Trip log, day three. Key West, Florida.
4-Evening Bahamian Hearth and Sundown Soiree (Bahamian) from Miami, Florida
February 6, 2026
Your Day at a Look (The Each day Schedule)
Scarlet Woman Deck Plan
The morning began off with me going via the state room pill to see what TV stations had been accessible to take a look at a few of the different stuff; that is form of what I did for the recording that I posted yesterday.
Emily headed out to the gymnasium, and I made a decision to go for a stroll simply down the corridor with a stack of a packing containers of pizzas from final evening. It was very tempting and no, and wouldn’t be the primary hallway pizza that I’ve indulged in.
Persevering with on, I gotta say it was very straightforward to maneuver round this ship as soon as you determine the bottom structure. Even discovering your stateroom was slightly simpler too as a result of at every elevator foyer; the edges had been marked as A (port) and Z (starboard), which corresponds to your stateroom quantity; for instance, 9001Z. Moreover, there’s a subscript letter to notice your present location, similar to pictured beneath, M for midship.
I headed as much as The Galley, which has this convenient structure map posted on the wall, displaying the place all of the stations are situated.
I didn’t embody it beforehand, however right here’s a take a look at the soda station. It’s a uniquely designed Coke Freestyle machine situated subsequent to the superior ice machine.
The Bento Child station featured seize and go packing containers of fruit.
If you’d like a sizzling made-to-order breakfast, head over to the diner location.
Chilly cereal is offered in these self-service like sweet machine-like dispensers in addition to some seize and go choices and one other station with candy breakfast treats.
The Each day Combine featured bagels with a wide array of accompaniments. I’ve talked about in prior journey stories that we follow our intermittent fasting routines whereas cruising which suggests we usually don’t eat earlier than midday. Nonetheless, every so often I’ll make an knowledgeable determination primarily based on the plans for the day, as I don’t need to go ashore with out some gas since some new strolling round many of the day.
It was a stunning morning weather-wise, albeit nonetheless cool. For perspective, it was denims and a long-sleeve morning. I walked across the higher deck of the ship since yesterday was just about a cooler day that was spent inside earlier than it turned to rain. The higher deck was quiet this morning and provided an important view of Key West.
Up on deck 16, you may get a pleasant view of the pool deck space. It appears to be like inviting with padded loungers across the pool, however it’s February and never heat sufficient but even in full solar for us to benefit from the pool.
One of many many spots that we didn’t get to take a look at in any respect on this shorter cruise is the Solar Membership Café, which is up on the higher deck, providing some bowls by those and dips. The menu right here appears to be like AWESOME.
Persevering with my stroll across the higher decks, I arrived at The Athletic Membership. It’s an out of doors form of exercise space with some devoted areas similar to a boxing ring and basketball court docket… and bounce chess.
I made my option to the aft space the place The Athletic Membership Bar is situated. This was my solely time on this space, and it was good and quiet on this Friday morning. There’s a lined space by the bar, however the bulk of the house is an open-air deck with all the perimeter alongside the railing one steady lounging sofa. There’s additionally one in every of these nets providing a view down beneath. It jogs my memory of a small-scale model of the web on the Malahat Skywalk in Victoria, Canada.
The Athletic Membership even options its personal sizzling tub with close by towels. I don’t know why towels are such a sticking level with me. I suppose Disney Cruise Line made it really easy to get towels that now each different cruise line that makes you try towels simply annoys me because it makes fast dips within the pool or sizzling tub overly sophisticated. Severely, are individuals truly stealing these towels? I might perceive a course of for testing towels taken ashore to verify they return to the ship, however up on the pool deck, why do some cruise strains put these beneath lock and key? I suppose it most likely helps cut back laundry.
The Scarlet Woman has a working monitor up on deck 17 above the Athletic Membership. Entry to the monitor is by a pair of stairs in the course of the Athletic Membership on deck 16. It’s not a super spot for a monitor, particularly within the hotter months beneath the complete Caribbean solar; however you’re figuring out, so breaking a sweat is a part of it. Plus, it’s higher than NO working monitor……
The continual run-a-mile monitor on Scarlet Woman measure as much as 6 laps = 1 mile.
Additionally on Deck 17 is The Perch, which we will probably be returning to this night for slightly celebration.
