Scarlet Lady May 13 - 18, 2022 on board review

[thrifty99]

4 hours ago, jon81uk said:

When we were on Scarlet Lady last year we had more than enough food in Gunbae, we did order what we wanted to eat and received a full portion of it. Got one full plate of raw meat/shrimp ready to cook per person and we cooked what we ordered, it wasn’t shared. Also I had two appetisers and shared a bibimbap with my husband, could order more rice with the mains too but chose not too.

 

Not sure if it’s because there was just two of us sharing a table with two strangers so the server just served as 2x groups of two but it does sound like the OP here got the whole menu brought out family style instead of just being allowed to order what they wanted, maybe it is because they were a bigger group.

 

But my experience would be that if you do just want seafood order that and the server will bring you just seafood for you to cook.

I wish they had done it per couple / asked our preferences. There were 3 couples at our table and none of us knew each other. 
 

Next time I know to speak up and ask for something more. For example if I see 8 shrimp for 6 people I’d ask if they could get some additional shrimp. 
 

We did enjoy meeting the other 2 couples and besides small portions it was still a nice experience. 

[cantgetin]

On 5/11/2022 at 5:48 AM, yarramar said:

 

 

On 2/4/2021 at 3:11 PM, ednmargo said:

 

 

22 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

In the past it's been noted that a ship breaks even at 30-35% of passenger capacity. That was pre-covid and pre-supply chain issues, inflationary pricing.

 

A friend of mine used to work in financials at Disney Cruise Line and he told me that $100+ dinner I had at Remy on the Disney Fantasy cost the cruise line about $17. Again, that was pre-covid. I would think the original projections for Virgin would have been based on 30-40% occupancy for break-even sailing. 

DCL pays tipped crew almost nothing, so there are essentially no server costs in their restaurants beyond room, board, and uniforms "costumes" for those CMs.  Still, I'm surprised at the $17 cost to do the Remy meal...especially as the pricing in Palo has changed so greatly (they still have the prix fixe menu, but most of it is now a la carte).  A former CM at DCL showed me his pay stub--he is in a highly technical field that is not tipped.  His hourly wage was below minimum wage in the US.  However, as he pointed out, he had no living expenses while at sea and was required to pay no taxes in his home country thru a loophole that exempts anyone working "on the water."  He could have earned a lot more on land, but then would have had taxes and living expenses.

I suspect you are correct in the price model on Virgin, especially considering that Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin was the CFO of Disney Cruise Line when it opened in 1997 and for many years thereafter.  When I see similarities between Virgin and DCL that are different than on other lines, that's my attribution (which may not be accurate).

Glad to hear that others did not have their food "shared" at Gumbae, particularly since one of the items shown in the photos was the upcharge waygu beef.  I would not be happy if I ordered that item only to have it shared among the entire table. So as I understand it, OP was traveling with the 5 others who shared the table, correct?  Also, if you want more food, can you not order another plate of whichever item to be cooked?

Edited May 18, 2022 by cantgetin

[thrifty99]

Very relaxing and enjoyable cruise. A different experience than Royal Caribbean… each with their own pros & cons.  
 

I will be interested to see how I like the next Virgin cruise (booked Nov 2023 and April 2024). Assuming a much higher occupancy than the 35% we had this week it could be a much different experience. That will be the challenge for Virgin to handle a lot more people in their smaller venues (pools, shows, restaurants). Some things like waiter service for food in The Galley could be more challenging with 3 times as many passengers. 

[thrifty99]

I had mentioned all the various/ unique seating around the ship. Here are some examples. 

[CruisingWalter]

21 hours ago, thrifty99 said:

. Some things like waiter service for food in The Galley could be more challenging with 3 times as many passengers. 

 

That's the one thing I really don't understand. Easy enough to wait for your food and take it with you, it would be much more efficient that way. We're all used to the food hall concept now. I've watched vlogs on YouTube and read other reviews on here where folks say it can take a very long time for the food to arrive in The Galley. I would prefer to just wait for it like a regular food hall. 

