Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Cruise Review

Check out the current deals running for sailing on Virgin Voyages!

VALIANT LADY VIRGIN VOYAGES REVIEW

HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR CRUISE

• Download the Virgin Voyages app. Immediately after you book your cruise with Virgin Voyages, you want to download the Virgin Voyages app and link your booking. The app will be the main way to navigate through your sailing experience. It’ll be were you book excursions, make dining reservations, see what activities are happening on board, and reach Sailor Services if necessary.
• Know what is included. For your cruise experience, your booking includes dining, group fitness classes, basic WiFi, basic beverages (water, soda, tea, drip coffee), and gratuities.
• Know what is NOT included. Shore Things, certain special activities noted on the itinerary, and alcoholic beverages are not included in your package. If you’re planning on imbibing on any cocktails, take advantage of the prepaid bar tab that may be offered that gives you an extra amount of credit to spend on cocktails.
• Pack a red outfit. Scarlet Night, which we will go through below, is Virgin Voyage’s big party onboard the ship. Everyone typically wears red to this event, so back your red outfit!
• Bring a reusable water bottle. There is water provided on board, but unless you take a glass or cup from your room or a restaurant, you won’t find cups at the filtered water stations on board. Additionally, if you get off the ship, you won’t be able to take that cup off and purchasing water can get expensive on port days. Bring a water bottle and fill it up on board before heading off the ship on port days.
• You’ll be given your band on board. When you arrive at the terminal and check in, you’ll be given a band based off your status (Rockstars have black and everyone else has red). This smart band will act as your room key, your way to pay for things on board, and how you “check-in” and “check-out” of the ship.

Staterooms ABOARD THE VALIANT LADY SHIP

Aboard the Virgin Voyages Valiant lady, you’ll find cabins and suites located on different decks and in different areas. During our cruise, we stayed in a Sea Terrace room towards the front of the ship. The rooms, compared to other cruise ships, are moderately spacious. It was really comfortable for two people to relax and sleep in, and okay for when you wanted to have friends over in the room to hang out before heading out of the room to do whatever you have planned for the day.

In each room, you’ll find a bathroom fit for one person it be in at a time, a closet with a hanging rack, cabinets, drawers, and a safe, and a balcony with a hammock and a seating area. The balcony was our favorite place to have breakfast when we had in-room dining.

You’ll also find a tablet in the room that controls the many features of the room. On the tablet, no only can you order specific services and control the TV, but you can also control the lights and curtains, and even set the mood with different colored lights and music.

Dining ABOARD THE VALIANT LADY

There are a variety of different dining options aboard the Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady, and with dining being included as a part of the booking, you can try many of the different plates at each of the restaurants you want to visit on board. Each of these different restaurants, truly make you feel like you are in a different place and each of the restaurants offer gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options. Sometimes, I even forgot that we were on a ship. It simply felt like we had driven to this specialty dining experience to have a date night or group meal. And of course, remember to bring your band, which you should just be wearing on your wrist either way, so that you can pay for any cocktails that you may want to enjoy with your meals.

Pro Tip: As soon as dining reservations open on the Virgin Voyages app, make your booking to secure your preferred dining time. Depending on when you go on a cruise and which cruise it is, you may find out that many of the time slots book up quickly.

RAZZLE DAZZLE

If you’re looking for place to eat healthy, then Razzle Dazzle is for you. The fun colored, printed restaurant is a great place for brunch and for dinner and the main menu is made of plant- based vegetarian and vegan options. But, don’t let that deter you. If you’re a meat eater like me, there’s a ‘naughty menu’ that includes some meats and sweets. To me, this restaurant was better for brunch than it was for dinner since I can’t go without meat. I did enjoy the picks off the naughty, but other than heading to Razzle Dazzle for brunch options and cocktails, this wasn’t exactly the place that was the first on my list.

SCROLL FOR MORE

THE WAKE

After transcending down a marvelous staircase, you’ll find yourself at the Wake. A steak and seafood restaurant that feels like you’re fine dining, but don’t have to pay the enormous check at the end. On the menu, you’ll find a variety of different steak cuts and toppers to go along with them. Along with a variety of great appetizers such as bone marrow to start off the meal. Your main course will come plated alone while, like most steakhouses, the sides will come separately. For us, the Wake was a great restaurant to head to when we had shows or an event that we wanted to dress up for. The steak cuts were amazing and were made exactly to the right temperature, and if you’re stuck in between what steaks to order, you can order a couple of steaks for the table to share. This restaurant was my second favorite restaurant in terms of food, but my favorite in terms of the ambiance. Also note, that the Wake is one of the two restaurants where brunch is offered.

SCROLL FOR MORE

PINK AGAVE

On our first night aboard the ship, we kicked off our dining experience at Pink Agave. You’ll find this restaurant right near Sailor Services on the same Deck as Razzle Dazzle, and upon arriving, you’ll enter through a hallway of lights that will make you feel like you need to take a picture “for the ‘gram” before actually heading to your seats.

