The Valiant Lady Cruise Ship

Sail The Virgin Way This Summer

Having embarked on her Mer-maiden voyage , Richard Branson’s latest cruise ship the Valiant Lady has officially set sail on the high seas for summer 2022.

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Whisking you away to your dream destinations, the luxury cruiseliner is packed to the rafters with everything you’ll need for an oceanic adventure – think decadent eateries, a festival-like lineup of immersive entertainment and lavish spa & fitness facilities.

With summer on the horizon, I stepped on board for a memorable week-long voyage along the Mediterranean, starting in Barcelona and docking in Toulon, Marina di Carrara, Ajaccio, Cagliari and Ibiza.

Designed as a ‘sanctuary at sea for the 18+ traveller’ I’m revealing exactly what I thought of Virgin’s newest cruise ship.

Prices start from £824.53 per sailor on Virgin’s Valiant Lady

Valiant Lady Cruise Delayed Until Following Day After Guest Goes Overboard

Virgin Voyages informs guests that the April 1 departure for Valiant Lady is delayed until the following day after a guest went overboard.

Virgin Voyages has sent an initial update to guests booked on the April 1 cruise for Valiant Lady out of Portsmouth, UK. The voyage has now been delayed until the following day after a guest went overboard on March 31.

Where Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady Hits The Mark

Valiant Lady’s beverage programming is strong, Olympian even. While it’s not the only large ship to have a multitude of drinking venues or expansive drink menus, we found the selection and variety on Valiant Lady hit the bullseye from nearly every angle.

Cocktails are stellar across the board, the beer list spans the globe from breweries big and small and wine comes by the glass, the can or the bottle. Plus, we loved to see that Valiant Lady went that step further toward inclusion by adding a decent selection of non-alcoholic drinks to their bar menus across the ship that didn’t feel like afterthoughts. Options included creative mocktails and a few shaken or stirred libations featuring zero-ABV mixers such as Seedlip that hold their own against traditional bar offerings.

On top of a great drinks selection, Valiant Lady also offers top notch choices for nearly every kind of vibe. Over in The Manor and the adjacent The Den, two of the ship’s multi-purpose venues, you’ll find a sleek, velvet and gold nightclub vibe after hours. Just around the corner, at On the Rocks, the ship’s official martini bar, the vibe is still sleek but a bit more social as the seating spills out into the main atrium and nightly live music gets the crowd moving.

The only thing missing was, perhaps, a spot to enjoy a quiet drink on board.

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All About The Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady

The Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady is a fairly new ship, being built in 2022. It’s considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 909 ft long and 125 ft wide, it’s roughly the length of 2.5 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor trailers, and the same height as a 13-story building. This is an adults-only ship all guests must be 18 or older.

The Valiant Lady can hold 2,700 based on double occupancy and more when you take into account 3rd and 4th passengers. When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, the Valiant Lady has a space ratio of 41. Depending on the ship, this number can range from 30 to 52 so this ship’s space-to-person ratio is about average.

The Valiant Lady is one of four Lady-class ships currently sailing with Virgin Voyages. Virgin Voyages currently has only one class of ships. These ships are meant to appeal to guests who are new to cruising. One of the big differences is that Lady-class ships don’t have any main dining rooms or a traditional buffet. Instead, there are numerous restaurants for guests to choose from, all at no additional cost. The Valiant Lady is very similar to its sister-ships Scarlet Lady, Resilent Lady and Brilliant Lady, although each ship may have some differences.

Virgin Cruises’ Private Island Resort Bimini Beach Club

The liner Scarlet Lady was the first cruise ship to stop at “Bimini Beach Club” . The exclusive destination allows Virgin’s Sailors to enjoy world-class entertainment from a rotating cast of DJs led by Mark Ronson.

Virgin’s Bimini Beach Club offers premium food with locally sourced ingredients and traditional Bahamian favourites like banana leaf-wrapped queen snapper, conch and mango salad, Bahamian rum cake. The complex has 6 bars, outdoor lounge areas with hammock groves, beach loungers, watersport activities, private poolside and beach-side cabanas for rent.

RockStar Suite passengers benefit from complimentary food service, exclusive bar and outdoor terrace lounge, VIP beach cabanas. The 7-mile long island offers extraordinary activities like boating, snorkeling, wreck diving. The partially sunk wreck of SS Sapona is located just a few miles off island’s southern coast.

Virgin’s private resort is located on North Bimini Island and at a short bus transfer from the docking pier. It was built via a partnership with Resorts World Bimini. This is a 750-acres beachfront resort-casino-marina-hotel complex operated by Genting Group . North Bimini is approx 68 km east of Miami. Resort’s estimated building cost is USD 220 million.

Virgin’s Bimini Beach Club overlooks the sea and features a large lagoon-style swimming pool. The “resort experience” also features morning open-air exercises , afternoon DJ poolside parties, night beach bonfires and live musical performances.

