Ahoy There, Travel Friends!
My husband (B) and I cruised on Virgin Voyage's new and gorgeous Scarlet Lady in December 2021 and loved it! B had been following the process of building the Virgin ships and was excited when I wanted to cruise on the Scarlet Lady. We booked our cruise in early 2021 and started our countdown to boarding the state-of-art ship.
Virgin Voyages is an Adult-Only (18+) cruise line and the fare includes free wifi, food at over 20+ eateries, tips & gratuities, basic beverages, and unlimited group fitness classes.
Our five-night Mayan Sol Cruise included two Sea Days and stops at Costa Maya and The Beach Club Bimini. Cruising on a five-night itinerary was really nice. I felt it gave us lots of time to relax and enjoy the ship plus get off a few times to explore. I have previously done 4 and 7-night cruises and felt the 5-Night was the perfect amount of time for a low-key vacation.
Port Miami is Scarlet Lady's home port. We arrived a few days early so we could spend some time with family in Ft. Lauderdale before we sailed away.
Embarkation was quick, well organized, and uneventful (thankfully). Our Port Arrival time was 12 pm and my sister and brother-in-law dropped us off around 11:15 am (The Dray’s are always early).
We got in line for our PAT and were let into the terminal building a few minutes before 12. First, we had to go through security which was super quick. Next was the COVID testing area. We had pre-registered the night before making check-in simple. Testing was next and took two minutes or less. Then they had us wait in a large room for our test results. In about 10 minutes we received our NEGATIVE test results, THANKFULLY. We showed our negative results and could enter the next room that we stayed in until boarding started at 2 pm. Our boarding group was #1! and we were on the gorgeous Scarlet Lady by 2:10 pm.
At the time of our sailing (December 5 - December 10, 2021), face masks were required in the terminal only. Once we boarded the ship we did not have to wear face masks anywhere on the ship.
Our stateroom (10 186 A) was a Central Sea Terrace on Deck 10 and was ready as soon as we boarded. To enter our stateroom all we had to do was scan our wearable, The Band, onto the touchpoint outside the door which made it super convenient.
I was pleasantly surprised when we entered our stateroom as to how nice it was. The closet space, which is always important to me, was more than adequate for two adults. Two makeup clothes were in the bathroom, perfect! The shower was a little small but ok for a short trip. The bed was comfortable and I enjoyed being able to sit in bed and have a great view out the sliding glass door. The red blanket on the bed was clean and washed just for us and I used it several times. We liked having the small refrigerator to store extra drinks (from room service) and leftover food. A nice touch was having containers of water in the room. I organized my makeup on the desk and sat each morning when getting ready. That way B and I could get ready at the same time. I wished the room had a little more storage in the bathroom and around the desk. Also, more hooks around the room would have been great. Overall the room worked out well and I liked the central location. I truly loved it being modern, stylish and new!
I saved the best part of the room for its own paragraph. The red hammock was surprisingly comfortable and turned into a must-do each day. I had seen it mentioned in reviews and when researching but I didn't expect it to be as good as everyone said. It was so relaxing and the perfect way to spend a few hours. B spent time in it while I was getting ready for dinner each night and I used it whenever I could.
Scarlet Lady has only been sailing a few months so it's very clean and shiny. I was very impressed with the theming of the ship and all the fun nooks and crannies to explore. There were many bars, each with its own feel and theming, located throughout the ship. It was fun trying out different areas of the ship. My favorite areas were The Dockhouse, The Dock, and the outside area at The Galley.
The pool area was always very busy but I was lucky to get photos when we first boarded. If you want a seat near the pool it's best to get there early. It's definitely were the action is during the day. We didn't spend much time in the pool area but would like to on our next cruise.
Leaving Miami was picturesque and fun! They had a DJ playing upbeat music and everyone was having a great time. The Miami skyline was lit up and made an incredible backdrop while sailing away.
I made our dinner reservations for each night about 2 weeks before our cruise. There are six different themed restaurants (Razzle Dazzle, Gunbae, The Test Kitchen, Pink Agave, Extra Virgin, and The Wake) and I selected the five I felt we would enjoy the most. All dining is included in the cruise fare, except afternoon tea, which we did on one of our sea days. I will go into more detail in another post. It was a nice change not having a large dining room on the ship as each night was a much different experience.
Our first dinner was at The Wake, located on Deck 7 Aft. Our table had a nice view and the restaurant was very elegant. The dress code on Virgin Voyages is "come as you feel comfortable". Everyone dressed appropriately with some dressed more casually and some more dressy. I really liked this aspect of sailing with Virgin. I wore a casual dress or black pants with a kimono each night.
The food and service were excellent. We enjoyed a glass of red wine with our meal. B and I like to order a variety of things so we can share.
Dinner at The Wake was a great way to start the cruise. After dinner, we strolled the deck for our evening walk.
Next up: All About Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady Cruise - Part Two: Our First Sea Day and Dinner at Pink Agave.
I'm a Travel Agent and Blogger that specializes in Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Universal, SeaWorld, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Virgin Voyages and properties I showcase on my blog. It is my passion to use my travel knowledge and love of travel in a way that inspires people to travel more. If you are thinking about planning a trip please contact me. I love talking about Disney & Travel!!! My planning services are complimentary when you book with me! Want a quote, email me at debbie@polkadotsnwishestravel.com (my travel agent email). Happy Travels! Travel with Debbie D
