Steelers0854

I wish I could tell you but we were back on board well before sunset.

You as well!

We got up this morning, grabbed coffee and headed to breakfast at Razzle Dazzle. DW got potatoes, bacon and the watermelon. It’s one of her favorite breakfasts on board. I got the apple croissant, and the fried chicken sandwich. I get a fried egg and bacon on the side and make it one big breakfast sandwich. It’s amazing. We headed back to the room and relaxed for a bit before we got our stuff together. We left the room at 8:40 and were at the curb at 8:47. It couldn’t be easier. It’s really nice they have facial recognition to clear customs which makes it a breeze. We had a fabulous time. And while I of course wish it were longer, my fears about it feeling TOO short were unfounded. I wouldn’t want to do a 3 night, but we both felt that this was a nice quick vacation and we didn’t feel cheated at all. Thank you all for following along. Have a great rest of your weekend!

Remember folks. Cool kids follow the rules. We were delayed an hour as someone on board apparently got arrested and carted off the ship. The photo isn’t of the person, just the cops at the dock dealing with the situation.

After my food showed up DW got a little hungry and ordered the fennel salad and hanger steak. She said the steak was well cooked and tender and had good flavor despite being mostly plain. The salad she said was nice and refreshing and slightly sweet, exactly what she wanted. We headed up to the room about 5 to pack and get ready for dinner. Our room was thankfully done. Dinner tonight was at the Wake. Their bread gives extra Virgin a run for their money but I think EV still wins. Given our snack earlier we weren’t super hungry so DW went with the filet and the polenta. Even though she isn’t a polenta fan she said this dish is delicious. Her steak was perfectly cooked and she got the chimichurri sauce to go with it. I went with the salmon, creamed spinach and twice baked potatoes. The salmon was excellent. It may have been a tad overcooked but was perfectly season and fall apart tender. The beets with it were also delicious. As always the spinach and potatoes were incredible. We didn’t get anything for dessert. The table next to us ordered the Tomahawk steak. I tried to stick around to see it but almost an hour after ordering it they were still waiting and we didn’t want to hold up the table. So just know if you order the Tomahawk it’s gonna be a wait. After dinner he headed outside to the couches to relax and enjoy sailaway.

We are at Bimini today. We arrived at 8am and you could get off but you can’t go to the beach club til 10am. We stuck to our usual routine. Coffee. Thermal spa. The spa was fairly busy this morning but we were still able to use everything we wanted. We got off the ship at about 10:30. The wait for the tram ebbed and flowed. When we left our Cabin there was no line. By the time we got down there a fairly long line. But it took maybe 7 minutes before we got on a tram and headed to the club. We didn’t have any issue getting a chair and umbrella at the beach. The pool was a definite no go. Those chairs were long gone. It’s a beautiful beach with great amenities. The chairs are comfortable and the sand super soft. It’s gets a little coarse as you enter the ocean but then quickly becomes soft again. The water was a perfect 86 degrees. We had intermittent clouds throughout the day and a nice breeze. For me it was perfect, I’m not a sunner. We grabbed lunch at 11:30 when they opened. I like the concept. Go up and order anything you want. It’s all pre-plated and and are on your way. The only downside is the food is closer to Luke warm than hot. A small trade off for the other benefits IMO. DW had no issues finding things she could eat with little to no modifications. Jerk chicken, rice (only because she doesn’t like beans), cassava (no aioli), pumpkin curry, corn (plain) and the tropical fruit salad. The chicken and corn were the best. Cassava was good but not as good as it could be because it was not fresh. Overall she enjoyed her meal. I got the lechon (11/10 amazing), chicken (7/10 good flavor), cassava (6/10 would be better fresh) corn (100/10 best thing I’ve eaten in a while), ceviche (10/10 delicious!) and rum cake (9/10 really good). I also wanted to try and mango salad and watermelon salad. Mango salad was just ok. A little watery and not a lot of flavor. The watermelon salad was good though. Different and had some savory tones to it. After lunch we returned to our chairs and enjoyed the afternoon on the beautiful beach. We left after a couple of hours. In our way out I found….. well everyone lol. The ship was deserted as expected. The pool deck had little options in terms of loungers in the shade so we went to the thermal spa pool and relaxed there. I was surprised that by 2:45 our cabin hadn’t been serviced yet. We hit the option on the app to have it serviced right away so hopefully the come before dinner. DW was still full from lunch but I was a little hungry. I had never eaten anything at the dock house from the open fire grill. I vastly underestimated the portion size. When I ordered I figured you would get exactly half of what was actually brought out. Mistakes were made. But i powered through at the expense of dinner because I didn’t want to be wasteful and the mistake was mine. The shrimp was solid. The octopus was phenomenal. Cooked perfectly and that sauce was super tasty. The hanger steak was also delicious in those little pita taco shells. This is a fantastic meal/snack option. Only after I ate did I realize at 3:30 there is a back side to the menu with a whole host of Greek options to include some sweet like baklava. Oh well something for the next cruise!

