There’s a lot to like about Virgin Voyages. They offer an approach to cruising that is unconventional and fresh, providing Janet and me with a welcome change to the steady diet of traditional cruise experiences we’ve come to enjoy over the years. We didn’t realize how much of a cruise rut we were in until we took our voyage with Virgin. I knew things would be different — I’d spent the better part of two and a half years following their development. What I didn’t know was how different the ship herself would be.

Turns out, not all that different once you strip away the gimmicks. Scarlet Lady has two and a half decks of public spaces at the bottom, two and a half decks of mostly outdoor public spaces topside, and seven decks of staterooms sandwiched in between. She looks like someone sliced through the middle of an older-generation cruise ship, dropped in a hotel, and glued the upper decks back on. The layout of the public spaces is quite similar to other ships in service. It’s what Virgin does with those spaces that makes them special.

Let’s take a closer look. I’ll point out the gimmicks as I go along with a parenthetical (gimmick alert). Gimmicks aren’t a bad thing, by the way — on this ship they work quite well. Mostly.

By the Numbers

Stateroom sizes run from cozy to genuinely spacious, depending on category:

Built for Millennials. Boarded by Boomers.

Scarlet Lady is built for Millennials, and that much is clear the moment you board. For starters, they won’t have to worry about low battery alerts anywhere on the ship — there are power outlets and USB ports not just in the cabins but in every lounge, in The Galley food hall on Deck 15, and in both of the #Starbucksineverythingbutname coffee shops. You’ll need those phones because you use The App or scan QR codes for just about everything — partly a COVID-driven move to touchless menus, but mostly because it’s what Millennials and Gen Z do.

I’m thinking Virgin Inc. is thrilled that old guys like me have taken to the Virgin cruise experience, because they surely didn’t design the ship with us in mind. Most of the chairs, benches, and Bali beds sit mere inches off the ground. Seats are so low I was forced to bend at an unnaturally acute angle just to sit down — I basically executed a poorly controlled fall into the chair each time, hoping I didn’t miss and end up on the deck. Thankfully I didn’t. Staying seated wasn’t any easier. The seat bottom is unusually long, meaning I had to sit mid-seat without resting my back against the seatback, requiring all the core strength I could muster to avoid teetering onto the deck. Getting up was its own project. I pretty much had to roll out of the seat and onto my knees, grabbing the top of the chair to take pressure off my joints as I arose rather ungracefully, my spinal column slowly decompressing until I could finally stand erect.

Millennials took to the same seats as if they were contoured to their individual bodies, looking completely comfortable and lacking for nothing except a video game controller in their hands.

The Cabins

I won’t catalog every cabin category, other than to say they are all small. Like college dorm small. And the layout in each cabin may be different from others in the same category. Most cruise lines use a standard cabin layout, which requires designing in dead space where cabins don’t fit the contours of the ship. Virgin designed cabins to fit those contours instead — their stated reason being to honor the tradition of early cruise ship design, where cabins were built right up against the hull (gimmick alert). While that may be true, I suspect the more practical motivation was that they couldn’t afford to surrender any space to dead zones and still fit all the cabins their revenue models required.

Virgin’s workaround was an “L”-shaped couch that converts to a bed at night (gimmick alert). When configured as a bed, you can’t walk past the end to reach the other side of the room without turning sideways and bending forward to avoid the TV monitor mounted to the wall. Even with the couch configuration, I still managed to scrape my back on the monitor. It’s a tight ship.

Storage is a genuine problem. Our balcony stateroom had a tabletop barely large enough for the tablet that controlled the room and video functions. Two small cubes near the refrigerator. A closet so narrow that hangers have to sit at a 45-degree angle — which is why it uses a curtain instead of a door; a door wouldn’t close over the protruding hangers. A seven-cube storage cabinet on one side of the closet, minus the top cube for life jackets, minus one for the safe, minus the bottom which is effectively the floor. That left four cubes for Janet’s non-hanging clothes and none for mine. I used the rack above the hanging clothes. The luggage went inside each other inside the closet, stacked under the hanging clothes. We made it work.

The bathroom was smaller still. You could sit on the toilet and brush your teeth at the same time, which I don’t recommend as a life goal. There is virtually no storage space in the bathroom, but Virgin says no problem — they provide everything you need (gimmick alert). That’s true if you are Millennial-adjacent and travel with a shower-mounted body wash/shampoo/conditioner station as your complete toiletry kit. Janet brings a small suitcase full of things that did not fit in a shower dispenser. She made no apology for this.

