October 10th Sailing- Semi-Live

[barbiecruiser27]

Hello everyone!!! My husband (Brad) and myself (Nicole) are heading to Miami on Sunday to sail the beautiful Scarlet Lady! Fair warning- my posts won't be as robust and amazing as Sid_9169's have been, but hey- it's something! I am going to try and update live as much as possible, but worst case I will share most thoughts post-sailing!

 

Some background: Our last day at sea was 909 days ago! Ouch- thats a huge number...We sailed the Mariner of the Seas back in April 2019 and got engaged during this cruise at the RCL private island Coco Cay (video is in my signature!). We had an April 2020 cruise planned (like to cruise about once a year or so). We've scheduled and cancelled a few cruises in the mean time (were going to sail NCL to Greece and cancelled this for fear of getting stuck in a Greek government hotel quarantine). So needless to say we are SOO excited to be sailing in 3 DAYS!

 

What We're Looking forward to on Virgin: Honestly at this point we are looking forward to being on a cruise ship period. Cruising is my favorite way to travel. I love the ease of cruising- not much to plan (as I am an event planner and travel agent for my job). Brad loves the ports of call and visiting and exploring new places. We picked this sailing mainly for the dates and our schedule, but are so excited to see a new private island. We are mainly looking forward to the food. I wouldn't say we are foodies- actually Brad is SO picky (and we will be skipping the Test Kitchen because of this), but we do love an amazing meal. I know Brad is excited for the change of "vibe"- he said as we booked this cruise "not another Royal Caribbean"- nothing against RCL he just wanted a change. Me personally, I'd sail RCL every time and be fine, but I get his perspective as well. I'm also excited for the themed nights. While red is not my color- in any way- it is exciting to have a theme to look forward to! Something I am not looking forward to....The covid test at port-- Of course we feel fine and have our vaccine, but there is always a chance of positive cases..I have found it hard to get too excited for fear of a huge let down and long drive back home from Miami. I wish we could test at home like other cruise lines and avoid the drive down to Miami if we were positive- however I do feel port testing is safer so its a win/lose I guess?

 

Excursions: We don't plan to take any official excursions at Bimini. For this day we will float in the ocean, drink, swim around with our personal snorkel gear, and relax. In Costa Maya we booked a snorkeling excursion through VV- so I will report back on this!

 

Our Room: We were originally booked in an ocean view room- the balcony (obstructed) was about $400 more and we decided that money could be better spent on our bar tab. A few days ago we got an email about a surprise upgrade (I guess I room was still getting "ship-shape" as they said?) We now have a balcony room (non obstructed) and are so happy!!! 

 

 

Last night we decided to have a few drinks and make a packing video- while the production is nothing fancy- future sailors might enjoy some of my packing ideas I've come up with specific to VV. The plan is to vlog (and maybe live stream sail away- would yall watch??). I used to do some very basic vlogging at Disney and really enjoyed it. Figured since cruising is back I should get back into it!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2021 by barbiecruiser27

[sid_9169]

Looks robust and amazing already...

[barbiecruiser27]

Some late night- cruise is in 2 days- can’t sleep—time to go to CC posting!!

 

 

A little bit about our sailing- we will be on the Scarlet Lady for a total of 5 nights, which for a Caribbean cruise is the perfect length IMO. 
 

 

We’ve both been to Costa Maya once before but it was a February sailing and my Floridian blood could not handle the water temperature, so I’m looking forward to snorkeling and swimming there this time!

 

Did I mention Miami is my favorite Florida port! Though it’s literally the most inconvenient port for us to get to, sail away is spectacular! Since the Scarlet Lady will be departing much later than our prior cruises I’m interested to see a sunset sail away!

 

Late night thoughts….

 

What to pack. Hmmm what a debacle. Im usually a very savvy, carry on only, kinda gal. However when I cruise (and drive to port) I know there is no limit (except that one girls trip cruise. 4 girls. 1 car. 4 suitcases max- that was a rough one). I tend to lean into my bright colorful attire when I cruise, but then it never feels fitting for the “night time” scene. Then I end up packing a dinner outfit and a late night outfit. Yes I know this is wasteful and excessive, but it’s how I roll. 

 

Should I make door decor? I did it once on Disney, because it’s a must, and we’ve had some flamingos on other cruises.
Oh and did I mention the ever famous girls trip… yes we tried clings for that trip.. let’s just say we’re lucky RCL didn’t charge us a cleaning fee…

I guess door arts and crafts might get added to my ever so lengthy to do list for tomorrow. Not to mention- been slow all week at work and I know tomorrow is going to be rough. So many pending projects. Anyone else feel like this always happens to them?!

