In this post we will review the overall pros and cons of Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady. I will perfecit this to state that this is an adults only cruise that my husband and I took. We are not drinkers and even with research felt there would be enough at sea entertainment. This review is from our points of view on the only fully adults only cruise line at sea.
Our cruise was a 5-night Dominican Daze cruise, with a sea terrace room, and our port stops were in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and Bimini, Bahamas. The overall layout of the ship wasn’t bad, easy to understand as most of the main areas (other than the rooms) were kept within 3 floors that were stacked over each other, and then you had the top pool deck/lounge areas up top. I was worried with the layout before boarding due to the fact that the primary part of the ship seemed narrow compared to other cruise lines, but they definitely use all of the space. The casino floor was smaller than other cruise lines and it was packed almost every night. The shows were different than what we had ever been exposed to and we are not necessarily new to modern or interpretive productions. Our absolute favorite show was Duel Reality – a contemporary and acrobatic take on the famous Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story. So, which are you – team Montagues or team Capulets? Don’t forget to bring your theme part clothes! The 90’s party, pajama party and my favorite is red night.
The excursion selections were phenomenal, we typically love to snorkel but switched it up at one port stop and hiked up a hillside to go jumping and sliding down waterfalls. Don’t let that fool you, the snorkeling wasn’t your average snorkeling. We went snorkeling with SHARKS! My poor husband is petrified of sharks, but I was so excited that I was the first to jump off the boat and almost the last one back on. Be advised, if you look into doing a similar excursion down the road the locals say it’s a ‘look, don’t touch’ rule. Do your research beforehand too to know what to do or what not to do. Our guides were amazing and went over important rules and suggestions that even the other guests advised they had not thought about. At the bottom of this post is a video reel that I have shared on my other social platforms with just a few snippets of our snorkeling excursion which went to two sites and the first one is an old half-sunken WWII cargo ship. If you’re interested in the history of the amazing ship, look up the SS Sapona.
Overall, it was a beautiful ship. There was always something to do on the ship, but the primary form of entertainment were fitness classes. Which I’m not complaining about, but we were definitely hoping for more daytime options during the at sea days. The biggest piece of advice is to make sure to use the app religiously and book your dining reservations, shows and classes as soon as you can. Everything fills up fast, and while there is the option to see if there is walk-in availability the times may not be until much later in the night. There is no main dining hall, but the buffet area (it is not referred to as a buffet per the cruise line but is easiest to reference here) has plenty of options and rotates the menus daily. The food is all really good and I loved all of the options. I will say that if you are trying the Test Kitchen is… interesting. If you have a limited pallet, you will not want to try this restaurant. A big thing that we loved was the onboard tattoo parlor – Squid Ink! They have a base fee, a few quick pick selections but will do custom. My husband and I both got a custom tattoo. We were able to wear protective wear over them while on the ship and still do everything we wanted to do such as swimming, sunbathing, etc. If you get yours soon enough you will be able to have it cleaned and treatment re-applied before you disembark.
Finally, the full list of pros and cons. I try my best to develop an even number of items so that it will give you a rounded-out view of the ship and in attempt to limit bias – let’s be honest that doesn’t happen since its all feedback from our perspective.
| Pros | Cons |
| Quiet – no kids running around or screaming anywhere | Shows were a hit or miss |
| Daybeds around pool & they didn’t cost extra | Shows required bookings but some of them ended up just as a first come first serve |
| Buffet variety was great | Couldn’t get into dining reservations – a must do as soon as boarding |
| Onboard credit deals are really good – with the right travel agent helping you [wink wink] | No main dining hall |
| Sea terrace rooms are great and hammock is a hit. A great place to just *hang* out | Other than fitness classes, there was little to no daytime entertainment |
| Minimal doors on closets – better use of space | Small casino |
| Fresh scooped ice cream unlimited and quality waffle cones – no soft serve | Some meals would have too many flavors and some not enough – menu could use some refinement |
| Bracelet key/card instead of typical lanyards | Speciality restaruants fill up fast with no room to take walk-ins unless willing to wait until late at night |
| Speciality restaurants didn’t cost extra | Extra charges for certain onboard events such as whiskey tasting, food assembly and photo, etc |
| Room electronics can be controlled by remote tablet | No communication prior to expected poor weather conditions (this can be a hit or miss since many dislike announcements) |
| Room service in sealed bag and stackable dishware – less messy and stays to temperature longer | Some rooms/locations weren’t listed on the elevator signs – had to reference app |
| No photography during dress up events – I liked not having to worry about this | No photography during dress up events – some people really rely on others to take their photos for memories. There were zero photographers around the ship |
| Didn’t have to check out towels – all on the good faith system | Small pools and limited hot tubs |
| Great store selections – everything you want or need especially if you forget any toiletries | Sailor loot and bar tab aren’t and cannot be combined – anything left over on bar tab is gone |
| Solo traveler cabins – saves you from having to pay for double occupancy for just one person | App is used for most everything but still has lots of bugs to workout |
kpgetaways.com 