CruisingWalter

We were great until we hit the main road into the port. Literally right there where you can see the Virgin Voyages ship and you come up that causeway. From the moment we started on the causeway until we were able to park was almost 90 minutes.

From what I've been told the Florida Discount Rate only applies if you book a cruise 45 days from sail date and it applies to Caribbean sailings. From VV's website: "Treat yourself to our most inclusive and irresistible offer of 2023 when you sail within the next 45 days to the most gorgeous destinations across the Caribbean with our exclusive Florida Resident Rate. But hurry, this offer ends May 24th. REGIONS: Caribbean"

We have not had an issue finding parking yet. And our last sailing in April had 7 ships in port when we arrived. The HUGE issue is the traffic nightmare that is Port Miami when 7 ships are in port. So much construction going on throughout the port they will lead you back and forth in serpentine. It took us 3 1/2 hours to drive down from Orlando, then 1 1/2 hours to get through the port to Garage G. It was an absolute mess. There is a turn off to the left that would have taken us directly to Parking Lot G within the first 20 minutes, but they had it blocked off so we had to keep following the flow of traffic. We literally passed that turn off 3 times during our back and forth serpentine. Our plan was to arrive around 11am and take the VV shuttle over to Bayside marketplace to relax before the cruise. But we didn't park the car and get to Terminal V until 1pm. Traffic was at near standstill trying to get out of the port so we didn't bother even trying the shuttle. Fortunately boarding moved very quickly so while we had a 2:15 boarding time, we were inside the terminal just before 2.

For the coffee if you wanted to bring your own Yeti style coffee mug to keep your coffee hot while you walk around the ship you certainly can. They will serve coffee to go in the standard 'to-go' cups. I brought my Yeti mug on our cruise in April and it was nice to have it for the morning coffee outside.

Just ask a TA, they can access the booking engine to see what the inventory looks like. Keep in mind that VV is unlike any other cruise line with the majority, 86% of their cabins are Sea Terraces. Sea View and Insiders are a premium on this ship because there are very few of them relatively. According to a VV Media Fact sheet there are 1330 cabins including 78 Rock Star Suites on each ship. 95 Sea View, 105 Insiders. That leaves about 1030 Sea Terraces. Those categories being sold out only means 200 cabins have been sold and not indicative of a ship being close to sell out. 🙂

Cordial would be considered liquor. Not permitted on the ship. You are supposed carry wine with you onboard. If you put it into your luggage, you will be asked to visit Security to examine your luggage.

Woooo, how is she? It's so exciting to have the three Ladyships in service. I've been eyeing the Brilliant Lady itineraries out of San Juan. I have to say they are among my favorite so far in the Caribbean.

Honestly I think our bathroom on the Carnival Mardi Gras was either smaller or the same size. But the difference is that the Scarlet Lady shower door opens in to the shower. I recall the Mardi Gras shower door opening out to the toilet which made it quite awkward getting into the shower. I honestly have no issues at all with the bathrooms in the standard cabins. We've sailed in a Cheeky Corner Suite with that amazing bathroom and the regular Sea Terrace. Both work and I would not get the XL just for that larger bathroom unless you really want it and you're happy with their location on the ship. Now if the XL stood for a larger balcony, well that I would be all over. 🙂

Two completely different shows as folks have mentioned. If the Diva is Carlos, Around the World is silly, campy fun. We love that show and this last sailing on Scarlet Lady we caught four different shows/events with Carlos. Best Diva Ever! Ships in the Night is a full production show, though both sailings on Scarlet Lady the show has been cancelled for us. So we've yet to see it.

Social Club is really the only place with public screens running sports, or in your cabin.

That would be so annoying. Fortunately we have not run into any of those folks yet, though I have seen a lot of pineapples on doors on many of the other cruise lines.... 🙂

First off, thanks everyone for your kind words about our reviews on YouTube, it's very much appreciated to know those are helpful. As to the OP, we've been cruising almost 20 years on soon to be 9 cruise lines. VV is just 'different' from the moment you come on board. First big tip, make your embarkation dinner reservation later than you typically would make it. You're not going to board until at least 1:30p depending on your embarkation time. I recommend going directly to The Dock after you drop your stuff off you in your cabin to enjoy some Tapas and a cocktail to get your cruise started correctly. Because you're getting on the ship late and you'll be noshing on food for a bit (because, you're on a cruise!) you may not be hungry during your normal dinner time. We made the mistake of a 6:30 reservation on our first cruise, but for the second one made it 7:45 to 8:00 for embarkation night. That later time worked out much better and we'll continue that pattern each time we board. The ship itself will feel much smaller than it really is and that's mainly because all the decks are just one story. There's no 'grand atrium' or 'piazza' that's 2 to 5 decks high to make you go 'wow!' The ladyships are much more casual and laid back. Less about "wow look at our amazing ship" and more about "kick off your shoes and stay a while." Seriously you've never seen so much seating throughout a ship that really encourages groups of folks to just hang out in conversation. As others have noted the crew is different. Not only are they among the highest paid in the industry but they get free WiFi and they are allowed to dine in the same restaurants we all eat in. In fact, you can have dinner with crew members if you'd like. We inadvertently had dinner with the Diva one night. But you'll see crew members with their name badges on almost every evening in your restaurants. I love the crews on every cruise line, but there was a difference with the VV crew not 'trying too hard to get tips' vs the other cruise lines. Beyond being able to express themselves through their personal appearance, they're also able to choose which uniforms they want to wear. Seeing male crew members wearing skirts is not unusual. The main shows are decidedly different and you will probably like some of them and not care for others, but that's true of most any cruise line. The live music throughout the ship has been exceptional on our two cruises so far. The first time blues guitarist Slam Adams was just amazing and this last time we had an awesome Latin Trio as the 'headliner' musical acts. But there are guitarists and others throughout the ship. Beyond Scarlet Night, which is the big party night, you might be surprised to find that the ship is pretty laid back and as chill or loud as you want it to be. The Manor will be your party nightspot every night if you so choose. But otherwise, the rest of the ship is pretty chill in the evenings, especially The Dock on deck 7. Simply gorgeous at night. The Casino is a really nice one if you like to play and it's the only one I can think of that has actual windows to the outside. Huge portholes with James Bond style camera shutters. What's really awesome is that it's smoke free. One really fun thing to explore is The Groupie. Private Karaoke booths. I NEVER do karaoke but when you have a couple of friends and you're by yourself in a booth... I have not laughed so much on a cruise ship, it's so much fun. One small thing I really appreciate about VV is no photographers. You don't have to run the gauntlet at night passing by so many photographers trying to get your photo. Or those randoms that come through the main dining room. We didn't even realize the lack of photographers until the second night. Enjoy the snacks and games at The Social Club along with the free to play Arcade. I think The Artist said it best on our first VV cruise, Virgin Voyages is like Summer Camp for adults. The ship really is a playground that allows you to just be you. No pretentious, just be yourself and enjoy those around you. Let your inner child come out and enjoy your time onboard. 🙂

