Scarlet Lady - Fire & Sunset Soiree: Key West & Bimini

Where this cruise calls, day by day

4 ports and 1 sea day over 4 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Miami, FL

   United StatesDepart

   PortMiami is the busiest cruise port on earth and behaves like it: a lettered row of terminals strung along Dodge Island - A for Royal Caribbean, B for Norwegian, C for MSC, D through F for the Carnival brands, V for Virgin. Traffic funnels in over the Port Boulevard causeway or through the tunnel under Government Cut, and on a Saturday with six ships turning around, both back up.

   • Ocean Drive and the Art Deco district in South Beach, 20 minutes across the causeway
   • Wynwood Walls and the warehouse murals around it
   • Calle Ocho in Little Havana - a cortadito and the domino tables at Maximo Gomez Park
   • Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a 1916 bayfront villa in Coconut Grove

   Getting ashore

   Terminals A-G and V sit on Dodge Island, reached by the Port Boulevard causeway or the PortMiami Tunnel; Miami International is about 8 miles west, usually 20-30 minutes but longer on a heavy turnaround morning.

   Best months

   Nov-Apr (Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season and August ashore is punishing)

2. Day 2

   Key West, FL

   United StatesPort

   One of the few Florida stops that is a genuine port call rather than a turnaround. Ships berth either at Pier B on the old Navy mole or at the Mallory Square pier, and both put you within a few blocks of Duval Street. The island is small enough to cover on foot and crowded enough by noon that the early hours ashore are the good ones.

   • The Hemingway Home on Whitehead Street and its six-toed cats
   • Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, the best swimming beach in town
   • The Southernmost Point buoy, if only to get the queue over with
   • Mallory Square's sunset celebration - only worth planning for if your ship stays late

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at Pier B (the former Navy mole) or the Mallory Square pier depending on size; both are a walk of a few blocks into Old Town, with no tender involved.

   Best months

   Dec-Apr (Sep-Oct is hurricane peak and midsummer is airless)

3. Day 3 · At sea

4. Day 4

   Beach Club at Bimini

   BahamasPort

   Virgin Voyages' beach club sits on North Bimini, 50 miles east of Miami, alongside the Resorts World development that shares the pier. Ships tie up at Bimini's cruise berth and the club is a short walk or shuttle away - a big pool, DJ decks and a bar-heavy layout aimed at adults, since Virgin sails 18-and-over only. Beach and pool access come with the sailing; drinks, daybeds and cabanas are charged.

   • The beach club pool and its DJ sessions
   • Snorkelling the wreck of the Sapona off South Bimini
   • The Healing Hole, a mineral spring in the mangroves
   • Resorts World's marina, casino and restaurants

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at the Resorts World Bimini pier; the beach club is a few minutes away on foot or by shuttle.

   Best months

   Nov-May for calm crossings and mild weather; Aug-Oct is hurricane season

5. Day 5

   Miami, FL

   United StatesArrive

   PortMiami is the busiest cruise port on earth and behaves like it: a lettered row of terminals strung along Dodge Island - A for Royal Caribbean, B for Norwegian, C for MSC, D through F for the Carnival brands, V for Virgin. Traffic funnels in over the Port Boulevard causeway or through the tunnel under Government Cut, and on a Saturday with six ships turning around, both back up.

   • Ocean Drive and the Art Deco district in South Beach, 20 minutes across the causeway
   • Wynwood Walls and the warehouse murals around it
   • Calle Ocho in Little Havana - a cortadito and the domino tables at Maximo Gomez Park
   • Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a 1916 bayfront villa in Coconut Grove

   Getting ashore

   Terminals A-G and V sit on Dodge Island, reached by the Port Boulevard causeway or the PortMiami Tunnel; Miami International is about 8 miles west, usually 20-30 minutes but longer on a heavy turnaround morning.

   Best months

   Nov-Apr (Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season and August ashore is punishing)