OKAY. DAMN. I am writing this review about a year after the fact and I am STILL dreaming of this cruise. I’ll do my best to recall details, but honestly, the pictures will give you a better idea of how dope this cruise line is. If you’d rather read, continue on to read more about my time on the Virgin Voyages Scarlett Lady.
nemo looking like a whole passport bro lol
The biggest downside about this cruise line is that you can only catch it on the east coast (here in the US). I hate flying all the way over there lol, but the 5 days on this cruise was so worth it.
so many nice photo-ops on the boat
So, this was our (my husband and I’s) very first time cruising ever. I’d only been on a cruise boat one other time shortly before this trip for a friend’s wedding, which was a Carnival-brand boat. After seeing how cool that ship was, my husband and I definitely wanted to try a cruise, but on something more adult oriented and bougie. Cue Virgin Voyages, who operates one of the few adult-only cruise lines. We decided to book the 5-day trip that left from Miami and stopped in Cozumel and The Bahamas. They had lots of different destinations, dates and lengths, so I feel that there is something for everyone (who is 18+).
so many picturesque views from the second you get on the ship
I’ll skip what it was like getting to Miami – it was a regular, slightly uncomfortable southwest flight and a regular Marriott hotel stay in Miami the night before. Miami itself looked pretty cool as we drove through to get to our boarding gate. The weather was also amazing for mid-february – hot and clear skies. I’ll have to stop in Miami again and stay a little longer.
downtown miami was a vibe
The boarding location for Virgin was soo cool. I didn’t realize that boats are the same as planes where each brand has their own stylized boarding gate. Virgin’s was super pristine and tech-forward, with cool lighting, floor-to-ceiling windows and a cool overall vibe. The boarding process was quick and organized. Each person received their own wristband with an RFID-type charm on it. This charm acted as your room key, wallet, and ID all in one, which I found convenient because I was able to leave all of that stuff in my room throughout my stay (I’m the type to lose stuff while drunk lol).
ok nemo lookin like a snak
Speaking of drunk, when we booked, they were having a special where the 2nd sailor went for free and if you booked a trip that lasted at least 5 nights, you got $300 towards drinks. Our trip ended up being about $3500 total for both of us, and we has to try really hard to get through the alcohol money cause the drinks on board were super cheap (~$7-$15 per drink). Be sure to look for these deals when you book your trip!
highly recommend the cabin with te private balcony + hammock!
Anyway, so we get on the boat and our room is sooo niceee. And im very particular about hotel room cleanliness and organization. We booked the largest room they offered, under the rockstar rooms. It was perfect size for 2 adults and included a balcony with a bright red hammock. That balcony was my favorite part – being able to leave the door open and let in the ocean breeze, watch the sunsets/sunrises and take in the views of the destinations was some top tier shit. YOU WANT A BALCONY WHEN YOU BOOK WITH VIRGIN. But yeah, the room overall was super nice. The bed folded into a couch to allow for more space during the day and the toiler actually has its own room with a door. Like I said earlier, the pics/vids do it more justice than this description lol.
flight was not the comfiest but the views were amazing
The boat itself is HUGE! I was not prepared for how big cruise ships are. I’m not sure how virgin compares to other lines but damn this boat was big af. I can’t recall the exact size but it took a good 20 minutes just to walk from our room to the main dining hall (if we took the stairs, which we did for the most part). Like for real, I think I lost weight just from walking around and getting lost on this thing. I loved that though – it really was like having a whole city floating on water.
interesting how the city of miami just perfectly sits on top of the water like this
This boat has soo much to offer. We didn’t even scratch the surface of all of the amenities, services, food options and events that were available. During our trip, their app allowed you to easily book and pay for experiences. Additionally, you could just walk around the boat and stumble upon all kinds of activities. We saw bar crawls, casinos, arcades, board games, shopping, day spas, concerts, clubs, random dance parties, basketball courts, and so much more. And that was just on the boat! At the destinations, there were even more excursions to take part in. We didn’t end up doing an excursion in Cozumel or The Bahamas because we just wanted to walk around and take in the scenes – more on that later.
the rooms were clean, organized and super trendy
So, lets talk about the food. It was BOMB. My husband has a very sensitive stomach and he didn’t get any stomach upset at all, except at one spot where they used a lot of dairy for this one dish, but they’re really good as disclosing and working with food allergies, we just didn’t tell them about his lactose intolerance. The dining hall area, which was basically open 24/7, had lots of cool options. My favorite was the salad bar (cannot remember the name right now) - it was nice to start the day with fresh, unadulterated greens, tofu and olive oil. Other honorable mentions for food include Gunbae (prolly my favorite restaurant there – you play games with your tablemates, staff was super nice and they were playing some cool music), the burger spot, the sushi, and the super fine dining place (I cannot remember any of the names lol). But honestly I didn’t try anything that didn’t taste good. I’d encourage you to try everything and not miss out! I love how you pay one price upfront and can just EAT. It took time for me to get used to not having to pull out my wallet every time I got food lol. That is something I could definitely get used to.
