Can Richard Branson‘s Virgin Group work its magic in the cruise area?
We’re lastly ready to discover.
The brand that brought us beloved airlines, trendy hotels, high-speed trains and the guarantee of industrial area travel (even a hyperloop!) is lastly unveiling the first vessel for its long-in-development cruise line, Virgin Trips.
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Called Scarlet Lady, the 2,770- guest, 17- deck-high ship will sail its very first voyage with paying guests on March26 But a few media outlets, consisting of TPG, got an early peek at the vessel in Dover, U.K. on Friday, Feb. 21.
Finished just days back at a shipyard in Italy and on its way to North America, Scarlet Lady will cater to a hipster crowd with everything from what is most likely the very first tattoo parlors at sea to drag-queen brunches and a colorful karaoke lounge
Virgin is going after travelers who might believe themselves too cool to cruise, and it’s assuring to shake things up in the cruise world.
Related: The 8 most amazing brand-new cruise liner of 2020
Can Scarlet Woman perhaps live up to the hype? Here are our first impressions.
In This Post
Inside the common locations
Like numerous other lines in recent years, Virgin Voyages employed designers without any previous cruise market experience to make the interior of the vessel feel more like a hotel than a cruise liner. Virgin desires travelers who may not have thought about a cruise up until now to feel comfy boarding Scarlet Woman (or one of 3 other ships the line has on order).
Nightlife is at the core of the Scarlet Girl experience. Spaces such as the pool deck that are standard hubs for daytime activities have actually been developed to change into vibrant nightspots after sundown.
While numerous ships nowadays have dynamic night scenes– especially the floating megaresorts operated by Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line– Virgin is assuring to take the late-night scene up a notch with Scarlet Girl.
The Manor, located on Deck 7, guarantees to be at the epicenter. Scarlet Woman’s signature bar covers 2 floorings and will host DJ ‘d dance celebrations into the early hours of the early morning. It really does seem like a club you ‘d experience in a city– there are flashing lights, big dancing locations and, of course, a bar.
Related reading: Get a bottle of Champagne delivered by shaking your phone on Virgin Voyages
In the early morning, head to the Athletic Club on Deck16 It integrates the pool and several devoted gym areas. The two swimming pools are a highlight of the top decks, together with a lot of bar areas to go along with it.
There are loads of outside daybeds so you can catch some Caribbean sun, though they weren’t set up for Friday’s windy, Dover weather condition. The Athletic Club is house to the biggest daybed at sea. Unfortunately, because Dover, England, is not rather the same as the Caribbean, much of the outside area on this first look wasn’t quite done. Winds were blowing near to 60 miles per hour, so the outside decoration wasn’t reflective of how it would search a passenger sailing.
You’ll also have the ability to schedule one of 10 cabanas on the deck for a cost if you prefer a little privacy while you sunbathe.
The very first gym area passes the name of B-Complex and is developed for cardio exercises. Especially, gym spaces include individual lockers to secure your personal valuables.
On the other side of B-Complex, you’ll find a more tranquil area, focusing on strength and yoga training.
Lastly, there’s a third fitness center area devoted to strength and conditioning. It’s also where most of personal training classes will take place.
As part of the Athletic Club, sailors will likewise have access to an exterior running track and outdoor fitness center devices, consisting of a boxing ring. It’s uncertain if Scarlet Woman will provide classes and, if so, at what cost.
For travelers not scared of heights, the Athletic Club is likewise where you’ll find a giant netted area for relaxing. You’ll have the ability to take a look at the goings-on below from above, as if you’re on a catamaran. This was also not set up in time for this first look, so it wasn’t available for a photo.
Deck 16 is also house to Richard’s Rooftop (you can just guess who it’s called after). While not technically a common location, as its use is reserved for travelers booked in a suite cabin, it includes a bar and dedicated lounge locations.
After all that exercise and sun, retreat to the day spa on Deck 5. There’s a hydrotherapy pool, mud room, salt space and a variety of health club treatment rooms.
Unlike with dining (we’ll get to that in a minute) the medspa treatments aren’t totally free on board Scarlet Lady. You’ll have to spend for private treatments. For instance, a Redemption Swedish Massage will cost you $155 for 50 minutes or $225 for 75 minutes. A Rejuvenating Technology Facial will run you $199 for 50 minutes.
There are some beautiful areas inside the health club that are an emphasize on sea days.
Given that announcing Scarlet Girl’s features, the most attention-grabbing venue has been the onboard tattoo studio. Promoted as the first-ever real tattoo studio at sea, Squid Ink has irreversible tattoo artists who will deck out passengers with custom-made tattoos, a variety of piercings and irreversible makeup.
