My hubby and I flew into Ft Lauderdale to spend the night before we head down to Miami for our first Virgin Voyages cruise. We checked into Ocean Manor Beach Hotel, took a quick look out the window at the ocean, and then we took a walk to find food. The hotel had a bar on the beach, so we had a quick drink and dinner. A low-key evening. The next morning we took a walk and stumbled upon this cute tiny diner called Oceans Grille. I was very skeptical since I am a picky eater, but I can't even explain how good this food was! I ordered the Grilled Reuben With Cheese and I was DELIGHTED! I was so wrapped up in my own food, I don't even remember what my husband ordered. I believe he had fish and shrimp and loved that as well. If you ever find yourself in Ft. Lauderdale, do yourself a favor and stop by Oceans Grille.
We worked our way down to Miami and excitedly onto the Scarlet Lady. What a glamorous ship!
We were told there is a tattoo shop on board, so we started exploring and quickly found Squid Ink. We assumed appointments would fill up fast, so we waited by the entrance until they opened. We weren't expecting what happened next. As we were standing there two well-known tattoo artists showed up from the hit reality TV show Ink Master, Al Fliction and Kyle Dunbar. My husband and I were thrilled! Were we really going to get tattoos from one of these amazing artists? You betcha!
We were about the third group through the door, and Kyle told me to jump in the chair and he would start designing my chest piece. I definitely wore the wrong bra for that, but I'm not a modest person so top off and in the chair I went. He drew a beautiful piece that he planned to do for me a few days later. When we showed up for my appointment a few days later, Kyle told me he had bad news. Apparently, the owner of Squid Ink wouldn't let him do the piece at the price he quoted me. Kyle was just as annoyed about it as I was and offered to do the chest piece at a later time for me at one of the upcoming tattoo conventions he plans to attend.
I had plenty of other work I wanted done so I decided to have him tattoo the masquerade mask that I wore during my wedding. I couldn't be happier with how this turned out and it is perfectly placed on my shoulder. My only regret is that I can't see it all day every day; this truly is a beautiful piece of work!
paring or not. I did beef, my husband did lamb and of course, we both said yes to the wine pairing. Each course was some exquisitely plated edible work of art. Take a look at this work of art. It is my filet mignon splatter with beat sauce, that looks like road-kill but tasted like heaven.
There was a mini Coca-cola freestyle, so I had unlimited access to Coke Zero, happy as can be. The food court area had sandwiches, ramen, bento boxes, pizza, burgers, and I'm sure some other food I'm missing. This wasn't buffet-style eating either, although it was all you can eat. As soon as you sit down, a staff member comes to take your order. You can order whatever you want from any of the places and they bring it to you. I pretty much lived on ramen and bento boxes. There was always a gluten-free option available and while I didn't pay much attention to whether or not the ramen or bento boxes were gluten-friendly I didn't have any adverse reaction so I was happy to keep eating them. We only ate here for lunch, since we were able to make reservations at the fancy dining experiences each evening. Oh yeah, those were complimentary too, all the food is included in the fare.
Our favorite dining experiences were at The Wake, where my husband said he had the best lamb he has ever had. Extra Virgin was exquisite, I ordered the bolognese and the most amazing fried artichoke. I had two orders of artichokes and didn't feel a bit guilty. 🤣
Snacks? Oh my! Lick Me Til I Scream, was the onboard ice cream shop with some very interesting flavors. If that wasn't good enough there were cake pops and other goodies and if you didn't want to leave your room, don't. They will bring you almost any food you want, yep free! Although there was a $5 delivery charge. Bottom line, this was one of the best cruises my husband and I have ever been on. If you are considering Virgin Voyages, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have or help you book your trip.