Highly recommend wipes vs sprays. The sprays get everywhere whereas the wipes just get on your skin. Plus we've had cans of bug spray leak in our luggage. The wipes are individually wrapped and super easy to carry in a backpack or even your pockets. Something like this: https://a.co/d/4ON1gjj

I always ask the bartenders on every ship how many people are onboard. They always know. 🙂 If you want to know before you sail, ask your TA to do a quick glance at the bookings to see. They can see the availability pretty quickly and give you a rough estimate of at least a percentage, like the ship looks 50 or 70% full based on availability.

Sergio's camera from Cruise Spotter is the one I'll watch if I feel like checking out the port.

Sounds like you had a swingers club on the ship. They're everywhere on all cruise lines and super annoying if you have the unfortunate pleasure of running into them. We've not had that experience and I have to say, all our friends who have gone on the ships have not reported anything like that either.

If you can't walk into the back of the restaurant you shouldn't eat there. I've worked in food service and the kitchen should be cleaner than the restaurant.

It rains in Alaska. Often. Of the 14 days we were there it rained at least half the time. In fact low hanging clouds cancelled two of our aerial excursions. But it was still the most spectacular cruise tour ever. If you only do a cruise, you're missing out on so much. We saw so much wildlife during our 7 days on land, especially the babies because it was the end of May, early June. So many babies. Owls, Moose, Grizzly Bears and more During the cruise itself we mainly saw whales and eagles.

That may be, but the actual report doesn't need an 'TMZ' reporting, it's abhorrent in its own right. A lot of this was food handling 101 and safety 101. Regardless of whether the ship was in the U.S. or Europe, things should never have gotten this bad. Management was far too lax and/or very poor training. Here's hoping we have a good first impression of MSC on May 28. 🙂

We're on the same sailing. Should be 'interesting' to say the least. 🙂

Lowest score ever by a cruise ship. And we're sailing May 28. Our very first MSC Cruise in our 20 years of cruising. Say a prayer for us..... 😂

The Dock is a great area to relax, as are 'the porches' mid-ship on Deck 7. All water features are up on the top decks. Note that those large beds on The Dock are claimed early so if you want one of those, you'll need to get there earlier.

I have no idea which Virgin Voyages cruise you went on, but that's 180 opposite our experience on 2 cruises so far and the opposite experience of all our friends who have been cruising on VV since the restart. Both in Miami and Europe. Clearly you didn't like your cruise so now you don't want anyone else to go on VV. VV is not perfect, no cruise line is, but what you're describing is not VV. At least the party atmosphere all day. Scarlet Night is a HUGE party. It's crazy and it's loud. But that's one night. And even on that night, you can have a quiet evening out on The Dock or other areas of the outside away from the party.

Try Deck 7 mid-ship next time. I call them the 'porches' but those are really nice spaces on the waterfront. The ship provides plenty of shade on one side of the ship so you have choices between sun and shade. I think a lot of people overlook these spaces during the day and gravitate to The Dock or the upper decks. But the seating is very nice and eclectic in this area.

The "Party Only" myth of Virgin Voyages is exactly that, it's a myth. The vibe on VV is very much similar to Celebrity Cruises. Lux casual. Your focus on health / energy perfectly aligns with VV in that you'll find great non-alcohol options from fresh pressed juices to many other drinks throughout the ship. If you want to party hard all night, The Manor is your game. If you want to chill and relax, On The Rocks has awesome music and entertainers, usually a soloist or a trio. If you want to really relax in the evening, hit The Dock on the aft or the 'side porches' on Deck 7 mid ship. We've been on 8 cruise lines, soon to be 9, and if you like cruising, you should really enjoy VV. It just may spoil you because you realize just how annoying all the nickel and diming is on the other cruise lines. Not having to pay for every little thing is pretty sweet. As is the lack of photographers. That might be my favorite part of the VV experience. 🙂 Here's my overall review of our first Scarlet Lady experience where I specifically talk about 'reality' on the ship vs. 'myth' of what is to be expected. There's also a full food review on there if you're interested. Just go have an amazing time!