Last week I went on a very different type of adventure…..an adult only cruise on the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady. I will admit, I was not looking forward to this as most of you know that I am not a beach or tropical vacation person. So, Virgin Voyages had a tall order to win me over once I arrived in Miami at the port! Having only cruised with Disney Cruise Line (on only a million occasions) I had some really high expectations and really wasn’t sure how I would fare during my 5 Night sailing to Mexico and Bimini. While I won’t be able to go over every detail of this cruise in one blog, I hope to touch on several different specific points in later reads.
After a really bumpy arrival at the port, which we will talk about on the Podcast, we were ushered into the check in area for our Covid testing. This cruise requires guests to be fully vaccinated and to do a rapid test on site in order to board. We were quickly tested, checked in, and sent into the waiting area to wait for the results of our tests. Within 15 minutes, our results were received and we were able to board the ship!
Upon boarding, we were greeted by amazingly friendly staff. We went to our respective areas to listen to the muster drill. This was done in super small groups and was a very quick and painless process. After that, we were able to go almost immediately to our room and luggage was received very quickly. So I have to give them lots of points for our arrival process!
Our room was impressive. Completely furnished with the latest tech, with clean lined decor. Everything could essentially be controlled by an iPad, even ordering room service or adjusting the lighting in the room! Although we found the bathroom to be a bit small, the room itself gave us lots of storage space and room to move around. The balcony was roomy and had the famous red hammock….which did not go unused! How relaxing it was to lay in the hammock at sunset! Literally the stuff of vacation dreams.
Unlike Disney, Virgin Voyages does not have rotational dining and highly recommends making restaurant reservations for your nightly dining, unless you would rather take advantage of the quick type meal options throughout the ship. We had a dining reservation each night of our sailing (thanks Lauren), and each was completely different from one another. Virgin prides itself on having a variety of choices all over the ship, all with a healthier approach! We had everything from nearly vegetarian to Korean BBQ, from traditional surf and turf to tapas style Mexican. There was not one meal that disappointed me! But I must admit I did stray twice from the healthier cuisine to have their amazing French Toast Burger. You guys know I can’t resist a burger and this was one of the best I have ever had! A smashed burger with cheese and scrambled eggs served on two huge slices of Brioche French Toast and then drizzled with syrup! So amazing!
Our ports of call were Punta Lagosta Mexico and Virgin’s private Beach Club in Bimini as well as 2 days at sea. On our days at sea, we enjoyed the spa and other activities on the ship. There were tons of diverse activities available. On our day in Mexico, we actually did a day pass to an all-inclusive resort. And at the cruise line’s private Beach Club in Bimini, we enjoyed amazing weather, great food, and pools as well as the ocean.
I just wanted to brush over this trip with you and as I said in the beginning, I plan to really let you in on the details in the coming weeks with more specific articles. I will say that this was not the adult only cruise I expected. This experience was high end and classy. You could easily join folks that love to dance and live it up at the party or you could also have a lot of quiet spaces to chill and relax with friends. I felt this was the perfect mix and you did not feel pressure from wither type of cruise goer. This was also a far more high end experience than I was expecting. The wifi alone was a reason to shout! And not to mention, we could have still and sparkling water delivered to the rooms several times of day and did not have to worry about going to the upper decks to stay hydrated, which I have found in the past to be a concern on some cruise lines.
The ship was stunning with large open spaces for activities, as well as fun quiet corners to chat. We experienced everything from an acrobatic show to high tea and really enjoyed the time. I would most definitely recommend this adult only cruise for anything from a bachelorette/bachelor party to a honeymoon or birthday trip, or heck, even just an excuse to getaway. The pricing is wonderful for the quality and the level of service was really impeccable. You will definitely see me sailing again with Virgin Voyages!
