Scarlet Lady trip report March 29 to April 3

[Analog187]

This was our first VV cruise and it was certainly an different but fun experience.  I have been on around 50 something cruises.  My wife has been on 7 or so.  I have a lot more pics on my public facebook page which is at https://www.facebook.com/travelingwithjef/

 

 

Day 1

Our boarding time was 3:15 so we got there at 2. I figured they’d let us in earlier. They line you up by boarding time. After a half hour, they let us in. Only took us 15 minutes to get on the ship. Hard to beat that.

Our cabin was ready right away. Its a little smaller than other balcony cabins. Instead of having a bed and a sofa, the bed can be moved to the side so it turns into a sofa. Kinda weird but we don’t spend a lot of time in our cabin anyway.

The bathroom is likewise a little smaller but I don’t feel cramped. The shower has a door which is always nice. There’s a rainfall shower which is great in addition to a handheld shower. The towels are like cheap motel towels. Pretty surprised to see that at this price point.

There’s a fridge in the room with nothing in it which is nice. The closet is strange. It has the smallest drawers ever. Not sure what’s up with that.

The bed is very European. Very firm with no sheet. Just a duvet like in European hotels. The AC is also not incredibly cold and it does shut down at night. Again, very European. That makes the cabin warm at night. We brought little fans which help.

The balcony is nice and that hammock is incredible. Might have to but one for the house. Just gotta figure out how to hang it up.

We went to explore the ship. There’s definitely a funky atmosphere throughout the entire ship. Lots to expose and plenty of places to take pictures. While there’s a big age range they are definitely trying to attract the under 40 crowd.

Although the ship isn’t sold out, it certainly seemed busy. There’s a lot of little venues but since so many are little, it doesn’t take much for the spaces to feel a little crowded. That being said, there’s usually somewhere to go to get away from the crowds.

 

The arcade is small but free. There’s also free shuffleboard tables and foosball in addition to a ton of boardgames. Looks like a lot of people went right to the karaoke booths to sign up but we’re doing that on day 2 (today). Those are also free.

 

Near the arcade is a casual restaurant counter serving popcorn, wings and more importantly candy! I’m basically a giant 5 year old so free saltwater taffy, Swedish fish and gummy bears is very exciting. Haven’t tried the wings yet but they look good. They also have pretzels and cheese but the cheese has peppers in it so that’s not for me.

 

We went to dinner at Extra Virgin which is the Italian restaurant but it’s more hipster Italian than your old school Italian restaurant. See my review on the page for more info but it was good. Certainly better than most food in the average main dining room.

We then went to the comedian in the Red Room. It’s a good sized venue. The line to get in was pretty long but by the time he started there was still dozens of seats available. He was OK, not the best. Hopefully the other comedians are better.

We then went to the around the world in 80 minutes show put on by the resident drag queen the Diva. I had no idea what to expect. The line to get in was also long. This was in The Manor which is a smaller venue. I got the last two seats. The good news is that there’s more than one show as there’s one on day 2.

 

The show was hilarious. One of the funnier things I’ve seen in a while. Lots of singing which was actually pretty good, a lot of humor and a lot of audience participation. I highly suggest checking out anything the Diva puts on.

After that we packed it in for the night. There was a pajama party that we could have gone to but we were wiped so that wasn’t gonna happen.

Overall, a very different but fun experience.

The main pool area

Day 2

We had breakfast at the Galley. Already discussed that. We then went to hang out by the pool for a while. It was really busy. So much so that if someone got up from their chair for a second, someone else asked if it was available within 30 seconds. Not a lot of shade but we found some. As we live in Florida, pools aren’t that big of a deal to me compared to when I lived in NJ.

 

We then went to lunch at the Galley. Covered that already as well. After that we went to this coffee-themed game show. It was hosted by The Diva and it was really funny. The only negative is that it was held in the Roundabout. There’s no soaring atrium like other ships so this small space is the closest thing to an atrium. Problem is that it’s just not set up for any type of show. If you’re sitting anywhere, you probably won’t see much. Instead you have to stand. Seems like holding shows and performances there was an afterthought. Not the end of the world but a poor design choice.

We then went to use the karaoke room for an hour. We reserved the time slot that morning. There are three different rooms available and each one holds a different amount of people. I am not a karaoke person and I’ve never actually done it. Despite that, it was a lot of fun. We could stop and start songs, goof around and do whatever without anyone watching. Highly recommended.

