Scarlet Lady - Virgin's Brand New Cruise Ship
Firstly - please bear in mind I was only on her for a few hours, it was in Dover (not the Caribbean where she will be based - hence some dreary pictures) and also this ship was built to be different. 100% this ship will not appeal to everyone, it wasn't designed to, neither does it want to. Richard Branson actually bought in designers who had never worked on cruise ships before because he wanted something completely different to what is already available on the market and for this point I think he has succeeded.
My first impression from dockside was that she was very grey (not helped by the weather clearly) but also I just thought she was going to a bit more "red" however once on board there is definitely nothing dull about her interiors.
She is glitzy, glamorous, perfectly Instagrammable (I'm not sure that's even a word). Selfie kings and queens will be in their element, from star studded, mirrored entrances to the night club to the fabulous artwork around the ship, to me its not natural beauty is a look of wonder and I felt myself saying OMG look at that a lot of times!
I like that Virgin have included a lot more things than other cruise lines, for instance gratuities, sodas, Wi-Fi, tea and coffee,wellness and spinning classes are also included. The alcoholic drinks are not overly expensive (beer around $5 Vodka & Coke $9). The biggest inclusion for me was the restaurants - there are over 20 of them and they are all FREE. Each is very different but in my opinion these were the kind of restaurants that on any other cruise line would be classed as "speciality" and you would have to pay for them. Not so on Scarlet Lady - its all included. There is no main dining room as such, you can eat in any of these restaurants at whatever time you want and all the food is cooked fresh to order, if the restaurant is busy you can join a virtual queue from your app and wander off to a bar until your table is ready.
The Galley - there is no buffet restaurant on board but what you have instead is a very large area that has lots of food stations, from burgers to sushi, noodles to all day breakfasts - grab and go dinner etc etc - there is something available form here 24/7 - I grabbed a burger, sweet potato nibbles, and chips for dinner - delish!
My cabin was a Sea Terrace Cabin (Balcony). Again, I have heard feedback of it being Ikea like - small, not enough storage - I think I might have to disagree a little. I get why people would say Ikea like - the furniture is very modern, it has a very clean and fresh look to it. I didn't think it was small at all - plenty of room to move around and during the day your cabin steward will even change you bed back to a sofa like position to give you even more room (personally I love an afternoon nap so I think I would be asking to keep the bed as it is during the day so I can crash out). As for storage I thought it was fine, you have a large cupboard with shelves etc and next to that is hanging space with a curtain that pulls across to make your wardrobe. There is a shelf over the desk and some small storage space underneath. Bear in mind that this ship is set to do 4/5 night sailings out in the Caribbean so I guess you wont be needing tons of clothes.
The bathroom is small, but unless you are in a suite on a cruise ship, I think they all are. I loved the rainfall shower and the fact that there was hot water all the time and the water pressure was great, there's enough space to store your toiletries and the products that they use (shampoo/shower gel etc) smelt gorgeous. Towels were large and fluffy, cute hand towels and even a towel for make up (its black - so hides the left over foundation really well).
There are Suite cabins on board (take a look at my cruise FB page for pictures) and yes these are amazing - who wouldn't want to have their own hot tub, fully stocked bar and even electric guitars to play, but unless you really are a Rockstar you might find the pricing quite expensive for one of these types of cabins.
There are A LOT of bars around the ship, again I don't think even I managed to see them all, but they all have different personalities, from swish to chilled out, I think everyone will find a favourite and position themselves there.
I didn't get to see the outside - gale force winds and downpours prevented that. I do have concerns regarding the size of the pool. The ship will take 2,700 people and I personally felt the pool was too small, however considering the ship will be in port most days or at their private beach club maybe this wont be a huge issue. There are lots of hot tubs dotted around and a very large jacuzzi. In pictures I have seen some great cabana areas, chill out zones etc, and I did catch a glimpse of the outdoor boxing ring and punch bags - exercising isn't my thing but I can imagine if its yours the facilities along with yoga classes, spinning etc would be amazing.
The entertainment was really good, again not your normal type of theatre show, acrobats, street dancing, singers etc and they way you are seated around the stage you are very close to the action.
My Overall View
I felt she was really busy, there is absolutely tons going on. She is not laid out like a traditional cruise ship at all and I felt a bit confused and got lost quite a few times, Its strange to walk through a restaurant into a bar and because most are on Deck 6/7 it does feel like a continuous street of options.
For the smokers - hands down to Virgin - best smoking room ever! This keeps the whole ship including the Casino smoke free, you have your own little lounge, comfy chairs, fruit machines and unlike some smoking rooms, it didn't feel claustrophobic or too smoky in there.
If you adore traditional cruising then have a good think before setting sail on Scarlet, she probably isn't right for you. She has been built for a younger market, and to me this feels the right sort of ship for people who like to life to the full, play hard and the kind of people who like to be seen in the best places if that makes sense. It is not what I would say luxurious but its classy, its glitzy, modern and fun. Overall I really liked her.
Please feel free to give me a call on 01277 840262 to see if she's right for you or to discuss any other cruise line you might be thinking of.
Kerry xx