I’m truly actually enthusiastic about going to shore right this moment. It has been a very long time since we’ve been to Key West. I spent a while within the Keys as a child with my household on holidays, and I’ve lots of fond recollections from that point. Key West is at all times a spot I need to spend a while at, however it’s a couple of 7-hour drive from Central Florida, and it’s much more handy to get up on a cruise ship and pull in.
Extra particularly, the final time we had been in Key West was October 2011 throughout a cease on a 7-Evening Western Caribbean Cruise. It’s the cruise the place I photographed the Disney Magic at evening which is the header on the web site.
Somewhat after 9 o’clock, we met up with our good friend on the pier. We didn’t have any particular plans or an in depth itinerary for the day ashore. It was simply, “Let’s go stroll round and see the place the day takes us.” Exterior of visiting one thing particular in a port of name, I really like this spontaneous journey touring of ports.
Okay, right this moment isn’t any 100% spontaneous, we did have a couple of spots we needed to go to, simply in an off-the-cuff method. Our first cease was on the Key West Shipwreck Treasures Museum.
The shipwreck museum is a comparatively quick stroll from the place the cruise ships dock. Grownup admission was beneath $20 per individual and you may pre-purchase tickets through the museum’s web site which can provide a little bit of a financial savings in comparison with shopping for onsite.
A realm dominated by the period of the wreckers. Embark on a maritime journey on the Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum, the place you’ll discover Key West’s nautical heritage and its rise as one of many United States most affluent cities.
Immerse your self in an expertise that effortlessly blends actors, movies and genuine artifacts recovered from the 1985 rediscovery of the wrecked vessel Isaac Allerton, which met its destiny in 1856 on the treacherous Florida Keys reef.
Heading there within the 9 o’clock hour was perfect – there have been actually simply a few different events inside, perhaps a complete of 10 individuals strolling via the house presently. It was a stunning expertise. There’s an exhibit that includes Cecil B. DeMille’s “Reap the Wild Wind,” which was partially filmed in Key West.
The movie is about within the 1840s. The treacherous Florida Keys are a graveyard for ships and a goldmine for “wreckers” who salvage the cargo. When spirited Loxi Claiborne falls for a shipwrecked captain, she is pulled right into a high-stakes internet of company sabotage, bitter romance, and pirate greed. This Academy Award-winning epic culminates in a legendary deep-sea battle towards a monstrous large squid that can determine the destiny of everybody on board. The movie stars John Wayne in a villainous type of function.
I’ve by no means seen the movie. Nonetheless, since I’ve returned residence, I did discover it streaming at no cost on-line. I watched it within the background whereas doing different issues round the home, so I didn’t focus closely on it. I do plan on dedicating time for a correct viewing.
This is only one of many displays inside the museum. One neat merchandise was an interactive exhibit the place you may carry an genuine silver bar courting again to 1656.
The silver bar is behind bars in a case; there’s room to achieve in and carry it as much as expertise the load of a silver bar. I’ve at all times needed to carry these gold bars that you just see within the movies, and primarily based on my restricted web analysis, a gold bar of the identical dimension would weigh about twice as a lot!
This shipwreck museum is good for a wet, cool, and even sizzling day as a result of there are lots of tiny little issues to take a look at, and you could possibly spend hours studying all of the little plaques inside every exhibit. There’s additionally even a movie that form of performs as an introductory when he first will get in. The museum comes with a bonus, a 65-foot lookout tower, which lets you climb up and get a singular vantage level of the encircling Key West space. It’s additionally the placement of the museum’s webcam, providing a glimpse on the harbor.
On the way in which out of the museum, one of many final displays contains an superior navy diver swimsuit. If I had house and I can discover one at a clearance value, I’d like to have this in the home.
Oh, and there’s slightly little bit of MAGIC to be discovered on the shipwreck museum.
From the museum, we set off and walked to components unknown. We stopped at a few retailers together with SeaBags and Ron Jon alongside the way in which.
We did cross some spots that we’ll circle again round to afterward as soon as they’re open. One other spot we made positive to go to was Kermit’s Key Lime for some key lime goodies for family and friends again residence.
We stopped on the Conch Shack for Emily to seize some conch fritters after which headed again to a brewery.