 

Dinner was at Razzle Dazzle. I can’t even begin to tell you what type of restaurant this is. Eclectic I guess? Anyway, I had the fried chicken and biscuit. Chicken was good but the biscuit was amazing. A little dry but once they got me some butter it was incredible.

 

After dinner we went to Dual Reality which is kind of like a circus show meets modern dance. It was supposed to be a take on Romeo and Juliet but there was something about a game and a referee. The basic plot elements were there but the specifics were a little confusing. Regardless, there was a variety of performers doing different things and they were all really good. It was very unique. Highly recommended.

Again, a fun and chill day. The WiFi continues to be horrendous but since so many people are off the ship at the moment, it’s not bad.

 

Day 3 Puerto Plata and Scarlet Night

After breakfast we went to walk around the town. While I’m sure several things were closed for Easter, I felt like there wasn’t much to do there outside of Taino Bay (I’ll get back to that). A lot of the town seems run down. However, there are several Instagramable spots like Umbrella Street, Kite Street and Pink Street. See my pics. There’s also a cathedral and an old fort. Took us about an hour and a half to do everything.

After getting lunch on the ship I went back our to explore Taino Bay and use the lazy river. Taino Bay is this huge cruise port area filled with shops, restaurants and a big pool area. See my pics for more. The highlight for me was the lazy river which was one of the bigger ones I’ve been in. One lap takes 20 minutes. The current could be a little stronger but it was great. I went around 3 times.

 

I think VV did a poor job of explaining that area to people. There weren’t a lot of people there and I heard several people ask if the lazy river was free. The whole pool area seems like it would cost money so I can understand the assumption.

After all that sun and walking around I needed a nap. We decided to go casual for dinner so we went with pizza and wings. The pizza took a while but they gave us a buzzer so it was nice to not have to wait in line like Carnival. The pizza was about on par with Carnival so it was good. The wings on the other hand were awful and the Buffalo sauce was bland. Not my deal.

 

As we walked around after dinner we could see that they were getting ready for Scarlet Night. Blowup octopus tentacles and fish were all over.

We went to the 7pm comedian. He was OK. He had a horrible British accent (which he admitted was the worst you can have in the UK) and he clearly couldn’t handle a 45 minute set so there was a lot of filler. Some of his jokes were funny but overall not my thing.

We then went to the 15 minute show that explains what Scarlet Night was all about. It was a singer that said something about an octopus falling in love with a sailor? Meh. I think they could have just said it’s a fun party and this giant octopus looks cool.

There was then another comedian but as we were making our way to that show I can see that Scarlet Night was definitely getting into full gear. Everyone had red on and there was a lot of partying.

 

This comedian was from Scotland but his accent wasn’t bad. He’s definitely more professional and he did a great job. Best comedian so far this cruise.

After that we went up to the pool area to wait for the big Scarlet Night party. A lot of people had the same idea as all the chairs on deck 16 overlooking the pool were taken. If you’d rather watch the party, deck 16 is where to go. If you want to be in the party, head to deck 15 where the pool is.

 

I feel like 90% of the ship was there. The Diva and the hostess kicked off the night with the shows performers dancing around the pool. They then got in the pool and splashed everyone. They then invited everyone else to join them to dance in the pool so there was a mad rush by people to remove their shoes. At that point it just turned into a full on dance party. Really fun.

Between all that and all the sun, I slept 9 hours. Probably could have slept 11.

Taino Bay

Day 4 Sea Day

This was a pretty chill day. Worked out after breakfast. Then we looked around for some shade. That’s very difficult to find on this ship. We did find some nice chairs on deck 7. The lifeboats are right there but you still have a view of the ocean. They’re a little short for me so I had to find a little table. Stacked some towels on it (so my feet weren’t on the table) and it worked out.

We were there for a few hours relaxing and reading. Shuffleboard was right there so we taught another couple how to play. They then destroyed us. Lol.

 

Went to our karaoke at 4pm that we reserved. That was fun but again, so glad no one else heard us.

Dinner was at the Wake, the steakhouse. I got the filet which was so good I had a second one.

The show tonight was Ships in the Night which is more of a traditional production show. It was good. The singer himself was good but the song selection wasn’t the best. The dance was great. They really try to include a plot in everything and I think it would work better with just a theme but that’s just me.

 

We called it an early night after that.

 

Days 5 Bimini

We saw no rush to get off the ship so we got off around 10:30 and took the tram to the beach club. By the time we got there we could only find one umbrella left. The only reason I think no one else took it was because it was closed. They probably assumed it was broken. It was nice but nothing compared to all the other private islands. This of course is just a private area and not an island so it’s impossible to compare them.

