solotrip

If it helps, here are screenshots from the ship eats menu with prices from the app as of Aug 27. I don't know if Virgin changes the menu. 

Might be a little late, but I'm on Scarlet Lady now and we docked at Key West 2 days ago. On board time was 4:30pm, so earlier than originally advertised. 

I've been on a few cruises, but this will be my first attempt at a write-up! I planned to just relax this cruise, so I won't have a ton of activities listed. Feel free to ask me any questions. 

 

Day 0

 

I flew into MIA the day before the cruise. My flight was delayed, so I didn't get to the hotel until midnight. I grabbed the free shuttle (last shuttle at 11:59pm) to the Radisson Red. The driver was very friendly. 🙂 I can't speak much to the hotel amenities, since I got in so late. They offer a cruise shuttle on Saturdays only (for a fee,) which I couldn't use for my Wednesday cruise. There's also a pool and a bar/dining area...but I didn't use either.   

 

The room was nice and had a Virgin look to it -- maybe all the red and minimalistic decor.  They provided two little bottles of free water and coffee -- I used both and was grateful to have them.

 

Here's a view of the King suite.  That chandelier over desk looks nice, but is too low.  I'm 5ft tall and hit my head on it when I used the desk.

 

The bathroom...there's no shower curtain, but there's glass by the showerhead that mostly worked (I put that towel on the floor and the shower cap is mine.)

 

 

And here's the hallway that reminded me of Virgin's hallways (sorry for the blurry image.)

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Day 1 - Miami

 

Check out was at 12pm, and I had a 2pm check in time at the port.  So I sat in the hotel for an hour and then headed out.  I actually walked back to the airport (took me about 15 minutes) and took the train to Brickell and then the free Coral trolley to the port.  Total cost was $2.25 and I saw more of Miami than I would have on a shuttle or uber.  I didn't take any pictures on the way 😞 but I would definitely do it again.

 

I got to the port around 2:10 (Coral trolley dropped me off right out front.)  There was a short line inside to check in -- I don't know if that was due to Virgin getting their embarkation process smoothed out or because it was a Wednesday.  After check-in, I went through security and walked right on to the ship. 

 

 

I stopped at my room (a solo insider on deck 13) and met my cabin attendant (cabin mate? not sure what virgin calls them.) Turns out she is the same cabin attendant I had when I cruised with Virgin last year!  I remembered her and she thinks she remembered me, so that made me happy. 🙂 I had to work a little during this vacation, so here's the cabin with my "office" set-up

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I did get the upgraded wifi on the first day for $40 -- its worked great and I only had a few hiccups along the way with some of the larger excel files I have to work with.  I even took calls over wifi on my cell phone with no issues!

 

I also noticed this paper in the room -- I guess Virgin providing an in-room planner on the first day now (the little yellow paper was given to me at check-in, and yes I needed the reminder!)

 

Room setup, time to eat! I have been craving the Spanish Octopus from The Dock so off I went. It wasn't as good as I remembered, but it was still good.  I got the shrimp this time, and loved them!  

 

Ended up walking around the ship and checking out the spa.  I had the $200 JLo loot credit so figured I would get a massage...I ended up paying $230 for the massage (with hot stone add-on) plus $80 for Elemis gel. Goodbye JLo credit. On embarkation, there was a special: 15 mins extra with your massage.  Honestly, this was my first massage so not sure how bad that price was or if the extra time was worth it, but I definitely felt more relaxed afterwards...and the gel does have a nice cooling feel to it. 

 

I went to the sail away party afterwards and enjoyed 3 free glasses of champagne, then headed up to my room to work for a bit before going to dinner.  I headed down to Extra Virgin at 8:30 for dinner.  I'm not a fan of Italian food, but I've heard the food here is not to me missed. 

 

Meatballs -- I didn't love or hate these. It just seemed not special enough for Virgin, but then again I don't like the Impossible burger at Razzle Dazzle so my taste buds might be off.  Wish I got the calamari (guess I'll need to take another cruise to taste it.)

  

 

Sea bass w/ bucatini carbonara -- I actually ordered this pasta by mistake. I wanted to try the nero gemelli seafood pasta (its black and has a sea urchin sauce.)  I'm glad I made the mistake!  The bucatini was so buttery and delicious.  The sea bass was good too, but I could have had that pasta by itself.   