Earlier, we walked previous the Southernmost Pint Brew Pub, which caught my eye as a result of the truth that they had been utilizing a Massive 10 Convention flag, a uncommon sight in SEC nation. Curiously sufficient, it was not a particular faculty flag, however the convention total.
It was a pleasant little spot to get a beer and an appetizer. There have been some distinctive beers on faucet, together with a jalapeño ale which paired properly with the Fried Mexican Cheese appetizer.
Whereas we sat inside, the out of doors patio space appears to be like like an important spot to hang around and revel in a pint with buddies.
There’s this little spot to the left of the bar with a conceptual working idea to resolve the issue of brewing beer on Mars. I want them luck as the primary settlers will want one thing refreshing.
Afterwards, we headed to an area spot that was really useful to us by some buddies. It’s not your typical Key West tourist-forward must-visit spot. It’s extra of a locals’ hangout. In truth, the bartender requested us how we came upon about this place. Should you’re in search of extra of a low-key bar to hang around for slightly bit, Tattoos and Scars is a superb spot.
Should you’re in search of the favored mainstream Key West sizzling spots, head to close by Sloppy Joe’s or down the street to the unique Fats Tuesdays. We skipped these spots.
That is the purpose of the day the place I launched into a solo facet mission to the US Submit Workplace to mail postcards, which I documented photo-documented as proof. Not that there’s a doubt of my means to seek out the mail field, however as a result of – Confidentially, I’ve had these issues with postcards earlier than. The women headed to SeaBags to do some buying.
I rejoined the group, and we headed again in the direction of the ship, stopping right here and there. There was one final spot I needed to cease. As a teenager, I used to be completely fascinated by shipwrecks and all that enjoyable stuff stemming from snorkeling with my little child within the Keys with my mother and father and their buddies. This led us to go to the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum.
I can nonetheless keep in mind stopping in on a raining afternoon a protracted, very long time in the past in its infancy. Again within the Stone Ages, they’d a gold chain recovered from the Atocia on show in a case, and so they pulled it out and let me maintain it. The chain, or one very related, is proven on this poster, which my mother and father purchased me throughout a go to to the museum.
After speaking with my mother and father, they didn’t discover any pictures of that go to within the album, however I think my dad had the camcorder rolling, and someplace there’s a video of the go to on a VHS tape ready to be re-discovered. I used to be very infatuated with the entire story of the Mel Fisher and the Atocia. There’s a movie that I watched rather a lot as a child known as Goals of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story, the entirety is free to look at on YouTube. Actually, I don’t know if it was licensed or unauthorized, however I watched it rather a lot on the VHS copy we had. I additionally watched a documentary on repeat – The Andrea Doria: The Ultimate Chapter, which might be why I’m fascinated by the diver swimsuit and cruise ships, additionally accessible on YouTube.
Our final cease ashore was Mallory Sq. to get some pictures of the Scarlet Woman from an identical vantage level because the beforehand talked about Disney Magic picture.
We returned to the ship and, um… the hallway pizza was nonetheless there, untouched from final evening.
We acquired a notification within the app with an invite to a cocktail celebration being held for Blue Extras standing Sailors. The occasion was situated on deck 17 aft, above the Athletic Membership. This space is used for yoga and issues like that. There was slightly lined space with seating with a musician and crew serving complementary Prosecco to the visitors. It was a pleasant little pre-dinner expertise with a view of Key West.
We did take one to go.
Tonight we’re eating at The Wake, which is described by Virgin Voyages as a restaurant providing a complicated tackle steak and seafood, and is billed as probably the most glamorous restaurant on the ship, providing a luxurious mid-twentieth-century chop-house environment, a uncooked bar, and table-side drink cart service.
We’re truly joined by Chris and his spouse for dinner, so we had a pleasant little desk of 5, and let me let you know, the bread service was phenomenal.
The desserts had been fairly good, particularly the Meyer lemon cheesecake. I’ve by no means had the posh of having fun with the citron dessert up at Remy.
We actually didn’t do a lot the remainder of the evening exterior of sitting round conversing earlier than returning to the stateroom the place we ended up watching High Gun: Maverick & engaged on the puzzle. Tomorrow we head to a brand new port for us, Bimini.
Tomorrow, we’re heading to a brand new port of name. Whereas I work on getting the pictures collectively, I invite you to get pleasure from a full day in Key West in 90 seconds.
