I Am A Boring Socially Anxious Introvert And I Loved Scarlet Lady - My Experience Sailing With Virgin Voyages For The First TIme
Docked in chilly Bimini, Bahamas
When Virgin Voyages was running a $99 a night sale on select sailings, I decided to jump on this promotion and use it as an opportunity to finally try this cruise line, as many cruisers have hyped it for its food, adults-only ships, entertainment, vibes, and all-inclusive fare. I paid $685 for a 6-night cruise from Miami, in January 2025, in an inside cabin, but was upgraded at the last minute to a Sea Terrace. Honestly, this was the best travel deal I have ever had.
I am a self-proclaimed boring, socially anxious introvert, and I was concerned about whether I would like this cruise line, as I had heard that the people are very social, and some things didn’t seem to appeal to me. Even though this was true, I thoroughly enjoyed my time on Scarlet Lady. Here is my experience sailing with Virgin Voyages for the first time.
This voyage on Scarlet Lady is my third cruise ever, and I will be making many comparisons to Royal Caribbean, as they are the only other cruise line I have sailed on at the time of this cruise. I have sailed on Oasis Of The Seas and Symphony of the Seas out of New Jersey, so this is my first time flying to a cruise port.
Boarding is late
The road to Terminal V
As someone who is accustomed to boarding ships around 12 pm, having a 4:15 pm boarding time was quite a shock. We checked out of our hotel at 11 am and took an Uber to Port Miami, but the 20-minute drive took nearly 90 minutes due to Miami traffic. When we arrived at Terminal V and dropped off our bags, a fantastic porter informed us that early check-in ends at 12:30 p.m., and we joined the line, becoming one of the last people to do so.
Disclaimer: As of December 2025, I am unsure if early check-in is still a thing
Inside Terminal V
I did not understand what he meant by early check-in, but apparently, it is the typical cruise check-in where they scan your documents, and, in this case, with Virgin, they give you a band that serves as your Sea Pass.
While waiting for our boarding time, the porter also informed us that the Ministry Cafe was open for a bite to eat, as it would be a bit before we were on the ship.
Turkey Sandwich
I honestly have a love-hate relationship with Virgin’s late boarding. On one hand, it can be incredibly inconvenient because most hotels have a check-out time of 11 am or 12 pm, and boarding doesn’t start until 2:15 pm for non-Rockstar suite guests. So you have to wait around until then. On the other hand, once you get on the ship, you can go straight to your room because the rooms will be ready. And this is great.
Embarkation Day is already stressful, but carrying around a carry-on and a backpack after a long travel day is super annoying. I love the fact that once I board the ship, I can go straight to my room to drop off my things.
I Got upgraded To A Sea Terrace
Central Sea Terrace on Deck 8
I booked a lock-it-in inside cabin for $685, and two days before the cruise, I checked my cabin assignment, and I was assigned to a Sea Terrace, and I was shocked.
At this point, the two cruises I have been on were in inside cabins, and I knew this upgrade would be a fantastic experience, and that I would probably become spoiled. I loved being able to see outside to know what time of day it was and watching the sunrise and sunset.
The weather wasn’t ideal throughout the cruise (I was wearing a winter hat in the Bahamas! More on this later), so I didn't spend much time on the Terrace or in the hammock. However, I did eat breakfast in the hammock one morning, and since it was not too hot, I kept the door open on many occasions to listen to the waves. We were able to see the deck below us, but we didn’t care; we had a balcony!
Port side views from our Sea Terrace while docked in Miami
I really liked the room. As I just mentioned, the weather was not ideal, and our day in Honduras was rained out, so we turned it into a stay-on-the-ship day, which was a lot of fun. Because we had a Sea Terrace, I didn’t feel the need to leave the room. If I wanted to go outside, I just stepped onto the terrace.
