what it is.  Also note that it's basically a sex cruise.  People are constantly trying to pretty much hump anything that moves. Like getting hit on by guys, girls, couples, every time you speak a word? Then this is the cruise for you.

Lol no. 
 

You clearly have an interesting grudge thing going on here with VV (is it because they knocked RC out of the honored cruise critic award spot?), but I’ve sailed four times and what you’re describing is just not a thing. 

[Back to school]

5 hours ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

Every bar SHOULD have Heineken 0.0.  But in our experience, the bars SUCKED at restocking. It wasn't that the ship was out of something, but every bar we went to was constantly out of various things.

 

As for the party atmosphere, yeah, that's what it is.  Also note that it's basically a sex cruise.  People are constantly trying to pretty much hump anything that moves. Like getting hit on by guys, girls, couples, every time you speak a word? Then this is the cruise for you.

 

Oh, and the ship has all the aesthetic appeal of a 1960s office building to boot!

Not even close!  Fool.

[AmyJA]

Geeze LT!  Ain't there always one in the bunch people?

 

Anyway OP. Much of what was posted earlier is what I found. Except the smoking.

 

I was on a six day beginning of April and I had a wonderful time. Also just like you I was nervous before hand. But I met a lot of wonderful people, played cards with strangers, played speed jigsaw puzzle, colored, played old video games from my younger years (and they were free), walked around the whole ship doing a art hunt and ate a bunch of wonderful food. Take a look at the schedule of things to do on the app for cruises before yours to get an idea of what is offered.

 

Just watch out for that red hammock!  I could have stayed in that thing all cruise.

[cantgetin]

29 nights on VV ships so far....no issues with "party atmosphere."  Yes, there are late night parties if that's what you are looking for, but we were in bed before they started. There was plenty to do...and we certainly never found it to be a "sex ship."  The average age on VV cruises as of 12/31/22 was 47 with. a range of 18-90s.  VV seems to keep most of them happy.

[annmarz]

my 64 year old male partner was "hit on" several times and it creeped him out.  Definitely affected his opinion of Virgin (our first time on this line).  I, on the other hand, enjoyed the cruise, with a few disappointments regarding service, food, etc. However I have now been on 42 cruises and have never had a "perfect" experience.  I prefer to roll with it and be glad I am lucky enough to even be on a cruise!

 

P. S. I didn't know the arcade games were free!  Sigh.

[leisuretraveler223]

20 hours ago, AdoraBelle said:

is it because they knocked RC out of the honored cruise critic award spot?

 

I can't believe someone actually typed this sentence like it's a thing.  "cruise critic award spot"?  Seriously, what even is that?  Talk about a homer....

[leisuretraveler223]

20 hours ago, Back to school said:

Not even close!  Fool.

 

Did I strike a nerve?  Here is what I experienced:

 

On The Rocks Bar: Out of Bombay Sapphire the entire cruise. Every other bar had it, so it's not like it wasn't on board

 

Pool Bar: 1:00 on the port day, still very quiet on board. Asked for one of the vodka seltzers.  Was told "yeah, everybody was drinking those yesterday! We haven't restocked yet".  Really?  It's a quiet port day, you know they're all coming back, right?  

 

Sip, the Champagne Bar- here was the winner:  They wouldn't serve me a glass of Dom Perignon.  He said "only by the bottle".  I showed him the menu that listed a by the glass price.  His response, "I just boarded yesterday, I need to check with my beverage manager about that".  I asked again the next two days and got the same response and finally gave up.

 

Casino Bar: Out of Woodford Reserve the entire cruise.

 

[AdoraBelle]

49 minutes ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

 

I can't believe someone actually typed this sentence like it's a thing.  "cruise critic award spot"?  Seriously, what even is that?  Talk about a homer....

 

Haha. Okay. 

What's your favorite cruise line?

[leisuretraveler223]

14 minutes ago, AdoraBelle said:

What's your favorite cruise line?

 

I don't know if I have a single favorite. Honestly, other than Virgin, which is a unique product, I find most mass market cruise lines to be more similar than different.  I've done a lot of Royal, Celebrity, Norwegian. But am warming up to MSC.  Cunard was nice for TA, but I haven't done any other trips on it.  Really want to try some of the smaller ships too.

 

I know people are getting defensive and think I'm dumping on VV. It's just my honest impression that there were a lot of things I found really disappointing.