Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady is the second vessel in this new cruise line’s fleet. This 110K gross ton ship can carry up to 2,700 passengers. Virgin Voyages is an adult-only cruise line mixing elements of both luxury cruising and contemporary cruising to introduce something new to the cruise market.
Among the differentiators is the cruise line’s inclusions. The base fare covers all dining on the ship, basic WiFi, all service charges and gratuities, and all group fitness classes.
While we sailed on this new lady ship this past summer in the Mediterranean, we were excited to hop back onboard for her MerMaiden voyage from Miami. In our latest Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review, we detail our six days onboard this one-of-a-kind sailing. From Halloween fun to breaking world records, it was certainly a memorable voyage.
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Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review – Day 1
Let’s Get This MerMaiden Cruise Started
We were already in Florida prior to this Valiant Lady MerMaiden cruise. So, getting to Virgin Voyages’ Terminal V was easier than usual for us. There were no flights or potential delays keeping us from arriving to this new lady ship on time. Instead, it was a quick Uber ride from Fort Lauderdale to Miami.
Like all Virgin Voyages’ sailings, embarkation starts much later than other cruise lines. During our check-in process, we were assigned a 3 PM boarding group. This meant that we spent most of the day in our hotel’s lobby catching up on some work.
Around 2:30 PM, we requested an Uber for the approximately 30-minute drive to Terminal V in Miami. Upon arrival, the terminal was rather quiet. We were able to quickly process through the check-in and security in under 20 minutes.
While the inside of Virgin Voyages’ new terminal is beautiful, we didn’t spend much time here as we were able to immediately board the ship and get this Halloween-themed MerMaiden voyage underway.
While Valiant Lady sailed in the Mediterranean this summer, this was the ship’s first cruise from its new homeport in Miami. Thus, there were a number of VIPs onboard including Sir Richard Branson himself. Not to mention, the first sea day was Halloween and my birthday.
Back Onboard Valiant Lady
Officially back onboard Valiant Lady, we first made our way up to our cabin on deck 11. Stateroom 11030z is a Sea Terrace cabin located nearby the aft bank of elevators. We dropped off our carry-on items and took some time to capture photos and videos of the room.
Next on the agenda was the mandatory muster drill. We watched the video on our stateroom television then proceeded to our muster station, The Wake restaurant, for a short safety briefing.
Since we were sailing as part of the media group, we thankfully did not have to worry about making any dining or entertainment reservations. Though, since we enjoyed the Ship Show in the Manor during our last sailing, we decided to book this ourselves in place of our Test Kitchen reservation.
We had a cocktail party in Richard’s Rooftop scheduled for 5:30 PM, right before our sail away. Given our late embarkation, our bags arrived only a short time before this event. So, there was no time to unpack and settle in for this Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise just yet.
It was a quick costume change and dash up to Richard’s Rooftop, the private outdoor space for RockStar guests. While we were not staying in a RockStar suite, we were given special access to this exclusive area for the week.
Here, we enjoyed a cocktail and some conversation with the PR hosts and fellow media guests. We also met Tom McAlpin, the President and CEO of Virgin Voyages. After about an hour of mingling, we set off to capture some video of our sail away from PortMiami before heading to dinner.
Tonight, we had a reservation at Pink Agave for 6:45 PM. Sailing on Virgin Voyages a few times now, we are both in agreement that this is our favorite of the six onboard restaurants.
Our media hosts decided that we would order all of the small plates and medium plates on the menu to share amongst the table. Our favorites always include the guacamole and grilled corn for small plates. For medium plates, the chicken enchiladas and papas con chorizo are great. Hubby also enjoys the seared shrimp dish.
For entrees, I stuck with another order of the chicken enchiladas while Don ordered one of the large plates, the conchinita pibil. All the dishes at Pink Agave lived up to our expectations, including the bread pudding dessert.
We did have to rush through dessert a bit, as we had the Grog Walk to attend at 9 PM. This up-charge event is essentially a bar crawl with the Happenings Cast to a few of the bars on the ship. In Virgin fashion, this is not your typical bar crawl as you have to work for your drinks by participating in some ice breaker challenges.
Starting at the Red Room, the bar in Razzle Dazzle, we progressed to the Dock House and then the Loose Cannon sampling some signature cocktails. While the activity was still going, we bailed around 10:30 PM to head back to our room and unpack. While a fun and social activity, we couldn’t see ourselves paying to do the Grog Walk again in the future.
Unpacking, organizing, and settling in for the next 5 days onboard Valiant Lady, we officially called it a day around midnight.
Tomorrow was our first sea day of this Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review.
Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review – Day 2
Another Glorious Morning
Day 2 of this Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review was a sea day and Halloween; however, we did have a number of events scheduled with the media team for today.