 

I need to pull the suitcases out of the guest room tomorrow. This will for sure give the dog anxiety. He’s the worst part to traveling. It’s always so tough leaving him behind, but he loves “camp.” 
 

It’s a few minutes prior to midnight and I’m eagerly awaiting the ever so handy virgin voyages app to update my sailing to display “2 days left”….⏰….11:57…58…59…it’s like counting down to New Years. I must confess… I waited til midnight (I am a night owl so nothing too big to boast about) each night before our dining was released. I managed to secure every restaurant we wanted- at the exact time! However now I wish I had selected a later time for Bimini day- hopefully the mermaiden friends can fill us in on the bonfire to determine how “worth it” it is….

 

And midnight! Waited just to share this beauty

 

Sweet dreams sailors!

[Chamoretta]

Not sure if they will let you based on this FAQ.

[barbiecruiser27]

Thanks for sharing this! Never thought to check FAQs for this.. they probably heard from royal about my door clings lol. Too bad though because magnets do no harm. Well this saves me a task today!! 

[barbiecruiser27]

Finally just finished packing… I think… I also cleaned the whole house. Does anyone else just love coming home to a spotless house after a trip?

 

Hubby and I took a Binax home test today. Both negative! We are a good drive from the Miami port and decided we’d rather know now if we’re an a symptomatic positive. What an added stressor this test is… 

 

I feel like I’m forgetting something.. I always forget something. Luckily it’s never been anything crazy, but there’s always that 1 item… 

 

Trying  to head to sleep soon! Can’t wait to start sharing tomorrow 🙂 

[Kesali]

11 hours ago, barbiecruiser27 said:

Finally just finished packing… I think… I also cleaned the whole house. Does anyone else just love coming home to a spotless house after a trip?

 

Hubby and I took a Binax home test today. Both negative! We are a good drive from the Miami port and decided we’d rather know now if we’re an a symptomatic positive. What an added stressor this test is… 

 

I feel like I’m forgetting something.. I always forget something. Luckily it’s never been anything crazy, but there’s always that 1 item… 

 

Trying  to head to sleep soon! Can’t wait to start sharing tomorrow 🙂 

 

Yes, we clean before a vacation as  well!  Someone years ago mentioned it on a Disney site I'm on so I made the family help me clean the house before we left for a 2 week Disney trip.  My husband thought I was crazy but when we arrived home, completely exhausted, he said he was glad I insisted and coming home to a clean house was the best.  We do that every time before we leave now.

 

When I finally get to go on my VV cruise, I will be doing the same and taking a test before leaving.  We will be flying from Ontario, Canada to Miami.  I do not want to get all the way there to be turned away...

 

Have fun!  I'd love to see lots of photos of Bimini!

[barbiecruiser27]

And we’re off!  Dropped the dog off at “camp” and we’re on 95 now! So far so good. Grabbed wawa for breakfast and all I could think about is the amazing VV food ahead. Going to try to get to port around 1pm. Our checkin is 2:45.., so 1:45 for test.. we’ll try 1! If we’re turned away no biggie we’ll come back. Just like being early 🙂 it’s throwing me off not getting our normal 10:30am boarding (like pre Covid times). See you soon Scarlet Lady!

[sid_9169]

1 hour ago, barbiecruiser27 said:

And we’re off!  Dropped the dog off at “camp” and we’re on 95 now! So far so good. Grabbed wawa for breakfast and all I could think about is the amazing VV food ahead. Going to try to get to port around 1pm. Our checkin is 2:45.., so 1:45 for test.. we’ll try 1! If we’re turned away no biggie we’ll come back. Just like being early 🙂 it’s throwing me off not getting our normal 10:30am boarding (like pre Covid times). See you soon Scarlet Lady!

There's already people waiting at the port for embarkation today. You're probably in for a long afternoon, but worth it once you step on board!

[Iggipolka]

Woohoo! Excited to follow along. 🙂

After reading these reviews, I'm now wanting to book a solo birthday cruise. 

[barbiecruiser27]

Uh Having a hard time posting. Test 123…

[barbiecruiser27]

Ok whew!! We’re back haha. Not sure what was going on there…. Anyways. About an hour out our air started dying. Mind you. The car is 2021 with 8k miles… ooof. It’s working now but that was stressful… we’re about 30 from port! We’re going to fill up the tank, grab a snack and head to the port! 

