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[title]Whether you’re an empty nester, a childless millennial or a parent who wants a breather, sometimes you need an adults-only escape. That’s where Virgin Voyages comes in. The cruise line set out to flip traditional cruising on its head—starting with its 18-and-over age requirement—and what they’ve accomplished is a perfect paradox: a superyacht-designed, adults-only cruise that appeals to a range of grown-ups, welcomes solo travelers as much as huge group celebrations, and encourages foodies and fitness lovers to thrive side by side.
I’ve sailed on a number of cruise lines over the years but only recently did I get to experience an adults-only ship, cruising through the Caribbean on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady. It was an eye-opening experience as far as cruises go—adults-only sailings are way different.
Some of what I learned: If you’re considering booking a Virgin Voyages cruise, you should definitely expect more R-rated activities, like risqué shows and drag performances, and plenty of sexy innuendoes—their scoop shop is called Lick Me Till Ice Cream. You can also look forward to perks like on-demand Champagne delivery. For more about the new and very different world of adults-only cruising, here’s what surprised me the most about my experience.
1. Cruise food can be just as good and varied as what you find on land.
Every Virgin cruise includes dining at all 20-plus of their eateries, free Wi-Fi, gratuities, essential drinks (AKA non-alcoholic) and unlimited group fitness classes as part of their standard voyage fare. Those eateries include six specialty restaurants (which is more dinners than we could cover on our five-night sailing!) so you can have a different dining experience each night instead of heading to the same massive Main Dining Room. Options include a stunning oceanview steakhouse to a plant-forward comfort food restaurant and a vibey Mexican sharing plates spot.
2. Virgin has bypassed buffets in favor of a gourmet food hall.
Don’t go searching for a standard buffet on Virgin’s pool deck. Instead, you’ll find a food hall with a taco shack, a sushi bar serving bento boxes, a noodle bar, a soup-and-salad stand, a burgers counter, a bakery and a 24-hour diner. Save yourself the mistake of wandering around to browse all the options, like we did the first day of our sailing. When you get to The Galley, all you have to do is grab a table, scan a QR code to see the menus for all of the food booths and flag down a server—by literally raising the red flag attached to the QR menu stand. Then you can place your order from multiple food stations at once, and the plates will be brought out fresh by your server, as they’re prepared. At times, we missed the convenience and speed of self-service from a buffet, but there’s also a refrigerated grab-and-go shelf with options like cold breakfast items and sandwiches for when you’re really in a pinch throughout the day.
3. There’s more to the onboard shopping and entertainment than high-end watches and duty-free alcohol.
There are plenty of exceptional amenities onboard Virgin’s adult-only ships as well as some firsts: a tattoo parlor, a record store, a dry bar, a barber shop, private karaoke rooms and, on the Scarlet Lady ship we sailed on, the first poker room at sea. Virgin recently partnered with World Poker Tour to add a new standalone poker venue called WPT at Sea, featuring eight poker tables staffed with professional dealers. There are tournaments every sailing, including a $320 buy-in main event with prizes valued at up to $5,000.
4. There are no kids in sight, but the ship is basically a playground for adults.
There might not be any winding water slides or wild roller coasters on a Virgin Voyages ship, but don’t expect an adults-only cruise to be boring. Virgin Voyages cruises are like a free-spirited, adults-only playground that’ll bring out the kid in you. Guests will find a four-way adult seesaw, a life-size game of Twister and seaside swings, alongside an arcade with retro games and a Social Club with air hockey and foosball tables. Classic carnival eats like hot dogs with funky toppings (including Philly Cheese and Reuben) plus boozy floats and milkshakes are also served on board.
5. Skip the formalwear and pack accordingly for themed nights, including PJs and something red.
When was the last time you got to go to a Pajama Party? Well, that’s one of the themed nights on the cruise. Aside from PJs, you’ll also want to pack red instead of formalwear for Virgin’s headlining Scarlet Night pool deck party. Virgin is all about immersive entertainment, and the night unfolds with pop-up circus performances, karaoke, interactive games, dancing flash mobs and live music.
