Sneak Peek aboard Scarlet Lady
Virgin Voyages highly anticipated first ship is finally here and we were lucky enough to be some of the first people to get a Sneak Peek at the stunning Scarlet Lady. Dover was the first UK port on its "World Tour" before heading up to Liverpool - should you wish to go down to the dock and get a few pictures of her in Mersey.
She then embarks on a voyage to New York & finally on to Miami, where she is to be named on the 28 March 2020, before commencing on her four and five night Caribbean & Bahamas itineraries.
First Impression - More than just a Gimmick
Upon arrival in Dover it was hard to gauge what to expect from Scarlet Lady as the wet and windy conditions really didn't help set the scene - I mean its not the sunny shores and clear blue skies of Miami or the Caribbean where she will be calling home.
However as soon as we stepped on board and were greeted by a chorus of "Ahoy there Sailor, welcome aboard!", the DJ Booth playing vibrant, upbeat music that all changed.
Scarlet Lady will be offering a host of firsts on the high seas including the first tattoo studio, Squid Ink; the first barbeque venue at sea, Gunbae; "the happening" moments throughout the cruise and the "all gender restrooms". She will also being setting a new standard in the most extraordinary experiences every seen on land or seas including drag queen brunches and a multi-functional show venue designed to allow you to get up close and interact with the entertainment.
If you're a veteran of the cruising world, you might already be thinking it's not for me and all seems very gimmicky, just designed to look good on social media platforms. In a way; its very much on brand for Virgin as they never follow the norm and never shy away from what is the newest and hip trends.
Despite only having a few hours onboard to look around, we are already convinced that Scarlet Lady is more than just gimmicks and that Virgin Voyages has created something completey unique that will appeal to some veteran cruisers and will entice those younger people that have never cruised before.
Let's be clear, Scarlet Lady is not for the fainthearted; she is a loud, vibrant and yoohoo I am over here - if she was a person she would that person who is constantly taking selfies. However saying that, she offers a vibe and atomsphere that we haven't seen or experienced on any other ship, with a unique combination of hip hotels, cultural experiences and laid back resort.
So who will she appeal to, afterall the all-inclusive dining, WiFi, drinks (only coffee, tea and water) and gratuities don't exactly come cheap. It looks highly unlikely that Virgin Voyages are going to offers any sort of drinks package that can be purchased. Here is some of our first impressions of the onboard facilities and venues:
A "Foodies" Heaven
Gone are the traditional main dining venues, where you are convened into set dining times every evening. Scarlet Lady has no less that 20 different dining venues, each offering its own opening hours, guests have even more freedom and flexibility to eat what they want, when they want all included in the cost of your voyage.
Each venue has it's own unique vibe and atomsphere all with exquisitely made dishes that will put those "Foodies" in heaven every time. There is even an onboard Foodie, who will randomly pop up around the ship to give you expert guidance on the best dishes to have onboard - they have tried every single dish and drink from every venue.
Due to the time constrains, we were only able to see a handful of the dining venues onboard but here are some of the ones we saw and have to say we loved the concepts available:
Gunbae - Korean BBQ
One of favourite venues on board, which we can definitely see being a huge hit with guests. Gunbae (the Korean for Cheers) is based around a Teppanyaki theme with communal tables to encourage guests to interact with each other and the crew, it begins with a simple ice breaking drinking game (should you wish to partake), followed by cooking on a BBQ hot plate in the centre on the table making it a fun atomsphere with a tantisiling food taste.
Razzle Dazzle - All-Vegetarian Dining
Scarlet Lady's and Virgin Voyages unique all-vegetarian dining venue. The vibrant colour which very much leads to the name "Razzle Dazzle" and food hall style tables that follows the theme of most onboard dining venues on making dining a more fun and inclusive experience.
Open for all main meal times the carefully curated vegetarian menu's offer tasty dishes, plus the option to "meat it up" for those that want a little extra meat, ensures that everyone is catered for. If you are looking for a truely unique experience then the drag queen brunch promises to add even more "Razzle Dazzle" to your meal.
The Wake - Steak & Seafood
The Steak and Seafood eatery with a menu inspired and designed by chef Brad Farmerie. As the name suggests its located at the back on the ship with views of the wake.
This stylish venue offers a bright colour palette and a sophisticated dining experience and is probably the closest thing that Virgin Voyages offer to a traditional dining option with tables available for couples and those that still want to share with others.
Day-to-Night Rooms
As Virgin as you can get the Day-to-Nights rooms (or Cabins if you are veteran cruiser) are a concept unique to themselves aboard Scarlet Lady. With a setup to allow its guests to make the most of their room during the day when the beds are converted in to an L-shaped sofa.
With a simply, clean, modern yet not in your face look, which is very much on a par with urban boutique hotels, it works perfectly to create a comfortable area to lounge in by day - especially when you have the sea terrace doors open and the warm Caribbean breeze is blowing in from outside.