[britincanada]

4 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

That's the one thing I really don't understand. Easy enough to wait for your food and take it with you, it would be much more efficient that way. We're all used to the food hall concept now. I've watched vlogs on YouTube and read other reviews on here where folks say it can take a very long time for the food to arrive in The Galley. I would prefer to just wait for it like a regular food hall. 

I wonder if the Galley service is because of covid - I would love to know if the original concept was that sailors could go to each 'vendor' and choose their food and take it to the table. Having everyone seated helps keep passengers distanced etc.

 

 

 

 

[jchipgcs]

22 minutes ago, britincanada said:

I wonder if the Galley service is because of covid - I would love to know if the original concept was that sailors could go to each 'vendor' and choose their food and take it to the table. Having everyone seated helps keep passengers distanced etc.

 

 

 

 

I initially didn't like the Galley concept of ordering the food and having it delivered but I do now.  I also like how as a couple at a table or with a small group of friends, instead of you all standing around waiting at the various "restaurants", you get to sit there and socialize and the food is brought to you.  Also being able to order from multiple different sections and having it all brought to you is much nicer than walking around from place to place.

[LATTELOVE]

Definitely have to try Virgin Cruises.

Food looks amazing.

 

Is the food at Bimini all inclusive with the cruise?

Are there any other fees to use the facilities there?

[Roel94]

50 minutes ago, LATTELOVE said:

Definitely have to try Virgin Cruises.

Food looks amazing.

 

Is the food at Bimini all inclusive with the cruise?

Are there any other fees to use the facilities there?

I went on Crystal. Everything there was extra,I think the Beach Club and hotel are own by Resorts World which is gaming.

[johnnylikely]

On 5/19/2022 at 10:27 PM, jchipgcs said:

I initially didn't like the Galley concept of ordering the food and having it delivered but I do now.  I also like how as a couple at a table or with a small group of friends, instead of you all standing around waiting at the various "restaurants", you get to sit there and socialize and the food is brought to you.  Also being able to order from multiple different sections and having it all brought to you is much nicer than walking around from place to place.

Just came off Princess. It's very interesting comparing. I can see why Virgin came up with the galley concept as the amount of wastage from the buffet is insane. Having said that it was really nice having an array of different dishes from day to day- I really enjoyed that. I can't bare the thought of the galley same ol again lol

[jchipgcs]

1 hour ago, LATTELOVE said:

Definitely have to try Virgin Cruises.

Food looks amazing.

 

Is the food at Bimini all inclusive with the cruise?

Are there any other fees to use the facilities there?

Food is included at the Beach Club. Alcohol is additional and you could rent a cabana but there’s no need to. 

[jchipgcs]

34 minutes ago, johnnylikely said:

Just came off Princess. It's very interesting comparing. I can see why Virgin came up with the galley concept as the amount of wastage from the buffet is insane. Having said that it was really nice having an array of different dishes from day to day- I really enjoyed that. I can't bare the thought of the galley same ol again lol

I was so addicted to the noodle bowl I didn’t try much else. I didn’t discover the chorizo burrito till the last day which made me sad. So I have a lot more Galley fare to sample. 😂

[_tacocat_]

2 hours ago, Roel94 said:

3 hours ago, LATTELOVE said:

 

I went on Crystal. Everything there was extra,I think the Beach Club and hotel are own by Resorts World which is gaming.

When virgin is in port at Bimini, they bring their own crew/provisions over, and all food as well as basic soft drinks are included.

[CruisingWalter]

On 5/21/2022 at 9:15 PM, Roel94 said:

I went on Crystal. Everything there was extra,I think the Beach Club and hotel are own by Resorts World which is gaming.

 

Virgin has their own section of the Bimini Beach Club so the food is included for Virgin guests. When Virgin ships are not in port, that section is use by Resorts World and it would be an extra charge for food for any other cruise line guests. 

[Roel94]

11 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Virgin has their own section of the Bimini Beach Club so the food is included for Virgin guests. When Virgin ships are not in port, that section is use by Resorts World and it would be an extra charge for food for any other cruise line guests. 

Almost like the beach islands Royal and Princess  owns but different food. I still might make it a spa day, 

[dcgrumpy]

On 5/19/2022 at 5:02 PM, britincanada said:

I wonder if the Galley service is because of covid - I would love to know if the original concept was that sailors could go to each 'vendor' and choose their food and take it to the table. Having everyone seated helps keep passengers distanced etc.