 

I was pretty stuffed at this point, but there's always room for dessert.  I planned on only getting gelato, but the waiter suggested I try the bomboloni so I had both!  The waiter poured expresso over the gelato (it was so good.) But he was right, the bomboloni was AMAZING!  Definitely, the highlight of the meal.

 

 

After that I was so full; I just went back to my cabin and slept.  

 

 

Day 2 - Key West 

 

I slept later than I wanted, and had to get some work done in the morning.  So I ended up going to brunch around 1pm at The Wake.  No crowds, probably because it was so late and most folks had already gone off the ship.  I decided to do a gluten free meal to make up for the pasta...

 

 

Fennel and citrus salad -- I liked this more then I expected.  I'm not a big fan of fennel, and while you could taste it, it wasn't overbearing.

 

I then tried the "egg" in a hole.  The waiter warned me that this was a vegan egg and not a real one.  I actually use Just Egg at home and prefer it to real eggs so I was game.  This "egg" in this is more of a crème w/ spinach -- still so incredibly good. It comes in a crispy polenta square.  At first, I was off put my the polenta, but it grew on me and I ended up really liking it.

 

 

I finished up with the Apple tatin, I wasn't a fan of the cake (almond financier) but the apple and crème on top were delicious. 

 

I went off the ship and wondered around Key West.  I was on a mission to find key lime soap for a friend and a key lime colada for me.  It was really hot out and I instantly regretted walking... I made a stop at Hemingway's house along the way...and I really liked the master bedroom and nanny's bathroom.

 

 

I didn't find the soap, but of course I found the drink.  

 

On board time was 4:30pm, so unfortunately I couldn't see sunset in Key West. So I just headed to the Galley to eat.  The galley is cool because you can order different types of food in one place...that's also why its bad.  I got a burger and sushi for dinner...I wanted ramen and tacos but Noodle Around and Taco 'Bout It weren't open.  If I have one complaint about Virgin its the weird hours that the eateries have.  Like I'm not sure why Dine 'n Dash is 24 hours when they only serve breakfast food?   

 

And of course I had dessert. Coconut Pavlova and Cherry Chocolate something (I can't remember.) Both of these were gluten free. I loved the pavlova, the cherry chocolate thing was too chocolatey for me (blasphemy, I know.)

 

I found a spot on deck 15 to watch the sunset, but ended up falling asleep and missing it.  I got some ice cream and lounged around on deck 7 til the drag show at 9:15pm.  The show is called "Around the World in 80 minutes."  I really like the show, but didn't take any pictures.  Also, I sat on the second floor, dead center -- DO NOT do this!  If you go, either sit on the first floor or along the sides on the second floor.  The queen moves around a lot on the floor and from my spot I missed a lot of the interactions with the audience. 

 

After the show, I grabbed a cocktail (the entertainer) and went to bed.  All the food and heat wore me out.  Day 3 is Bimini, which I was so looking forward to that I forgot to back a swimsuit!  I'll update Day 3 and Day 4 later, but honestly I did the most stuff on day 1 and 2.

You can also do room service (cabin eats) for food there is a $5 charge, but some of the offerings from the restaurants are available. And you could also grab beer, but there's an extra charge.   

I'm on the ship now, and can second everything scaught said.  Still a sit down experience; servicers come around and take your order, and most servicers will offer you a paper menu (or you can ask.)  The Sweet Spot is the dessert station that you walk up and order from -- they offer a specialty dessert each day along with 5 or so standard ones, plus fruit.  If you have any gluten issues, I noticed at least 2 gluten free options each day! I'm not sure about drinks as I've always get my own, same for salads at the Daily Mix.

 

You can order from the stations also, but the servicers are really helpful (suggesting items, checking for food allergies, updating you on closed stations/sold out items, telling you how things work, etc.) 

 

 

   

I could be wrong, but I think it works like this.. 200% credit towards a new cruise, and if you book by July 31 then you will get an access key for a sea terrace or above room on an additional cruise (still have fees and taxes to pay.)

 

Anyone more cruise savvy correct me if I'm wrong...cause right now that sounds like a too good to be true deal.

I haven't been onboard since Nov 2021, but there wasn't many paid onboard activities -- I believe there was trivia game you paid to enter. Other than that: spa passes and treatments, makeup services, shopping, casino, upcharge items at restaurants, wine/beer pairing at Test Kitchen, there's also a fee if you no show a fitness class you booked.  I heard there was a charge for the karaoke rooms, but I wasn't charged.

