Scarlet Lady / Live / Solo - May-21-26-2023

[sid_9169]

 

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step… I don’t know who said that, I suppose you could Google it. I guess I could have Googled it, and saved you the trouble. I’m not here to give you all the answers, we should all be asking more questions… Wait a minute. Where was I going with all that? Oh yeah, I’m going on a cruise! On Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady!

 

The Scarlet Lady is near and dear to me, having sailed upon her three times now, already… I’ve pretty much seen and done everything on board food and beverage-wise, but I’ll try and expand on those options this time around. There are a few items on the various menus that I have yet to experience, so I plan on checking some of those off the list. 

 

I will be interested to see how she’s holding up with the increased capacity, as well as what “wear & tear” has occurred since this time last year. My first three sailings were wayyy below maximum occupancy, so it’ll be interesting to see how things are handled now that they’ve “lost their virginity” as a young cruise line… 

 

 

[sid_9169]

 

I booked this sailing back in September 2022 under a promotion called Red Hot Booking Bonus Months, and received $400 in Sailor Loot. I got what I consider a pretty decent rate for an XL Sea Terrace, which is basically a regular Sea Terrace with an extra large bathroom. Not that I really needed it, but my very first cruise on Scarlet Lady back in October 2021, I was booked in one of these, and had it stripped out from under me less than 48 hours prior to sailing. Needless to say, I was pretty angry, but they claimed they needed my cabin as part of the quarantine area, as this was right at the tail end of the pandemic. 

 

A few weeks after booking, I submitted my information for their new “status match” program, and was approved in a couple of days. My Platinum status on NCL was good enough to receive this additional benefit, but I’d still have to wait awhile to see if this actually ended up being real. Since my very first cruise in October 2021 was a free cruise, won in their Shipload of Love contest, I failed to achieve status as a Sea Blazer by sailing in their first season. However, by sailing twice in 2022, I had apparently become a “Sea Rover”, but, like I said, I’ll believe any of these extra perks when I see them… 

 

About a month prior to setting sail, I called Virgin to see IF any of these supposed benefits would apply to my upcoming cruise, as none of this shows up on my booking, other than the $400 in Sailor Loot. Believe me, I screenshotted that $400 on all my mobile devices in case they try to rescind any of these perks. The customer service rep said that my status match would expire on April 30th 2023, BUT I would be receiving some perks due to their Match & See More, as well as Deep Blue Extras… Honestly, I thought the status match WAS the Match & See More, but she said it wasn’t… She said I’d just have to “trust that it’ll be there”... Well, I’ve already got several trust issues with them going all the way back to January 2020, but I’m just hoping it’ll be there. 

 

 

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

Only two and a half more days of work to go until I head out in Saturday morning!... Lunch today is leftover air fryer chicken thighs and dolmades (stuffed grape leaves)

 

Virgin Voyages is emailing me urging me to finish my online check in, but I finished that weeks ago...

 

 

 

 

 

[sid_9169]

[Sugar Magnolia]

Cue Pink Get The Party Started

[BohJang]

I'm here Sid and ready for the action.

[sid_9169]

This supposedly includes expedited boarding in the form of a dedicated line at embarkation. An additional $100 in free Bar Tab. Unlimited Premium WiFi for the entire cruise. Dedicated Sailor Services Support on board. An “exclusive cocktail event” on board. Free laundry service. And, $10 per day in specialty coffee per cabin. I’ll believe any of this when I actually see any of it… 

 

***Updated to add: On May 1st, Virgin Voyages announced that they would be extending the program through at least the end of 2023, so I feel a bit more confident that I’ll actually be able to take advantage of these Deep Blue Extras!...

 

 

 

[sid_9169]

The Scarlet Lady does four and five night sailings from the beautiful, brand new Terminal V at the Port of Miami... Several weeks ago, on April 9th 2023, the port set an all time record passenger load of 67,594 people in a single day!

 

 

Edited May 17, 2023 by sid_9169

[SenatorsFan]

Yay, another @sid_9169 review to keep us entertained! 🥂🥰

[sid_9169]

[mazz1]

fab, fab, fab

i'm new here and love your style of writing, looking forward to following along 😁

[Sea Viewer]

I've been waiting for this!! I have Scarlet Lady booked at the end of June for first Virgin cruise. Used the match to get Sea Rover status so any info on the program will be greatly appreciated.

Enjoy your cruise. 

[CineGraphic]

Pre-pandemic, I had zero-fear of flying in from ATL to either FLL or MIA the same day as sailing, if I was booked on the first non-stop of the day.

Post-pandemic, it's the only route I'll still fly in on the day of sailing, but my wife really prefers to arrive at least a day early.

Safe travels!

Edited May 17, 2023 by CineGraphic

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

 

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step… I don’t know who said that, I suppose you could Google it. I guess I could have Googled it, and saved you the trouble. I’m not here to give you all the answers, we should all be asking more questions… Wait a minute. Where was I going with all that? Oh yeah, I’m going on a cruise! On Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady!

 

The Scarlet Lady is near and dear to me, having sailed upon her three times now, already… I’ve pretty much seen and done everything on board food and beverage-wise, but I’ll try and expand on those options this time around. There are a few items on the various menus that I have yet to experience, so I plan on checking some of those off the list. 

 

I will be interested to see how she’s holding up with the increased capacity, as well as what “wear & tear” has occurred since this time last year. My first three sailings were wayyy below maximum occupancy, so it’ll be interesting to see how things are handled now that they’ve “lost their virginity” as a young cruise line… 

 

 

I thought that quotation was from Confucious, and I was going to post that. But then I googled and found out that I was wrong though many do attribute it to Confucious.

 

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - Wikipedia

[AKR2011]

Welcome back, Sid! I'm excited to follow along again. I hope all is well. It's been so long since I've been able to get back to The Tribe I hope things are well at the condo and with your job.

 

❤️⚓️ Ashley

[fethiyeden]

Tribe lurker looking forward to following along. Have a fabulous cruise & pre stay in Miami.

[sid_9169]

[Beav1279]

6 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

I always ask my dog why she is deflating... lol

 

Nice to see another Sid review - always good reading IMO! Have a blast!

[VictorWI]

I so wanted to jump off the Celebration and onto the Scarlet Lady for a S2S recently but couldn't make it happen. One of these days I'll sail on Virgin though. Until then, I'll follow along on another Sid adventure. Enjoy!!

[Slainte57]

Hopping onboard for your next adventure. Thanks for taking us along!

[Sj cruiser 1]

Long time lurker, ready to follow your adventures 

[MeganGC1983]

Present! Ready to follow along on your adventures before I head out for the Resilient Lady. 
Ladies and Gentlemen… start your livers. 

Edited May 17, 2023 by MeganGC1983

[lazydayz]

So glad to see another Sid review. Subscribed and ready for the party! 

[ninjacat123]

I thought the "thousand miles..." quote was from the "Kung Fu" tv show😂. Looking forward to a Sid review!!