There’s a sheet of paper with some custom Virgin Trips designs– all of which expense $150 If you have something else in mind, it’s possible to get it done with a consultation for a higher charge.
I consulted with among the tattoo artists on board the Scarlet Girl who told me that, in between the ship’s shipment in Genoa, Italy, to Dover, the studio had actually done more than a lots tattoos. On Friday’s sneak peek, a number of people got brand-new ink.
Located best beside the tattoo store is the guys’s barbershop, which uses sailors a fresh shave and hair cut– for an extra cost.
In terms of watering holes, you can experience the Draught Haus, described as a “beer connoisseur-approved local taproom with curated drafts.”
There’s likewise Sip, which is an emphasize for Champagne lovers.
There’s likewise lots of seating in the typical areas, so you’ll never ever be searching for place to sit and mingle.
Like with many big cruise liner, you can expect the standard offering of a casino, which wasn’t available during our stay in Dover. It seemed, however, to include all the conventional components: slots, table games and a bar.
There’s also an unconventional take on a theater, which can be changed to fit Scarlet Lady’s entertainment alternatives, which exceed normal Broadway reveals at sea. It’s called The Red Space.
Lastly, there’s the shopping. It’s called High Street, and is house to a number of stores, though we weren’t able to get a great look, as whatever remained closed while we were in port at Dover. The one obvious shop accommodated Virgin Voyages-branded merchandise, and more specifically, Scarlet Lady-themed equipment.
Dining establishments and bars
Virgin Voyages is taking a page from the playbooks of big-ship lines such as Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises in packing up its ships with great deals of signature dining. The line is touting 20 different restaurants and bars across Scarlet Woman.
The days of cruise ships just offering a primary dining space with fixed seating and one or 2 alternative “specialty” dining establishments are long gone, of course.
Virgin likewise is going “complete Norwegian” in its lack of gown codes at onboard restaurants (or anywhere else on board, for that matter) and flexible dining format– Norwegian being the line that years ago created the “freestyle dining” concept of consuming whenever you desire and with whomever you want on a ship.
All meals throughout Scarlet Woman are consisted of in the fare– a high end touch generally just seen on higher-end lines You can check out Pink Agave, the upscale Mexican dining establishment on Deck 5 on one night and order a pie at The Pizza Location, situated on Deck 7 the next, and not pay a cent more than you’ve currently set out in advance of cruising.
That said, the majority of the dining establishments on board have a “reward yourself” option. That indicates including something a bit more unique to your meal for a charge. For example, in Pink Agave, the Mexican restaurant, you can buy the Pescado Sarandeadoo, a dish witht achiote halibut, lobster, grilled huge prawn and bay scallops for $30 Or, in Virgin Extra, the Italian restaurant, you can elect to add truffle to your meal.
A few of the highlights consist of Gunbae, which serves Korean food and includes flameless grills at each table and is located on Deck 15.
In true Virgin Voyages fashion, on each of the tables was a food and beverage menu, together with a list of drinking video games. There were no costs in addition to the beverages.
You’ll also find Test Cooking area on Deck 6, where travelers can choose their ingredients from a laboratory-like setting.
The chef then integrates your options into a last dish. If you’re interested in activities while at sea, the Test Cooking area will likewise host cooking and mixology classes, among other occasions.
The Dock on Deck 7 is a relaxed, casual area, which is more of a lounge than anything else. There’s a lot of seating in a light, nautical and airy setting.
Likewise near the dock is a diner-style venue that serves milkshakes. It’s surrounded by video games like shuffleboard and air hockey to keep guests inhabited on days where it may be rainy.
The largest restaurant on board the Scarlet Lady is called The Wake, and is Virgin’s response to a dining room, giving travelers a view of (you guessed it) the ship’s wake. Here, you’ll be able to have breakfast, lunch and supper. In the evening for dinner service, it specializes as a steakhouse and raw bar. A cocktail cart will make the rounds to all tables.
If you’re vegan or vegetarian, there’s an unique eatery on board the Scarlet Girl just for you. It passes the name Razzle Dazzle and is among the most visually attractive (and Instagram-worthy) areas on the ship.
Not just can you opt for vegan and vegetarian dishes, but the space also serves up alcoholic (and nonalcoholic) smoothies. It will host a drag show brunch during the day.
Speaking of Instagram-worthy spots on the ship, you can anticipate to discover plenty.
The most all-encompassing version of a dining area is available in the kind of The Galley, which is Scarlet Woman’s take on an all-service location. Essentially a high end food court, there’s a lot of seating in this area, which is light-filled and roomy.
Sadly, throughout our preview, a number of the stations weren’t open, however they did look promising, with plenty of range. Between a location committed to sugary foods to a hamburger bar, noodle bar, taco store and more, guests looking for a bite during the day will have devoted set choices.