interesting visuals all over the place on this boat. i feel that there was a great attention to detail during this cruise. like the whole thing felt like a labor of love
Now, lets talk about the two destinations – Cozumel and The Bahamas. I thought these locations were good stops because they both gave beach vibes but also offered different activities. I’ll start ith Cozumel since we got there first on day 2. Omg, falling asleep with our balcony door wide open, listening to the ocean waves, then waking up early to watch the sunrise (which I almost never do because I like my sleep), then going back to sleep and waking up later to the dark blue water and colorful landscape of Cozumel was magical, maybe even the best moments of this trip for me. The weather was hot and slightly humid, just the way I like it. We had breakfast, got our beach clothes and walked down the long ass runway to the coastline. Coming and going off the ship was interesting – lots of security checkpoints, kind of like at the airport, which I wasn’t expecting. I felt safe with the enhanced security measures but also worried cause like, what if all of a sudden I had a gun and couldn’t get back on the boat?!? Luckily we got off and on without issue lol.
if you like the color red, you'll love this ship lol
Cozumel was super cool. As I said before, the coastline was super colorful with lots of photo-ops, cool looking signs and people selling souvenirs. I was a bit upset that there was no easy beach access at this port – I guess you had to pay for the excursion or rent a car to get to the beaches. We almost rented a car but decided not to because it was pretty expensive and we were worried about getting back to the ship in time. We did end up doing a lot of walking which I liked. The area felt overall safe and generally laid-back. It was nice to just take in the sights and take our time exploring. We did end up buying some extra special treats from some guys in a sketchy looking alleyway closet thing. We haven’t consumed those treats yet ‘cause we’re a bit nervous that they might be mixed in with other treats that we’re not trying to consume, lol. But anyway yeah, Cozumel was a nice time to get off the boat, walk around and do some shopping/sight-seeing. Next time, I would prolly purchase an excursion so I could see more of the area.
like i said, detail-oriented. such pretty colors everywheree
In contrast, The Bahamas was the beach vibe that I was looking for. We got there on the 4th day. Virgin has its own beach club with private beach access on the island, so this is where most of the cruisers went, but you were free to go anywhere on the island you could get to. Apparently, when you get off the boat and onto the island, there’s this bus that takes you to the beach club, but nemo and I didn’t see this bus or any indication of it so we just walked and walked and had no idea where we were going lol. We walked to some random other beach club and were just so confused. Thankfully, a local offered to drive us to the beach club on his golf cart (for $20 -_-) but the ride was cool – we saw a bit more of the island than we would have on the bus so we felt like VIPs for a little bit lol. Eventually, we got to the beach club which was poppin. The DJ was playing some cool afro-beats, the water was the CLEAREST BLUEST BLUE ive ever seen!! Like seriously, when you see those pictures in the magazine of these island with the light blue clear water, it looks exactly like that in person. Absolutely gorgeous. And of course it was perfectly warm. The whole beach club area was cool – a few bars (that you an buy drinks at with your bracelet of course), a private pool, food and a whole bunch of lawn chairs, beach chairs and couches. Peep the pics because these words don’t do it justice. We were only there for a few hours because we were moving slow that morning, but I feel like a few hours was all that I needed to soak up those vibes. Like Cozumel, next time id prolly book an excursion so I could see more of the area.
a sunset in the middle of the ocean >>
So yeah, Virgin set the bar super high as our first cruise. We’re already planning our next trip for our next anniversary. If you’re wondering about cruising with them, stop wondering and just go. I promise you won’t regret it!
super big seashell i found in the bahamas
If you have any questions about this review, or anything else, hit me up in the comment on the home page or on my instagram @bunnygoestoshows.
people VS boat for reference lol
hella pics of the full mooon for no reason lol
okay but the clouds and the sun on the water hit different
nemo + nemo lol
this was at an "experimental kitchen" that served several small, unique dishes. i appreciated the cleanliness of their kitchen
the sunsets on the water HIT DIFFERENTLY
there was a table right next to us where 2 different couples sat during our meal. both of them argued lol. we call that table "the cursed table" lol
a HUGE ass party in the middle of the boat with dancing and fire shows and of course many drinks