[garymfreedman]

On 10/7/2021 at 9:01 PM, barbiecruiser27 said:

Some late night- cruise is in 2 days- can’t sleep—time to go to CC posting!!

 

 

A little bit about our sailing- we will be on the Scarlet Lady for a total of 5 nights, which for a Caribbean cruise is the perfect length IMO. 
 

 

We’ve both been to Costa Maya once before but it was a February sailing and my Floridian blood could not handle the water temperature, so I’m looking forward to snorkeling and swimming there this time!

 

Did I mention Miami is my favorite Florida port! Though it’s literally the most inconvenient port for us to get to, sail away is spectacular! Since the Scarlet Lady will be departing much later than our prior cruises I’m interested to see a sunset sail away!

 

Late night thoughts….

 

What to pack. Hmmm what a debacle. Im usually a very savvy, carry on only, kinda gal. However when I cruise (and drive to port) I know there is no limit (except that one girls trip cruise. 4 girls. 1 car. 4 suitcases max- that was a rough one). I tend to lean into my bright colorful attire when I cruise, but then it never feels fitting for the “night time” scene. Then I end up packing a dinner outfit and a late night outfit. Yes I know this is wasteful and excessive, but it’s how I roll. 

 

Should I make door decor? I did it once on Disney, because it’s a must, and we’ve had some flamingos on other cruises.
Oh and did I mention the ever famous girls trip… yes we tried clings for that trip.. let’s just say we’re lucky RCL didn’t charge us a cleaning fee…

I guess door arts and crafts might get added to my ever so lengthy to do list for tomorrow. Not to mention- been slow all week at work and I know tomorrow is going to be rough. So many pending projects. Anyone else feel like this always happens to them?!

 

I need to pull the suitcases out of the guest room tomorrow. This will for sure give the dog anxiety. He’s the worst part to traveling. It’s always so tough leaving him behind, but he loves “camp.” 
 

It’s a few minutes prior to midnight and I’m eagerly awaiting the ever so handy virgin voyages app to update my sailing to display “2 days left”….⏰….11:57…58…59…it’s like counting down to New Years. I must confess… I waited til midnight (I am a night owl so nothing too big to boast about) each night before our dining was released. I managed to secure every restaurant we wanted- at the exact time! However now I wish I had selected a later time for Bimini day- hopefully the mermaiden friends can fill us in on the bonfire to determine how “worth it” it is….

 

And midnight! Waited just to share this beauty

 

Sweet dreams sailors!

Your lucky the app is even working.. Couldn't get it to load yesterday...

[barbiecruiser27]

So close! 

[NameThatFunnel]

20 minutes ago, barbiecruiser27 said:

So close! 

If you wouldn't mind posting what it looks like at the terminal when you arrive, I have a 3:15 check-in and as VV requested, I wil get there an hour early for testing and such. Thanks

 

[britincanada]

15 hours ago, barbiecruiser27 said:

Finally just finished packing… I think… I also cleaned the whole house. Does anyone else just love coming home to a spotless house after a trip?

 

Hubby and I took a Binax home test today. Both negative! We are a good drive from the Miami port and decided we’d rather know now if we’re an a symptomatic positive. What an added stressor this test is… 

 

I feel like I’m forgetting something.. I always forget something. Luckily it’s never been anything crazy, but there’s always that 1 item… 

 

Trying  to head to sleep soon! Can’t wait to start sharing tomorrow 🙂 

I also clean the whole house, change the bed, and have all the washing done before we go on a  trip!! 

 

Have a fab time, thanks for taking us along! We don't cruise until May, it will have been a long wait from Oct '19 when we booked!!

[barbiecruiser27]

12:45 parked and heading to the line. Everyone is sectioned off by depart time. 2-230 230-3 etc. we’ll see how this moves. 

[barbiecruiser27]

My favorite is that there’s a section to the side labeled “too early” for 3pm and later groups 

[barbiecruiser27]

[barbiecruiser27]

I see some movement up ahead. Not sure if 2pm or rockstars. And they check your app and a list to put you in the right line. No cheating. 

[barbiecruiser27]

Now they’ve removed the 215-230 sign abs replaced with 3-315. Guess the too early folks can come out of timeout now 

[barbiecruiser27]

Side note. Didn’t have luggage tags. Porter made them for us. No problem. Just needed our room number 🙂 

[barbiecruiser27]

I see them wanding folks ahead… curious if no tsa scanners like other ports..  guess we’ll find out 

Edited October 10, 2021 by barbiecruiser27

[barbiecruiser27]

Still haven’t moved…

[barbiecruiser27]

Takes cruise… watches football..