While food is consisted of in the expense of your cruise, drinks are not, conserve for bottled and sparkling water; sodas and soft beverages; drip coffee and tea.
At numerous places where I asked for a beverage menu, I was informed they hadn’t yet been printed. Red wines by the glass ranged from $7 to $13 at this particular bar.
In the early morning, after a late night out, the Gym and Tonic Bar will provide a required detox in the type of fresh, cold-pressed juices.
Related: How to plan a cruise with points and miles
The rooms
Here’s a take a look at the cabins onboard Scarlet Woman:
In overall, Scarlet Lady offers 1,330 cabins and 78 Tom Dixon-designed RockStar Suites.
RockStar Suites
These suites are broken down into the following classifications:
There are two Huge Suites, and they’re, well, quite large.
In the nights before Friday’s preview, Richard Branson remained in among these suites. Like the other suites, these have a true music theme. There’s a vinyl record player, an entire revealing area with guitars on screen and a big in-room bar. The room is quite sensational– and worth a splurge if you’re traveling as a big group looking for a fun time.
While not as huge as the Enormous Suites, the Fab Suites function 950 square feet of area and feature a marble, so-called Peek-a-Book shower within– with views out to the balcony– and a Peek-a-View shower on the veranda itself.
For something a bit more modest and British, Swank Suites have 833 square feet of space.
The Beautiful Suites feature 570 square feet of area in each, and on the balcony, guests can lounge in a swing chair.
There are numerous other categories of suites, though they’re all reasonably similar. Inside, the bedrooms are more spacious, and the bathrooms feature marble. In rooms like the Corner Suite, you’ll get extra veranda area.
Standard spaces
Nonsuite cabins fall into three categories: Sea Balcony, Sea View and Insider.
Basic cabins use about 265 square feet of space, other than for the individual room, which is meant for solo travelers.
Unlike standard staterooms, which feature a basic bed, Virgin has actually patented a new design, called a Seabed, that can essentially be reconfigured from a bed into a couch. During the day, the sofa is meant to encourage mingling between passengers.
Each Sea Terrace balcony space will include a hammock.
Lighting (both mood lighting along with basic lighting) can be managed from an in-room device. And the restroom will be slightly more roomy than cruisers may be used to– specifically the rainfall-style shower.
Passengers will have access to totally free Wi-Fi both in their rooms and around the ship.
Travel Plans
As has long been the plan at Virgin Voyages, Scarlet Woman will call the warm waters of the Caribbean home. After a short stop in New York City in early March for media and travel representative previews, Scarlet Girl will use up permanent residence in Miami. Eventually, the line will have its very own new terminal at PortMiami To be called Terminal V, for Virgin, it’s now set up to open in late 2021.
Scarlet Lady will run four- and five-night trips out of Miami to the Bahamas and Caribbean.
On Bimini, you can anticipate a bit of relaxation and areas that will be more vibrant. The Beach Club features a huge lagoon-style pool and lounge area. Later in the day, a DJ will set the party scene and, during the night, travelers can anticipate bonfires on the beach. Virgin Voyages has Diplo, Mark Ronson, DJ MK and more slated to perform on various sailings.
In November 2019, Virgin unveiled the name of its 2nd ship, Valiant Lady Unlike Scarlet Woman, which will cruise in the Caribbean, Valiant Girl will debut in May 2021 on seven-night itineraries out of Barcelona, Spain.
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What it costs
Cruise fares will likely even out a bit as soon as Scarlet Lady officially sets sail.
For contrast’s sake, a five-night Riviera Maya schedule– round-trip from Miami– that gets in touch with Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and the Beach Club at Bimini (along with a sea day) costs $1,000 per individual for a Sea View cabin priced for double tenancy. The same cabin for a solo traveler costs $1,375
General impression
Overall, Virgin Voyages has actually provided on something that feels definitely different from anything else in the cruise industry. Scarlet Woman is a ship that may be able to attract even the never-cruisers— exactly the crowd Virgin is searching for.
Though there are some kinks to exercise, that will surely come with time. As team end up being more familiarized with the ship’s features, the experience will likely enhance. And remember: I experienced Scarlet Lady in Dover, England, in February– not the same environment passengers will experience in the Caribbean.
Related: These are the very best new cruise ships of 2020
That said, with benefits like totally free Wi-Fi across the ship, doing away with a few of the old-fashioned functions of cruising (like buffets and set up suppers), guests might discover something with Virgin that other cruise lines do not use. Eventually, time will inform simply the number of people buy into the promise of Scarlet Woman and Virgin Trips: or if the never-cruisers remain that way.
All images by Nicky Kelvin/The Points Person
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