 

I ran into a couple with lots of loot to burn -- they got massages, facials, haircut, lots of drinks, souvenirs, and finally excursions.

On 11/24/2021 at 8:28 PM, mbfrenc0586 said:

I just go off my cruise on Sunday and everything still came off as one tab.  I did the upgraded internet and paid for a class and they both came off of my Bar Tab no problem.  I would suspect that it works with Spa still as well.  I'm sure they will fix the issue eventually but as of 11/21 it still was a single Tab.

Thanks! I just got off Friday, met a woman that did the spa day pass and an excursion and it all came off the bar tab. I even gambled a little with my bar tab! I hope they don't fix it - was much easier to get through this way!

On 11/13/2021 at 8:46 PM, ociana said:

We had the bar tab on our account as a regular sailor and every charge we made came out of that balance, even my bingo card. We had exhausted the balance by the time we hit test kitchen, but the pairings were excellent!

Hmm...the site says the bar tab can't be used on other things, but maybe Virgin is making errors in favor of customers. 

On 11/13/2021 at 8:46 PM, ociana said:

On 11/13/2021 at 9:19 AM, Chamoretta said:

I think I may have answered your question incorrectly based on something I’m seeing.  We had a regular bar tab where we paid $300 and got an extra $125 to spend on drinks.  We were not in the mega rockstar suite.   I see people on other topics saying bar tab too so I want to clarify for you.  They said they couldn’t use their drink allowance for the pairing.  Hope that helps.

 

It helps. I'm a regular sailor too (staying in the cheapest cabin lol.) Thanks for clarifying. 

2 hours ago, Chamoretta said:

We used the bar tab for test kitchen cocktail and non-alcohol pairings.

Thanks so much!

Is the Test Kitchen wine/cocktail pairing covered by the bar tab? Probably is, but I don't want any surprises.

Well guess I'll have to become an extrovert overnight. Thanks, Dxx. 

Since there have been a few sailings now, wondering if there was a singles/solo meet-up on board? I'm cruising solo in November, and while I'm happy doing most things by myself.  I'd like a group to go to shows or late night parties with.

On 6/27/2020 at 2:47 PM, martincath said:

Here's the thing - cruiseline whalewatches are overpriced to the point of insanity (if they were offering a loan with the same % markup, it would literally be illegal in Canada due to usury laws). There's only one reason ever to do them - you are solo AND you have issues that make it impossible for you to do it yourself. Given that they actually specify this is not a good trip for the mobility challenged, you would be better off both qualitatively and financially to simply rent a car, drive yourself & mom to St Andrews by the Sea (where all the whalewatches go from), take an indy tour booked directly with one of the several companies there - and contact them all in advance to see whose boats are the most 'Mom friendly.'

 

Here are links to the four still-operating local whalewatch companies:

Quoddy Link

Jolly Breeze

Fundy Tide Runners

Island Quest

 

You'll immediately notice that the pricing is ludicrously lower than the line's excursion - and it's in Canadian Dollars too so a hefty discount on top! even if you do not drive, for two of you it would be cheaper to hire a cab for the whole day (ballpark $30 an hour) to drive you there and back and just wait for you while you take the trip. But if you can drive, it's a steal of a deal even if you load up on optional coverages, hire a GPS for the day etc. Highway drive, really no chance of getting lost, and since the car will have Kph on the speedo dial you don't even have to worry about 'foreign driving' as you still just match the speed limit signs to the speedo dial numbers - all the other road signs follow almost identical formats to the US.

Thank you so much for the info!  I never even though about just renting a car.  You have made her birthday -- thanks again! 

Hello all,  

 

Has anyone taken the whale watching excursion out of the Saint John, Bay of Fundy cruise port?  What was it like to board the catamaran? 

 

I found a description on Royal Caribbean's site, but it notes that this is not good for folks with limited mobility.  I plan on taking my 60+ year old mom, who struggles with inclines.  We did another catamaran style whale watching tour out of Cape May, NJ but we were able to slowly walk up a ramp.  I'm honestly only looking to book this cruise so she can go whale watching (she doesn't fly, so my options are quite limited.)  So if she can't get on the catamaran, then I'll just book something else.