In April, I sailed Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady and reviewed the fantastic entertainment aboard that ship. With the launch of Virgin’s third ship, Resilient Lady, a whole new line up of entertainment was also introduced.
Red Room
The Red Room, located on Deck 6 & 7, is the theater space on Resilient Lady and hosts the main production shows each evening. Depending on the need of the show, it can be transformed into various formats from traditional theater seating to no seating at all.
Persephone
Persephone tells the Greek myth of Persephone, in this story a rebellious teen that runs away from her mom to meet up with Hades and his minions in hell for a fun time. The Greek gods battle Hades and his minions but Persephone wants the best of both worlds and gets to have it all. Or something to that effect.
This show is standing room only. The stages are stationary and don’t move, but the performers run through the audience to the different stages. Stay alert and don’t get in their way.
Large LED screens on the stage help fill in gaps of the story while the performers sing, dance, and perform acrobatics all while wearing creative costumes.
The story is rough and there is a ton going on. I never felt invested in the characters but that is okay; this show is about the spectacle and trying to take it all in.
Miss Behave Show
This is not a Virgin Voyages original production; I saw the Miss Behave Game Show in Las Vegas in 2019. Unfortunately Virgin Voyages has put this production in the Red Room; which is too big of a theater for this “low budget” (by design) game show.
The show is hosted by a woman and her assistant (Harriet). The audience is divided in two and points are very roughly given out throughout the show as responses are called for from the audience. Mostly the host and assistant entertain with jokes, dances, songs, and random other stuff.
It is a lot of fun, but would fit better in The Manor where it would feel more intimate.
Festival Stage
During my 7-night cruise, we had headliner Jeff Hobson, a comedian and magician. He was genuinely fun from start to finish. His magic is silly card tricks and other illusions that are not high budget. He doesn’t have special effects, the show is just about him as a person, his stories and his interaction with the audience.
Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle
Another non-Virgin Voyages original, Mind Mangler is by Mischief Comedy. It is a two-actor show: the Mind Mangler is a magician that just can’t get it right and he is supported by his Stooge. They actually do a few real magic tricks but mostly it is them just getting it wrong in funny ways.
The Manor
The other main entertainment venue is The Manor. Located on Deck 6 just off the Casino, it is smaller than the Red Room. Seating is mostly around small tables on the main floor as well as the balcony. There are a few bars and in the evening it turns into a night club.
Lola’s Library
A few evenings during my 7-day cruise The Manor turned into the ship’s “library”. This variety show in three acts is hosted by Lola, the librarian, her nerdy assistant Dewey, and maid Mary.
The show is at times interrupted when the Book Bandit appears and steals a book.
Each act is roughly an hour long with breaks between sets; though even during breaks there are acrobats and dancers throughout the space. The first act is focused on fairy tales and fantasy, the second act is crime and horror, and the third act is romance. Each act consists of a loose story line with Lola as the narrator and sets of dancers, singers, acrobats, and crowd participation.
You can come and go during the three consecutive acts; though I found it very entertaining and stayed for the three hour duration.
Another Rose
Another Rose is a paid dinner theater experience. Currently it is $50 per person, which includes the show, dinner and drinks, and you must pick your seating area (front row, main floor, or balcony). I would suggest main floor as it has the best view — front row is a bit too much in the action and you also have to move at one point to clear the stage.
The show itself is a combination of singing (twists on pop songs), dancing, acrobats, and story telling — like most of the shows on Virgin Voyages. This one has a bit of a feeling of Moulin Rouge to me; perhaps it is the music. It is very loosely the story of three lovers and an evil queen that tries to get them to fit into a traditional marriage. There are roses and ropes (think 50 Shades) involved. If you are lucky, you might get a rope accessory before the show.
The dinner (at least during my show) was four courses and two cocktails served between acts of the show.
The food was good but not particularly amazing (probably hard to make amazing food when you have to serve 50+ plates all at the same time). Better than Ship Show food. There is also sparkling rosé served throughout the evening.
Since meals and entertainment are already included; you basically are paying the $50 to get to see this specific show plus have two cocktails plus unlimited rosé. The show is quite similar to Persephone; I wish there was something besides the fact that you are eating during the show to set it apart.
If you have a 7 night cruise and have already tried all the restaurants, it is a fun way to spend an evening. On a shorter cruise, I would not want to give up one of the restaurants dinners for a sub-par meal that you have to pay for.
Round the World in 80 Minutes with the Diva
This is the exact same show that is on the Scarlet Lady. I watched it again hoping for something new but at this time it is exactly the same; just a different Diva.
Scarlet Night
The big red party takes over the entire ship one night each sailing. It is again a near carbon copy that you will get on all ships with a few differences in the pop up entertainment.
Basically you show up (wearing red) to the Round About on Deck 6 & 7 at 9:00pm to experience 10 minute rotating mini events all over Deck 6 & 7. You might see some acrobats, you might see some dancing, you might hear about the myth of Scarlet Night, you might even join in a wedding.
It culminates with a pool party at 10:45pm.
Other Events
There are various other events throughout the sailing. There are various resident musicians that play at scheduled time; typically in the Round About space.
There are also small paid events you can sign up for (most include alcohol). I did Loteria Gigante which included unlimited margaritas for about 90 minutes and three games of Mexican bingo (very small prizes) hosted by the Happenings Cast.
I also did the Beyond Tequila event; where a bartender explained the types of Tequila and Mezcal and included five tastings throughout.
There are other events like karaoke (free), Bingo with the Diva, happy hours, etc. It is hard to be bored on a Virgin Voyage.
I found the entertainment to be slightly improved when compared with my previous 5 night sailing on Scarlet Lady. All of the shows I have seen on Virgin Voyages have been fantastic. They simply blow away any other cruise based entertainment and is up there with Vegas based shows in my opinion.
Do you have a favorite show on Virgin Voyages or one that you hope to see? Share in the comments below.