Scarlet Lady / Live / Solo - Oct 6 - 10 2021...

[sid_9169]

When the check came, they hadn't charged me for the strawberry margarita or the cheesecake, so that was awesome... It still came to a smidge over $150, so I got out of there for about $180 after all was said and done. Wayyy more than I would normally spend on dinner and some drinks, but in this day and age you never know what tomorrow brings. I figure that worst case scenario, I end up living in a van down by the river...

[soccersharon]

Here in Montreal, we say « bonne anniversaire » which may explain your cake saying happy anniversary (maybe 😃).

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

Just got an email from Virgin Voyages saying that it's time to check in... I'm wayyy ahead of them. I just need to get down to Miami now and get my butt on board that ship!...

 

 

[sid_9169]

 

On March 7th 2020, Scarlet Lady finally arrived at her home port in Miami… By this time, the Covid 19 hysteria was reaching a fever pitch. There was currently a Princess ship that had been in limbo off the coast of California for days. Carnival’s Panorama was delayed in Long Beach due to another corona virus scare. It was at this point that I thought my cruise, that was still 70 days away, might never happen. The newscycle had been completely overtaken by the situation. They even put their daily dose of Trump hysteria on the back burner so they could talk about corona virus 24/7… 

 

On Thursday March 12th 2020, Virgin Voyages announced that all of the sneak peek sailings, as well as the inaugural cruise had been cancelled. The new sneak peek now happening July 15th 2020, and the inaugural pushed back to August 7th… Of course, the hammer came down on my May 17 sailing, as the corona virus panic grew exponentially by the day. This was the point when terms such as “self quarantine” and “social distancing” became parts of people's daily lexicon

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

I just got finished eating about a 4,000 calorie meal, but I'm thinking about going into the kitchen and attacking the leftovers...

[sid_9169]

 

As an incentive to re-book, Virgin Voyages was offering a choice of a 200% future cruise credit, or a full refund plus 25% future cruise credit. What I really wanted was to just take the cruise that I had already booked and looked forward to, but the situation became a moving target by the hour. 

 

I began looking around, and found some sailings further out in September 2020. Hopefully, the corona virus hoopla would be over, or at least under control by then… With my 200% credit, I could afford to upgrade my cabin considerably. 

 

On Friday March 13th 2020, a national emergency was declared by the President… People had already begun to panic, as well as cleaning off the store shelves of anything they could get their hands on. Things such as toilet paper, canned goods, bottled water, and Clorox wipes became hot commodities. This was also the day that it was announced that all sporting events and such were cancelled indefinitely. NCL and Royal Caribbean announced an immediate halt of operations for 30 days, with Carnival following suit the next day. It was also this day that I decided to put a call in to Virgin Voyages and see exactly what my options were. On the one hand, I could sail in a much nicer cabin than the solo insider that I had originally booked. Or, they said, I could opt to take a back to back cruise, and it would be fully covered by my now increased amount of buying power. Now, we were really starting to get somewhere… I decided to do some further research and number crunching before I decide what to do.

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

[sid_9169]

So, at this point we go back to the time that seems surreal in hindsight... The World was changing at a drastic pace. Everything that we had thought was true and real in the past became trivial... Who would have ever imagined that you'd go to the store one day and there wouldn't be any toilet paper?... Who would have ever thought that you would actually drive around town looking for toilet paper?... 

[sid_9169]

[meatball_nyc]

I just want a bite of that cheesecake. 

[sid_9169]

 

On Saturday March 14th 2020, my new passport showed up in my post office box… The irony of the situation was that this was the same day that most international travel had been banned, or greatly restricted… My bigger picture plan was to just go on with my everyday life as usual. The one thing I worried the most about was my job, as I work in an “ultra luxury” type of business. The very first thing people cut back on in economic uncertainty is things that they don’t really need. Let’s just say that you could easily make it through your entire life without the product my company sells… I did try to save and cut my day to day costs wherever I could, but my vacation is something that I’m willing to go to the mat over. Cruising is basically the only thing I have to look forward to in my life, and if I incurred credit card debt over it, then that’s what it would be…

 

By the time Saint Patrick’s day 2020 rolled around, things were beginning to roll downhill at an ever increasing rate… It’s safe to say that the excrement was starting to make contact with the oscillator. All schools in Georgia were shut down indefinitely by now, and restaurants that hadn’t already shut down, went to take out only. I still hadn’t been able to secure a single pack of toilet paper or paper towels during this entire ordeal. I was able to find a nice, dry aged ribeye, and snatched it up, thinking that it may be awhile before I was able to find, or afford one. I had also gone out and bought a couple of cases of cheap beer that would hopefully get me through in case stores ended up being shut down for real real… 

 

It was also this day that I sent a message to Delta via social media regarding my flights purchased more than a month earlier. I just didn’t have the will to sit on hold for hours. A couple of days later, they finally responded, and asked for further info: Confirmation #, Full Name, Dates, and Cities of travel, ect… Within a matter of minutes, I had received a full credit for my flights, even though the current waiver period only ran through April. This is the reason that I only fly with Delta, my “hometown” airline. They really do know how to take care of their customers when situations arise. 

