Hello adventurers! I cannot believe that two months from now that I will be on Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady for her first sailing out of Miami. This is her first sneak peek sailing in the United States. The Private Beach Club at Bimini is the only port during this three night sailing so it will be an all Virgin experience. I have compiled a bunch of information to bring you the complete guide to booking Virgin Voyage’s Scarlet Lady!
A little background on Virgin Voyages
Richard Branson did not want to create a cruise, he wanted to create a voyage. The typical cruise ship is not the type of experience that he was interested in. He wanted to create a ship that he would want to hang out with friends on. Thus, Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady was born. The ship is set to hold 2,700 people across 13 passenger decks and will be an Adults Only ship (18+).
What to Expect
–What is Included in your Voyage? The sailing, gratuities, WiFi (nonstreaming), group fitness classes and basic beverages (water, coffee, tea, juices (not pressed) and soda).
–Events & Gigs: Virgin reached out to a variety of acts to bring a different style of entertainment onboard. You can expect edgy content and boundaries being pushed. I’m expecting wild onboard dancing parties and vibrant theatrical shows. For more behind the scenes, check out this Sneak Peek: https://youtu.be/Cw2Ygy3XZrs
–Food & Beverage: You are not going to find a drink package on these ships which is vastly different than everything else on the market. There will be 6 different main restaurants that rotate for dinner and 20 different eateries onboard that are included in your sailing fee. There will not be any buffets, set dining times or main dining rooms onboard. There will be a 24 hour American style diner option available as well. You won’t find any specialty dining venues onboard. The bars onboard are going to feature different styled cocktails per venue with a focus on hand crafted beverages.
-The Cabins: Virgin is debuting a new style of staterooms onboard. These non suite rooms will feature a convertible sectional style sofa that will double as your bed. The ship is primarily made up of balcony cabins that will feature a hammock on each balcony! The Rock Star Suites are the ultimate luxury experience and come equipped with a suites only area of the ship (Richard’s Rooftop). Cabins will be equipped with a refillable water pitcher to limit plastic waste onboard. The rooms are considered smart rooms with features like lighting controlled by an iPad. As an added bonus, all the showers will feature a rain head shower. Virgin is debuting solo specific cabins as well.
-Wellness Area/Gym with a Twist: The “gym” area of the ship features a mix of indoor and outdoor facilities. The current mock up features large sun beds, pools, hot tubs, a canopy lounger net and even boxing bags! The bar area is said to be called the Gym & Tonic and will feature pressed juices. The Gym is called the B Complex featuring spin, yoga, strength and cardio classes.
-Spa: This venue is styled like an underwater cave. It will feature parties at night where the thermal suite turns into a mermaid hide away.
-Beach Club at Bimini: Cultural spot, off the beaten path beach experience. Virgin Voyages partnered with Resort World Bimini. It is supposed to have an Ibiza style feel. The club will transition from morning yoga to a floatilla style party to beach bonfires!
-First at Sea Experiences: Scarlet Lady will be featuring a lot of unique experiences onboard like a tattoo parlor called Squid Ink. The venue Razzle Dazzle will feature a drag brunch with a live performance from a drag performer that will be on residency. Cocktails to be featured will be the Razzle Dazzle and the Yasss Queen! Test Kitchen is a farm to table cooking class/restaurant combo onboard. There is also going to be a Korean BBQ joint that features a grill in the middle of the table. Each dining venture in this venue will include a free shot and encourages drinking games.
Additional Differences:
-There will not be any drink packages on Virgin Voyages.
-Different Lingo: You are not a cruiser, you are a sailor! There is a variety of lingo changes onboard to prove that you are not on a cruise, you are on a voyage.
-You cannot pick a specific cabin when you book. You are assigned the best available cabin in your category at time of booking.
-93% of the rooms will have an oceanview
-You can opt to have your stateroom cabin bed permanently kept in bed form if you decide. You just have to let your stateroom attendant know.
-Virgin will feature a Record Store onboard.
-All Virgin Voyages will have access to their mobile app. If you shake it, a bottle of champagne will be delivered to your exact location!
-Specialty Coffees, Ice Cream, Spa Treatments, Onboard Cabanas are not complimentary.
-There will be upgraded pricing for streaming style WiFi.
-You can pre purchase Ship Loot in increments of $250 prior to sailing.
Getting Onboard Credit
I’m so thrilled to be part of Virgin’s Influencer Program. By clicking on the link below (this will not cost you anything), you can receive up to $400 in sailor loot (onboard credit) on your next sailing.
You can also use promo code: HALEELOOT
https://virgin-voyages.99ptgw.net/e0K3Q
-$100 for interior/oceanview cabins
-$200 for a sea terrace cabin (balcony)
-$400 for suites
I am so excited to be trying Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady. There will be an updated post on here after I have sailed on her. Make sure you follow me on all social media channels (facebook, instagram, periscope, twitter and snapchat) @haleewithaflair to get live updates while I sail on March 25, 2020. Let me know below what you think of the complete guide to booking Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady!
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