Operation Winter Warmup: Scarlet Lady 2025

Woke up early, drove to Fredericton, flew to Montreal, drank some coffee, flew to Miami - a completely uneventful travel day. Checked in at the Casa Boutique Hotel - great location in Miami Beach, above a crazy busy Italian restaurant, but very basic and likely wouldn't stay there again. It was fine for a night. We met up with Melissa for supper at Esquina Mexicana and called it an early night after a long travel day.

Started the morning with some coffee and a walk with Nicole along Ocean Drive. Even though I live in a city on the ocean and I was about to get on a cruise, I still can't resist a chance to chill out near the ocean. Lunch at Craft South Beach (thanks for coming to meet us in Miami Melissa!!) and then it was time to head to the port. Check-in was quick and painless and onto the Scarlet Lady we went. We rounded out the day with ship exploring, hanging with friends, and dinner at Lucky Lotus.

One of the things I love about Virgin Voyages ships is the dedicated track. I love walking with the sunrise and I especially love not having to dodge deck chairs to do it. We were at sea for the day, so there was more ship exploring, a little bit of working, eating, and relaxing.

Our first port of the cruise was Costa Maya. I did a quick tour of Richard's Rooftop (exclusive area for suite guests) with one of the Virgin staff. Once docked, we headed out to explore with Daniel of Living Dreams. First we visited the Chacchoben ruins and then we were off to Blu Beach Club on the Bacalar Lagoon. This is a great small spot, great food and drinks, and great access to the beautiful lagoon (look at the colour of that water!) - highly recommend. Wrapping up our day, dinner at Extra Virgin.

I might have turned the next day - our stop in Honduras - into another sea day. I really needed to relax on this cruise, so a day with no plans was just what I needed. There was lounging, reading, eating, napping, exploring the ship, and very limited working. We checked out some of the Scarlet Night festivities and had some tasty beverages. A legit lazy sea day followed - highlights were dinner at the Test Kitchen (though we didn't completely love the menu they were testing) and I may have gotten some new ink by the amazing Eleonora Urbani.

Our final stop of the cruise was in Bimini, Bahamas where Virgin Voyages has exclusive use of a fantastic beach club. Tons of deck chairs, two big pools, bars and eats. It was a great way to spend a day with friends. Dinner at The Wake wrapped up our cruise. Home from Miami the next day, with a stop in Montreal. I'm still a huge fan of this brand. I love the adults only, chill, come as you are vibe. I love the variety of food and the lack of buffet. I love the ship design and size. I love the hammocks. I'll be coming back again.

Some eats for those who like food pics to wrap things up (these are all vegan options).

Want to experience it for yourself? Reach out - I can help!

Ange out.