Sarah BretzOne of the newest cruise lines on the market, Virgin Voyages ships splashed onto the scene when the first vessel, Scarlet Lady, began sailing in 2021. Building onto the Virgin brand, Virgin Voyages set out to be a unique adults-only cruise line that turned the concept of cruising on its head. Indeed, the line nixed the usual way of doing dining at sea, has more inclusions than mainstream lines, included hammocks on nearly all of its cabin balconies, and introduced the world’s first tattoo shop on a cruise ship.
If you’re considering a cruise on Virgin Voyages or are just looking to learn more about this unique brand, here’s our guide to Virgin Voyages ships from newest to oldest.
Who owns Virgin Voyages?
Virgin Voyages is a joint venture between the Virgin Group and Bain Capital. Virgin Group is a venture capital company founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell; the current owner of the company is Richard Branson. The company is headquartered in Plantation, Florida.
How many Virgin Voyages cruise ships are there?
There are four Virgin Voyages cruise ships: Scarlet, Valiant, Resilient, and Brilliant Lady. The first ship, Scarlet Lady, set sail on her maiden voyage in fall 2021. The fourth, Brilliant Lady, began sailing in summer 2025.
How big are the Virgin Voyages ships?
All of the Virgin Voyages ships are the same size, coming in at 110,000 gross tons. By modern standards, they are considered medium to large sized cruise ships. The vessels are about 900 feet long and have 17 decks. All ships except Brilliant Lady hold 2,770 guests (at double occupancy) and 1,160 crew members. Brilliant Lady is slightly narrower than her sister ships in order to pass through the Panama Canal easier; she can hold 2,700 guests at double occupancy.
What is the newest Virgin Voyages ship?
The newest Virgin Voyages cruise ship is Brilliant Lady, which operated her maiden voyage in September 2025.
Virgin Voyages Cruise Ships By Age: Newest to Oldest
- Brilliant Lady — 2025
- Resilient Lady — 2023
- Valiant Lady — 2022
- Scarlet Lady — 2021
How are the Virgin Voyages ships the same?
Virgin Voyages’ ships are nearly identical, with minimal differences between them. For example, the ships all offer the same restaurants, including The Wake steakhouse, Razzle Dazzle, modern Mexican fare at Pink Agave, casual fare at The Galley, a pizzeria open from morning to late at night, and more.
Menus may vary slightly between ships, especially if new menus are being rolled out for a particular venue, but they are largely the same — especially across Scarlet, Valiant, and Resilient Lady. An exception to this is Razzle Dazzle on Scarlet and Brilliant Lady. On Scarlet Lady, Razzle Dazzle transforms into Lucky Lotus by Razzle Dazzle in the evening. There, guests can enjoy Chinese-inspired dishes with a modern twist. On Brilliant Lady, the space has a new design and is called Rojo by Razzle Dazzle. This Spanish-inspired restaurant offers an elevated dining experience complete with pintxos, tapas, platos grandes, and more.
Another thing that’s different is that each ship has its own signature dessert, so be sure to keep an eye out for it (or ask a crew member about it!).
Virgin Voyages’ ships are largely the same structurally, except that Brilliant Lady is a bit narrower and has a redesigned Roundabout (atrium) with more conversation-friendly seating areas.
Bars on the ships are pretty much the same, with watering holes including the Mediterranean-inspired Dock House, The Loose Cannon inspired by seaside bars in Brighton, Sip champagne lounge, and On the Rocks right in the middle of the action in the evenings — among several others. You’ll also find The Grounds Club, Virgin Voyages’ café serving Intelligentsia coffee and baked goods.
The gym, fitness equipment, and spa are other areas where the Virgin Voyages ships are all essentially the same. They all offer a traditional indoor fitness center; outdoor Training Camp equipment like a boxing ring, punching bags, and monkey bars; and a running track at the top of the ship. The spa features a thermal suite as well as a beauty salon, barber shop, and many treatment options.
All four Virgin Voyages ships also feature the line’s popular Scarlet Night celebration that culminates in a high-energy deck party (or an indoor party if there’s inclement weather or the ship is sailing in a colder location like Alaska) as well as the evening pajama party towards the beginning of the cruise.
How are the Virgin Voyages ships different?
The two main ways that Virgin Voyages’ ships are different is in their entertainment offerings and their cabins. They also operate different itineraries.
Is the entertainment the same on Virgin Voyages ships?
While some shows cross over between vessels, the entertainment offerings are perhaps the area where Virgin Voyages’ ships differ the most. Scarlet, Valiant, and Brilliant Lady feature Duel Reality — a retelling of Romeo and Juliet with a circus twist. Scarlet and Valiant also feature Untitled DanceShowPartyThing, a music-video-meets-club-scene dance party.
Scarlet Lady has a unique show called Ships in the Night. This technology and dance-infused production explores the significance of incidental connection in our lives. Brilliant Lady features a time-traveling show called Out of Time, which blends music and history as the main character races to fix her time machine. Valiant Lady has a unique show called It’s a Ship Show! Where The Manor turns into a supper club in an old-school variety hour meets late-night talk show experience.
