Valiant Lady becomes second Virgin Voyages ship to enter service
Valiant Lady has finally entered service for Virgin Voyages, eight months after she was delivered, with a 3-night cruise from Portsmouth.
Although Valiant Lady was delivered in 2021, she has not yet been able to sail her maiden passenger voyage for Virgin Voyages due to operational delays created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 3-night inaugural cruise will feature an extended 27-hour call in Zeebrugge, Belgium, which is a gateway to other Belgian destinations – such as Brussels and Bruges.
Valiant Lady will spend her first cruise season sailing various itineraries from Portsmouth to Northern Europe and the Canaries, before repositioning to Barcelona in May. From Barcelona, where she will homeport through the summer, Valiant Lady will sail a series of Western Mediterranean cruises, including three different 7-night itineraries calling in Italy, Spain, France and Gibraltar.
The 2,770-passenger ship is Virgin Voyage’s second newbuild after Scarlet Lady, which entered service in 2021, but was also delivered several months before, and had to be delayed due to the pandemic. Valiant Lady, like her sister ship, is an adults-only cruise liner, geared to the millennial cruise market. She features 20 dining venues, in addition to a range of entertainment and relaxation options.
A highlight is The Manor, a two-level, 1970s-style nightclub, which the cruise line says is inspired by Virgin’s heritage in the music industry. The conglomerate that owns the cruise line started out as a record store, before expanding into an airline, a radio station in Dubai, a brand of gyms and rail transportation.
Reflecting the health and lifestyle sectors that Virgin Voyages parent company operates in, Valiant Lady also has one of the most advanced and largest fitness centers at the sea.
The Athletic Club is an outdoor training zone that includes a boxing ring, in addition to strength and gymnastics equipment. Inspired by a New York sports clubs of the 1920s, it also has cabanas for relaxation, a sporty bar for socializing post-workout and more. Valiant Lady and Scarlet Lady will be joined by a third vessel due to enter service later this year. Resilient Lady will debut in the Eastern Mediterranean in August, according to Virgin Voyages.
