Trip log, day two. At Sea.
4-Night Bahamian Fire and Sunset Soiree (Bahamian) from Miami, Florida
February 5, 2026
Your Day at a Glance (The Daily Schedule)
Scarlet Lady Deck Plan
Welcome back to day 2 of the Scarlet Lady trip report, where I cannot seem to find a ship location map on the stateroom tv or on the tablet, so iOS map will have to do. Today is a sea day, and we really do not have far to sail for our next port of call tomorrow so we essentially on a slow boat to Key West and spending the morning in the Straits of Florida near Cay Sal Bank.
Emily started off as she always does at the gym. After, she came back, showered and then the morning was spent working on a puzzle we found in last night in the game cabinet at The Social. The stateroom’s desk area is not very large, but it served us well with this 500 piece cat puzzle.
I took a walk, discovering the gold standard in ice machines: a Scotsman with chewable nugget ice and water on demand up in The Galley.
The Galley is a food court of sorts on deck 15 that is much different than Cabanas or Marceline Market, as it has different quick-service locations. I would say it is more along the lines of Mickey & Friends Festival of Foods, but with with much better & elevated food. Virgin Voyages calls it a Food Hall, and there are a mix of more than eight shops and food carts; each offering a unique concept including a bakery and pastry shop, a panini shop, a burger grill, a taco shack, a sushi bar with bento boxes, a noodle bar, a soup and salad stand, and an around-the-clock American diner. So far, and it still early in the sailing, we have found a lot of appealing spots to grab a bite. I am not sure 4-nights will be long enough experience everything on our growing list.
We made our way to deck 7 to get some coffee at The Grounds. They have a nice selection of pastries out in the morning, but based on our experience when there is a high demand, sailors not getting coffee are waiting a long time just to be handed a pastry which are complimentary. We like the coffee so much, we bought a bag of Virgin Voyages specialty blend beans to take home.
We met our friend over in The Social for Morning Mind Benders which turned into an entertaining activity. Initially, I figured it was just trivia, however, it is a series of brain teasers from identifying flags, figuring out sayings based on a mix of words and images and finally a word search. Teams earned points based on the order in which they correctly completed each round. It was such a fun group activity that the overall game against other teams really didn’t matter.
Afterwards we set out and walked around the ship. For a sea day, it was pleasantly quiet around the ship with plenty of places to sit back and relax without some sort of activity taking over the venue or overflowing from an adjacent space.
Maybe everyone else booked the sold out Behind the Scenes tour. Seems like I saved $200 today by not doing my homework because this sounds like a great experience.
We had a bit of an issue with the app, as it was not allowing us to reserve an activity so we headed down to Sailor Services AKA Guest Service which is tucked away on deck 5. It didn’t have a line, which was awesome and it turns out it was a rather simple glitch in the app and we were reserved, but the app was not updating to show we were booked, which is why we were getting the error each time we tried to reserve. Sailor Services also had a table with a QR code for information on the WiFi, a stack of ship deck plan map brochures and a pile of printed schedules. Now the paper is that thin low weight copy paper, but it serves the purpose of presenting basic schedule information.
On deck 7 midship, there is an area called The Roundabout with a grand spiral staircase. In that area, is a record shop where you can listen to music on a number or record players all set up with headphones. Additionally, today there was a Scarlet Lady Artist Scavenger Hunt inviting sailors to seek out 3 places onboard for a chance at a special prize. We have plans coming up soon so need to put this on the back burner for later… However, later never happened due to time and other plans.
While we still had some time I modeled by brand new medium hoodie and took my turn painting some of the mural. It’s like painting the mural at Epcot, but without the line and with paint markers instead of a paint brush.
It was now time to head to the Razzle Dazzle on deck 5 aft for brunch, which is included in the cruise fare and not an extra charge. The name is derived from the type of camouflaging pattern painted on warships during WWI and WWII in an attempt to confuse U-boats.
The daytime menu offers a largely vegetarian, contemporary American fare. The “nice” menu puts a flip on traditional dishes by offering plant-based vegetarian and vegan alternatives to classic dishes and dishes can be made “naughty” with meat add-ons or boozy shots.
The food was well seasoned and prepared. Coupling that with excellent we had an enjoyable time and we didn’t even partake in the bottomless brunch offering.
Pan Roasted Vegetable Dumpling
Walking near The Pizza Place, I stopped in to check out today’s special to see it was a 5 Formaggi. Too bad we just had brunch, because there was currently a very short wait for pizza.
One spot on the ship that is quite popular is Lick Me Till… Ice Cream serving up some complimentary ice cream in either cups for flavored waffle cones. This has got to be the finest included ice cream on the high seas and frankly… better than some on other cruise lines who charge an extra fee.
We spent some time outside on deck 7, where there are loungers and couches. The weather was cool, but still not bad to be outside. The captain is doing a good job at avoiding rain showers in the area and keeping us in fair weather ahead of the bad weather forecast later this evening. It is nice to have areas like this outside that are not on the pool decks to relax and enjoy some outdoor fresh air. As a family who usually cruises in inside staterooms, this is refreshing to see.
