Virgin is Spectacular
Scarlet Lady Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
5 Night Mayan Sol (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: November 26, 2021
Ship: Scarlet Lady
Cabin number: 13034Z
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review summary
Overall this was one of the best cruises I've ever been on. The ship is beautiful, the staff are helpful and seem happy to be there, and the food and drinks are beyond expectation. We were never bored and constantly impressed by the entertainment options. I will absolutely be back.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The Dock House
The food was great. The octopus was delicious and good small portions for an afternoon snack.
The Manor
The entryway was really something special. The venue is deceptively large and has lots of areas for sitting in addition to the dance floor. There was a DJ there on Scarlet night and they were great.
The Test Kitchen
I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the experimental foods, but it was great. I'm glad I tried the eggs and peas once, but I don't think I would again. Every other course was great. I was very impressed by the meat. We did the cocktail pairing and they were good. I don't drink a lot so I didn't finish them, but they were interesting and very well paired.
Bento Baby
The spicy tuna rolls were good, not great. The shrimp tempura rolls were pretty bad. I'd recommend skipping Bento Baby and getting Poke Bowls on deck 16 instead.
Gunbae
The kolbi (I think) marinated beef was amazing. The Lucky 7 drink was also very good.
Lick Me Till...Ice Cream
I tried four flavors and all were great. The key lime was my favorite.
The Wake
We missed this for dinner but went twice for brunch and enjoyed it. The french toast lived up to the hype.
The Sweet Side
The fudge and the peanut brittle were both really good.
The Pizza Place
For cruise ship pizza, it was spectacular. It wasn't run of the mill toppings, but delicious and interesting combinations.
The Loose Cannon
During the day we used their giant tables to play board games. In the evenings they made good drinks and hosted one stop each of the Grog Walk (bar crawl) and of the Scarlet Night event.
The Dock House Bar
The drinks were strong and delicious. The daiquiri anise was my favorite drink all week, out of many good ones. They also make a great mojito.
Razzle Dazzle Restaurant
We went for dinner and it was one of our best meals. We also went for brunch and loved it so much we went two more times after that.
Pink Agave
I'm not a steak person but the steak at Pink Agave both made me love steak and ruined me for all other steaks. The appetizers and desserts were also excellent.
Extra Virgin
We planned to skip this but heard so many positive reviews during our week on the ship we changed our plans to go on the last night and I'm so glad we did because it was one of the best meals we had. The meatballs with mozzarella, gnocchi, and braiaed pork cheek were all incredible.
Onboard Activities
Sailor Services
We had an issue we went to sailor services for, unsure if they could resolve it, and the crew member was knowledgeable and resolved our issue in moments.
The Athletic Club
This was a fun party venue. The PJ party was held there, and we loved dancing there.
The Dock
I loved relaxing there. The seats were comfortable, and the tables were big enough to play bananagrams. loved that they served food and drinks there.
The Casino
Non-smoking! I don't gamble but walking through to get to the Manor and the Red Room was pleasant and not smoky. There were always lots of people in the casino in the evenings, so it looked active and fun.
Entertainment
The Red Room
Duel Reality was an amazing show. The room is small, but the layout worked really well for the red vs. blue team theming where one side of the audience was on each "team." The acrobats and dancers were very talented and I was impressed the entire time.
The Groupie
This was such a great perk to have private rooms for karaoke. we used this twice throughout the week, and had a blast both times. Their song selection was great.
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
When using the Virgin app it will work every time if you close every other app on your phone before you open it. It won't work at all with lots of other apps open.
Ports of call
The Beach Club (Virgin Voyages), Bimini Bahamas