Sleeping in a bit this morning, Don grabbed our morning lattes from the Grounds Coffee Club along with some of the continental breakfast items available there while I got ready for the day.
The first event of the day was a ship tour led by the Director of Hotel Operations and the VP of Food and Beverage at 10 AM. During this tour, we learned some little-known facts about the ship and specific onboard venues.
Did you know that the red light in the spiral overhead fixture in the Roundabout always points north? Did you know that the stairwells are color-coded so you always know if you are forward, midship, or aft? There’s even a window into the Happenings Cast dressing room in the Manor.
Finishing this tour in the Test Kitchen around 11:30 AM, we had a little over an hour to kill before our one-on-one interview with Virgin Voyages’ CEO, Tom McAlpin. Thus, we strolled some of the outdoor public spaces and briefly enjoyed the nice weather.
Following this Q&A where we got a few tidbits of information, there was supposed to be a group Q&A with Sir Richard in the same meeting space. Though, the meeting was switched at the last minute to the Dock. While we enjoy this outdoor aft-located space, the music and background noise made it almost impossible for us to hear any of the conversation.
Within a half hour, he dashed off to his massage appointment. So, without even getting a selfie with him, we headed to the nearby Pizza Place to grab a late lunch. While the pizza here is still good, it is obvious there have been changes to the preparation, and it is actually not as good as it used to be.
Since the hubby had some work to catch up on for his full-time job, we spent the rest of the afternoon on the balcony of our cabin. I lounged in the hammock soaking up some sun while checking emails and social media. We can’t believe that more cruise lines don’t have hammocks on the balconies.
Some Halloween Fun
Tonight’s dinner was for 6 PM in Razzle Dazzle. This veggie-forward restaurant is one of our least favorite menus on the ship. This menu is getting an update for 2023 adding a few additional meat and seafood options.
We both started with the crazy cobb salad for an appetizer. For entrees, I did a secret menu item, the butter chicken, and Don ordered the bowtie pasta and fried chicken dishes. For some reason, the preparation of the dishes at Razzle Dazzle were different than our previous sailing on the ship just a few months again. Still though, nothing really stood out to us.
Given our large party size, and that service was a tad on the slow side, we skipped out of dinner before dessert to catch the headliner act in the main theater. Tonight’s performance was the mentalist and magician, Marc Spelmann. This magician and his alter ego, Magician X, put on a great performance showcasing a variety of illusions with the help of some audience members.
Since we were heading directly to another cruise after this Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review, we decided not to pack Halloween costumes. Still, we scoped out some of the Halloween activities this evening following the show in the Red Room.
This included taking a few photos with the decorations around the ship, ordering some PSL martinis at On the Rocks while listening to the house band, and attending the Halloween costume ball in the Red Room. After the Halloween costume contest winner was crowned, we called it a night around midnight.
Tomorrow was our first port of call in Roatan, Honduras.
Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review – Day 3
Good Morning Roatan
Since this Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review was added to our calendar rather last minute, we didn’t do much planning in terms of shore excursions. We considered a trip out to Little French Key, which gets great ratings by cruisers, but we never ended up booking it. Instead, we decided we would walk around the port for a bit and just enjoy the ship the rest of the day.
Up around 8 AM, Don headed out on his typical morning routine for coffee and some filming around the ship. Once we were both ready for the day, we grabbed some breakfast at the Galley. For those unfamiliar, the Galley is Virgin Voyages’ replacement to the typical cruise ship buffet. Here, staff take your order and deliver the menu items to your table.
The one problem with this concept is that when the food items arrive can vary greatly. I ordered some banana and Nutella toast along with an omelet, and hubby ordered avocado toast and a breakfast burrito. Both the toast options arrived quickly, followed shortly after by his breakfast burrito. However, I waited an additional 20-30 minutes before receiving my omelet.
The good news is that the food at the Galley is always well-prepared and delivered at the appropriate temperature.
After breakfast, Don had a few work obligations to complete before making our way ashore. We ended up heading off the ship around 12 PM, walking around for about an hour. The area seemed a bit more built up since the last time we were in Roatan. Though, since we were the only ship in port, it was still pretty quiet.
Back onboard the ship, we enjoyed a little more time outdoors along with a Poke bowl from the Sun Club Café, and maybe also some ice cream from the onboard ice cream shop. This sweet treat is certainly something that would be an up-charge on other cruise lines.
We then spent the next couple hours doing some work in our cabin before our 7 PM dinner reservation at Extra Virgin.
Also, we learned that there was a tropical storm in the area, and the Captain had made the decision to alter our itinerary for tomorrow. Who knew? Instead of calling in Costa Maya, we would head further north to Cozumel.
Another Great Dining Experience
While Pink Agave is our favorite restaurant on Virgin Voyages, Extra Virgin comes a close second. We enjoy several of the dishes at this venue. Again, since we were dining as a large group, we ordered most of the appetizers to split amongst the table. Some of our favorites included the calamari and the antipasti platter, but there’s also mini meatballs, crispy artichokes, beef carpaccio, and more.