 

 

 

 

From what I recall yes, initially guests were supposed to wait and get their own food and then it was changed due to Covid so that guests weren't lined up waiting together. Of course my memory may be incorrect. LOL

 

We never had to wait long in the Galley. But we sailed at 18%, so it's hard to compare it what it will be like at fill capacity. 

 

[cantgetin]

Virgin has made a big deal of the fact that The Galley is NOT a buffet.  It was never supposed to be a typical buffet where you fill your own plate.  Whether they planned on you going to each area to pick up whatever food you wanted there, we'll probably never know as the launch was delayed and the set up only appeared as the "take  your order and have it brought to you" method.  It will be interesting to see what happens as the ships become more full.  My understanding is that restrictions on occupancy have been dropped on ships sailing from the US, but continue on cruises departing from Europe.  A Virgin rep commented to me that the "target" for our cruise is 65%, but bookings are not there yet.  I'm not sure if that is some sort of a limit or if that is their booking goal.

 

[queenschick9b]

On 5/13/2022 at 10:38 AM, thrifty99 said:

We are boarding later today (2pm) for our first Virgin cruise. We have sailed many times on Royal Caribbean and looking forward to trying something different. 
 

Feel free to ask any questions. 

Thank you so much for this review.  All of your photos are amazing!  I see a cruise on VV that I am interested in, but I feel like i can't figure everything out from their website and I'm trying to before reserving.

 

I have a silly questions. 

 

It says soft drinks on their website, what type is available? I can live without diet coke for one week, but I like to know my options 🙂

 

I know your sailing was a lower capacity, but was making dinner reservations challenging?  

 

You took a lot of those fun chair photos -- how was seating on the trip? I'm short and the photos look like everything would be uncomfortable to me.  I'm a lounge around during the day reading around the ship person.

[CruisingWalter]

On 5/26/2022 at 11:10 AM, cantgetin said:

My understanding is that restrictions on occupancy have been dropped on ships sailing from the US, but continue on cruises departing from Europe.  A Virgin rep commented to me that the "target" for our cruise is 65%, but bookings are not there yet.  I'm not sure if that is some sort of a limit or if that is their booking goal.

 

 

Capacity limits were dropped months ago. We were 100% full in March on the Carnival Mardi Gras. I think Virgin is just having difficulty cracking the US market so far and they're offering the 5 and 4 day itineraries, not 7 days, so that's why they're undersold at the moment. Our cruise in July had well over 250 Sea Terraces available and well over 100 interior cabins still available which is much more than you would expect from the other cruise lines this close to sailing. You would certainly expect the balcony inventory to be much lower this close to sailing. 

 

If they were running 3 and 4 day sailings they might have higher capacity since those are generally 'party cruises' on other lines like Carnival and NCL. Conversely, if they were running 7 night itineraries they would attract more adults who are looking for a weeklong getaway vs. the shorter cruise.  I would much prefer a 7 night itinerary over the 5 night sailing we're going to get in July. But we were also intrigued by the Virgin concepts, so we're willing to give it a shot. 

[jon81uk]

1 hour ago, queenschick9b said:

Thank you so much for this review.  All of your photos are amazing!  I see a cruise on VV that I am interested in, but I feel like i can't figure everything out from their website and I'm trying to before reserving.

 

I have a silly questions. 

 

It says soft drinks on their website, what type is available? I can live without diet coke for one week, but I like to know my options 🙂

 

I know your sailing was a lower capacity, but was making dinner reservations challenging?  

 

You took a lot of those fun chair photos -- how was seating on the trip? I'm short and the photos look like everything would be uncomfortable to me.  I'm a lounge around during the day reading around the ship person.

Virgin Voyages serve Coke products. 
Coke, Coke Zero, Diet Coke and Sprite were all easily available as well as basic juices.

[queenschick9b]

2 hours ago, jon81uk said:

Virgin Voyages serve Coke products. 
Coke, Coke Zero, Diet Coke and Sprite were all easily available as well as basic juices.

