SteelCityCruiser10

Yes I’m well aware yet still a perfectly good option for guaranteed no kids

2 words: Virgin Voyages

Inconsistent… now THAT sounds familiar 😂

Oh I did not realize that. I just saw a table with drinks and people taking them.

Omg! duh… I have no idea why none of us thought to put the carafes in the cooler! Good call & thank you for info on the other outlets as well. I do remember that but forgot mention that side.

Awesome- hope you love it! 🍻

Seriously!? I totally missed that! 🙄 🤦🏻‍♂️

Thank you! I hope you have a great time!! Cheers 🍻

Overall random thoughts: Adults only is a huge plus. Virgin obviously went out of their way to be different and i think it works. Average age of passengers seemed much lower than Royal. However, There was still a mix of young and older. Lots of 30-40’s segment I would say. Diverse and inclusive atmosphere but nothing is in your face or forced on anyone. Very much go with the flow and non judgmental approach. You can easily avoid Diva shows or anything you don’t want to do. I didnt see one single upside down pineapple, for the record, since that is definitely a rumor out there. If I had to use one word to describe the whole vibe I’d say “relaxed”. I would definitely cruise with VV again and already have a MNVV placeholder down. I will most definitely continue booking with Royal but I will look closer at VV moving forward for better price or itinerary. I am very interested to see what the new loyalty program looks like moving forward. I wish they had a ship in NY/NJ or somewhere more within driving distance to us. Only regret was that it wasn’t a longer cruise!

Food: Opinions on food can vary widely but here’s my thoughts. Overall the food was great. Better than Royal overall IMO. The standard (included) restaurants were just as good if not better than Royals specialties that require additional cost. For reference - I’m mostly comparing to royals specialty dining on radiance/voyager/freedom class ie : chops, giovanni’s, izumi, etc. Haven’t been on many of the RC Oasis class recently to compare to wonderland, coastal kitchen, 150 central park etc. I preferred the galley over the WJ. Nothing is self serve (other than drink stations) in the galley unlike the WJ on Royal. Loved that they have pre boxed grab and go options too.

Casino: Felt a bit small at super busy times. I think layout could be more efficient for better traffic flow. Many slots and tables. They have a whole separate room on the other side of the ship dedicated solely to poker called the WPT room (world poker tournament). We didn’t use this venue at all. They have a poker class on the first day and a tournament afterwards to assist those who want to learn to play. Non Smoking is a huge win for us. Sailor Loot/OBC can be used at slots or the tables. Tell the dealer at the table or go to the cage if you want to use it at the slots. No fee. Fee is 7% if you charge to your room in the casino.

Entertainment: Sail away party was wild on the pool deck. Loud music and dancing with free drinks. Plenty of people just watching and having a good time while those more bold were mostly down by the pool or in it dancing. All the different crew were introduced including the Diva. Duel Reality- I liked it. Circus stunts and acrobatics were great. I’m glad i saw it once but wouldn’t go back to see the same show again. Scarlet Night is all over the ship basically and moves throughout the ship. Don’t forget to bring at least something red or you will feel out of place. Liked it and it’s a nice twist. Note - we did not make it to the pool party or after party. Didn’t feel like I missed out but would like to see what goes on next time. PJ Party: We stopped by for a short time for a drink and people watching. Wasn’t really our thing so we moved on to the casino. Mostly loud music and dancing with some free drinks.

Bimini Beach Club: Great stop. Amazing turquoise water and nice beach area. Clean. Multiple bar and eating options with changing area and lockers available. Tons of loungers with umbrellas, clamshells, daybeds etc. Cabana ($ extra cost) was perfect spot for the day with great wait staff for drinks and food. Definitely worth the money especially if you require shade (we had 6 in our group). I wouldn’t try to get more than 6 people per cabana especially if all 6 require shade. 2-4 people would be best. 2 huge pools however there was a DJ with super loud music at one of them for the pool party. I’d come back to Bimini Beach Club over and over without a second thought. You also have the option to explore Bimini on your own or go to the Hilton Casino. It should be noted that Bimini Beach Club is a private beach club for Virgin Voyages in Bimini, Bahamas not its own private island. One gripe with the beach club would be the tram service back to the ship. People were acting like savages trying to get on the trams back. It was so off - putting that we decided to just walk back which wasn’t too bad but it’s a bit over a mile to get the whole way back to the ship. Would have been nice to have some kind of system in place for that.

Key West: Love Key West. Duval Street is fun with lots of shops and places to eat & drink. DJs Clam Shack lobster roll was awesome.