The selection of movies was AMAZING. I absolutely love how Virgin has included movies! There were many times while on Royal Caribbean, I wanted to have a movie night, but I was stuck watching the random movies they played on the ship's TV channels. Throughout this six-day voyage, I watched Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Skyfall (2012), Borderlands (2024), Specter (2015), It Ends With Us (2024), and The Proposal (2009).
Small bathroom, but very nice and clean
Rainfall shower heads are amazing
The bathroom is a standard bathroom found on most cruise ships. But I really liked the rainfall shower (my brother hated it), and I LOVED how they had separate towels for your face and makeup. I don’t wear makeup, but I loved having a separate towel for my face, and I noticed a difference in my skin.
I did not touch the water in the room, as I assumed that it might not have been changed from the last voyage. Therefore, I stuck to filling my water bottle in the galley, which proved problematic at times. More on this later.
The only complaint I have with the room is the bed. It is FIRM. No give, no bounce. Hard as a rock, which is fine for lounging, but rough for sleeping. I was able to sleep through the night, no problem, but I would wake up with pain in my hip. Many suggest requesting a mattress topper, and if I sail with Virgin again in the future, I may.
I also loved how the room had different lighting modes and automatic curtains. We loved putting it in movie mode when we watched movies.
The Ship
Docked in Bimini
The ship itself is the newest ship I have ever been on, as she was only about 5 years old. She just completed her dry dock the month before, and looked nice and refreshed. It’s a stunning ship that, in my opinion, uses the modern and slightly minimalist vibe correctly. The dining venues are all designed to evoke the culture in which the cuisine is inspired, and the exterior of the ship is unique as well.
The grey, white, and red is such an aesthetically pleasing color scheme for a ship, and I personally like it a lot. I have always found Virgin’s ships to be visually appealing.
The Roundabout
But I did find the layout of the ship and some design choices to be odd. As someone who is accustomed to the simplistic and easy-to-navigate design of Oasis-class ships, I found this ship to be a bit challenging to navigate at first.
Some doors appear to lead to crew-only areas, but guests are also permitted to use them. But this was the smallest ship I had ever sailed on, and I loved how, once I got my bearings, everything was not far from each other. Our room was one deck above the Pizza Place, and it was weird being so close to a dining venue.
Strange location for cabanas…..
The ship was very inward-facing to me as well, and I’m not sure how I would have survived without a balcony. I would have felt disconnected from the sea because there is no way to see the front of the ship or really get a good view of the water, as many of the railings are tinted. Coming from vessels that had indoor and outdoor access to view the front of the ship, I found this to be slightly disorienting. I hope this was changed on Brilliant Lady, as she is supposed to be sailing in Alaska.
The People are Very Social And VEry Inclusive
Love this
People talk to you. Like A LOT of people, and I am not used to this. I am an introvert and have social anxiety, so it was odd to find myself in a place where almost everywhere I went, people would want to engage in conversation, and I actually enjoyed it.
I would be standing at the railing watching us sail into port and could strike up a conversation with a stranger. The environment is so welcoming and inclusive that I was able to converse with more people in five hours than I had in the first five days of a Royal Caribbean cruise. Even before I got on the ship, I met some lovely people who invited me to join them to hang out on the ship if I wanted to.
As someone who is intimidated by people due to past negative experiences, it was refreshing to be in an environment like this. I also walk around with a big camera and have been stopped many times, where I was asked about my YouTube channel. I even inadvertently met two vloggers I follow, Jazzy from Rich and Jazzy Life, and Vynnessa from Vynnessa Vibes. I was too shy to talk to them until they asked me if I was a vlogger, because they had seen my camera.
The Food Is Fantastic
Filet Mignon from The Wake
Plain Pizza from The Pizza Place
Cheeseburger from The Burger Bar in The Galley
Bolognese from Ship Eats
I will be writing a separate, in-depth post about what I ate at each restaurant on Scarlet Lady. Be sure to subscribe to my email list at the bottom of this page to be notified when that post goes live.