We loved the hammocks on the sea terraces and can totally see them becoming the ideal place to switch off with a good book away from the hussle and bussle of the rest of the ship.
There are a few little kinks such as it is a tight squeeze round the end of the bed when they are together at night, limited storage in and around the bed area, the bathrooms being again on the tight side - having said this the rain showerheads & swing-both-ways glass doors are a great little touch. Apart from this I can see the setup working well and becoming the perfect sancutary for all her guests onboard - more importantly we can see it appealing to a whole new set of sailors!
The "Rock Star" Suites
The Virign "Rock Star" treatment is well and truely back with a bang in the stunning oppulent suites. All located on the top at the front of the ship they offer a new level of cruising in a suite around the Caribbean. We were lucky to see the top 3 suites - the Gorgeous, Fab & Massive suites. Each offered a spacious lounge area with turntable and vinyl collection, master bedrooms and ensuite facilities with seperate toliet and walkin rain "peakaboo" shower with one way privacy glass where your other half can see in from the master bedroom.
The 2 Massive Suites at the front of the ship are even more spacious with their own walk-in wardrobe area, seperate ensuite facilites with tubs and walk-in showers tucked quietly behind the master bedroom, the huge outdoor terrace area with 2 hot tubs and dining table (in fact it's the only place you can get in room dining onboard), guitar room and spacious lounge area.
Leaving plenty of room for you to entertain fellow guests and party in to the small hours of the morning. It did have a very Las Vegas style feel to it with lavish furnishing and decor.
Each suite includes a RockStar roadie on hand for you every want and desire you may have - mind you the price may make it well outside of many guests reach with the Massive Suite on a 3 nights sneak-a-peek sailings starting from $24k per person, putting it on par with Celebrity Cruises Villa Concept (where you do get alot more space for what you pay)
All about the Banging Nightlife
As Virgin Voyages CEO Tom McAlpin describes the nightclub, The Manor as "the best %$@#! nightclub at sea," and based on those we spoke to who had been for the preview nights - we have no doubt he is telling the truth!
The Manor itself is over two floors, accessed by what Richard calls "the most Instagramable place onboard" light-filled corridor, you enter to the main dance floor with a booming sounds and an incredible light show - you can definitely see it as somewhere Mark Ronson would keep you dancing until the early hours of the morning, especially if Virgin is able to fill Scarlet Lady with the guests they are catering towards.
The Red Room (main theatre area) is like nothing found on any other ship before, a fully customisable space with moveable bleacher like seats allowing guests to feel like they are part of the show. It's truely bold, daring and unique!
Where is the Pool?
As the wet and windy weather stuck around for our visit we hardly ventured outside, but we did manage to find the pool - which did leave us wondering if that was it as compared to the relative size of the ship it was a tad on the small side.
With it being no more that a plunge pool with sloped ends, it's more about having a quick cool down before relaxing in the sunshine again, rather than actually being used for swimming in - behind this is the other main plunge pool onboard with jacuzzi's surrounding it.
This may be an oversight to many regular cruisers but we completely understand the reasoning behind it. With Virgin Voyages going after a certain guest type that are more likely to lounge round the pool than be in it, the itineraries have more time in port than more most other cruise lines and the multitude of activity based facilities onboard - including the out door workout areas, running circuit - we can hardly seeing many guests actually "swimming" in the pool.
It wouldn't surprise us that this area is utilized on those Caribbean evenings as an outdoor nightclub area.
A perfect fit for the "Not Cruised Yet"
Put aside all the loud glitz and look at me over here parts of the ship, Scarlet Lady is definitely like no ship we have seen before. Some may say that Virgin's refusal to use traditional cruise terminology goes against the grain.
But that is the Virgin way of doing things like they alway have - to be honest we kind of like it as it opens the door to a wider audience who may not have contemplated or have been put off by a cruise (or voyage) before.
It's definitely not going to to appeal to everyone but Virgin don't care - when has Richard ever been know for following what everyone else does and Virgin Voyages have clearly stated that it doesn't want to appeal to the masses.
We love the differences and unique features that Scarlet Lady offers to all types of guests from the older "younger at heart" guests to the "cruising is just for old people" crowd.
In fact one of favour features is that all the gym classes are complimentary, however there is a $5 penalty charge should you cancel or not turn up which is then donated to an ocean charity - a fantastic way to get guests active and go against the norm!
But will it work? We firmly believe it will! It may take a little while to bed in and to get over the novelty of being different and new but Scarlet Lady, her sister ship - Valiant Lady and Virgin Voyages will find their place in the market and we are sure will have a strong, loyal following.
Afterall, just like when Disney entered the cruising world, Virgin Voyages is daring to be different, break the mold and shake things up - like every industry needs every now and then!
We think she might be the perfect ship to encourage the "Not Cruised Yet" crowd and ulitmately having Virgin Voyages will have a positive effect on the cruising market overall.
