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Fun short cruise adventure

Scarlet Lady Cruise Review

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 14
Helpful Votes: 195

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5
Scarlet Lady

5 Night Dominican Daze (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 10, 2023

Ship: Scarlet Lady

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 9 months ago

Review summary

This was a fun five-day cruise aboard the Scarlet Lady. I wasn't a big fan of the fully booked ship's crowds, or of the heavy drinking party vibe of the solo cruisers' group. However, I found great places to relax, and fun things to do. The food was 100% as good as I remembered. I highly recommend this ship and itinerary.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Having "Sea Blazer" status through a status match really helped here. I showed up a little before my assigned check in time, got my "Deep Blue Extras" wristband, and got in the Priority line. I was checked in and on board the ship in about 45 minutes. Easy peasy.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
The food on board was fantastic! Everything from quick bites to Michelin star quality restaurants. This is the cruise line for foodies!

Gunbae

5 out of 5

A fun experience with Korean BBQ and Korean drinking games. Try the seafood pancake and the Korean fried chicken; both are not to be missed.

Extra Virgin

5 out of 5

My meal here was excellent. Standout starter was the crispy artichoke. If you're an artichoke lover, get two. The seabass was also excellent. Don't forget to finish your meal with an afffogato (espresso and gelato).

On the Rocks

5 out of 5

This ended up being my go-to hangout spot every night. They had a great variety of live performances, plus excellent cocktails.

Bento Baby

5 out of 5

Fresh made sushi and fruit plates? Yes please!

Sun Club Cafe

5 out of 5

Yummy and refreshing poke bowls. I also enjoyed the bao bun pork sandwich.

The Social Club Diner

5 out of 5

The soft pretzel with cheese sauce is a must try.

Lick Me Till...Ice Cream

5 out of 5

Love the ice cream here! And it's included, not an upcharge.

The Manor

3 out of 5

I loved this venue for performances like The Diva's drag show, and the dinner show. However, as a nightclub it was just too small and cramped for a ship of this size.

The Galley

5 out of 5

I love VV's answer to the traditional cruise ship buffet! So many delicious choices!

The Pizza Place

5 out of 5

My favorite cruise ship pizza! Great for late night, or any time.

The Dock

5 out of 5

Great place for tapas and mezze. I especially enjoyed the grilled shrimp and Spanish octopus.

Razzle Dazzle Restaurant

4 out of 5

I liked this place better for breakfast/brunch than dinner. Whatever you do, get the candied bacon. It will change your world. Also, the Razzle cake.

The Wake

5 out of 5

Typical cruise ship steakhouse (not a bad thing at all). They also have a really good brunch.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
I was a little disappointed with the onboard activities as compared with my last cruise on Scarlet Lady. We were at almost 100% capacity this time (as opposed to 35% on the last one), which definitely made a difference. I found late nights in the Manor to be way too crowded and noisy. Same with Scarlet Night pool party (which I loved last time). The sailaway party was a blast, as were the various pop-up performances on Scarlet Night. I also did the Ship's Tour, which was wonderful. It's pricy ($200), but worth it if you are a behind-the-scenes nerd like me.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The Red Room

5 out of 5

Excellent multi-purpose theater space. Fantastic performances throughout!

Service and Staff

4 out of 5
The majority of the crew I encountered were wonderful. The service in all the restaurants was top notch. I loved all my encounters with the Happenings Cast. My only disappointment was that in the 5 days I was on board, my cabin steward never once introduced him/her self to me. I've never had that happen before.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
Cleanliness was never a problem. I still feel that some aspects of the ship were not well thought through. Minimal signage in some areas, certain venues hard to find, and the tiny postage stamp that is the main pool. Not ideal.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Despite being a solo cruiser, I decided to splurge for a Sea Terrace cabin. It was 100% worth paying the "solo supplement" for this cabin type. I loved the hammock on the balcony! Downsides were the very firm mattress and tiny bathroom.

Ship tip

A lot of how much you enjoy a cruise can be in the demographic makeup of a particular sailing. This cruise seemed to have more of the hard-partying 30-somethings than my previous cruise aboard Scarlet Lady, which was unfortunate. Still, it didn't in any way ruin my cruise or keep me from having fun.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

5 out of 5
Loved this port! I did a "tasting tour", where we got to sample foods from 3 local restaurants, plus rum tasting at a local distillery. Great fun!
Thumbs Up

The Beach Club (Virgin Voyages), Bimini Bahamas

5 out of 5
Still my favorite private cruise ship beach club. The weather wasn't the greatest, but we had a great time regardless!
Thumbs Up

Miami, Florida

5 out of 5
I've always enjoyed my stays in Miami. Be sure to get some authentic Cuban food while you're there.
Thumbs Up

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
I'm giving this 5 stars due to the incredibly compassionate way the crew took care of me when I woke up on disembarkation day with a major arthritis flare that rendered my right knee totally useless. Despite the complete chaos of disembarkation, they got me a wheelchair and assisted getting me off the ship. Gold stars all around.
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10 Comments

Sogmoore     4 months ago

Great pix thanks for sharing
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WeinerDogMom     9 months ago

Thank you for your detailed review! Glad you had a great time! We are sailing Scarlett Lady for the 1st time next year, and I enjoy reading about others' experiences onboard.
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Ruby13     9 months ago

Thank you for sharing your cruise adventure
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javawoody     9 months ago

Appreciate your detailed review
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wccultured     9 months ago

30 somethings don’t party that hard, must have been Gen Z 🤣
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HeavySeas     9 months ago

Thanks for sharing and glad you enjoyed your cruise
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karlgrgurich     9 months ago

Glad you mostly enjoyed
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Gwbigdog     9 months ago

Thanks for sharing
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cruising2004     9 months ago

Glad you had a wonderful cruise! Thank you for your detailed review.
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BnCTcruising     9 months ago

Glad you had a good time. We have done two on Scarlet lady and have really enjoyed it. The pool area on ship and Bimini Beach club get extremely crowded. However, it never felt like the ship spaces other than the pool or the bars were very crowded, based on the amount of people on there. Happy sailing.
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