Cruising the UK on the Scarlet Lady by Virgin Voyages

Pre-sailaway snacks at The Dock

This was my eighth cruise with Virgin Voyages and my sixth cruise on the Scarlet Lady. Upon embarkation, I ran into one of the Happenings Cast that I had sailed with previously on the Scarlet Lady, Luz the Flare. One of my favorite things about Virgin Voyages is their Happenings Cast. Luz immediately recognized me and gave me a huge hug. This is why I return time after time. The people on Virgin are the best. Over the course of the voyage, I reconnected with three other members of the Happenings Cast I knew from previous voyages. We dropped our luggage in our cabin and hit The Dock for some pre-sailaway snacks.

Dining

My next favorite thing about Virgin Voyages, besides the lack of children, is the food. I love that you don’t have to fight the crowds at the buffet. Instead, I head to the back of the ship for some tapas-style dishes and a glass of sangria. If I haven’t already booked all my dining reservations, this is the time I do it. No big dining rooms, just six specialty restaurants, all included in the cruise fare, as well as several other casual venues. Off to the sailaway party and free champagne—who doesn’t like free champagne?—and then to dinner.

Dinner in the Test Kitchen

Dinner at Lucky Lotus by Razzle Dazzle

Activities & events

Over the next twelve days, we partied at the pajama party, sang in the private karaoke rooms, enjoyed fantastic comedians, magicians, singers, drank awesome craft cocktails, and my friend even convinced me to try Bungee Class. I probably won’t do that again, but at least now I can say I tried it.

PJ party on the Scarlet Lady

Of course, one of the best nights is always Scarlet Night. If you have never experienced Scarlet Night, you are in for a treat. It is the biggest party you have ever seen on any cruise ship, and it happens all over the ship with pop-up acts and entertainment everywhere. Follow the Happenings Cast around on Scarlet Night and you’ll see all the important events.

David, the Charmer, the magician in the Happenings Cast

In port

The ports we visited were great. Before embarking on this journey, I did some research into my genealogy and found that I am 23% Scottish. With three stops in Scotland, I was very excited. This was one of the first times the Scarlet Lady has done this itinerary, and she handled it well. Each of the ports was interesting and had many choices of excursions. Because of my interest in my ancestry, I hired private local drivers in two of the ports in Scotland. Having a local driver to ourselves was amazing. Both of our drivers were very knowledgeable and communicated their love of their home throughout the tour. We were able to visit some out-of-the-way places, one being the ancient castle of the Lachlan Clan, which was near and dear to my heart.

If there was any real issue, it was tendering in Dublin. It required a lot of patience getting off and then again back onto the ship. Don’t forget to pack your patience and when booking excursions give yourself lots of time so that you don’t have to stress.

Pre- and post-cruise notes

Always, always, always, get there a day early to eliminate stress from delayed flights, etc. We stayed a day before the cruise in Portsmouth at the Royal Maritime Hotel. No frills, but a place to lay our head. We had time to explore Portsmouth and even a quick train trip to Southampton before getting on the ship.

On the way back, we got a transfer to London and stayed a couple of nights at the Georgian House Hotel. Again, not a luxurious hotel, but well-located for sightseeing in London.

I’m all about eliminating stress. These extra nights make travel a lot less stressful and you get a chance to experience the local scene before getting on the ship.

Our room: XL Sea Terrace

Our XL balcony with the iconic red hammock

• If you are cruising on Virgin Voyages, my number one tip is to make sure to meet the Happenings Cast. They will make you feel like you are sailing with family and they will give you insights into opportunities onboard that are not public knowledge. This is the best way to become a Virgin Insider.

• Don’t be afraid to book a private tour instead of booking the typical shore excursions. In two ports, I hired a local driver to drive us around the countryside. This allowed us to visit places that a normal tour would not have gone to. Visiting Castle Lachlan would not have been possible with a normal guided tour or shore excursion. Talk to your travel advisor and let them help you find alternatives to the run-of-the-mill shore excursions.

• One more tip for any trip that I book: I always like to get there a day early. This helps to avoid problems if my flight is delayed. If you are lucky enough to get priority boarding, you can get on the ship early and start your vacation a few hours earlier than if you fly in the same day and hope that all goes well. Afterwards, not a bad idea to stay a day or two later to give yourself time to relax before traveling home.

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