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Valiant Lady Encompasses The Mediterranean Vibe

Cool, cultured, sexy and delicious words that first come to mind when we describe the Mediterranean. They also happen to work equally well when describing Valiant Lady. We cant think of a ship better-suited for catering to the quintessential mission of the Mediterranean or the folks who are looking to immerse themselves in the vibe of that experience. Valiant Lady promises to keep the vibe alive with its eye-catching design, thoughtful spaces, high-quality cuisine, show-stopping entertainment options and newly reimagined cabin spaces, to start.

In other words, this is the ship where you can effortlessly bring the party home, stretch your creative muscles, dive into indulgences, try new things or feel free to just be, keeping those Med vibes going long after you leave port.

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St Croix Sees Three Cruise Ships In Three Days As Valiant Lady Makes Maiden Voyage Nov 23 Is Island’s First Two

TourismStaff Consortium |November 10, 2022 01:37:41 PM

Valiant Lady, a Virgin Voyage ship, docked at the Ann E. Abramson Marine Facility in Frederiksted, St. Croix on Wed. Nov. 9, 2022. By THE VIRGIN ISLANDS PORT AUTHORITY

The V.I. Port Authority has announced that for the second time this week, St. Croix received an inaugural cruise ship call.

Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady made its first call to the Frederiksted Pier Wednesday, VIPA said. St. Croix Administrator Samuel Sanes, Assistant Touism Commissioner Elizabeth Hansen-Wattley, VIPA Acting Assistant Executive Director Bill Rawlins and Marine Manger Mervyn Constantine extended a warm Crucian welcome to Captain Aris Medina Morales and his guests at a plaque exchange ceremony.

From left to right: Dept. of Tourism Asst. Commissioner Elizabeth Hansen-Wattley, VIPA Acting Assistant Executive Director Bill Rawlins, Valiant Lady Captain Aris Medina Morale, VIPA Marine Manager for St. Croix Marvyn Constantine, St. Croix Administrator Sammuel Sanes, and Ship Agent James Eugene.

The Valiant Lady will return to St. Croix several more times this season, VIPA said.

The Valiant Lady is from Virgin Voyage and is untied from VIPA’s agreement with Royal Caribbean that promises 140,000 passengers to St. Croix from November through end of 2023. This means the island will see thousands more passengers on top of the VIPA/Royal Caribbean agreement, according to VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe.

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Pools And Hot Tubs On Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there’s not always room. If you want to spend all day in a pool, a cruise might not be the right choice. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.

The Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady has a total of 1 pools and 3 hot tubs.

Second Virgin Voyages Cruise Ship Headed To Us For The First Time

Virgin Voyages second cruise ship, Valiant Lady, is now en route to the United States for the first time.

The vessel set sail on Sunday on a two-week transatlantic cruise from Barcelona, Spain to Miami, Florida. Its set to arrive in Miami on October 30th, marking its first-ever visit to the U.S.

Valiant Ladys official MerMaiden voyage will be a six-night Halloween-themed sailing from Miami on October 30th. The founder of Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson, will be on board, and a number of special activities will take place to celebrate both the first voyage from the U.S. and Halloween.

These include a Shore Thing event where attendees will receive a mermaid tail, photo, certificate, and access to an exclusive party with a limited number of guests at 500. Other passengers can join in on the mermaid fun without booking the Shore Thing experience, as long as they bring their own mermaid tail on board.

The Scarlet Fright Night, a sea-monster bash at sea will also take place to celebrate Halloween, complete with commemorative gifts.

Valiant Lady first entered service this past March, and has been sailing in northern Europe and the Mediterranean since then. The vessel is virtually identical to Virgin Voyages first ship Scarlet Lady, which is based in Miami. The ships are 110,000 gross tons, and can carry over 2,700 guests and 1,150 crew members.

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Virgin Voyages Second Ship Valiant Lady Brings The Branson

When business-savvy superstar Jennifer Lopez gives a brand her seal of approval, you know it must be doing something right, so Virgin Voyages latest move to bring J-Lo on board as an investor and director of the lines lifestyle and entertainment programme is set to introduce the brand to an entirely new audience.

When it burst onto the scene with its first ship, Scarlet Lady, Virgin Voyages promised to throw out the rulebook and reinvent the cruise experience afresh, casting buffets aside in favour of funky street-food markets and even introducing the first-ever tattoo parlour at sea.

Two years later, second ship Valiant Lady incorporates that sense of playfulness with a food, fitness and entertainment-focused vibe that will suit a work hard, play hard clientele.

Mega Rockstar suite. Picture: Melanie Acevedo

What Is It Like On Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady

The adult-only ship is packed full of instantly Instagrammable spots, from the cabanas on the sun deck to the mirrored, fairylight-filled entrance to nightclub The Manor, where you cant help but feel glitzy and glamorous as you gear up for an evening of entertainment.

Food and drink are the serious standouts here, with nine restaurants and six bars on board, and clever design offering plenty of tucked-away little nooks to enjoy a quiet drink à deux. Theres relaxed dining in street-food hall The Galley, Korean barbecue at Gunbae and Mexican favourites at Pink Agave, along with energetic venues such as Razzle Dazzle where youll find vegan options and fun-filled drag brunches, with all dining included in the cruise fare.

I opted for the tasting menu in The Test Kitchen, where the only clue of whats to come is an open kitchen and a pared-back list of ingredients, relying instead on the chef explaining the elements of each dish one course at a time.

We feasted on rich and earthy mushroom mousse, scallops with salty prosciutto and venison with a sharp blackberry sauce, followed by mandarin sorbet and a chocolate fondant so perfectly gooey it would put many a MasterChef contestant to shame.

But what really stood out was the incredible value for money in this top-quality tasting menu, presented without any fussiness.

Yoga class, Virgin Voyages. Picture: Melanie Acevedo

Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady. Picture: Brian Bracher

How to book Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady

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Day 7 Chiringuito Blue Beach Test Kitchen

Chiringuito Blue beach club

Its a day in the Ibiza sun. We take an excursion to the Chiringuito Blue beach club where we settle down on loungers yards from the sea in the resort of Santa Eulalia del Ríu. Lots of splashing in the surf before lunch in the open-air restaurant a plate of razor clams before a tree-lined stroll up the Ríu, the only river in the Balaerics.

Dinner in the Test Kitchen, a multi-course tasting menu, a nibble of salmon here, a tiny lamb chop with baby carrot and asparagus standing in aubergine cream there, with wine pairings.

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Valiant Lady Excels In Inclusivity Without Making A Show Of It

We’ve touched on this a bit already, but we were so enamored with Valiant Lady’s nonchalant inclusivity. And by nonchalant, we mean they weren’t making a point to show off how inclusive the ship was — they did it without fanfare or finger pointing. From non-ABV drinks to menus with marked dietary restrictions and preferences, to representation in onboard staff, ADA access and entertainment, Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady wowed us with their natural ability to represent all types of people.

On our sailing we saw a ton of people living their best lives in a safe space — staff and cruisers alike — whether that meant dressing up to the 11s on Scarlet Night or every night, being openly gay, asking a million questions about dish ingredients or chatting up complete strangers with zero pretense. From what we experienced and witnessed, there were no judgmental or bad vibes being thrown around the ship, no overt snide comments.

We also loved that Valiant Lady wrapped their inclusivity into their entertainment productions without calling attention to it. Gender and sexual fluidity seemed to be celebrated across the ship as the norm, with characters and plot details representing a wide range. Only during Dr. Alex’s sex seminar show, “Dr. A”, did the subjects of sexual inclusivity — from pronouns to promiscuity — get addressed directly, and all in a very positive way.

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Virgin Voyages Delays Cruise

On March 31, in the early morning hours, a passenger from the Valiant Lady cruise ship intentionally went overboard while the vessel was off the coast of Portugal and Spain.

The ship launched a rescue operation in coordination with the authorities, including assets air and sea from the Coast Guard.

Due to the overboard and the ship being involved in the search effort through most of Thursday, it has resulted in a delayed arrival back in Portsmouth in southern England on April 1.

Instead of arriving back in the morning on April 1, the ship is delayed by at least six hours and is now not expected to arrive home until at least 6:00 p.m.

Virgin Voyages sent out an update to guests booked on the April 1 sailing:Early this morning, our Valiant Lady Crew responded to an emergency situation which resulted in a search and rescue mission, and as part of our extensive efforts, were now expecting a delayed arrival no sooner than 18:00 into Portsmouth on the 1st of April delaying your embarkation to the morning on the 2nd of April. Were deeply saddened by this news, and above all, our thoughts are with this Sailors family and loved ones.

This does mean the April 1 embarkation from Portsmouth on Valiant Lady will now take place the following day, on the morning of April 2. The ship was originally scheduled to depart on a three-night cruise to Zeebrugge, Belgium, and return to Portsmouth on April 4.

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The Ultimate Restaurant Guide For Virgin Voyages New Valiant Lady

Virgin Voyages new ship creates such a dilemma.

Or maybe ia brilliant plan cooked up to perfection.

Virgin Voyages new cruise ship Valiant Lady the second in the new cruise lines fleet offers so many restaurants and fantastic dining options that you would need to cruise again and again on the ship to properly indulge in all the creative cuisine.

Here is the Cruise Addicts definitive guide to the restaurants on Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady.

The ship offers more than 20 options for dining. Youll find all sorts of international flavors but no big buffets or main dining rooms. Virgin Voyages really stands apart from the regular cruise concept when it comes to feeding its guests.

Plus, all of these eateries are included in your cruise fare. Thats right: no added fees for any of the specialty restaurants onboard Valiant Lady.

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Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady

• Sun Club Cafe – Outdoor Casual
• The Athletic Club Bar – Sports Drinks*
• The Dock – Outdoor Eatery
• The Galley – Market-style food hall
• The Pizza Place – Pizza
• Aquatic Club Bar – Poolside Bar*
• Extra Virgin – italian

I cant say enough GREAT things about my trip. The FOOD, CREW, SHIP, just EVERYTHING. Throw away all your past cruise experience, this cruise is like no other. NO formal dining, annoying pictures, no limits. The #1 priority of the this cruise line is for the guest to have fun and feel relaxed. The crew members have tattoos, piercings and are normal people. I LOVE IT !!