activities guide for today. Day 4.pdf

that picture looks great. Too bad things what it looks like the other way! Looks like it may rain a good chunk of the day.

Dinner tonight is at Pino Agave. It’s our favorite restaurant on board. We got a passion fruit and coconut aguafresca which are delicious. To start DW got 2 orders of guacamole and I got guacamole and the esquites. For the next course I got the shrimp and DW was able to get the enchiladas. The shrimp were just ok for me this time but DW said her enchiladas were excellent. She said she may even get 2 orders next time as her entree. For the mains DW went with the chili relleno and I got the cochinita pibil. DW said hers was very good and the pepper was perfectly cooked. Mine was also good but I do think the duck is the best thing on the menu. For dessert DW grabbed her all time favorite dish on board, the chocolate tamale. She said it was as good as always. I got the chocolate tacos which I thought were fantastic. That’s dark cherry sauce they serve with it balances the dish really well. After dinner we relaxed and listened to some of the live music before calling it a night.

Todays activity list Day 3.pdf

We got up and headed to the thermal spa for a little R&R before the day started. It was busier than I expected right around 8am. We were there about 45 minutes then headed up to the Galley for DW to grab some breakfast. We got ready and were off the ship by 10:30. We headed to a local coffee shop right next to the port. Highly recommend Cuban Coffee Queen, the coffee there is delicious and if you e never had a true Cuban coffee you should definitely try it although they make it with 2 sugars, I would ask for 1. DW got the espresso and I got a Cold Brew. After our caffeine fix we headed to the Southern most point to check our tourist box. I was gonna wait In the 30+ person line so this was as good as it got. I had a number of places I wanted to try here. We hit the Southernmost Point Bar and the Seaside Cafe at the Mansion. The southernmost point bar had a frozen mojito I had heard about and I love mojitos. We got there right when they opened around 11 and snagged a seat in the shade. They have these huge fans there which helped with the heat. The drink. 10/10. Cool, refreshing, made to order and perfectly balanced. Highly recommend. The Seaside Cafe didn’t open til 11:30 which worked out fine as we just finished at the SBP and walked right across the street. This place has an incredible view. The Lobster pizza was on my list from here. Oh man, was this thing good. Good amount of lobster and perfectly cooked crust. Lights out and totally worth the $32 IMO. DW had started to get peckish so we headed to the Moondog Cafe. We scouted this place in advance as they had a gluten free vegan key lime tart. It was pretty busy when we got there so we decided to get them to go. I got a slice of regular key lime pie. We weren’t sure if they would let us on board with them so we headed back to the coffee shop as they had nice indoor seating and we wanted to buy some whole bean coffee to take home as well. DW said hers was very good but a little on the sweet side. She did say she would get it again. My key lime pie was excellent, perfectly balanced between tart and sweet. Definitely a win in my book. We headed back to the ship and DW grabbed a salad since she can eat their balsamic dressing. We headed to the thermal spa for a bit and it was surprisingly busy. We didn’t stay long as it was crowded and headed to shower and change. The weather quickly went downhill and as all aboard time approach it started to pour rain and was windy as all get out.