6. Reservations are required for basically everything, so book what you can before you even set foot on the ship.
Everything from restaurant brunches and dinners to theatrical performances and free fitness classes require reservations. Much of that is due to venues that were designed to feel more intimate–but that means limited capacity. All of the restaurants are included in your cruise fare—from a Korean BBQ spot where drinking games are encouraged to a Michelin-style tasting menu concept. But if you don’t plan ahead, you might miss out on your favorite. Dinner reservations can be booked before you board (similar to when you book specialty restaurants that charge a cover on other cruise lines), which we highly recommend doing if you want to dine at reasonable hours. Walk-ins are possible, but who really wants to wait?
7. You can order on-demand Champagne delivery, almost anywhere on the ship.
What’s more luxurious than Champagne bottle service? On-demand bottle service, of course. A fun adults-only feature, Shake for Champagne lets you have a bottle of Möet Chandon Impérial delivered to wherever you are on the ship—bars, restaurants, lounges, cabins and open decks—with the tap of one button. Just shake the Virgin Voyages phone app and a secret screen appears, urging you to Push Me to summon champagne. Suddenly, you’ll see a bottle of Möet on ice and two Champagne glasses in a Virgin red bucket make its way over to you.
8. Room service is available right from your phone.
Virgin offers food delivery to your room with a service called ShipEats that you can order through the app or in-room iPad (think of it as the UberEats of cruising). We aren’t talking about standard room service here. Your food comes in stackable containers delivered in what almost looks like a laundry bag to make it easily portable and save space in your stateroom. Snacks, meals and basic beverages are complimentary as always. Still, there is a delivery fee if everything you ordered was free (pro tip: order a coffee or beer so you don’t have to pay the delivery fee and get a drink instead!). Once you’re done, tap a button in the app or iPad to have it picked up.
9. Most cruises might be the epitome of over-indulgence, but Virgin Voyages is a wellness wonderland.
Virgin Voyages ships let you detox and retox all on the same day. It’s easy to indulge in all of the aforementioned dining options, but if you're serious about having a healthier getaway, smaller portion sizes compared to the industry standard (for both health and sustainability purposes) and bars serving Skinny Piñas and fresh smoothies in cocktail glasses can keep you on track. Plus, the ship’s three upper fitness decks are so comprehensive it's like an Equinox at sea. There are two separate cardio and strength complexes, a CrossFit-style training center with a seaside boxing ring, a sunrise yoga terrace, and a standalone running track (meaning no tripping over other cruise passengers walking by).
It’s clear they’ve strived to make wellness super accessible to anyone: Virgin includes unlimited group fitness classes as part of their standard fare (on Caribbean itineraries, SUP Yoga at their private beach club in Bimini is one of those free classes!). Browse the schedule in the app to make fitness class reservations as soon as you get on board so you can make the most of your vacation. We did notice that some late-night partiers regret booking early-morning workout classes and will cancel last minute (there’s a no-show fee that gets donated to ocean conservation if you don’t cancel), so even if everything is booked, you can hold out hope and check the app late at night or early in the morning for any spots that open up.
10. There’ll be a hammock on your balcony, and you probably won’t want to leave it.
Virgin Voyages worked with a group of interior designers, artists and architects who’ve designed some of the most stylish hotels, resorts and superyachts (but never cruise ships) to bring a boutique luxury feel to its guests at sea. Of all the distinctive design features and first-at-sea amenities on board the ship, it surprised us that our favorite was right in our cabin: a hammock. Nearly 90 percent of the ship’s staterooms feature a balcony, all of which come with vibrant Virgin-red handwoven hammocks created by artisan weavers from Yellow Leaf, a business that fosters women's empowerment and community transformation in rural Thailand.
Read a book, take a nap, and order ShipEats to your hammock. Whatever you choose, there’s truly nothing like swaying in the ocean breeze with a front-row seat to the deep blue sea—making it absolutely worth the upgrade to a Sea Terrace from an Inside or Oceanview cabin. If you’re like us and your balcony hammock becomes the thing you’ll miss most about your adult-only cruise, the good news is you can take one home with you (for a price) from the gift shop.
