Review: What it’s like sailing on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady cruise ship in 2025
What’s it like sailing on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady cruise ship? Come along with us and find out.
Did you know Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady cruise ship underwent a series of refreshes in the fall of 2024?
Photos by Jenna Clark
I recently had the opportunity to embark on a six-night cruise following the Western Caribbean Charm itinerary. This was my first time sailing on a ship and a Virgin Voyages cruise. Learning about the ship updates — including the new Chinese-inspired culinary concept Lucky Lotus by Razzle Dazzle, additional Seriously Suites, new VIP poolside cabanas, and a swanky update to the pre-existing Grounds Club, Too (to name a few) — left me looking forward to seeing them for myself.
Cruise check-in on the Scarlet Lady
Once I arrived at PortMiami Terminal V, I was ready to embark on the ship and get comfortable in my Sea Terrace Cabin.
Despite not staying in a RockStar Suite, I was provided (as a member of the media) with the RockStar perks included for sailors who reserve RockStar Suites, including premium Wi-Fi; a black wristband (as opposed to red), which provided priority access to shows; access to Richard’s Rooftop bar on deck 16; and early boarding.
I was thoroughly impressed by how smooth the check-in process was. My wristband essentially expedited my check-in process so I could head straight to my room.
Staterooms onboard the Scarlet Lady
I was assigned a Sea Cabin Suite on the ship’s “Deck 10” level. I was apprehensive about the cabin size before my voyage, but was pleasantly surprised by its spaciousness (minus the bathroom, which was expectedly small). I particularly liked that there was turn-down service daily and that the cabin was restocked with fresh water.
As the name suggests, this room type features a balcony overlooking the sea. I spent a lot of time outside enjoying the views from the hammock and was even able to get some work done using the adjacent miniature coffee table and chairs.
Entertainment
From thematic nightly dance parties to drag shows and a plethora of music and comedy shows, there is no shortage of entertainment on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady cruise ship.
Considering that the weather was not in our favor for most of the voyage, the “Happenings Cast” (the ship’s entertainment department) went above and beyond to ensure sailors were engaged and had a great time.
Although I enjoyed “Bingo with the Diva” and “Dual Reality,” the ship’s Scarlet Night offering was my favorite. I was happy I packed my red dress as most other sailors had come prepared with their best red attire. Since it was raining, the party was moved inside with activations such as a photo booth and a DJ along decks 6 and 7 before concluding with a show at 10 p.m. that featured a special performance at The Red Room.
That said, most of the entertainment took place in The Red Room and The Manor venues and was available on a first-come, first-serve basis. I’d advise arriving to each event at least 30 minutes in advance to secure a seat if you don’t have a black wristband.
All-inclusive dining on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady
As is the case with many other cruise ships, the essential food and drink are included with your booking on the Scarlet Lady. The ship has many table-service and quick-service restaurants and eateries.
Although the team at one of the restaurants can sometimes grant walk-ups upon availability, I highly recommend making your dining reservations before you board the ship (45 days for sailors and 60 days for Mega RockStars and RockStars), as the restaurants were very popular with some not able to offer same-day reservation ability.
Since I don’t drink alcohol, I did not purchase any beverages while on board the Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady cruise ship, but they were readily available for any sailors who wanted them.
Extra Virgin
The line to get into Extra Virgin was super long, and for good reason. This was my favorite meal of the cruise. As far as food goes, this restaurant offers high-quality Italian cuisine. I’d recommend sharing appetizers with your party before your mains. The restaurant can also serve half-portions of menu items, which is a bonus if you’d like to try more than one pasta dish (I recommend the gnocchi and bucatini) and a secondi such as the eggplant parmigiana.
Pink Agave
Pink Agave offers an array of small, medium, and large plates of Mexican cuisine. My favorite items were the guacamole and enchilada de pollo. I’d recommend sharing a couple of small plates with your party and then selecting one or two of the medium or large plates as your main. And, don’t forget to save room for dessert — the chocolate tacos were delicious.
The Wake
The Wake offers sailors an elevated steakhouse experience in a restaurant offering some beautiful water views. Although I don’t eat steak, I thoroughly enjoyed the polenta and Baked Alaska.
Razzle Dazzle
I was very much looking forward to trying the new dining concept at Lucky Lotus by Razzle Dazzle for dinner. This restaurant offers Chinese-inspired cuisine with offerings from dumplings to pineapple shrimp fried rice and grilled ribeye. I thought the food at this restaurant was good, but it was really the ambiance that would have me coming back for more on a future cruise.
Other Eateries
Some of the other fast-casual eateries and snack shops on the ship include:
- Lick Me Till…Ice Cream
- The Dock House
- The Dock
- The Pizza Place
- The Galley
- The Social Club
I’d recommend eating breakfast and/or lunch at The Galley, and then snacking at some of the other fast-casual eateries throughout the day before attending a sit-down dinner at one of the restaurants.
Shore Things
When you book a cruise on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, you can reserve some excursions at the visited port destinations (for an additional cost). Although my “Shore Things” activity was canceled in Roatán, Honduras, I had a wonderful time participating in the other reserved activities in Costa Maya, Mexico, and Bimini.
Tour of Chacchoben Mayan Ruins
Starting at $100, you can reserve a four-hour excursion which includes a tour of the Chacchoben Mayan ruins. As someone who had never traveled to any of the port destinations before, I appreciated the direct guidance from the moment I went ashore to the moment I re-boarded the ship.
To entertain tour attendees during the nearly hour-long bus ride to Chacchoben, the tour guide provided fun facts and distributed fact sheets for the group to read.
Once at the site, I stayed with the group (which wasn’t difficult to do thanks to the whistle and umbrella). Even though it rained about 10 minutes into the hour or so-long tour, our tour guide was professional and ensured it was safe to continue. I learned a great deal and appreciated the picture-taking time allotted.
The Beach Club
Virgin Voyages offers sailors a private beach club, The Beach Club at Bimini, located only a short golfcart ride from the pier. As is the case with the ship, the essential food and drinks are included.
In addition to beach access (along with beach chairs and other loungers), this beach club features a pool area with a DJ, games, and several bar areas.
Sailors staying in the RockStar Suites have additional perks when it comes to this beach club, including a private golfcart transfer and access to the Rockstar Retreat area, which includes a restaurant-like eatery where diners are served from a menu with offerings such as crispy cassava, Caribbean rice and black beans, and rum cake, to name a few offerings (which happened to be my favorites).
Overall thoughts on a Scarlet Lady cruise vacation with Virgin Voyages
As someone who admittedly did not know much about Virgin Voyages cruise ships before embarking on this one, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my experience. My favorite parts of the ship were the dining experiences and entertainment offerings.
Despite the weather not being the best throughout most of the cruise, I don’t feel as though it detracted from the experience, but made it more memorable. The extra time provided more of an opportunity to appreciate all of the ship’s amenities and get a taste of the more than 20 dining options across the ship.
Whether you’re new to cruising (like me) or a cruise aficionado, there’s something for all adults on this newly updated ship.
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