We’re nearly at the end! Just two more days and I’ll be back in Miami. Where has the time gone? I hope you’ve been enjoying this series as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it! 

Day 7 was a much needed day at sea. I say much needed because the festivities of Scarlet Night left a majority of the ship more than sluggish in the morning. In this blog post you can expect to read about how the ship celebrated Valentine’s Day, brunch at Razzle Dazzle, relaxing at The Dock, seeing Duel Reality, having dinner at Lucky Lotus, and joining a stargazing activity. Keep reading to see how my day unfolded!

Valentine’s Day on the Scarlet Lady

For the entire voyage, there have been little nods to Valentine’s Day whether that’s in the decor, special menus, treats, or shows. Each restaurant had a special “With Love from Virgin Voyages” menu served with the regular menu. This typically contained a signature cocktail, a special menu item, and a love-themed dessert (this dessert was the same at all restaurants). 

There wasn’t a lot of overtly romance-themed decorations but the screens on Deck 7 had a cute “we’re mermaid for each other” saying. On Valentine’s Day itself, the housekeeping team folded my blanket into a heart shape and left a few goodies on the bed: heart-shaped sugar cookies, a thank you card, and a metal plated blank post card saying “with love from Scarlet Lady.” Super cute! 

You’ll remember that I traveled on this voyage solo, so I wasn’t paying particular attention to the couples activities on the ship. I did notice there was a show called “Love, Love, Love” which was described as a show about love languages using music, dance, and engaging with the audience. I believe that’s a recurring show on Virgin Voyages, however. I saw a few Couples workshops (“how well do you really know your partner?”) and trivia catered to couples, but otherwise normal programming. 

Brunch 2.0 at Razzle Dazzle

This was the second time I brunched at Razzle Dazzle, and I came to the conclusion that I liked the brunch dishes here more than The Wake. But I prefer the views and ambiance from The Wake. 

I didn’t have to look at the menu too long to decide what I wanted to order. I had my eye in the avocado toast, buckwheat waffles, and fried chicken sandwich. The avocado toast was delicious and served with a grilled lemon on the side. The person next to me ordered a second portion because it was that good! 

I also tried the malted buckwheat waffles with Chantilly cream and pistachios. I wanted to like this one but it didn’t taste like anything, unfortunately. I would skip this one. The fried chicken sandwich, I mean, wow. Did you see that thing? My jaw dropped when they put the plate in front of me and the couple on my other side started laughing asking me how I’m going to put that in my mouth. 

Here’s the lowdown about the fried chicken sandwich. Is it tasty? Yes. Does the bread being black add any flavor? No it does not. Does the purple sauce taste as cool as it looks? No, it’s a beet aioli that doesn’t taste of much. What I will say is that the fried chicken is the star. In fact, next time I will just order the fried chicken because that’s where all the flavor is. Paired with the waffle – this could be even more of a hit!

Somehow I managed to have the appetite for dessert and I’m so glad because what I ordered was my favorite dessert on the whole entire ship. The Razzle cake! This cake was a vanilla, chocolate, and toffee flavored cake with toffee crunchies. The cake was so moist and flavorful, and the cream wasn’t overly sweet. The toffee crunch brought it all together. I promise, I will dream about this cake until the next time I’m on the ship. Do not skip this!

Relaxing at The Dock

Since it was a sea day, the ship was busier than normal, but that didn’t stop me from going to my favorite place on: The Dock. I was able to find a seat (no shade) just fine and enjoyed the feel of the breeze blowing through my hair. Reading my kindle and watching the wake grow behind the ship was one of the highlights of my trip. 

I want to note that on this day, maybe because it was Valentine’s Day or a sea day, there was an app announcement that spa treatments were 40% off that day. That’s such a good deal! Had I not already visited the spa, I would’ve done so on this day. Word to the wise: don’t rush to book a spa appointment when there could potentially be discounts closer to the end.

I also noticed the casinos were super busy on this day. With only 1.5 days left and this day totally at sea, the casino was calling to a lot of guests. It’s a good way to kill time for sure! I sat with a couple at Gunbae my second night who had won a sizeable jackpot from the slots on the cruise.

The Coolest Show Ever: Duel Reality

Oh man, I wish I had more pictures to show of this performance because it was one of the best I’ve seen. The Red Room had been transformed into a wide catwalk stage in the center with rows of seats on either side split into the blue faction or the red faction. Entering the Red Room you were given either a red band or a blue band and had to sit in the respective section. 

The show is a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet with circus tricks. I’m talking hula hooping, juggling, tumbling, hanging off of chains, sliding down poles close to the floor, trapeze stuff, and jumping really high on see-saws. The actual story was great. The cast wearing blue were doing tricks to make the blue side of the audience cheer, then the red. The two teams end up fighting and prevent a red-blue couple from being together. 

The show was moving, energetic, and fun to watch. I would absolutely make sure to add this to your agenda so you don’t miss it. They usually run this show 3 times, but show up to The Red Room at least 30 minutes prior to line up for a good seat!

Dinner at Lucky Lotus

Since I love Razzle Dazzle so much, why not have dinner there again? Except as you recall Razzle Dazzle becomes Lucky Lotus at night (on the Scarlet Lady). This is their Chinese restaurant concept, and one that has been incredibly popular on this voyage.

I dined here my first night and loved it so I was eager to try some new items on the menu this time around. I ordered the basil chicken and stir fried rice noodles. The basil chicken was served in a cool earthenware pot and if I could describe the dish in one word: fragrant. The basil playing with the shaoxing wine and sesame undertones made it a really solid dish. The rice noodles were whatever – it was noodles with stir fried veggies and maybe soy sauce? It was the vegan option and I wish they tried to make it more flavorful. 

I didn’t get dessert my first time dining here, and I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice! This time I got the egg tart and the banana ricotta rangoon. Disclaimer: when I was living in China I would regularly eat Chinese egg tarts. They were easily available at a few food stalls near me and at the KFC at my local train station. The egg tart at Lucky Lotus had some similarities to the egg tarts I was familiar with, but overall it needed more flavor. I would love to see the top caramelized! This is not an overly sweet dessert, and the custard was beautifully set.

The banana ricotta rangoon was the dessert I preferred more. This was a fried wonton wrapper stuffed with banana and ricotta cheese and dusted with powdered sugar. It’s also served with a coconut cream dipping sauce. This was a banger! Banana and ricotta? Never thought to put them together but it works. The coconut cream brought it all together. Get this one!

Stargazing at The Dock

Around 11 PM I went down to The Dock for a scheduled event called Stargazing. The moon was full and the sky was clear – a perfect night for stargazing. Guests were invited to sit or lay down anywhere on The Dock and look up to the sky. Our hostesses then told celestial stories from Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and Hawaii that all connected back to constellations we were seeing in the sky.

Listening to the stories of hardships and perseverance made me appreciate and reflect on my life. It’s a special experience to be listening to the sound of the waves and laying under a full moon. While the crowd wasn’t particularly engaged with questions the hostesses would ask, everyone seemed to be feeling reflective. After the stories, we could write down our wishes and deposit them into a chest by the hostesses where they would “release them to the stars.” It was cute!

Sneak Peek: Day 8

Day 8 is my penultimate day on this 9-day voyage on the Scarlet Lady. I can barely believe it. The next blog post I’ll talk about stopping in Bimini and visiting the beach club, breakfast at The Galley, joining a bungee workout class (!!!), what lunch is like at Bimini, my thoughts on the Float On Party, my final dinner at Pink Agave, and catching untitleddancepartyshowthing on my last night. Stay tuned for the next blog post!