To sum it up, I was amazed by the quality of the food. I have read that the meals are made to order rather than mass-produced, as on other cruise lines, and I believe that is why this was the best food I have had at sea.
From the delicious pizza from the Pizza Place to Extra Virgin (my favorite dining venue on board), the food rivals restaurants on land for me. There were a few misses, but you will have to read my in-depth food post to find out my faves and least faves.
Staff
The staff was great. And they may have been the happiest crew I have seen in my short time cruising. They would converse with sailors, and it felt like they had more freedom and were not held to the same corporate standards that other cruise lines impose on their employees.
No one ever felt pressured to address me by name, and if you ever worked a customer-facing job, you know how cringe and dehumanizing this can be at times, ESPECIALLY when you mispronounce names. (the ones that get it get it)
Ports
During this cruise, we visited Costa Maya, Roatán, and Bimini. The weather was not ideal throughout this sailing, so the only port we were able to properly explore was Costa Maya.
Costa Maya, MExico
Bahama Mama from The Krazy Lobster
Chicken Tacos from The Krazy Lobster
Chips and Guacamole from The Krazy Lobster
This was the only port with good weather. We got off the ship and took a $10 ($5 per person) taxi to The Krazy Lobster. We had to use the taxis outside of the port area to get this rate.
We spent the day at Krazy Lobster, and I will share my detailed experience of this beach club soon. Make sure to subscribe to my email list again to stay updated on when the post goes live.
In short, it was an affordable way to spend the day in Costa Maya, and the food was delicious.
Roatan, Honduras
We had no plans for this port other than getting off the ship, exploring the port area, and maybe eating, drinking, and getting some souvenirs, but the weather had other plans for us.
It poured rain ALL DAY. When we thought there was a break in the rain, we got off the ship only to be hit with intense winds. We made it to the front of the vessel while walking on the pier, then turned around and got back on the ship.
So we stayed inside the cabin all day, ordered ship eats, watched movies, and admired the nature of Roatan from our Sea Terrace.
Bimini, Bahamas
This was another port day that was affected by bad weather. It didn’t rain, but it was super windy and cold. Yes, you read that right; it was COLD in the Bahamas. I had on a winter hat.
I plan to write an in-depth post about the Bimini Beach Club, but in short, it was disappointing due to the weather, which is not Virgin’s fault at all, but the transportation and underwhelming food were issues for me.
ACTIVITIES and Entertainment
Trivia
The Social Club
I only went to one trivia session because they were always held in small venues, and I, being a boring introvert, wanted to attend more. Still, the vast number of people in a small space made my social anxiety come out to play. But I personally did not care for how trivia is run on Virgin ships.
First of all, it is a 1-hour session, which is strange to me as I have only been to trivia sessions that were 30 minutes max. We had teams, and there were many questions and rounds of play. It’s just not my style. We also had to switch our answers with other teams so they could check them, and if you hated doing that in school, imagine how I felt.
Scarlet Night
If you are an unhinged fanfic reader like i am please let me know your thoughts on this photo…. iykyk
Scarlet Night was the day we were in Costa Maya. The weather was fine during the day, but we ran into a weather system on the way to Honduras that night. The ship was ROCKING, and it was rainy and cold outside. So Scarlet Night had to be indoors.
It was still very cool to see the ship lit up red on the inside and the red accents on the Sea Terrace. We went to the Scarlet Night party in the Red Room, but it was super crowded, the ship was rocking, and I was starting to feel queasy, so we left after about 10 minutes.
Dual Reality
I loved this show. I like Shakespeare, and it was a beautiful take on Romeo and Juliet. I also liked how they changed the ending. The performers had me on the edge of my seat every time they did stunts, tricks, and aerial acts. It was a genuinely entertaining show, and not to sound like a pretentious prick, I am hard to please when it comes to live shows and Broadway, but I loved this show.
