Best New Cruise Ships for Adults

Table Of Content

• What to Expect on Virgin Voyages Compared to Other Cruise Lines (Differences, What to Know, & More)
• Virgin Voyages Live Blog (Day : No Kids Allowed in Paradise
• Is It Fun Going Ashore?
• All Food
• Scarlet Lady itineraries and pricing
• Learn About Reward Programs
• The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Virgin Voyages ship

Instead, it was a great time with a lot of changes made to the traditional cruise to make it more appealing. Overall, the crowd seems to skew younger — and more upscale — than most cruises. The atmosphere — ranging from the vibe on the ship to food to entertainment — definitely caters more to adult tastes. We think who would love the cruise line the most would be a couple from years old celebrating an anniversary, special occasion, or simply wanting a romantic trip away. That, however, also casts too narrow a net as we saw all sorts having a great time. Our biggest complaint is that the pool area seems small given the size of the ship.

What to Expect on Virgin Voyages Compared to Other Cruise Lines (Differences, What to Know, & More)

The cabin is high-tech and low-touch with a tablet that centralizes all the controls in the room including the lights, AC, the TV and the window shades. The mood of the cabin changes with a quick swipe as lighting presets add a playful touch with one designed for social media photoshoots and another for hangovers, maybe the most useful feature I found on this party ship. As soon as the Scarlet Lady departs US waters the drinking age becomes 18 and the ship is ready to party.

Virgin Voyages Live Blog (Day : No Kids Allowed in Paradise

Three more sisterships were inaugurated in the following years - Valiant Lady (2021), Resilient Lady (2022) and Brilliant Lady (2024). Virgin Voyages operates a fleet of four fully-owned cruise vessels constructed by the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri SpA (at Sestri Ponente shipyard/Genoa). We've taken care (of taking care) of your servers, so we cover the gratuities for your onboard experiences.

Is It Fun Going Ashore?

The late-night spicy ramen, social atmosphere and fun ports more than made up for any hiccups. There are also no set dining times, restaurant rotations or dress codes, though you can — and should — make dinner reservations. As a result, you can dine at whichever restaurant you prefer at a time that works for you.

Royal Caribbean vs. Virgin Voyages: cruise ship comparison with photos - Business Insider

Royal Caribbean vs. Virgin Voyages: cruise ship comparison with photos.

Posted: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

All Virgin Caribbean cruises visit Bimini Bahamas as a private island destination. The ship's originally planned inauguration was for March 29th, 2020 (3-day "Sneak-A-Peek Cruise"). In March was announced an expansion of onboard entertainment fleetwide.

Scarlet Lady itineraries and pricing

It's more of a food hall with multiple themed stations (noodles, tacos, soup and salad, burgers, etc.) where you order by flagging down a waiter. It's your "get dolled up and eat steak" venue, with a glam vibe and large windows overlooking what else but the ship's wake. Toast yourself with a glass of bubbly while you dine like a king on clam chowder, roasted bone marrow, filet mignon and lamp chops. Seafood lovers should splurge on the extra-fee towers of lobster, oysters, shrimp, clams, mussels and crab. No one tells you how the ship works, even though it's nontraditional for the cruise industry. If you don't know to get on board and immediately make reservations for all the restaurants, shows and fitness classes you want, you will find yourself locked out of meals and events you were looking forward to.

Best Almost All Inclusive Luxury Cruise Vacations - Virgin Voyages

Best Almost All Inclusive Luxury Cruise Vacations.

Posted: Wed, 17 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Learn About Reward Programs

We had such a great time there that when we walked into a quiet and sparsely populated restaurant on our last night, we turned around and went back to Gunbae for a repeat experience that was just as memorable as our first visit. Your cruise price covers dining at all of these spots, plus the quick bite options on the ship. However, some restaurants offer buy-up options labeled as "treat yourself" dishes that cost extra. For example, a half-dozen oysters at The Wake are going to set you back an additional $20, but the steak and clam chowder are 100% included. The top decks (15 – 17) are the places to head for fitness, fun in the sun or a combination of both. The Deck 15 Aquatic Club is where you'll find a standard pool and a well-being pool (essentially a large whirlpool), surrounded by day beds and lounge chairs.

Tom McAlpin commented that the company is not to be considered a big player in the cruising industry, but rather "a small boutique line that will offer different experiences". McAlpin and Branson hinted that those experiences might take some cues from other successful Virgin ventures, like Virgin Hotels. We were told he always greets his ships when he’s on the island, sometimes with fireworks. We didn’t feel like we had to dress to the nines or that meals were completely over the top when dining every evening.

Given all the options available, there were more places than we could try on our first Virgin Voyages cruise. Still, we sought to sample as much as possible during our four-night sailing. The entertainment we experienced fell somewhere between PG-13 and R, though we admittedly headed to bed by 11 p.m., so perhaps offerings leaned more X-rated as the night went on. After a few days on board, it became clear that what passengers had in common wasn't the age listed in their passports but rather the shared desire to have a good time.

The waiter came around with a tray of off-menu pastries halfway through our meal, rather than when he served our coffee and tea. In addition, the restaurant's position low on the ship and above the engines means you feel and hear the vibration of the ship a lot and all the cups and saucers were rattling. On the opposite side of Sailor Services from Razzle Dazzle, Pink Agave is the fancier alternative to the Let's Taco Bout It outlet in The Galley. The so-called "elevated Mexican" dishes come in small, medium and large plates, and you can mix and match them and share with your tablemates. If you're feeling adventurous, order the mezcal cocktail topped with crunchy crickets. Razzle Dazzle is a vegetarian-forward restaurant (with several, no-longer-secret meat entrees) open for brunch and dinner.

While I appreciated the array of options at our disposal, I found the quality of the food and service to be hit or miss. Some restaurants I loved so much that I went back a second time; at others, I took a solitary bite of food before deciding to move on. Beyond the evening entertainment, the vibe was similar to what you'd find in Las Vegas. The pools, restaurants, spa, casino and exercise classes all featured plenty of skimpy outfits and adult-oriented jokes and innuendos, though you could avoid anything that was too outside your comfort zone. Given that the ship was basically built for social media, Virgin was smart to make WiFi available and free to all guests. Premium and higher-speed WiFi packages are also available for a fee.

The premium wine can be also enjoyed at The Sip - the ship's wine lounge (Virgin's champagne house).- where also is available traditional British Afternoon Tea service. Virgin's ships are adults-only (passengers under 18 yo/teenagers and kids are not allowed) and Bahamas-flagged (registered in Nassau). The next image shows the ship's stern (aft) and the signature funnel shape - designed to be a major part of its exterior design. The aft of the superstructure also shows the Promenade Deck and 7 decks of cabin balconies towering above.

Wi-Fi is available throughout the ship, and your complimentary access covers two devices logged in at a time per passenger. If you wish to stream music and video, you can pay to upgrade to a Premium Wi-Fi plan, subject to availability. You are welcome to tip your bartender or cabin attendant extra if you feel they've gone above or beyond, but it's not necessary. The actual Scarlet Night party takes place on the pool deck, and many revelers end up in the pool, so plan your wardrobe accordingly. It rained on our Scarlet Night so the entire event was moved into the Red Room, where it basically became a large nightclub with thudding base and not that interesting. The after party moves to The Manor, but I actually preferred hanging out at On The Rocks, listening to the killer band and watching all the outfits go by.