For entrees, we both enjoy the pasta options which are all handmade in house. I went with my go-to dish, the bucatini carbonara. Hubby ordered the gemelli seafood pasta. Both dishes were flavorful and filling.
Of course, you can’t dine at an Italian restaurant without having some dessert and limoncello. I went with the affogato and Don with his favorite, the bomboloni. These selections were the perfect ending to our meal, even if it was another 3-hour dining experience.
Tonight, our group had a reservation for Never Sleep Alone in the Manor. We have seen this signature adult cabaret-style show a few times now, so we opted to pass on this evening’s performance. Instead, we grabbed some drinks in Sip and people-watched for a bit before calling it a night around 11 PM.
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Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review – Day 4
A Change of Plans
Day 4 of this Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review changed from a visit to Costa Maya to Cozumel.
Given the nearby storm, the seas were rather rough overnight. While neither of us are prone to seasickness, the movement did wake me up a couple times during the night. So, we slept in a bit this morning, finally making our way to Razzle Dazzle for brunch around 10:15 AM.
This menu offers some pretty basic breakfast selections but is a nice sit-down option in addition to the Galley. The Wake also offers brunch if you are looking for more upscale offerings.
The black clouds and ominous sky did not look promising for today. While we were hoping to spend some time in our favorite location on the ship, The Dock, we weren’t sure if the weather was going to allow that. So, we headed back to our room to try to get some work done before docking in Cozumel at noon.
Unfortunately, the WiFi did not want to cooperate and neither did the weather. By the time we arrived in Cozumel, it had begun raining and continued to do so for most of the day. This meant we didn’t venture ashore at all and spent most of our day inside.
When all else fails, there’s always pizza. This made for the perfect mid-day snack to hold us over until our dinner reservation at The Wake this evening.
This is Our Scarlet Night
In addition to dining at The Wake this evening with Tom McAlpin, it was also Scarlet Night. Unfortunately, this ship-wide event would have to be modified given the weather. This meant there would be no giant octopus in the Aquatic Club or sailors dancing in the pool tonight.
With our red outfits donned, we made our way to The Wake right on time for our 6:30 PM reservation. The Wake is Virgin Voyages complimentary steakhouse which is certainly on par with other cruise lines’ specialty restaurants.
Joining the CEO, this dining extravaganza lasted about 3 hours again and was filled with cocktails and conversation. The meal, as always, did not disappoint. I started with the wedge salad which did have a somewhat different presentation than our last trips. Don started with the clam chowder. While I usually like clam chowder also, this rendition contains shrimp which I don’t eat.
For entrees, hubby decided to switch it up on recommendation from the waiter. The New Zealand lamb chops were well-prepared and flavorful as an alterative, but the steaks are where this restaurant really shines.
Following dinner, we strolled the ship in search of Scarlet Night happenings. We found our way upon the Legend of Scarlet Night story in the main theater. Then, we were recruited to hear the true story in a secret location, where we may have become pirates and received a complimentary rum punch.
We then met our media group for a drink in Sip before heading to the Scarlet Night party taking place in the Red Room this evening. Lasting less than an hour at the party, it got a little too crowded for me, so we retreated to the Dock House for one last drink of the night.
Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review – Day 5
Hoping for a Better Day
Day 5 of this Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review was our second sea day. We were hoping that the weather and the WiFi were better today so we could spend some time in the Dock and catch up on some work.
With hubby completing his typical morning routine, we stayed in the cabin until around 10:30 AM when we lost WiFi signal once again. We roamed the ship trying to find a better signal location as he had some work meetings today, but we were unsuccessful. Thus, we took this as our sign to chill for a few hours in the Dock.
Thankfully, the internet was back up and running in time for his afternoon meetings. After his meetings, we spent the rest of the afternoon doing work in Richard’s Rooftop before our evening obligations.
Tonight, we had a bridge tour scheduled for 5 PM and a media reservation at Test Kitchen for dinner. Given I am a picky eater, we opted to reserve the Ship Show for the two of us instead of Test Kitchen.
An Evening of Fun
Meeting for the bridge tour, we were escorted to the area promptly at 5 PM by security. Here, we learned some navigational information and insight into the operational procedures and ship design from Levi, a third officer.
We did have to skip out on this tour a little early as the Ship Show began at 5:45 PM. Upon checking in at the Manor for this dinner show, we were escorted to a front row table. This made for some great photo and video opportunities.
Currently, the Ship Show is only available on Valiant Lady. It is a variety show of sorts with a band, dancers, and various featured acts. During this performance, we saw an aerialist, an opera-singing pole dancer, a mentalist, and a roller skating duo. Of course, Don got picked by the mentalist to help out with a trick.