I won’t spoil the beginning, but if you have seen the show, know that I was on the Blue team, and one of the performers was behind me, and I genuinely thought I was about to witness a fight at the start.
Lights, Camera, Drag!
I have never been to a drag show, and as a film lover, I was excited to see this show, and it was fun. This was when I remembered I was on an adults-only ship, as the jokes were risque (not complaining about it, we are all adults here), and so were some of the gestures. The audience participation was hilarious, and the entire show was just fun, and everyone had a good time.
I wish I had arrived at The Manor earlier to get a better spot. I didn’t even have a seat; I was upstairs looking down over the balcony and couldn’t see some of the performance.
The resident drag Queen on Scarlet Lady at the time of this Performance was Dixie Krystals
Things That Were DIFFERENT On Virgin Compared TO Others
Wifi
I LOVED how Wifi was included. It was decent and worked most of the time, and I was able to do necessary things like use Wifi calling to stay in contact with family and check emails. It was spotty at times, but it wasn’t a big deal.
Fitness Classes
Including fitness classes is great because it makes it more enticing to try something you have never done before, but there is a no-show fee, which I found strange, even though the class is included with your cruise. I also couldn’t figure out how to cancel the class.
No Daily ANNOUNCEMENTS
There were no daily announcements about the weather, how far we traveled, and how deep the water was, etc. Any announcement was a notification in the app. The only announcement that was made during the cruise was about our late departure from Bimini due to bad weather.
Uncovered Jogging Track
I am used to sailing on Oasis-class ships with a covered jogging track, and I like to walk it after dinner or during the day. But since this cruise had such bad weather and the jogging track is uncovered on Virgin ships, I was only able to use it once.
The App
During my sailing, Virgin was still using the old app, and it was horrendous. I am so glad that they retired that app and made a new one because it was very buggy and frustrating to use.
Dehydration
The vloggers Views and Queues said in their final vlog on their first Virgin Voyages Cruise that they were dehydrated, and I agree. This was the first time I felt dehydrated on a cruise, and it was because there was no water package.
There is water in the room, but let’s be honest, how long has it been there? At the time, we didn't know we could ask for two still waters instead of one sparkling and one still, and we also didn’t think it could fit in the fridge.
I bought my reusable water bottle and used that as my water in the room, but I kept going up to the Galley to refill my water, and because my room was on deck 8 and the galley is on deck 15, sometimes I didn’t want to take the time to go up there to fill up my water bottle.
Honestly, if you plan better than I did, it won’t be a problem. But here’s a tip: When you order ship eats, order a bunch of drinks and store them in your fridge for later.
Final Thoughts
That disembarkation day sunrise is always bittersweet
Virgin Voyages is a unique cruise line that I didn’t think I would like. The food is fantastic, and the people it attracts are very friendly, and the overall vibe is something I never thought I would be into. I am glad I jumped at the opportunity to sail with Virgin, and I hope to do so again one day.
Maybe VERY soon…. 👀
Hi! I’m Andrea, the creator of Cinematic Excursions.
I am a video editor, photographer, travel and events vlogger, and blogger who likes to write movie analyses and yap about fandom. I also have a useless film degree.
I have been creating videos since 2018. In 2023, I started Cinematic Excursions to share my unfiltered experiences traveling, cruising, going on excursions, and using city cards that are supposed to save money.
I also use my platform to document my experience attending events like New York Comic-Con, MCM Comic-Con London, and the Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival, advising others and covering news from these events.
FOLLOW ME!
RELATED POSTS
I Spent Seven Nights On Symphony Of The Seas, And I Don’t Know If I Am Still Loyal To Royal
I Spent Seven Days On Oasis Of The Seas - Here Is My Experience Cruising For The First Time
Symphony Of The Seas - The Best And Worst Dishes In The Main Dining Room
Oasis Of The Seas - The Best and Worst Dishes In The Main Dining Room