\n \n \n “. concat(self. i18n. t(‘search. voice. recognition_retry’), “\n
Well, my friends, I never thought I would say that. But it turns out I’m a cruise line. I know. I’m as surprised as you. But I don’t feel an iota of shame admitting it.
Growing up, I was *so* jealous when my classmates spent spring break aboard a cruise ship with their families, returning to school with tanning marks and photos of themselves with parrots perched on their outstretched arms. My mother has struggled with movement. illness all her life (just ask the Universal Orlando workers who had to pull her out of the Harry Potter 4-D ride while teenager Hannah was hiding in the embarrassed gift shop), so my circle of relatives never left on a cruise ship. We were a team that stayed on dry land, and I accepted it despite everything.
But my interest in cruising has never really dissipated, despite the stigma they may be, well. . . Lame. No agree, however. I mean, a) I love boats, b) I like to travel, and c) I like the concept that food and entertainment are within walking distance at all times. Knowing all this, wouldn’t a cruise ship be all I could dream of?Of? All of these issues crossed my mind when I had the opportunity to board a five-night Virgin Voyages Caribbean cruise in late June. I accepted the offer and brought my boyfriend with me (yes, he is aware of how lucky he is). (Warning: the publisher won a cruise ship and missed flights to ~search~ for this trip. )
As a long-time lifestyle editor, Virgin Voyages has been on my radar for some time now. In fact, they shook up the cruise industry when they announced the launch of their first ship, Scarlet Lady, in early 2019, which I will communicate. in more detail in a minute. They now have 3 more ships, one of which will soon be seen in this season of The Bachelorette, when the actors will take their love characteristics to open water.
Virgin Voyages distinguishes itself from other ships by being all-inclusive (minus alcoholic beverages) and reserved for adults (18), no dress code, prohibiting buffets, tipping from the equation (tips are fully incorporated into the value of the cruise itself). They are also a bit more original and progressive than other older cruise lines. Example: there is a tattoo parlor on board, you can book activities on board through their Virgin Voyages Sailor app. So, let’s say you need a cold drink on the pool deck. Simply open the VV app, shake your phone, and you’ll be handed a bottle of champagne anywhere on the ship you’re on. This is the kind of top-notch service you can expect.
While Scarlet Lady has several Caribbean crossings (each starting and ending in Miami, but venturing to other stops through Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas), the sailing I did was called Dominican Daze. There were 4 days at sea, as well as a day in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and a day in Bimini, Bahamas (which is only 50 miles from South Florida). Let me advise you through my experience.
As I mentioned, I’ve never done a cruise before, so I have nothing to compare, but I think the most productive way to describe the Scarlet Lady is to believe a giant. It has l-i-t-e-r-a-l-and everything you can think of on board (but, in fact, I tried to think about the things that deserve to go up and you may just not find anything) and was created specifically for fun without children. impeccable, that’s all I expected in this relaxed three-year era of COVID (FYI: you have to be absolutely excited to board the ship).
Scarlet Lady has 17 decks, most of which are filled with things to do and see. In addition to the many bars and restaurants, which I will talk about in detail later (because Array. . . Important), other spaces of the ship come with spaces committed to well-being, physical fitness and simply fun. The highlight comes with:
Redemption Spa: Also known as the stall where I won the most productive Swedish massage of my life. There are also separate spaces in the shipment to get me manicure, rashes, eyelash extensions, and other personal care treatments.
Le Manoir: The double-decker nightclub on board! I danced my loot here on my birthday (yes, I spent my birthday on the cruise, and yes, I would do it again).
The Casino: as much as the call suggests. You have all the usual ones: slot machines, poker, roulette, craps, a lot of alcohol. . . you know the deal.
High Street: necessarily a floating mall for grocery shopping!It took me a lot of willpower to walk past Marc Jacobs’ adorable bags every day on the way to dinner, but here I survive. There’s also a shop that sells must-haves in case you’ve forgotten something on land.
The Groupie: Private karaoke rooms. Do I want to say more?
The Arcade: a full arcade game room, no community needed.
Voyage Vinyl: Hipsters, this one is for you. It’s a floating tent.
Water Club: All cruise ships want a pool, and this ship has two. One is more relaxed, while the other necessarily turns into a Las Vegas-style party. Choose your poison.
The Athletic Club: The truth is that I can’t how big the gym is. It’s downright virgin. And by “gym” I don’t mean a small area dedicated to bodybuilding equipment, because there are several. There is also a boxing ring, a basketball court, an organizational fitness room (did I mention all categories are included?), an outdoor playground, etc.