 

Around the middle of the work day on Saint Patrick’s day, they announced that we would have one more day of work for the foreseeable future. Now, things were starting to get real in a way that made me consider every decision I’d ever made in my life. The money I had spent wastefully all these years could have been put into savings, but I’ve always been a “live for today” type of person. So, in true living for today's style, I went out after work and bought a really nice bottle of wine to go with my steak. When I got home, I put on my best dress shirt, even though I was going to be spending the night alone cooking dinner and drinking wine. When the steak was done, I paused for a moment and considered everything that had brought me to this point. A tear ran down my cheek, as I was about to cut into the steak, knowing how foolishly I had spent for one night’s dinner. I could have bought a whole week's worth of “regular groceries” for what this cost… 

 

When the steak was gone, I sauteed some mushrooms in the drippings, and finished up the wine. By this time, I was feeling pretty good, and may have “drunk posted” on Facebook more than once. (Spoiler alert: I most definitely did…) I ended up getting a text from an old friend that I’d known since the 4th grade, asking if I was going to be alright. She also assured me I’d have a place to stay if the situation became that dire…

 

The day after Saint Patrick’s day turned out to be my last day of work until who knows when… Fortunately, paychecks would continue to go out for the time being. Sort of a “good news, bad news” situation. A month earlier, we were enjoying economic prosperity not known in my lifetime, and now the entire system was crumbling by the minute. It was also today that I decided to pull the trigger on a back to back Virgin Voyages cruise in September 2020, using my 200% future cruise credit. If the end of the world was nigh, I wanted to spend some time at sea while I still had the chance. Of course, no one had any idea what the World would look like 6 months from now, but I was taking a leap of faith that most of this would be behind us by then… When I got home from my last day of work, I put a call into Virgin Voyages, and amazingly, got through almost immediately. I gave them my original booking number, and began the process of refunding my May sailing, and applying my 200% future cruise credit… 

 

A couple of days earlier, I had put a courtesy hold on a couple of sailings. The 24 hour hold had expired, but they still showed up in the system. The customer service rep went through the process of explaining what the credit was and wasn’t good for. For example, it couldn’t be used for travel protection. That would have to be paid for “out of pocket” at the time of re-booking. Of course, I didn’t even bother with the coverage when I originally booked, as I’ve always been the type to “save a buck” by foregoing the additional expense. 

 

Soon, we were knee deep in the process of booking my new, improved back to back sailings. The first leg, a 4 night heading to Key West and Bimini. And, a 5 night, visiting Costa Maya and Bimini… For the first cruise, I’d selected the same type of cabin that I was originally booked for: the “solo insider” as they call it… For the second sailing, there was an option for a “solo sea view”, so I decided that would be nice. The rep explained that there were only 2 solo insiders available for the first leg… One directly above The Manor Nightclub, (No way, Jose…) and another on Deck 5 near public space, but hopefully quieter than the alternative. I chose the cabin on Deck 5, and hoped for something else to open up later. 

 

The solo sea view turned out to be all the way forward on Deck 9, on the angular section below the Captain’s bridge. The cabin itself is triangular in shape, but at least in what looks like a nice quiet area. After about an hour of number crunching, I was booked on a back to back sailing, paid in full, including over $1,100 in on-board credit for drinking… 

 

The total cost of the 2 cruises came to around $2,300, leaving me $700 to use towards my bar tab. They were still offering a special, wherein you buy $300 worth of bar credits, and receive a $100 bonus. I opted for that, which cost $600, but netted me $800 worth of beverage buying power. In addition, I received $150 per cruise in “Sailor Loot” which is their fancy nomenclature for OBC. At least I would have plenty of drinking money, as having to wait 6 more months to cruise was going to be difficult enough. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 29, 2021 by sid_9169

[Shaded Lady]

Lovin' me some Sid Review!

[ktmush2]

11 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

Before I get too far ahead of myself, there's still a lot more backstory... In fact, when I first started writing this, the pandemic was barely a blip on the radar... There's much much more to get to...

