10/06/2025
My husband, father and I have recently returned from our first Virgin Voyages Cruise aboard the Valiant Lady, departing from Miami, FL. This 4-night cruise included visits to picturesque Key West, FL, and the breathtaking blue waters of Bimini, Bahamas. As a travel agent, I maintained an objective perspective throughout our journey. Below is my recap, accompanied by select photographs.
✅️ this is an ADULT ONLY cruise line, all sailors must be 18 or older to sail.
✅️ unlike most other cruise lines, you DO NOT have to purchase a Beverage Package for all parties staying in your stateroom over 21 - on VV you can pre-purchase a BAR TAB - AND based on the dollar amount you purchased you will receive an additional BONUS BAR CREDIT. You can share your BAR TAB with anyone you want to onboard.
❌️ IMPORTANT REMINDER: the BAR TAB is USE IT or LOSE IT!Needless to say on the last day, we heard/saw fellow guests scrambling to drink away their BAR TAB. You can also use your BAR TAB to purchase bottles of wine/alcohol to take home. Pick your BAR TAB amounts wisely!
✅️ STATEROOMS: my father decided on a SOLO INSIDER STATEROOM on Deck 14 - honestly, it was the perfect size and setup for a Solo Traveler! All the comforts you would expect from and Inside Stateroom - a single bed, TV, a desk with a room iPad, a curtained-closet storage area, a safe, drawers, individual air/heat controls and a private 3 piece bathroom with shower. My husband and I stayed in a CENTRAL SEA TERRACE on Deck 13 - only differences were we had a king size bed and a breathtaking balcony with an oh, so-relaxing hammock.
✅️ Stateroom Attendants were extremely friendly and accommodating!
✅️ OUTLETS/USB PORTS: more than enough in the stateroom for the two of us.
✅️ ROOM CLOSET - had ample storage/hangers for our clothes & luggage. In addition to the drawers, there were also baskets for shoes and such.
✅️ SHOWER️ - the shower was ample in size and included body wash, shampoo and conditioner, as well as an amazing rainforest shower head and a handheld shower wand and great water pressure.
❌️️ BATHROOM: there was very little bathroom storage and the sink/toilet area was extremely tight.
❌️ ROOM LIGHTING: there could have been better room lighting, the room always seemed a bit dim, even in the daytime.
❌️ ROOM NOISE: could have been that we were on the wrong floors (Decks 13 & 14), but there was definitely noise and vibrations in both of our staterooms from the pool deck music and parties.
✅️ DINING: unlike other cruise lines with set dining times and paying extra money for Specialty Dining Venues, you select the restaurants, dates and times prior to boarding. There are multiple restaurants all with different food flairs to suit your palate. And we can't forget The Galley, this is the buffet-like area only the staff serves you, it is not true buffet style. We ate at 4 of the restaurants and The Galley while onboard, here is my review:
✅️ THE GALLEY (breakfast & lunch) : too many food options to cover, but definitely something for everyone!
✅️ GUNBAE RESTAURANT (dinner): at this restaurant, you will sit with random fellow passengers, play some drinking games (Soju; a Korean Sake) and enjoy some Korean BBQ together, which your waiter cooks at your table. Definitely a fun and different experience. I really enjoy trying new foods, so this was a nice change for me, howver I can see how this may not be everyone's cup of tea.
❌️ TEST KITCHEN (dinner): I had high hopes for this, as it is a totally new concept at sea. From the get-go it was going downhill rapidly! Three different servers, three individual visits and each of them tell us they are our server for the night. This is a laboratory-like, experimental dining experience. I only 'liked' one component of the experience and actually left there hungry. The food I did have was EXTREMELY salty too!
✅️ THE WAKE (brunch & dinner): the BEST American food!
BOOK THIS! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅️ EXTRA VIRGIN (dinner): the BEST Italian food!
BOOK THIS TOO! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅️ EMBARKATION: Our arrival/check-in slot was 2:15pm. Per our normal, we arrived early. I was dropped off in the unloading area with our luggage while my husband and dad parked the car. We were then able to enter the building to get checked in and receive our bracelets rather quickly (to enter our staterooms and for onboard purchases). It was about 12:30pm when we finished checking in and then we had to wait in our designated line for 2:15pm boarding. We ended up boarding early at 1:45pm! Easy-peasy process! And our staterooms were available immediately!
✅️ Disembarkation: since we only traveled with carry-on bags, we opted to walk-off the ship with our own luggage. Estimated time to disembark was 7:30am, however the process started earlier and we were off the ship at 6:57am, went through CBP and were in our car and on the road home by 7:12am. Again, an Easy-peasy process!
⭐️⭐️ OVERALL, I would recommend Virgin Voyages! The pros in my professional and personal opinion outweighed the cons.⭐️⭐️
Please reach out if you are interested in sailing on Virgin Voyages, would like more information or would like to book another cruise/vacation. I am happy to help you plan your next Dream Vacation!
Dawn