The Perch and The Runway: Located on deck, The Perch is a designated place for yoga and The Runway is a running track, either overlooking the ocean.
Squid Ink: The aforementioned tattoo parlor on board. Register temporarily if you are going to be inked, as appointments are made temporarily.
The net: a huge suspended catamaran net that allows you to lie on the wake below. A little scary, I’m going to lie, but also super cool and “grammable”.
Scarlet Lady has 1,330 normal cabins and 78 suites (which are called “Rockstar Quarters”, naturally), most of which have a terrace with a hammock overlooking the open ocean. Although the popular cabins aren’t huge (after all, you’re on a boat), they make effective use of the available domain. For example, our room (and maximum rooms) included a queen size bed that can be turned into a sofa if you need to entertain friends, a “glam” domain with a giant mirror and proper lighting, a minibar with bottle openers and wine, a bathroom with separate cabins for toilet and rain shower, and a pill that controls lighting, entertainment and temperature in the cabin. The team was also available 24 hours a day. 7 to bring everything you needed to the room, be it water, ice, towels, food or alcohol.
I heard that the food on the cruise ships is quite good. Like, the same menu for a whole week in a way. But that’s so far removed from the case on a Virgin cruise that it’s not even fun. Scarlet Lady has over 20 restaurants on board, each with full menus, so you’ll never have to eat the same meal twice (unless you need to. . . what you can do).
As I mentioned, alcoholic beverages have an additional charge, however, you can place them almost on board. Fancy an ice-cold piña colada or a beer?The staff will serve you the drink of your choice in a few minutes. Some things will charge you extra money: great coffee drinks (regular coffee and tea can be had for free) and a menu item or two at each restaurant, like the gigantic seafood towers or tomahawk steaks.
This is where you yourself:
The Galley: basically a food court on the sea, but everything is loose. There are 8 other retail outlets in a position to take your order, adding a noodle bar, a paninis store, tacos, a place to eat sushi, a place to eat American and much more. The kitchen is also the place where all the hot, bloodless drinks can be located, adding a touchscreen soda fountain with Coca-Cola products.
The Dock House: An indoor/outdoor area in Los Angeles Tulum with plenty of Instagram options and adorable seating. Come here to eat shrimp skewers, mezze and other Mediterranean delicacies throughout the day.
La Pizzeria: Personal cake on request, at any time of the day. The white pizza with fried egg and truffle oil on top. . . the chef’s kiss.
Beat me until. . . Ice cream: Many flavors of ice cream and many flavors of cones. Do I want to say more? (Get the malted strawberry. )
The Social Club: If you were looking for me on the boat, my boyfriend would probably tell you to stop by the Social Club. Not because it’s social (although I played foosball and air hockey there), but because there are snacks. in snacks in snacks. AND THE GOOD ONES. Think: a fluffy pretzel with cheese sauce, freshly made popcorn, bird wings, fine hot dogs, and a sweet topped bar.
The Wake: A place to eat sea and land that I swear rivals some of New York City’s most productive steakhouses. This is by far my favorite place we ate on the boat, open for breakfast and dinner. For breakfast, order French toast. For dinner, pass out and get the seafood dish, filet mignon and all the side dishes, such as spinach cream, twice cooked potatoes, truffle fries and their incredibly puffy buns. Finally, Baked Alaska for dessert.
The Test Kitchen: You shouldn’t expect a hearty, hearty meal here, however, it’s one of the most upscale restaurants on the ship. Designed to look like a lab, Test Kitchen is part cooking school and part restaurant. with only a list of ingredients that was provided to you before dinner. Did I eat asparagus ice cream? Yes. Did I love it?Would you tell others to check it out?Absolutely. Live a little.
Pink Agave: With a Mexico City cuisine, this is not your popular taco hut. They offer enhanced versions of old Mexican dishes, from tortas to tamales and all the tequila in between.
Extra Virgin: My boyfriend considers himself a gourmet of Italian food, and even he said it was one of the most productive Italian cuisines he had ever tasted. All the programs were to die for, thinking about the fried artichokes and the charcuterie dish. – and the pasta was obviously super fresh. Bomboloni (Italian donut holes!)