 

 

For more than a year now, I’ve been bandying about the idea of booking with Virgin Voyages… The company seemed to be taking a whole new approach to many of the things we’re used to on other cruise lines. In fact, their business model seemed to be a seismic shift from what we’ve all been accustomed to with the other lines… First, the adults-only aspect  intrigued me. Not that I have anything against kids, but this was a whole new direction for modern cruising… Second, the idea of including all dining locations in the price of the cruise fare, without the typical upcharges for specialty dining. Also, the deletion of the buffet altogether. Of course, these features do come at a price, with cruise fares running a good bit higher than mainstream cruise lines. And third, the inclusion of gratuities in the base cruise fare, rather than having it be an additional fee. But, when you factor in everything that’s included, it starts to seem like a bit of a bargain...

 

One of the things I am concerned about at this point is the cost of adult beverages, with the absence of traditional beverage packages… Supposedly, their prices for drinks will be reasonable, but until we actually see the menu, that’s still to be determined. It’s a factor that has the potential to increase my out of pocket costs considerably. On top of an already high base fare, I began to question my decision about what I was getting myself into… Still, the idea of sailing on a brand new ship on a brand new line took over. My itchy booking finger had gotten the better of me once again…

After reading this page I immediately went to locate this. Sorry if it's already been posted.

https://cruiselifestyle.co.uk/2021/08/14/virgin-voyages-drinks/

[SenatorsFan]

Wow, that looked like a spectacular meal, Sid! 

[MzShae]

Your meal looked fantastic! I'd eat everything except the Brussels sprouts and the cheesecake. I'm enjoying your  review!

 

[30palms]

I’m coming along for your review Sid. Can’t wait!

Edited September 29, 2021 by 30palms

[adam3313]

Looks like a great birthday dinner, Sid!  

 

I thought that was "The Shirt" for a second, haha.

 

Can't wait for your live review!!

[sid_9169]

Up early for work on this Wednesday morning. I'm digging out my hand drawn maps for my walkabout in Miami next Tuesday. I'm already intimately familiar with Brickell where my hotel is located. I'm also bringing my map of Wynwood, where I plan on trekking to for happy hour and dinner. 

 

 

[sid_9169]

 

The following week, which was my first full week after being laid off, seemed to last forever. It’s almost as if time was standing still, yet at the same time, the pandemic was spreading like wildfire. The constant chatter by the media, the daily press conference by the President, as well as the Governor of Georgia… Shelter in place orders were in place in a few major cities, and on March 24th 2020, came down in Atlanta. Basically, the entire country came to a halt. Grocery stores, and a few other places were still open, but the streets looked like a ghost town. I live right on Peachtree Street, in the heart of Atlanta, and it was eerie how vacant it seemed. Fear had crippled our entire country, and there were many who thought it was the end of the World… 

 

I continued to go out for a walk or a bike ride every day, just to maintain my sanity, which was wearing thin by now. I began cooking at home every night, and day drinking was just part of my routine by now. If this continued for too long, I’d be as big as a whale soon, and in need of attending some AA meetings… Swimsuit season had officially been cancelled...

 

Since our industry was deemed to be “non essential”, we were basically out of work indefinitely, with a 25% pay decrease to boot… Add to that, the loss of my part time job, my income was pretty much cut in half. The odds of the IRS getting the $2,500 dollars I owed them was growing slimmer by the day. 

 

Another week went by, and every day was pretty much the same: sleep, eat, drink, walk, watch TV, take a bike ride, eat some more, drink some more, ect… On Saturday April 4th 2020, I decided to try and contact Priceline to see if there was a possibility of getting some kind of credit for my non refundable hotel room. I logged in, and clicked on my reservation. I scrolled to the bottom of the page, and right below the section where it explains that it can’t be refunded, there was a small paragraph of red text. There was also a box to the left that said “cancel reservation”... I clicked on it, and within seconds, received an email saying that my money would be fully refunded due to the circumstances… I felt pretty good about this, as I had already resolved to lose the money.

 

In my now elated state of mind, I browsed the Virgin Voyages website to see if any other solo insider cabins had opened up. It kept showing the same group of cabins that had previously been available, both below and above the night club. There was also now an option now to click on the solo sea view section, that had been blurred out upon my initial booking. I clicked on it, and ended up with the cabin directly next to the one I had booked for the second leg of the back to back… I immediately called, and surprisingly got through right away. I inquired about the switch, but because I had clicked on the cabin, the rep wasn’t able to see it as available. He said he’d call his supervisor, who may be able to override it. I was on hold for about 15 minutes, but after all was said and done, I found myself moved to the solo sea view. It was such a relief to not have to worry about the thumping music from the night club until the wee hours of the morning. I really wished that there was a solo insider available somewhere else, as I was looking forward to the experience as well…

 

[sid_9169]

***Another "borrowed from Virgin Voyages" FB page photo...

 

 

[sid_9169]

[kpark895]

13 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

.....

Their famous lobster mashed potatoes, with what appears to be an entire lobster worth of meat...

 

 

...

I could turn that into my entire dinner,, with leftovers!  Looks so goooood!