I say all that and then add this: we spent less time in our cabin on Scarlet Lady than on any cruise we’ve taken. The ship keeps you out. Next time — and there will be a next time — we’ll just pack lighter.

Public Spaces — Lower Decks

Redemption Spa

Located on Deck 5, Redemption Spa is the ship’s wellness complex: treatment rooms for massages and body work, plus the Thermal Suite. Most of the Virgin Voyages onboard experience is included in the base fare — spa services are not. And if you know the cruise spa business, you know the drill: Virgin contracts to OneSpaWorld (now owned by Steiner), which operates spas on ships for most of the major lines. Steiner’s business model delivers wonderful treatments at premium prices, followed by a high-pressure pitch to purchase overpriced products — timed, as always, to catch you in the afterglow of your massage when your defenses are lowest. I was disappointed to find Virgin had outsourced their spa. Somehow I thought they wouldn’t. Oh well.

The Thermal Suite deserves its own mention. At $70 per person per day, it’s best reserved for sea days. What you get: a hydrotherapy pool, two cold-water immersion tubs, one warm-water tub, a traditional Swedish sauna lined in meticulously cut wood with portholes looking out to sea, a steam room, a salt room lined with Himalayan salt, and a mud room — essentially a second steam room with wall-mounted showers and a small cup of mud for each guest to deploy however they see fit. Coverage of the important body parts is required throughout.

The Red Room

Scarlet Lady’s main theater occupies the forward section of Decks 6 and 7. What sets it apart from a conventional cruise ship theater is the reconfigurable seating — the room can be reset in different arrangements to suit different productions. Directly outside The Red Room is The Den, a flex space used for meetings, private events, and group activities throughout the voyage.

The Manor

Just inside and across from the casino on Deck 6, The Manor is the ship’s two-level disco and nightclub, designed by the NYC studio Roman & Williams and inspired by Richard Branson’s original Virgin music studio of the same name. It’s equipped with dance platforms, overhead lasers, dynamic lighting, and cozy seating corners. The entrance is a hall of mirrors and glitzy lights — genuinely disorienting, and one of the most photogenic spots on the ship. (Bear right once you’re inside, or you’ll wander the mirrors until someone finds you.)

By day, The Manor hosts VHS group aerobics classes — think a Millennial version of Richard Simmons. By evening it runs cabaret shows, and by night, dance parties that go as late as the ship’s clientele can sustain. The music is loud with a relentless bass line. If clubbing is your thing, you’ll love it. If not, you’ll find a reason to be somewhere else after 10pm.

The Casino and Smoking Room

Scarlet Lady’s casino is on the smaller side, positioned on the starboard side of Deck 6 with its own bar so gamblers never need to leave. The casino is non-smoking, but the only interior smoking space on the ship — where cigarettes, cigars, and vaping are permitted (but not pipes) — is located conveniently adjacent, and comes with its own bank of slot machines for those who prefer to multitask.

The Roundabout and Glam Central Station

Scarlet Lady’s version of an atrium is The Roundabout — a two-deck spiral stairway with seating and décor that makes it a genuinely pleasant place to sit. It’s also home to On the Rocks bar, the ship’s mixology headquarters. If you want a complicated cocktail with a backstory, this is the place.

On the starboard side, across from The Roundabout, is what I’ve taken to calling Glam Central Station. It starts with Squid Ink, the first tattoo parlor at sea. Next to that is Makeup Porthole, a MAC makeup bar — not something you’ll find on a mass-market ship. Then Stubble and Groom, an old-style barbershop offering cuts, trims, shaves, and male pedicures in sea-facing chairs. I confess I found out what I’ve been missing about proper barbershop culture somewhere around the third hot towel. Highly recommended. Finally, Dry Dock, a full-service hair salon for washes, cuts, color, and anything else your scalp requires. All glam services are run by the spa, which means added cost and the inevitable product pitch.

Groupie

If you’ve seen Lost in Translation, you’ll understand immediately what Sir Richard was going for here. Groupie has the look and feel of a slightly naughty establishment — plum-colored curtains, a central reception area, and multiple small rooms named The Red Room, The Blue Room, and The Purple Room. They are not what they appear to be. They are private karaoke rooms you can reserve for the voyage, keeping your talent a closely guarded secret among your friends (gimmick alert — but it’s karaoke, so who cares).

Bars and Lounges

Scarlet Lady’s bar and lounge program is genuinely impressive in its range. A partial list from Deck 7 alone:

Sip is a Champagne and caviar bar on the forward starboard side — comfortable seating divided into intimate areas, quiet enough for actual conversation. Draught Haus on the port side is a microbrewery taphouse with eight beers on tap, boilermakers, and straight-up shots for the uncomplicated drinker. Voyage Vinyl at the top of The Roundabout spiral staircase is Sir Richard’s homage to his music production years — a small area with vinyl albums, turntables, and a DJ station (gimmick alert). On the Rocks is the mixology bar in The Roundabout proper. For the non-drinker, Lick Me Till… Ice Cream is a whimsically named ice cream counter with a limited but excellent selection, served in cups or colored and flavored cones — vanilla, red velvet, and blue corn. Get as many flavors as you want. Watch out for the brain freeze.

My personal favorite on the ship: The Loose Cannon, a nautical and pirate-themed lounge on the port side of Deck 7 — small, semi-private, and set apart from the main traffic flow. It builds a following early in each voyage and becomes the regular haunt for a certain kind of traveler. I was that kind of traveler.

Moving aft, The Social Club combines a game room, bar, diner, and general social space. You pass through it to tunes like Devo’s “Whip It” and Ricky Martin’s “La Vida Loca.” Games include tabletop shuffleboard, foosball, and air hockey, with a vintage arcade alongside. The Social Club eatery is the one place on the ship where you can get a hot dog. They also offer alcohol-laced milkshakes. For me it was the freshly baked pretzels at 10:30pm that kept me coming back every night.

The Social Club blends into The Dock House as you continue aft — a quieter, nautically themed lounge styled after the kind of yacht club where you swap sailing stories over a martini. Probably the calmest public lounge on the ship; it was even quiet on Scarlet Night. The Dock House extends to the exterior on the aft of Deck 7 as The Dock — wooden deckchairs, daybeds, and loungers, with a grill serving snacks and mezzes. Raise the flag on your table placard when you want service. Bar service is also tableside. It is one of the best places to be on the ship.

Dining

The Restaurant Lineup

One of the genuine differentiators of the Virgin Voyages model is that all of the ship’s restaurants are included in the base fare. There are no upcharges for specialty dining. The restaurants are reservations-based, and you can hold reservations for up to three restaurants before you sail, adding more once you’re aboard. Here is what’s on offer:

Razzle Dazzle (Deck 5) is vegetarian-forward with what the menu calls “meat cheats” for committed carnivores. Pink Agave (Deck 5) is an elevated take on modern Mexican street food — not the Tex-Mex you’re thinking of. Extra Virgin (Deck 6) is the ship’s casual Italian trattoria, serving traditional pasta including fresh handmade varieties. The Wake (Deck 6 aft, accessible from Deck 7) is a steakhouse-seafood restaurant at the stern with excellent views of the ship’s wake and water. Virgin describes the food as inspired by The Grill New York and The Wolseley in London. The access situation is unnecessarily complicated — the galley blocks direct passage from the other two Deck 6 restaurants, so you have to go up to Deck 7, walk aft, and come back down. Worth the navigation.

Gunbae (Deck 15) is Korean BBQ, and it’s a genuinely fun dining experience. Each table of six seats around an authentic Korean BBQ grill built into the table surface, and diners act as their own chefs. Proteins and vegetables arrive raw; servers instruct you on the grill. A complimentary shot of soju arrives with you, and you’re encouraged to sit with strangers. Servers facilitate icebreakers. Between the soju and the shared cooking, it works.

The Test Kitchen

My favorite restaurant on the ship — and if I’m being honest, one of the more interesting dining experiences I’ve had at sea. The Test Kitchen is Virgin Voyages’ signature cooking laboratory and experimental bar, located on the port side of Deck 6. The setting is intentional: metallic furniture, beakers, test tubes. Menus are presented as ingredient lists rather than dish descriptions, so you discover how the chef combines flavors over the course of the meal rather than ordering to a known outcome. Six courses, with optional wine or cocktail pairings. A non-alcoholic pairing was listed on the menu for our sailing but wasn’t available — a supply chain hiccup on what was only the second sailing out of Miami. Worrisome in the moment, hopefully not representative of anything larger. The food was exceptional.

The Galley

There is no buffet on Virgin Voyages ships. Instead, Deck 15 is home to The Galley — a market-style food hall with mostly made-to-order service. Cold items come from the appropriate counter; hot items are ordered from a server who finds you wherever you’re seated. Service is prompt, food comes out hot. Virgin describes it as a Brooklyn Saturday afternoon food market. Not being from Brooklyn, I can’t verify the comparison, but it worked for me.

The Pizza Place on Deck 7 is worth noting separately: personal-sized pizzas made to order, available until past midnight, eat-in or takeout.

Fitness and Wellness

Virgin Voyages takes fitness seriously enough to give it more real estate than most ships bother with. The B-Complex on Deck 15 splits cardio and weights into two dedicated rooms rather than cramming everything together. B-Complex Bike and Burn has 15 or so treadmills facing the sea, plus rowing machines and ellipticals facing a mirror that gives a reflected ocean view. B-Complex Build and Balance has weight machines with built-in sensors and performance monitors, free weights, and a balance studio for core work. Group fitness classes — spin, balance, bungee, HIIT, and breathing — are complimentary. Personal training is available for an added fee.

The Beast on the upper deck is an outdoor workout area patterned after the outdoor fitness stations on Miami Beach — crunch benches, push-up rings, and some more playful equipment, including what I can only describe as an adult teeter-totter. Training Camp on Deck 16 adds a boxing ring and punching bags to the options.

The Aquatic Center is a deliberate departure from the traditional pool deck. The main pool is small — most of the water surface is ankle-deep for lounging, with a proper plunge pool area that is not large enough for laps by any stretch. The second pool, aft of the main one, is essentially a glorified whirlpool tub. The pools were noticeably busy on our sailing at half capacity; I can’t imagine the scene when Scarlet Lady runs full. The stated philosophy is that the Aquatic Center is designed as a dance-on-deck space, not a swimming space. Sun worshippers who want to spread out go to the Sun Deck above. The approach is philosophically coherent even if it will frustrate anyone who wants to actually swim.

Topside

Deck 16 is divided between Richard’s Rooftop — the access-controlled suite-guests-only sun deck with its own bar — and the Sun Club, open to all sailors, with its own café serving poke bowls and a separate bar. The Sun Club is quieter than the pool deck below and offers the lounge chair space the Aquatic Center intentionally doesn’t.

Deck 17 is largely taken up by The Runway, an elevated running track that loops the deck. The key design decision: this track doesn’t go anywhere other than its own entrance and exit. No shortcuts, no cross-traffic from people using it as a walkway. You are there to run or walk, and the track serves only that purpose. It’s a small thing, but anyone who has tried to run laps on a standard cruise ship track while dodging passengers using it as a scenic route from Point A to Point B will understand why it matters.

The Perch sits at the center of The Runway loop — an open deck area for sunrise meditation, yoga classes (complimentary, Vinyasa Flow), independent practice, and evening stargazing. Lounge chairs are set out during the day. It is one of the genuinely peaceful spaces on the ship.

A Few Other Notes

The All-Inclusive Question

The Virgin Voyages fare is marketed as all-inclusive. It largely is, and more so than most lines at the same price point — all restaurants, most entertainment, fitness classes, and basic beverage service are covered. The exceptions are spa services, the glam services at Glam Central Station, certain specialty cocktails, Wi-Fi, and shore excursions. Know what’s in and what’s out before you board and there won’t be any surprises.

The Hammocks

Each balcony comes equipped with a handwoven hammock from Yellow Leaf Hammocks — the same brand available in the ship’s shops. They are exceptionally comfortable, and the crew can always tell when sailors have discovered this, because hammock sales spike. Janet bought one. You can also get them on Amazon for less — Millennials know this; Boomers often find out the hard way after paying ship prices. The shops also close for the duration of the Bimini port call and don’t reopen for the remainder of the voyage, since Miami is two inches away on the map — so if you want one from the ship, don’t wait (gimmick alert, arguably).

Sailor Services

The guest relations desk is called Sailor Services and is located midship on the starboard side of Deck 6. With so much of the hotel operation running through The App, it is one of the lonelier posts on the ship — except on the last evening of the voyage, when everyone wants to sort out their onboard account and discovers that The App does not do that.