Service/Bar Service: No problems at all with service in any venue. Only issue was a couple rude ladies in the terminal after customs. They kept yelling at us to move across the street or way to the side. Completely unnecessary especially since we were not in anyone’s way and 1 couple in our group was sorting out an issue with something left on the ship. No 18% gratuity added onto drinks or receipts to sign. It’s all through the wrist band and in your wallet in the app. Much prefer the wrist band to the cards. App: Royals app wins. VV app is glitchy which gets annoying. I found it hard to navigate as well. I seemed to always be clicking the wrong thing for what I was looking for. WiFi: We had premium wifi free through Deep Blue Extras. It was plenty fast. I didn’t have any issues with logging in and was able to upload multiple photos and videos at a time with no problems. Note- wifi also worked at Bimini Beach Club.

Cabin: XL Sea Terrace 9354 A. Forward room. Good size with large bathroom counter and single sink. Bathroom and shower closets are separate. Rainfall Shower was excellent. 1 regular chair with a side table and a smaller soft stool/ottoman type seat in the room. Bed was very low to the ground compared to Royal beds and were firmer than Royal. Lots of technology- Do not disturb and make up room sign is electronic. Doorbell doesn’t work with the do not disturb on. All aspects of the room can be controlled through the ipad including lights, curtains, TV, cabin service requests, pre set mood lighting, many many options for movies and TV series. TV/Movie watching options way better than Royal and not even close. Storage was adequate. I’d compare to an Ocean View Balcony on Royal because there is no walk in closet like on many Royal Junior Suites and the space felt a bit smaller than a JS. The closet space had a curtain rather than hard doors which seemed cheap but made sense since there were no rattling door noises in the night. The hard white space next to the bed where it can be converted into a big couch instead of a bed seemed to be dead/wasted space to me. I ended up living out of my carry on bag on that space. There were 2 US outlets and USB. One by the bed by the balcony and another at the main desk countertop. We had no problems finding charging spots. We travel with multi - device charging station. Safe is bigger than Royal. Could fit a smaller size laptop. Balcony wasn’t huge but adequate with 2 chairs, small table and the sitting hammock. Loved the hammock - big win there. Note- it’s not a lay down hammock. There were no materials or flyers left in the room selling art, jewelry, spa services etc. The one thing we had was a postcard for My Next VV. Also no announcements along those lines. I was a bit worried about the water carafes instead of bottled water but it was fine and not trashing a bunch of plastic every day is a good thing. Bring your favorite insulated water bottle and request ice if you like your water cold. The water doesn’t stay cold long in those carafes.

Ship: Scarlet Lady - great condition. Good size, not too big and not too small. Modern decor and very techy. Doesn’t feel as open as a Royal Caribbean ship but it’s not necessarily a negative. Lots of different spaces to hang out with lots of nooks and crannies to sit and relax. I would have preferred to have the 3D ship models throughout the ship to help with navigation and the main venues listed inside the elevators. The signage was adequate and we eventually got more comfortable navigating. Mostly just my preference from cruising RC so much. Pools are tiny for the size of the ship and amount of people. We were told about 2400 on our sailing. You will have a hard time getting a lounger anywhere near either of the pools/hot tubs especially on a sea day unless you are up pretty early. Favorite spots: The Dock (inside and outside), casino, lounge area on 7 outside deck by grounds club for morning coffee, in the hammock 😃, Sun Club deck and Perch for sunrise pics and The Athletic Club.

Embarkation/Debarkation: Super easy and relaxed. Later embarkation times overall compared to RC and arrival times are strictly enforced. Liked being able to go directly to the cabin a lot. Galley was not overcrowded. I think probably due to this embarkation strategy. We easily found a table for 6 immediately around 2:30pm. Debarkation: Miami has facial recognition at customs and makes it very fast and easy leaving the ship. No line at all around 10am. 10:30 am latest time to leave the ship. It was really nice with a late flight to be able to sleep in - not being forced out of the cabin by 8am sharp as with Royal.

Here is a recap/final thoughts for this cruise with some comps to Royal Caribbean. Pre Cruise Stay: Courtyard Marriott Ft. Lauderdale Beach. Great location. Room was spacious and clean. Many options for food/drink within walking distance. There was some construction going on next door but it wasn’t bothersome or noisy during our stay. Outdoor pool with bar and big lounge area. Also easy access to the beach just across the street. Starbucks on premises by the pool. Would book this hotel again.

Not sure but I thought the same thing. I was expecting the smaller kind you usually see in a hotel room but the big kind for keeping drinks on ice came.

Touched down in Pittsburgh 🛬 Ready to get home and see the dogs 🐶 🐶 Thanks for following and contributing! I am gathering final thoughts and will post soon.

Ready to get this show on the road

Pups are happy and home now.

Did some visiting over in Naples. Now all checked in waiting for boarding. Flight on time. Hope to be at home before 10pm. 🤞🏻

Until next time.. 👋🏻