This restaurant is one of the best restaurants to go to for large group dining. The table that we sat out fit our large group of 10 and allowed for everyone too see and talk to one another. Additionally, the menu is designed as a shared plate experience which is another great plus for large groups. Everyone was able to taste the variety of delicious, Mexican inspired plates and talk about some of the food pairing with the mezcal cocktail pairings that combined well with the food flavors.

TEST KITCHEN

The Test Kitchen was probably my favorite restaurant because of the creativeness of the restaurant and the fact that it had me trying and enjoying foods that I wouldn’t typically order if I saw it plainly written out on a menu. This restaurant is one party laboratory, one part cooking school, and all parts an exceptional dining experience. It’s more of a dressier atmosphere, but then again, it’s a cruise, so you never truly have to dress up. The menu changes depending on when you are on board and when you dine. Our waiter actually told us the night that we came was the first night of the second menu during the cruise. If we had come one night earlier, we would have had a completely different experience.

When you go into Test Kitchen, you’ll find a pre-set menu that doesn’t exactly show you what you’ll be eating in its entirety. Each course will be displayed through it’s main ingredient, and at the time, the only thing you’ll be able to order is a single cocktail or wine or cocktail pairing. We elected for the cocktail pairing and I did not regret it. With the pairings, you get a full wine pour or cocktail per each course, so it’s a good bang for your buck.

GUNBAE

Gunbae is ranked third on my list for the restaurants aboard the Valiant Lady. It’s a super fun restaurant to head to because of the experience that you have. It’s a Korean BBQ restaurant that also integrates fun drinking games that you get to play with those who you are dining with while enjoying the hands-on grilling experience. It was a great restaurant for our group because it allowed us to bond and have a lot of social moments that allowed us to get to know one another. With people just meeting for the first time, it set the tone for the remainder of the trip and got us excited and awake to take on the rest of the night.

SCROLL FOR MORE

EXTRA VIRGIN

We visited Extra Virgin on our last night and it was probably the best restaurant to end our trip with. It has a relaxed atmosphere that also has tables great for larger groups, and it gives you the ability to share plates if you would like. The Italian fare was absolutely amazing, and for someone who often just likes to nibble on a charcuterie board, I was happy to find one here. The offerings on the menu were amazing and the only downfall was that I had a hard time picking one thing. Make sure when dining here, that you save room for dessert – specifically the gelato. They bring the gelato cart to you and make your sundae right in front of you. You can even add some espresso to your gelato to give you a little pep back in your step if you’re heading out that night for some on-board activities.

SCROLL FOR MORE

THE GALLEY

For everyday eats when you really don’t want to go to a specialty dining location, head to The Galley. The Galley is the ship’s food hall that is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

This was our favorite place to visit when we just wanted to grab some food quickly before heading off the boat for port days, or when we didn’t have any group meals planned or dining reservations, because you can just go, sit down, and order food from any of the places located in the Galley.

You’ll find a variety of foods such as ramen, bento boxes, burgers, tacos, pastries, and so much more. I often found myself here on afternoons when I needed to get a little bit of work done on board. I would bring my laptop, sit down at one of the tables, and order some food.

OTHER RESTAURANTS FOR GRAB & GO

For late night eats and grab and go dining, there are quite a few options. You can get ice cream at Lick Me Till…Ice Cream, and you get get a personal pizza at The Pizza Place. Of course, there are also small dining experiences that you can have at some of the bars and social lounges on board, but we get into that below

Bars AND Cocktails ABOARD THE VALIANT LADY

When taking a trip with Virgin Voyages, cocktails are not included in the reservation price. They don’t offer beverage packages, but you can buy a prepaid bar tab depending on if it’s offered at the time of your cruise. Other than purchasing cocktails during dining experience, you’ll have cocktails that you can order at the variety of bars around the ship along with cocktail experiences that you will be required to book and pay for ahead of time such as the Grog Walk (which is like a bar crawl aboard the ship) and the Whiskey Tasting where they actually let you use the money that you paid to book the tasting experience towards a bottle to purchase and take home. (Note: If you do purchase any alcoholic bottles onboard or purchase on port days and bring on the ship, it may be held for you until the last night of the cruise.)

Cocktails onboard range between $8 – $20 depending on where you are and what you are purchasing. The tab can run up pretty quickly just by order two drinks per each dining experience. Even with us getting complimentary champagne with Rockstar status during the one hour happy hour, many of us ran up a $250 bar tab person person over the six nights.

RICHARD’S ROOFDECK

For those to have Rockstar status, you’ll also get access to Richard’s Roofdeck – a bar area with cabanas, two hot tubs, and a bar. This is also the location where Rockstars can enjoy a one hour champagne happy hour at 5pm each day depending on the weather.