Great -- Like i said I can live without the diet coke, but it's nice not to have to 🙂

 

[cantgetin]

I totally agree that VV is having a hard time figuring out where they fit in , and their potential sailors are having the same issues.  Based on the original ads, I would never have tried VV; my impression was that it was a ship full of 20 somethings cruising on daddy's money.  That's totally not the demographic cruising now.  They are also considerably more expensive than something like Carnival....but then, they offer a much better product (my opinion only).  Many of my cruising friends in the 50+ age group won't even consider VV despite my trying to talk them into it.  They are very comfortable and have lots of loyalty status on other lines and see no reason to switch.

A VV person on the phone said that their target for my upcoming cruise is to be 65% booked, but that they are not close to that now.  And every cabin type other than suites is available.

[WIBadgerFan]

On 6/3/2022 at 11:31 AM, cantgetin said:

I totally agree that VV is having a hard time figuring out where they fit in , and their potential sailors are having the same issues.  Based on the original ads, I would never have tried VV; my impression was that it was a ship full of 20 somethings cruising on daddy's money.  That's totally not the demographic cruising now.  They are also considerably more expensive than something like Carnival....but then, they offer a much better product (my opinion only).  Many of my cruising friends in the 50+ age group won't even consider VV despite my trying to talk them into it.  They are very comfortable and have lots of loyalty status on other lines and see no reason to switch.

A VV person on the phone said that their target for my upcoming cruise is to be 65% booked, but that they are not close to that now.  And every cabin type other than suites is available.

I may have seen at most, 10 passengers that fit the "20 somethings on daddy's money" category, however, they do need to figure out who their audience is, especially the lack of music variety.  For me at least, their food and beach club crushed NCL and Royal at least.  Not paying for specialty restaurants was "priceless".  Oh, I'm 52 and would return to Virgin for the food and lack of children over and over.  The staff in general were also refreshing, genuine and awesome, probably because they were not treated like servants.  Don't stop trying to convince your friends, the pros outweigh the cons for sure.

[xerenthar]

the target audience really seems to be ~28-49 (with a generous + or - 5 easily) DINKs or empty-nesters. there was a LOT of playing on millennial-to-Gen-X nostalgia, from the neon Instagrammable signs that were super popular in clubs and cool-kid-Brooklyn-lounges when millennials were turning 21 to the playlists and even the Rocky Horror Picture Show inspired safety video. same for Bimini - it's a Vegas pool party without the bouncer/influencer/judgmental BS. i think 55+ could enjoy this line easily but it'd need to be a tech-savvy and open-minded 55+ rather than someone who is just going to be disappointed this line isn't RCCL/CCL/etc. i have seen a lot of poor reviews of VV that can be summed up as "i wish this was more like other lines and served food like other lines and had entertainment like other lines" -- the concept is literally that VV doesn't do those things.

[WIBadgerFan]

18 hours ago, xerenthar said:

the target audience really seems to be ~28-49 (with a generous + or - 5 easily) DINKs or empty-nesters. there was a LOT of playing on millennial-to-Gen-X nostalgia, from the neon Instagrammable signs that were super popular in clubs and cool-kid-Brooklyn-lounges when millennials were turning 21 to the playlists and even the Rocky Horror Picture Show inspired safety video. same for Bimini - it's a Vegas pool party without the bouncer/influencer/judgmental BS. i think 55+ could enjoy this line easily but it'd need to be a tech-savvy and open-minded 55+ rather than someone who is just going to be disappointed this line isn't RCCL/CCL/etc. i have seen a lot of poor reviews of VV that can be summed up as "i wish this was more like other lines and served food like other lines and had entertainment like other lines" -- the concept is literally that VV doesn't do those things.

All true, but... the no kids thing.  That's the selling point for so many of us.  I'll put up with many things I don't like to not see babies in diapers in the hot tub, strollers blocking primary walkways screaming toddlers in the steakhouse, etc.  Those of us with our own kids probably appreciate that the most!  🙂

 

Doesn't that tell us that the major lines could be successful with adults-only cruises or even separate AO lines, i.e. just make Celebrity AO.  $$$

The AI resort companies almost all have AO locations.  Why not cruise lines?

Edited June 10, 2022 by WIBadgerFan