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For two hours, we could take advantage of Redemption Spa’s steam room, sauna, salt therapy room, mud bath room, hot and cold plunge pools, and heated Turkish marble lounges. Virgin Voyages is pretty gung-ho about its scarlet red hammock on the balconies, but having the hammock hanging down made it feel even smaller for both of us to enjoy the space at the same time. It is a petty complaint, considering we were hardly ever in our suite, but the only time we would be in the hammock was when the other was in the shower. However, its standard rooms won't keep you inside when the real fun is found in the ships' public areas. Virgin claims that 86% of its cabins feature private balconies, and if you can, you want to book one of these. Because nearly every Sea Terrace comes with a sustainably sourced hammock that is extremely comfortable and unusual in the cruise industry — and for us, was the best part of the entire Virgin accommodation experience.
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OSW provides all the wellness staff, services and products onboard Virgin ships, including yoga and gym trainers, massages, medispa treatments, salon (manicure-pedicure-hairdresser) services. The served facilities include Crow's Nest (outdoor yoga studio), Redemption Spa, Dry-Dock (blowout bar), B-Complex (Fitness Center). Expect classy, Vegas pool party vibes at Virgin Voyages' exclusive The Beach Club at Bimini, a destination on most of its voyages. The music is loud, drinks are prominent and the free WiFi around the pool ensures easy access to social media. The music is great and goes beyond standard Top 40 hits and Caribbean beats. Plan to stay later into the night for the sunset bonfire, the perfect way to toast a day in paradise.
What Sort of Entertainment Is There on the Ship?
Virgin Voyages operates a fleet of four fully-owned cruise vessels constructed by the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri SpA (at Sestri Ponente shipyard/Genoa). Entertainment and performance is the star of the show aboard the Scarlet Lady. Live entertainment seemingly pops up around every corner of the ship. That's right, they have a tattoo parlor onboard, Squid Ink, and it's real. Be sure to book ahead as the first and only chance to get your ink at sea fills up fast. In partnership with the Virgin Group, Virgin Voyages is jointly funded by Bain Capital, one of the world’s leading private multi-asset alternative investment firms.
Virgin's private island resort "Bimini Beach Club" (Bahamas)
Above is a round mirror and a shelf holding the room-controlling tablet. The late-night spicy ramen, social atmosphere and fun ports more than made up for any hiccups. Besides the main restaurants, there's the previously mentioned Galley, where you can savor everything from sushi roll bento boxes to 24-hour diner food. It is a hybrid of a grab-and-go and dine-in experience, meaning how you order will vary depending on which station you visit.
Essentially the only things you’ll pay for onboard are alcohol, spa treatments, and gambling. The Galley offers a lot of options, whether you want simple (burger and fries) to more adventurous (sushi, ramen). We especially enjoyed Pink Agave, the upscale Mexican restaurant where everything was phenomenal.
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The "resort experience" also features morning open-air exercises (yoga and meditation), afternoon DJ poolside parties, night beach bonfires and live musical performances. Virgin's private resort is located on North Bimini Island and at a short bus transfer from the docking pier. This is a 750-acres (3 km2 / 1,2 mi2) beachfront resort-casino-marina-hotel complex operated by Genting Group (Malaysia-based multinational corporation). Via the Sailor App (when your phone is shaken), a secret Champagne button allows you to order Moet-Chandon Champagne (Brut Imperial, 750 ml bottle) delivered in an ice bucket and with two glasses.
Virgin Voyages sails three identical ships, with one more on the way by the end of 2023. Cabin categories and design are standard across the fleet, so if you're familiar with one ship, you're familiar with them all. On-island entertainment is available as well, though I can't speak to what happened as the afternoon wore on, as we hit our sun quota by midday. However, rumor has it there was a pool float party that occurred after our departure.
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One passenger complained of having 40 people on his sailing excursion, while a kayaking trip in Antigua had more than 60 guests. We wished we had known how many people were booked on each excursion before selecting, as we would have chosen smaller Experiences. Of the ship’s additional restaurants, we loved Pink Agave’s taste of Mexico through tlayuds, memelas, sopes, tortas, esquites, and tamales, but were less impressed by Test Kitchen. We had decided to make our vacay a week of self-improvement, promising to partake in the ship’s more than 100 free exercise classes.
As far as I'm concerned, cruises are for eating — and Virgin Voyages offers numerous places to dine on Scarlet Lady. Last year, Tom McAlpin, the president and CEO of Virgin Voyages, told TPG's resident cruise expert Gene Sloan that on early sailings of Scarlet Lady, the average passenger age was in the 50s, with plenty on board in their 60s and 70s. Based on my trip, I'd say that is still a pretty accurate representation. The brand's inauguration was rescheduled for August 6, 2021 (Scarlet Lady's Maiden Voyage from Portsmouth England). Valiant Lady's inaugural cruise program was also postponed (Maiden Voyage rescheduled from Nov 14, 2021, to March 18, 2022) and revised. Virgin's Bimini Beach Club overlooks the sea and features a large lagoon-style swimming pool.
As a promo offer, all bookings made by June 30, 2020, received up to USD 500 per person in OBC (onboard credit). A full (100%) monetary refund was optional for cancellations made between May 21-December 31, 2020. In February 2020 was announced "The Band" - smart wearable technology to be introduced on Scarlet Lady (April 1). The device is made from recycled marine plastic (sustainability initiative) and developed via partnership with The Bionic Company. The lightweight device (RFID wristband) is mailed to all passengers and is complimentary (keepsake). Each boat has 86% balcony staterooms and 93% oceanview (outside) cabins.
It features a European king bed facing the floor-to-ceiling glass balcony doors, tall closet wardrobes, a brass vanity, a shelving unit with a turntable and bar setup and a window behind the bed looking into the extra-large shower. The bathroom is spacious with a marble tile look, and the terrace is only slightly larger than a standard one, with the same furnishings. RockStar Suite passengers benefit from complimentary food service, exclusive bar and outdoor terrace lounge, VIP beach cabanas.
Wartsila's "Dynamic Maintenance Planning" system allows maintenance works to be scheduled based on remotely (real-time) monitored and analyzed vessel performance data. This allows extending service intervals (when onboard equipment doesn't require maintenance). One of the cruise ships' features is the advanced clean energy system provided by the Swedish company Climeon Ocean. The new technology allows reducing CO2 emissions by converting the generated by diesel engines' heat into electricity for shipboard use. Each of the newbuilds has 6 such Climeon units, saving ~5400 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
The guests on my sailing were from all walks of life and notably younger. The sold-out cruise featuring 1,400 cabins across 16 decks of Valiant Lady could have turned our vacation into a nightmare – trapped on a smaller cruise ship than, say, Oasis of the Seas, at full capacity worried us. But our fears were for naught because even during our one at-sea day, Valiant Lady never felt crowded.
For 2024, Scarlet Lady will be based in Barcelona (taking the place of Valiant Lady), offering two western Mediterranean itineraries that mostly focus on stops in Spain and France. Overall, the crowd seems to skew younger — and more upscale — than most cruises. The atmosphere — ranging from the vibe on the ship to food to entertainment — definitely caters more to adult tastes. We think who would love the cruise line the most would be a couple from years old celebrating an anniversary, special occasion, or simply wanting a romantic trip away. That, however, also casts too narrow a net as we saw all sorts having a great time. While the ships don’t have buffets, The Galley is a large dining hall with a number of different stalls serving different foods.
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