While the performers were amazing, the meal did not live up to the other dining experiences on the ship. Honestly, we would almost prefer that there wasn’t a meal during this show.
With the show over by 7:30 PM, we headed up to the Galley to grab a small snack given the lackluster dinner. We then had some free time until our next reservation for Duel Reality at 9:30 PM. Thus, we browsed the shops to spend some of our remaining Sailor Loot. I scored a new pair of Ray Ban sunglasses as a result!
Next, we made a pitstop at Sip to grab some cocktails before the show. An espresso martini for me and a Sidecar for DB.
Wanting to ensure good seats in the Red Room, we scanned in around 9 PM and were ushered onto the blue team. While this is definitely our favorite show, it was also fun watching the reactions of the other media folks who had not seen the performance before. The performers are extremely talented, and this is a must-see show.
After Duel Reality, we wandered into On the Rocks for one last drink and a few songs from the Free Label band. We may have also grabbed a pizza to take back to our room.
Tomorrow was already our final day onboard this Valiant Lady MerMaiden voyage.
Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review – Day 6
About to Break Some Records
The final day of this Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review was our stop in Bimini. This always means a day of fun and sun on the Beach Club at Bimini. However, this stop was extra special as Virgin Voyages was attempting to break the Guinness world record for the largest MerPeople gathering.
Up around 7:30 AM, Don set off on his morning routine while I got ready. We had also placed an order for Ship Eats last night to arrive at 9 AM this morning. Ship Eats is Virgin Voyages’ room service which is complimentary except for a $5 delivery fee.
Approaching 9:45 AM with no food, we decided to cancel the order so we didn’t waste any more time waiting around.
Exiting the ship around 10 AM, we took the complimentary shuttle over to the Beach Club, which seemed noticeably busier than our previous two visits. We made our way to the South pool and snagged some of the last remaining sun loungers.
Before long, we were approached by a production member asking us to sign a release. Apparently, there was a production crew filming a mermaid show in the pool today. This was completely separate from the other mermaid activity occurring on the resort.
We set up shop here for the next several hours, where we also got front row seats to the filming of this mermaid competition. It was a beautiful Bahamian day to just relax and soak up the sun. Of course, there was some Caribbean lunch and cocktails to be had as well.
During the day, Don ventured over to the RockStar area to get some video. He also walked over to watch Virgin Voyages break the world record for the most MerPeople in one location. No, we didn’t get tails and participate, so sadly, we are not world record holders.
By around 2:30 PM, I had enough of the sun so we made our way back to the ship. Back onboard, we grabbed a second round of coffee before heading back to our cabin. We then spent the next 2.5 hours doing a little work along with showering and getting ready for the evening.
Gunbae, Gunbae, Gunbae!
Tonight, we had a 6 PM dinner reservation at Gunbae with a short cabin tour beforehand. We also had an entertainment reservation for Untitled DanceShowPartyThing.
At 5:45 PM, we met on deck 12 to check out a Cheeky Corner Suite. This cabin is located aft on the ship with a very large balcony.
To Gunbae right on time, our media group split into two tables where we feasted on Korean BBQ for the next 2.5 hours. Of course, a visit to Gunbae wouldn’t be complete without a little drinking game and soju. In a surprising feat, I came out victoriously!
The BBQ portion of the meal is very seafood and red meat heavy. However, the smaller plates, including the Korean chicken and rice dishes, are great. Don enjoys the shrimp, calamari, and short rib grill selections. With all the family-style menu options, everyone at our table left this venue stuffed.
We also left just in time for our final show of the cruise in the Red Room. We couldn’t believe how empty the venue was. Either everyone else had too much sun or saw the show earlier in the week I guess.
This fun and upbeat performance was the perfect way to end our evening.
Now, it was back to the room to pack and get organized for our next trip beginning in less than 48 hours.
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Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Western Caribbean Charm Cruise Review – Disembarkation
The saddest day of this Valiant Lady MerMaiden voyage was here, disembarkation day!
We planned on doing self disembarkation this morning, so our alarm was set for 6:30 AM. While we didn’t have to worry about catching a flight, we wanted to get settled into our hotel and get some work done before our next trip.
Showering, getting ready, and last minute packing, we were ready by 8:30 AM. While we considered grabbing breakfast in the Galley, we decided to disembark before the terminal got too crowded. Instead, we grabbed a coffee and quick breakfast pastry at the Grounds Coffee Club prior to exiting.
With no line or wait, we scanned right off the ship, through CBP, and onto our Uber within 20 minutes.
Arriving at our hotel in Fort Lauderdale by 10 AM, we spent the rest of the day prepping for our next trip. Tomorrow, we will be boarding the brand new Celebrity Beyond.
Yes, the whole month of November is going to be crazy. So, get ready for lots of new ship content coming soon!
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