You have got to be kidding me… They have a Speed Puzzle Challenge this afternoon!!! It was so well attended, that they ran out of puzzles and encouraged late arrivals to join existing teams. The activity was simple; teams were all issued identical 300-piece puzzles and it was a race to be the first to complete. There was some tough competition and the winning team completed the puzzle in about 20 minutes. Lessons were learned and we will make sure next time we set up at a large table to make it easer to sort and work on the puzzle.
Also really impressed all the puzzle pieces were still in the boxes! This was an AMAZING activity offering!
I mentioned that The Social Club has a counter where you can get some sweet treats, but they also serve some food including a soft pretzel. Lots of options onboard for snacking, but not enough time to try everything. However, the camera did eat as this was sitting on the counter waiting for another sailor to enjoy.
Down the corridor on the same deck is Sip, a champagne lounge with a morning menu featuring coffee, libations, tea hand crafted by a barista, afternoon tea, and well as evening caviar service. There is bar seating, with the majority of the seating along the portholes and along the interior wall separated by starboard walkway on deck 7. The setup kinda reminds me of The Rose, but bigger and in a centralized location.
We contemplated indulging in afternoon tea, but time was running short ahead of our next scheduled activity, plus, we were still full from brunch. Given more time, this experience looks promising and we are adding it to the list for next time.
We made our way to The Manor around 3:15 for the 3:30 Lights, Camera, Drag! and the venue was standing room only. We eventually discovered stairs to the balcony, which was standing room only as well. We ended up finding a spot to stand and peer through the railings and over the shoulder of guests seated along the balcony railing. I was fully expecting a more adults-only risqué show, but it was for the most part subjectively family-friendly. This seems to be a popular event onboard so the lesson was learned: arrive really early if you want a seat, arrive early if you want to get a good place to stand, and anything later, plan better next time. The performer was super talented and featured lots of songs from familiar movies.
Tonight’s theme is Scarlet Night, which is best described by the following from the cruise line’s website:
What is Scarlet Night?
As the sun sets over the deep and expansive sea, something red and electrifying is bubbling beneath the surface, ready to elevate your luxurious, adults-only cruise event into a spectacle more alluring and enchanting than you even thought possible. Scarlet Night is a full ship activation, complete with pop-ups, flash mobs, secret bars, karaoke, shadow performances, pool parties, and high-energy beats to keep you dancing into the starry night.
I happen to have a lot of scarlet in my wardrobe, so this is an ideal theme for me! We decided to return the photogenic entrance corridor of The Manor to take some pictures.
Status update, I am still liking The Band which comes in the standard issue scarlet and a more exclusive black primary for those staying in a RockStar Quarters (suites).
It may be Scarlet Night, but we are switching hues for dinner and heading to Pink Agave – an elevated Mexican restaurant with a design inspired by the vibrant streets of Mexico City. Pink Agave offers a variety of Mexican specialties, including tlayudas, memelas, sopes, tortas, esquites, tamales, and an expansive array of tequilas and mezcals.
We were seated near a large porthole table with a lovely sea view where we could see the weather starting to change.
The Pink Agave beverage menu is extensive with pages for cocktails, beer, wine, and a substantial selection of mezcals and tequilas. So many choices! The table enjoyed the Sol De Fuego Margarita.
Tonight our server took our orders separately, unlike last night where our server essentially served a wide selection for everyone to share.
The snack mix, at least that is what I think it is meant to be, was delicious, but awkward to eat with various sized bits and pieces. Do we spoon it in our hand and toss in our mouths or do we take spoonfuls and eat it like cereal from a communal bowl? Really, what is the proper method of consumption here? it was so good, that the server offered to send us with some to-go!
Overall, dinner was adequate. The flavors were not as robust as advertised, but the quality of ingredients and the preparation made up for it.
After dinner, I was drawn to the arcade, where I relived my youth for a bit.
There was a Scarlet Night featured drink named ‘High on Life’ with advertisements on all of the tables in The Social. The cocktail is made up of Ketel One Citron Vodka, Aperol, strawberry, citrus, sparkling water, and a touch of sparkle.
I been referencing the weather today more than usual and that is because we knew the was coming, the Captain even said something about it on embarkation day. This evening weather is not great and the outdoor areas of the ship were closed off due to high winds and rain. Thus, Scarlet Night festivities have been moved indoors.
While there are no characters to meet onboard the Scarlet Lady, Elmo did get to meet Chris at the onset of Scarlet Night, as the ship would soon transform with a red glow.
We spent the evening hanging out in Sip enjoying some drinks and conversation. I did slip away to the Draught Haus, which surprising did not have a line!
We ended the night before the party really got going and rested up for our day ashore in Key West, a port which we have not visited since the fall of 2011. Overall, it was a lovely, fun evening!
- Day 1 – Miami, Florida
- Day 2 – At Sea
- Day 3 – Key West, Florida
- Day 4 – Bimini, The Bahamas