That being said, the water is incredible but for some reason, it was cold. Guessing there was a current bringing water in from the north. Probably be much warmer a week from now. There’s also two pools but I found them to be pretty cold as well.

 

Regardless, we had a nice time just relax at the beach. Overheard complaints about the cabanas which loomed like a joke to me. A lot of people complained about the lack of chairs. I just don’t think this place is big enough for this ship.

 

I was hoping for normal lunch food but Virgin has to try to do everything upscale so I waited to get lunch on the boat. We left around 2 and I finally got a chance to hang out at the pool since there was hardly anyone there. The pool is small but the water was a good temp.

Dinner was pizza again. It took over a half hour. I think they forgot about us because it wasn’t until I said something that our pizzas were ready. While we were waiting I got a pretzel with cheese and a hot dog from Social Club. The hot dog was good but the pretzel with cheese was awesome. I’m sorry I waited until the last day to figure it out.

 

Heidi then played trivia so I was in the arcade while she was doing that. I beat Sunset Riders and I played a round of Golden Tee Golf.

There really wasn’t a lot going on in the early evening that interested us so we decided to call it a night early. I really wanted to see Untitled Dance Party Thing but that was at 10. After that was a 15 minute circus act. Kinda late for the last night.

Bimini

 

Day 6

You have to be off the ship at 10:30 so it was nice to not have to get up early. We chose a 9:30 slot. Got to breakfast around 9 and there was pretty much nowhere to sit so another couple allowed us to sit with them.

Went down to deck 7 at 9:30 and got right off the ship. No big crazy line or anything. Couldn’t have been easier. Customs was a 2 second picture stop. We were in the car by 9:45. Doesn’t get any easier than that.

[DCGuy64]

Thanks for your great review and for taking the time to post it!

[Analog187]

On 4/4/2024 at 1:50 PM, DCGuy64 said:

Thanks for your great review and for taking the time to post it!

Sure thing!

[NCTribeFan]

Not sure I would call anyone's accent "bad" since they're just what they are.  Strong, yes, but not bad.  Just different.  It usually takes your ear/brain a bit of time to get used to it.  I'm sure there are plenty of people around the world who can't understand some regional US accents.  When my DD was a baby, her paternal grandparents came over from England.  We lived in north Georgia.  The teenage checkout girl in the grocery store and the English grandpa couldn't understand each other.  I had to translate.  It was pretty funny if a bit absurd.  We all, supposedly, were speaking the same language. 😁

 

Anyway, I board her in 2 weeks for the trip across the pond.  My first time on VV, but have friends who, like me, are in their early 70s and they love it.  I hope I do.  I'm not much of a partier these days.  Hope to be able to find some relatively quiet spaces to enjoy those sea days so I don't have to retreat to my little interior cabin.

 

Think I'll be hitting the Noodle place for lunch a few times.  I like the idea of the Galley.  Again, we'll see how that goes with so many people on the ship every day during the crossing.

 

I definitely am looking forward to a little different experience from the other mainline cruises.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[cantgetin]

5 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

. 😁

 

Anyway, I board her in 2 weeks for the trip across the pond.  My first time on VV, but have friends who, like me, are in their early 70s and they love it.  I hope I do.  I'm not much of a partier these days.  Hope to be able to find some relatively quiet spaces to enjoy those sea days so I don't have to retreat to my little interior cabin.

 

Think I'll be hitting the Noodle place for lunch a few times.  I like the idea of the Galley.  Again, we'll see how that goes with so many people on the ship every day during the crossing.

 

I'm 69 and VV is current top choice cruise line in most areas.  There are plenty of places to hang out--outside the Pizza Place are chairs and couches that are comfortable, same on the other side of the ship.  All along deck 7 by Grounds Club, Social Club, etc. are good inside and outside hang outs.  The Dock is interesting, but there are very few seats that are easy for this old lady to get out of--you are essentially sitting on the floor on most of them.  THere are some bar stool type seats, but they tend to fill up quickly.
There is a great outdoor area at the back of The Galley--covered so you have shade.  It can get windy out there.  Deck 16 is also good for walks and sitting outdoors.  If you can't find a good place to just "be," ask any crew member for suggestions.

I could tell you some funny language stories from living abroad.  There are a lot of different British accents in London...I learned that with some, I can understand in person but not on the phone.