For cooler days when we weren’t too comfortable being in the pool, Richard’s Roofdeck was our go-to place for ordering cocktails, eating a few bites of pizza and hanging out in the hot tub.

THE DOCK

The Dock was one of my favorite daytime hangouts during sailing days. Located at the rear of the ship, this outdoor bar area, which is connected to the Dock House – the indoor dining area, houses a Mediterranean feel and serves cocktails and small plates. There is traditionally seating areas as well as loungers so that you can also lay out and enjoy the sunshine during the day. On days that you’re interested in heading to the Dock, I highly recommend getting there early, especially on sailing days. The area gets quite busy really fast and, if you are looking for a lounger to lay out on, those are the first spaces to go and people tend not to leave them for quite some time.

SCROLL FOR MORE

SIP LOUNGE

Sip Lounge is a champagne bar that houses to many great experiences and is a central place that any people go for cocktails. When it’s too windy for champagne happy hour at Richard’s Roofdeck, the happy hour will be moved to this bar.

During the day, you can also book an Afternoon Tea experience with a champagne upgrade depending on how you are feeling.

We loved heading to Sip for cocktails right before dinner because of the great cocktail menu and sophisticated ambiance.

ON THE ROCKS

On the Rocks is a bar located right in the center of the ship under the spiral staircase. At night, you’ll find live music and during the day, you’ll find a variety of different activities happening here. This was our favorite bar to head to after dinner for late night drinks if we weren’t heading into the Manor for a show or to dance the night away.

THE Pools ABOARD THE VALIANT LADY

On the Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady, you’ll find the pool deck on Deck 15. The pool deck is made up of two main pools, the circular wellness pool that is located near the fitness center and the main pool which is at the center of the deck. Both of these pools can get crowded quickly, especially or sea days, so if you’re looking to get loungers at the main pool right at the pool edge, you’ll want to claim a spot early.

Near the wellness pool, you’ll also find hot tubs to relax in and both pools are accompanied by a bar with servers who will take drink orders and bring your drink to you wherever you may be. Sometimes, they take it to a whole other level and come into the shallow part of the main pool to bring you your cocktail.

As a heads up, the pools are not that large, and the main pool has two ankle high shallow sides on each side with a somewhat chest high deep middle section.

Activities & Entertainment ABOARD THE VALIANT LADY

THE MANOR

Located right off the casino, The Manor is the center of nightlife aboard the Valiant Lady. This nightclub doubles also as a place to head to for shows such as the Drag Show with the Diva and Circus Disco. We found ourselves at the Manor almost every night because each night was a new theme. The first night, they had a pajama party, another night was 80s night, and then there was a night when the dance floor doubled as an interactive dance party show.

The Manor has two floors which both include bars. You can sit above and watch the dance floor below as your sip on cocktails or you can hit the main floor and dance the night away. Also, in the Manor, you’ll find a small room on the main floor that also includes seating and games for guests to play. The Manor made nights aboard the ship super fun and because of this location, we always had something to do before putting our heads to a pillow.

THE RED ROOM

The Red Room is the ships main theatre room for shows. It’s in the Red Room that you’ll find Virgin Voyage’s must-see show – Duel Reality. Duel Reality is an amazing show that modernizes a classic story (which I will not tell you; you have to experience it for yourself) with acrobats that do amazing things that had me holding my breath the entire time.

SCARLET NIGHT

The biggest night on the ship is SCARLET NIGHT. This is the night where the ship transforms into a maritime show that follows a story of love. Get ready for the night by putting on your red outfit, enjoying dinner at one of the amazing restaurants, and then heading out to the main staircase for the night to start with different events and experiences happening around the boat before the epic pool party.

Midway through Scarlet Night, you’ll head to the main pool to watch a show and then be invited to party in the pool where you can dance in the shallow end of the main pool or be daring and jump in the deeper section to party and just enjoy this epic night with all the guests onboard. And don’t worry, the night doesn’t end right when the pool party ends. The party continues in the Manor for the after-party.

This is a must attend party when you are taking a cruise with Virgin Voyages. It was my favorite night and it made the entire cruise worthwhile. With various cruises taking you to the same port locations that Virgin Voyages does, this night was one of the aspects that set Virgin Voyages apart from any other cruises I have been on.

Relaxing ABOARD THE VALIANT LADY

REDEMPTION SPA

The Redemption Spa is Virgin Voyage’s spectacular spa that offers a variety of different services along with a general spa pass where you can enter and enjoy hot tubs, a small pool, steam rooms, the sauna and more. If you get a spa pass, you will have to reserve a specific day and time to attend. We specifically booked ours the late morning after Scarlet Night so that we could take advantage of the spa to get recharged and refreshed to take on the rest of the trip.

VIRGIN VOYAGES VALIANT LADY VLOG:

SHARE THIS POST ON PINTEREST: