Thursday, April 25, 2024

I Spent 7 Days on My First Adults-Only Virgin Voyages Cruise

valiant lady cruise ship

In February 2020 Virgin announced "The Band" - smart wearable technology introduced on Scarlet Lady (April 1st). The device is made from recycled marine plastic (sustainability initiative) and developed via partnership with The Bionic Company. The lightweight device (RFID wristband) is mailed to all passengers and is complimentary (keepsake).

I booked a room with a balcony that typically costs about $5,910 for two people on my itinerary.

Honestly, adults-only simply meant “adult time.” To us, that equated to a lot of relaxing, listening to live music, and reading on a lounge chair with a cocktail in hand. I didn’t even notice that children weren’t on board because it just didn’t occur to me that anything should be noticed. It means that kids are not splashing in the pool and running down the corridors. If you Google Virgin Voyages, you may find earlier articles indicating that adults-only cruises are meant for raunchiness.

Our cruise ships are making quite a splash online

Of course, a sea day wouldn’t be a sea day without a visit to the spa, and Valiant Lady offered an easy and inexpensive way to enjoy the spa with its Thermal Suite Pass. For two hours, we could take advantage of Redemption Spa’s steam room, sauna, salt therapy room, mud bath room, hot and cold plunge pools, and heated Turkish marble lounges. This is a design-savvy, wonderfully inclusive ship that offers a genuinely different cruising experience, with some of the most exciting and varied restaurant menus afloat, and entertainment that will grab you by the seat of your pants. Those expecting a traditional, dress-up-for-dinner experience may want to sit this one out, but for anyone who appreciates a fresh approach—along with a refreshingly diverse set of fellow sailors—the Valiant Lady’s an obvious choice. The ship’s Training Center at Athletic Club features an outdoor training zone, boxing ring, and gymnastics equipment, all included in the cost of your trip.

The deck has a playground for adults with gigantic netted swing sets and seesaws ...

A passenger died after falling from a cruise ship balcony and landing on a lower deck, where they also struck another ... - Yahoo Movies Canada

A passenger died after falling from a cruise ship balcony and landing on a lower deck, where they also struck another ....

Posted: Fri, 12 Apr 2024 13:21:16 GMT [source]

Virgin Voyages Cruises is a global lifestyle travel brand committed to creating the world’s most irresistible holiday at sea. With its inaugural season scheduled for 2023 and itineraries planned through 2024, Voyages’ first ship, the Scarlet Lady, was designed to reflect a mega-yacht’s sleek luxury that is Adult-by-Design and a sanctuary at sea for the 18+ traveler. They have free weights and machines as well as fitness classes from yoga to spin sessions. It's an outdoor lounge at the back of the ship full of beds and sofas.

valiant lady cruise ship

Getting Healthy at Sea

We also swore we would utilize the open-air track on Deck 17 called The Runway, join the calming morning yoga sessions on The Perch, and visit the ship’s gym, B-Complex. The adults-only cruise line does not allow anyone under the age of 18 aboard the ship. Breakfast can be ordered the night before to be delivered at the hour of your choosing the following morning. Onboard MS Valiant Lady is served Virgin's own brand of craft beer (English Pale Ale) created by Wynwood Brewing Company (Miami).

valiant lady cruise ship

Group Travel Made Easy!

Savings are reinvested into fresh (locally sourced) top-quality products, exotic ingredients, highly trained staff, and clean technologies. Virgin Voyages (fka Virgin Cruises) is a new cruise line company headquartered in Plantation (Florida USA). Virgin Voyages was created in December 2014 as a joint venture between Virgin Group Ltd (UK-based multinational holding company, 49% stake) and Bain Capital LP (USA-based multi-asset investment company, 51% stake).

Virgin Voyages unveils $550 million in new capital raise

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. Cabins on sister ship Scarlet Lady were recently redone to incorporate more shelves and drawer space, and Valiant Lady was constructed with them to begin with. However, I sailed alone in a room meant for two, I brought only a carry-on for my three-night voyage, and I still used up all of the available drawers.

Other Virgin Voyages cruise ships

The beerhouse features themed furniture, rustic decor, a beer tap display (behind the bar). Each Virgin ship features 93% oceanview cabins and 86% balconied staterooms (called "sea terraces"), casino, several live entertainment venues (similar to traditional theatre lounges). Every cabin is equipped with a custom-designed "seabed" and "mood lighting" which is familiar to customers of Virgin America (part of Alaska Airlines). Cabin lights automatically adjust according to passenger's movements. There are also staterooms suited for groups (each with 4 bunk beds) and single cabins (designed for solo travelers).

Virgin Voyages Fourth Ship, Brilliant Lady, Delayed

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. They're also incredibly difficult to put on yourself if you aren't sailing with anyone, and they're not great mementos from the trip, as they don't include your name, the ship's name or the sailing date like a keycard would. In keeping with its music industry roots, Virgin Voyages uses something called "The Band" instead of traditional cruise keycards.

Many of the venues for these events are on decks six and seven, including the Red Room for performances; On the Rocks, a music bar; and the Manor, a nightclub and theater. I thought the cabin made great use of the tiny space, including luxury details, from smart controls to a private terrace with a hammock. The ship’s food court-styled dining, found on Deck 15, was nothing like a traditional food court. Instead of pizza, burgers, French fries, and chicken fingers, the Galley featured Bento Boxes at Bento Baby, made-to-order salads at Daily Mix, and açai bowls at The Sweet Side. We could even find freshly made juices at Juice Sea on Deck 7 and poke bowls at Sun Club Café on Deck 16. Guests are encouraged to make restaurant reservations early on during the voyage, as tables fill up quite quickly.

Valiant Lady will also include a floating market, The Galley, which will include packaged food from international vendors inspired by food-trucks. The cruise ship will also host events at night clubs such as The Manor and The Beach Club. The cruise ship will feature a steak and seafood restaurant The Wake, an upscale Mexican restaurant Pink Agave, a vegetarian restaurant Razzle Dazzle and a cooking restaurant and lab called The Test Kitchen.

The Valiant Lady is the second ship in the Virgin fleet (which will number four in 2023), having made her maiden voyage in March 2022. At 278 metres long, she’s a mid-sized ship with 1,330 cabins and 78 suites (almost all with sea views) capable of holding a total of 2,700 passengers. Those are the stats, but the ship’s character is defined by the Black mermaid painted on its hull and the red octopus that comes alive, flashlight eyes and all, on the pool deck during DJ sets – the sense of inclusivity and fun flows all around. Safe to say it’s also the only cruise ship at sea with its own tattoo parlour, mezcal bar and vinyl store.

But it was never too crowded to use — even in the afternoons — so this didn't bother me at all. RockStar Suite passengers benefit from complimentary food service, exclusive bar and outdoor terrace lounge, VIP beach cabanas. The 7-mile (11-km) long island offers extraordinary activities like boating, snorkeling, wreck diving.

On May 20, 2020, Valiant Lady was floated-out from drydock and moved to Sestri Ponte Yard's outfitting berth. However, because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the shipbuilder Fincantieri temporarily (for ~2 months) suspended works at all its European facilities, which resulted in delayed delivery (to Virgin Group) and cancelled inaugural cruises. In the Caribbean, all Virgin cruise liners are homeported in Miami and all their itineraries visit North Bimini Bahamas as a private island destination. Due to the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, in mid-December 2020 Virgin rescheduled Valiant ship's Maiden Voyage from May 2, 2021 (7-day "The Irresistible Med" from Barcelona) to November 14, 2021 (6-day "Western Caribbean Charm" from Miami).

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