Virgin Voyages: the back story

About Virgin Voyages: the back story

By the ULTIMATE the world’s cruise lines Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Virgin Voyages set sail in 2021 with Scarlet Lady, named after one of Virgin Atlantic’s earliest aircraft. It gave the job of designing the ships to boutique-hotel designers who had never worked at sea, and made the whole fleet adults only.

A ship named after a plane

Virgin Voyages’ first ship, Scarlet Lady, was delivered on 14 February 2020 and sailed her first voyages from the UK in August 2021 and from the US that October (Virgin Voyages media fact sheet). Her name was carried by one of the earliest Virgin Atlantic aircraft, and each of the ‘Lady Ships’ has its own mermaid on the bow as a guardian. Valiant Lady followed from Barcelona in May 2022, then Resilient Lady and Brilliant Lady.

Designers, not shipbuilders

The line gave its interiors to a group it calls the Creative Collective: Roman and Williams, Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio, Concrete Amsterdam, Softroom of London and others, most of them known for boutique hotels. The result looks more like a members’ club than a cruise ship, with a silvery hull, a red funnel and cabins whose beds fold into sofas.

No buffet, no set dining times and no children.

Adults only

Every Virgin ship is for Sailors aged 18 and over; there are no children’s clubs because there are no children. Evenings belong to The Manor nightclub, original shows in the Red Room, a theatre that changes shape, bookable karaoke rooms and the Redemption Spa’s thermal suite.

No buffet

Instead of a buffet and a main dining room, there are more than 20 eateries, all in the fare: The Wake for steak and seafood, Pink Agave for Mexican food and mezcal, Gunbae for Korean barbecue at the table, Extra Virgin for fresh pasta and The Test Kitchen, where you see only a list of ingredients before the chef decides. Wi-Fi, essential drinks and group fitness classes are included too.

What it costs

Since 7 October 2025 Virgin adds a daily service gratuity of US$22 per Sailor, or US$20 a night if prepaid, and asks for no other tips on drinks, dining or the spa. Cocktails, wine and spa treatments are extra; Sailors in the suites have a bar in the cabin.

Our advice: choose Virgin for a grown-up holiday with friends or a partner, not for a quiet one; book restaurants in the app as soon as you can; and on a Miami voyage, keep the Bimini day for the beach club.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Virgin Voyages: the back story before you go.