Resilient Lady has the most unique entertainment of the fleet, debuting several shows that are brand-new to Virgin Voyages. Lola’s Library is part cocktail soirée and part immersive cabaret; Persephone is classic Greek history meets modern theater; Another Rose is an acrobatic love story; and Miss Behave is a never-the-same-show-twice game show. Brilliant Lady also offers fun cabaret-style shows including Murder in the Manor and Love Love Love with The Hostess.
Are the cabins the same on Virgin Voyages cruise ships?
One of the most obvious ways that the Virgin Voyages ships are different — specifically Resilient and Brilliant Lady vs. Scarlet and Valiant Lady — is in the staterooms.
While the same categories are available, the décor on Resilient and Brilliant Lady boasts a more Mediterranean, organic type of feel than the first two ships. For example, instead of having an ombré curtain that’s red and blue, the curtain in front of the windows on these ships is a natural rattan. Instead of having a sleek, shiny white lamp on the desk, the lampshade is wicker.
Moving outside to the balconies, repeat Virgin Voyages guests may notice a new stateroom category on Brilliant Lady called (Slightly) Smaller Sea Terrace. The interior space is the same as other balcony cabins, but the balcony is smaller (this is due to the ship being more narrow). These (Slightly) Smaller Sea Terrace cabins do come with a bonus to make up for less outdoor space: two balcony hammocks instead of one! And not to worry, if you still want a regular balcony, regular Sea Terrace cabins are still available on Brilliant Lady.
Functionally, the cabin interiors are essentially the same across all four ships.
Other Differences Between the Virgin Voyages Vessels
The Roundabout (Virgin Voyages’ word for the ship’s central atrium) is a bit different on each ship. You will find slightly different shops or venues in different locations, including the popular tattoo parlor Squid Ink. There are also very slight interior design differences, like in décor around the ship, or the fact that under the Roundabout stairs on Scarlet Lady there’s a bench, but it contains a statue on Valiant and Resilient Lady.
On one of the main walkways next to The Grounds Club on Scarlet Lady, you’ll find small swings in front of fake portholes for a photo op. On Valiant and Resilient Lady, the swings were replaced with carousel animals that you can pose on for a photo instead. On Brilliant Lady, guests can pose in front of an underwater-inspired wall art piece.
The Social Club and Social Club Diner is a spot where you can grab a casual bite to eat at the counter, play board games, and participate in activities throughout the cruise. This space is largely the same on Scarlet and Valiant Lady, but was expanded on Resilient and Brilliant Lady.
The furniture setup is also a bit different. On Scarlet Lady, there’s a tabletop shuffleboard game located in the walkway next to the venue. On Resilient Lady, shuffleboard is located in the main dining area and tables for playing board games are located in the through-way.
2026 Scarlet Lady Itineraries
Scarlet Lady is spending the winter sailing from Miami, offering four-day cruises to Key West and Bimini. Five-day voyages visit destinations including Cozumel, Amber Cove, and Grand Turk. Each of the five-day cruises includes a visit to Bimini (which is where Virgin Voyages’ beach club is located) along with one of the other ports listed.
In May 2026, the ship will set sail for Europe, and will spend the summer operating seven to 12-night Mediterranean cruises from Piraeus (Athens), Barcelona, and Civitavecchia (Rome).
In October, the ship will return to Miami for the fall and winter, once again offering four and five-night Bahamas and Caribbean cruises.
2026 Valiant Lady Itineraries
Valiant Lady is spending winter 2026 operating seven-night Caribbean cruises out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Itineraries vary, but ports visited this season include Aruba, Curaçao, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, Barbados, St. Vincent, Martinique, St. Kitts, St. Croix, and Tortola.
In April, the ship will operate three voyages from New York City before heading across the pond to Europe. The European season will include six to eight-night sailings from Barcelona, three northern Europe cruises from Portsmouth, and a one-way voyage from Reykjavik, Iceland back to New York City in September. Through October, the ship will sail from New York City to Bermuda before heading back down to San Juan for the winter.
2026 Resilient Lady Itineraries
For all of 2026, Resilient Lady is scheduled to sail from Virgin Voyages’ Terminal V in Miami. The ship will operate mostly seven-night cruises through April, with different itineraries including port calls like Amber Cove, San Juan, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Bimini.
Starting in May, the ship will transition to a schedule of four and five-night cruises. From the end of October through the end of 2026, Resilient Lady will offer six, seven, and eight-night Caribbean cruises.
2026 Brilliant Lady Itineraries
The start of 2026 sees Brilliant Lady sailing from Miami, offering a variety of six to 11-day Caribbean cruises. At the end of March, the newest ship in Virgin’s fleet will set sail on a 16-night Panama Canal voyage to Los Angeles. From LA, the vessel will offer a few Mexican Riviera cruises before heading up the coast.
In May 2026, Brilliant Lady will kick off Virgin’s first-ever Alaska season. Voyages will be mostly seven nights, visiting Ketchikan, Sitka, and Prince Rupert — as well as offering scenic cruising through Tracy Arm Fjord.
In September, Brilliant Lady will move back down the coast to LA, sailing a variety of Mexican Riviera cruises before heading back through the Panama Canal to Miami. The ship will finish out the year offering four to 10-day Bahamas and Caribbean cruises.
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