Razzle Dazzle: This is the position to pass if you need to do everything with a meal, but your cruise partner needs to eat something healthy (or vice versa). There is a full menu of vegetarian and vegan dishes, as well as a juice. bar. However, in the manner of vintage Virgin, the pieces can become “unpleasant” by adding meat or alcohol.
Gunbae: The first Korean place to eat fried fish on a cruise!The meal begins with a round of loose soju for the table (sipping a drinking set held by a waiter) and includes many other circulars of delicious meats served on the flameless grill of all tables. Be prepared for plenty of belly red meat.
While all the casual and seating restaurants offer alcoholic beverages, there are also six engaged bars on the ship: The Dock, an outdoor oasis with Tulum vibes; The Draft Haus, a cozy pub-style bar with 8 beers on tap and growler service; Athletic Club, an outdoor gym bar with games and booths to relax; Sip, a committed champagne parlor offering a snack; The Manor, a nightclub-style venue; On the Rocks, a “cave” bar in a nice little corner; and Richard’s Rooftop, a secluded living room reserved for suite guests. Bless you!
Honestly, if you get bored on a Virgin Voyages cruise, it’s probably your fault. some other holidays as soon as possible.
Here’s what you can expect:
There is also a full schedule of events planned for each day of the cruise, which you can locate in the app or post and present the ship. In the program, for example, you will find all the screens (which I will have soon), all the pop-up experiences, the game nights where you can meet and play with new friends, musical performances, theme nights and more.
The biggest occasion of each candle is called Scarlet Night, in which everyone dresses in red. The total evening is necessarily a wonderful function full of surprises, ending with a dance party in the evening. but with alcohol. ) The dance party usually takes place around the main pool, but ours took place in the Red Room Theatre because it was raining. Always a laugh!
It’s not an entertainment-free cruise in the middle of the night, right?Each Scarlet Lady sailing comes with six original exhibits, most of which come with fun audience participation. My two favorites were Duel Reality, a Cirque du Soleil-style production with amazing stunts and Never Sleep Alone, a hilarious and daring interactive exhibit directed by a “sex therapist” named Lady A (I’d rather not see this one with your parents).
The Virgin Voyages app will show you the other tours you can book online to all shipping dock stalls, and definitely visit at least one. Although they represent an additional cost, they allow you to get out and see the city you are in. dock for the day, and there are many options.
We decided to take a buggy ride through the jungle in our prevention in Puerto Plata, and all we had to do was leave the boat and stick to the flags to locate our group. From there, a travel company took us into the jungle, where they installed us in a go-kart cart (breaking news: we were muddy) and then took us to a nearby beach to cool off in the soft blue waters. Other features in Puerto Plata included an open bar boat ride. , snorkeling, a walking tour of the city center, a cave diving experience, and more.
There were also tours to Miami (the day before and after the cruise) and Bimini, but we decided not to participate. our day in Bimini at Virgin’s highly anticipated Beach Club in Bimini.
Which brings me to: Bimini’s Beach Club, which is necessarily a piece of personal paradise built exclusively for Virgin Voyages customers. (Yes, “exclusive” sounds nasty, but it’s infrequently good to stop by somewhere where you know there probably won’t be a million toddlers running around. ) After taking a short tram ride from the boat, sailors can, if they need to, relax in the lapasson-style pool or grab a chair on the beach, which has a view of the water so perfectly turquoise that other people really think I’ve over-edited my Instas.
In the morning, the club offers yoga through the water. After that, the vibes gradually magnify the afternoon, with a poolside party full of floats led by a killer DJ. A bonfire on the beach at night with acoustic musical performances closes the day. before the sailors return to the ship and look for aloe for sunburn (just me?).
And don’t worry, there’s plenty to eat and drink at the Beach Club as well. In addition to the bars (which include an option by the pool), there are also a few restaurants on-site. Good news: all meals are included in the all-inclusive package and comes with locally recommended dishes like snail and mango salad, corn cob, fish fries, and Bahamian rum cake. Baba, baby, drool!
If I were the guy who makes jokes about dads, that’s when I would say, “So yeah, we hate that!”But I’m not. And we enjoyed it. If it ever occurred to you to think of cruising as a vacation for the retirees in your life, I hope you’ll think back to that notion. Because cruises are great now, honey!
you also like
Cleaning Expert Explains How to Leave Cloth Masks Blank After Wearing Them – Good Housekeeping
35 Delicious Pantry Recipes That Use What’s Already in Your Freezer
The Amish among them. And they hide a terrible secret. – Cosmopolitan