I feel like it’s comparable to most other lines. Royal for example has their 1 big stage show that is consistent on a ship. Here is basically the same thing but as Travel and See said even the same show has variations. Miss Behave which we saw last night structurally was the same but both the host and assistant were different so it added variety for us. I would also agree with others that Virgins shows are a cut above. Duel Reality is amazing. I think it contends with Royals aqua and ice skating shows. It was a downside for us. We have only been on the Valiant lady. We have 3 more booked on the Valiant lady. We are trying to secure our DBE status as quickly as possible and the Valiant is the only one doing short itineraries frequently. But the other ships have different shows. I can’t eat anywhere on any other ship. MDR or specialty nothing we have sailed on has come even close to being as good as Virgin. I have some small gripes on the galley (I do wish there was more variety each day, especially with the desserts) but I do appreciate what they do have. Also for DW with her allergies this line is amazing. All the lines have treated her well but here there are numerous things she can eat with little to no modifications. We have never had to order in advance here and we always have to order a day in advance on every other line. Plus they have real sorbet on board here. Princess is the only one we have found to have sorbet consistently but have also found recently that they will call something sorbet when it has dairy so we have had to be careful. massive Kuddos to Virgin for having great food option all over the ship without some of the most common allergens. I can’t say thank you enough to them.

You’re going to love it. Seeing your history we have been Princess fans for years. It was our preferred line til we tried Virgin a few months ago. Now we have 3 more Virgin cruises booked.

It’s a little muggy out but much cooler than it has been with a nice breeze. But it’s an absolutely beautiful arrival into Key West.

Dinner tonight was at Razzle Dazzle, our second favorite restaurant on board. DW loves the wings from here and she said tonight’s were delicious as always. I got the tuna tartare and the pork belly. The tartare was fantastic and the tuna really shined. The pork belly was as delicious as last time. For mains DW got the pastrami which she really enjoys with that delicious cabbage. I got the bleu cheese burger, it was so good last time I caved and got it again. It was excellent. For dessert DW had asked the night before if she could get the cheesecake from the brunch menu as it’s the only dessert she can eat and they offered course said no problem. She said it’s her second favorite dessert on board only second to the chocolate tamale from Pink Agave. I had the waiter surprise me and told him I got the apple tart last time. He brought the vegan chocolate cake which was wrapped in a white chocolate wrapper. It was excellent! We made excellent time with dinner and caught the 7pm Miss Behave show. We love this show and love that every performance is a little different. After the show we sat on our balcony and enjoyed a beautiful thunderstorm off in the distance before calling it a night.

We got up today and went to grab coffee and a quick breakfast bite. One of the best parts of Virgin are the grab and go options they have in the coolers. DW can eat the overnight oats which she loves. After we had been caffeinated we headed to the thermal spa. While there are certainly things I would change (heated loungers to replace the flat benches and an actual spa that isn’t a foot and a half deep) we love the sauna, steam room and mud treatment options. Plus the small pool is great. We headed up and got ready for the day to get out of the room for our steward. The weather quickly turned and it was pouring rain outside. So we sat inside the dock house area and I grabbed a juice and we read until lunch. We booked noon reservations at the Wake to take advantage of their lunch menu. IMO this is the best deal on the ship. Filet at lunch. Sign DW up. She didn’t want a starter and continuing, somewhat, the goal of trying new things I got the wedge salad and the poached shrimp. I had gotten the poached shrimp last time but they were so good I had to get them again. Neither disappointed. DW got her filet which was perfectly good and seasoned with a great chimichurri and her favorite French fries at sea. I got the soft shell crab Benedict which was very good. I was side eyeing the French toast it looked so good but figured I would get that on our next trip. After lunch we swung into the ice cream shop and DW grabbed the beet raspberry sorbet and I got the cookies and cream and espresso chip, all of it of course delicious. We relaxed for about and went and saw the comedian at 2 pm. He was fine, it was something to do. It was way too hot to be outside IMO and the pool deck was a hot mess with so many people in the pool you could hardly tell there was water in it. So we opted to lounge in doors and enjoy drinks and music before it was time to get ready for Scarlett Night and dinner.

Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue lol

Day 2 At Sea It was a hot muggy mess out this morning already. But ya can’t beat the view! Here is todays planner. And a quick premium internet speed test. Not great but manageable. And kind of surprising given our positioning. But then again the weather is not great at the moment either. Day 2.pdf

We also booked our next VV cruise onboard. It’s too bad they nerfed the OBC for MNVV, but to be honest I was surprised that you could get $600 on a 4 day cruise, so while disappointing this change makes total sense to me. We do have a B2B in April booked using the old promotion so that’s good. We got our luggage by 3:30, unpacked and then went to our muster station when they opened because cool kids follow the rules and the sooner everyone checks in the sooner those station attendants can leave. Dinner was at Extra Virgin tonight. Since we had been here before and given we are coming back 3 times in the next year I wanted to try some different options from the menu. We started off with the best bread service on any cruise ship I’ve been on. The focaccia is amazing and that balsamic vinegar is like liquid gold. DW got her bread which she says is some of the best she has ever had as well. DW got a salad with oil and vinegar and I got the calamari. The calamari were lukewarm warm and tough. I wouldn’t get them again. DW did enjoy her salad even though it was just basically lettuce and dressing. They offered DW a charcuterie board sans the cheese but she declined as she had a lot of food coming. I took them up on it for myself. They have a great board here. DW got her gluten free penne and marinara and the New York steak. Last trip her pasta wasn’t cooked well but tonight it was spot on. Her steak was perfectly cooked and she enjoyed it as well. I ordered the pork cheeks. I’ve never had them before and they were….. ok. They were kinda tough but had a good flavor. Overall wouldn’t get this dish again. We were so full after dinner we skipped dessert but DW did grab another Blackberry sorbet an hour or so later. Service was excellent and the food came out really fast. Kuddos to the team in Extra Virgin. After dinner we actually headed to the thermal spa for a little R&R to get our monies worth. DW and I are kinda introverts. Also since we have been on the Valiant before we have seen all the shows so we aren’t stressed about catching them this trip. We will also be back on this ship 3 more times in the next year so plenty of time to do everything.

You as well! So far it’s been fantastic as expected! Hope to see you around.

Yes it’s a great show. We were onboard a few months ago and saw it. Fantastic performers! Miss Behave was also wonderful.

Here is the activity list for today. I honestly dont know what they call these things on Virgin, Dailies? Day 1.pdf

I will say, for a cruise line that prides themselves on no announcements I’m getting a little tired of every 30 seconds hearing about the ability to buy an additional bar tab credit before boarding. That said boarding started at 1:48 for the separate lounge area I’m guessing is for Mega rockstars? We started boarding at 1:56. We headed to the spa to reserve the thermal spa for the week. $229pp, a little pricey IMO but it’s a good way to use our OBC and we like using the facilities. They either raised the prices or they charge you more per day on a shorter cruise. Our 7 day was about $47pppd. This comes out to about $57pppd. Went to the Galley to grab lunch. DW has an allergy to Gluten, Dairy and Egg. She grabbed a burger, which she says are the best at sea, and fries. I grabbed sushi and this delicious mango tree leches cake. After lunch we went to the room, did our safety video and DW grabbed a Blackberry sorbet. This is by far her favorite flavor. We relaxed around the ship as the weather went downhill pretty quick today. We have dinner at 6:45 at Extra Virgin tonight.

That’s awesome. We have a B2B booked with the 4 and 5 day in April so we may see you onboard!

Early checkin appears to end at 12:30. So it seems it may be best to get here before then. We got in line at 12:50. We waited 5 minutes and they let us into the terminal. Checkin in took another 5 minutes as we walked right up to an agent. Walked right through security and now waiting in the embarkation area. It’s pretty nice. Lots of plugs for power and comfy seats. Now we are just waiting to board!