Scarlet Lady / Live /Solo - Oct 18-22 2023

[sid_9169]

 

“Winter is coming”[*]

 

But before that happens, let’s go and chase some of that tropical sunshine!... 

 

After having sailed upon the Scarlet Lady four times now, I was on the fence as to whether there was even a reason to bother with another “review”... After some consideration, and since someone will be joining me this time around, I decided to compromise on a "limited Live"... 

 

The origins of this cruise go all the way back to February of this year on the Norwegian Prima, where I ended up encountering someone who in the past several months has become very special to me. Those of you who followed along on that memorable journey know her as JinxyB… 

 

Ever since the Prima cruise we’ve been trying to nail down a date to try and get ourselves “back on board” together again, and we finally agreed on a Fire and Sunsets Soiree four night cruise on the Scarlet Lady, visiting Key West and Bimini. I sailed this exact same itinerary back in June 2022, which was the very first time Virgin Voyages ported at Key West. Even though I’ve only ever been to Bimini three times now, it has also begun to grow on me. (*Should have been four times to Bimini, but one cruise we diverted to Nassau to escape some inclement weather) Virgin Voyages beach club is absolutely beautiful, and I've found a couple of local places on the island that I've become very fond of as well… (I'm looking at you, Joe's Conch Shack…) 

 

 

(Photo courtesy of Matt Theriault of Cruise Life Group)

 

[*] George R.R. Martin...

[sid_9169]

 

But, before we get too far into the story, let’s first go back in time a little to soon after the Prima sailing when I realized I was coming down with another inguinal hernia in my groin area. I had already experienced this situation back in 2012, and had surgery soon after to repair the right  side. Fast forward 11 years, and another one popped up on the opposite side. Not really the end of the World, but with the nature of my job, it became a pretty big signal that I was going to have to make some drastic changes in my life. 

 

When this happened years ago, I pretty much went in immediately to get it fixed, but this time the whole process took months. First, my primary care doctor said to “just keep an eye on it”... By the time it began to get much worse, it took more than a month to even get an appointment with a surgeon, and another more than a month to finally have the surgery itself. As I sit here right now writing this, I’m at home recovering from the procedure that finally happened yesterday, August 14th 2023… 

 

Anyhoo, long story even longer, I really need to get away from all the stuff going on in my life right now. Eventually I’m going to have to leave my current job, as with my current situation, I’m just not going to be physically able to do for much longer. This is where all those poor decisions I made in the past come back to bite me on the rear end… Honestly, I don’t even know where to start, but that’s a whole nother story.

 

 

 

[sid_9169]

[Riles34]

Have a fantastic cruise Sid! Enjoy the company and looking forward to your lunch at Joe's. Cheers!

[sid_9169]

[rwest898]

Looking forward to your limited review.  You and JinxyB enjoy!

[sid_9169]

I ordered a nice new shirt for Scarlet night, but there's a chance that it's not going to show up in time... Fingers crossed that it arrives today. 

 

 

 

 

[odie1024]

Look forward to reading another terrific review. Have a blast with JinyxB and fill us in when you can, make the most of your time with her. 

[sid_9169]

[Sea Viewer]

Looking forward to this one, I really enjoyed my Virgin sailing earlier this year.

[Shaded Lady]

Can't wait! About the time you & JinxyB get off that ship I'll be heading out to catch up with Valiant Lady for the transatlantic, so this is a great and timely refresher of all things Virgin for me!

[sid_9169]

 

In the weeks leading up to the cruise it looked like we were in for another government shutdown, which could mean disaster at the airport… I remember back during the 2016 shutdown my TSA pre check had just been approved a couple of weeks prior. When I arrived at the airport, the security line was all the way back to baggage claim. I showed one of the agents at the back of the line my boarding pass, and was quickly whisked all the way to the front of the line. For the first time in my life I actually felt like a celebrity. I definitely feel like I had gotten my money's worth on my very first use. Nowadays pretty much every Tom, Dick, and Harry have it, but it still saves me from having to walk on the filthy airport floor with my shoes off…

 

Fortunately, the crisis was kicked down the road for 45 more days, and I'm hoping for a nice smooth experience, although they're doing work on the Marta tracks heading to the airport, so I'll still have that to contend with….

 

 

 

[sid_9169]

I'm going to be test driving a new hangover prevention product called Water Boy this time around. It's similar to Liquid IV but costs about twice as much. From preliminary testing I have found out that it has a huge salt taste to it. I'll be using this in addition to the BYTOX hangover prevention patches. 

 

 

 

Edited October 16, 2023 by sid_9169

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

Sailings on Virgin Voyages beginning on October 13th through the end of the month are dedicated to Halloween... Scarlet Night will be a mix of a costume ball and the regular Scarlet Night festivities. Neither I nor JinxyB are bringing costumes, but we'll be somewhere in the mix of things going on around the ship...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sid_9169]

[Wildcatllamas]

Looking forward to your new review. I'll be on Scarlet in December. Hope your shirt arrives in time!

[mkcurran]

Have fun!

[sid_9169]

For whatever reason, flights between Atlanta and Miami have been obscenely expensive for the last year and a half, so I just had to bite the bullet and fork out $433. In the past, I could get from here to there for a couple hundred bucks round trip, but in the past couple of years it's been hovering in the $400 to $500 range for my preferred flight times. Add on top of that, that you gain very few Skymiles for going from here to there, so the entire situation isn't optimal…

 

 

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

This morning I walked straight out the door for work and left my main Verizon phone sitting on the kitchen counter. I had to run home just now during lunch break to grab it. I can accomplish 99% of tasks with my backup WiFi only phone, but can't call or text... I think I may be coming down with slight dementia:/

[sid_9169]

[dallasdan]

3 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

We live on a lake and one of my granddaughters is scared there are sharks in the lake.

[sid_9169]

 

I found a really great deal on the Hampton Inn and Suites Brickell through Priceline for about $164, so I went ahead and jumped on that. It'll put me right down in the thick of the downtown Miami area, within walking distance to any number of dining and drinking establishments, as well as only a ten minute ride to the port when that time comes around. 

 

I'm considering taking an Uber over to Little Havana on the morning of the cruise just to kill some time before arriving at the port a little before 1:00… There's a cigar factory there that I've been wanting to check out, as well as a fish sandwich that I've had my eyes on for years and just never made it over that way…

 

 

 

[sid_9169]

I've been trying to get my mouth around one of these fish sandwiches for years, and it finally looks like I'm going to have a chance to make it happen. The OG minuta sandwich from La Camoranera Seafood Joint. 

 

 

 

Edited October 16, 2023 by sid_9169