AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Virgin Voyages is pretty hot right now. That’s partly due to a big marketing push to grow the brand, but it’s also because the onboard experience actually lives up to the hype. It doesn’t feel like a traditional cruise in a lot of ways, and that’s very much by design. From the atmosphere to the dining to the overall vibe onboard, Virgin Voyages simply does things differently. And in our opinion, it works.
That take comes from several days of firsthand experience. In March 2026, three members of the AwardWallet team had the opportunity to sail on the Virgin Voyages Red Hot Sailing Club voyage out of Miami aboard its newest ship, Brilliant Lady.
The experience was, fittingly, brilliant. To give you a sense of why, here are seven things we loved about the experience and why, after the fact, it’s hard to imagine cruising with anyone else.
Brilliant Lady Is Thoughtfully Designed
Let’s start with the ship itself, Brilliant Lady. This is Virgin Voyages’ fourth and newest ship. And while it’s technically the smallest of the four, as Virgin likes to say, they “put it on a diet” so it could fit through the Panama Canal, its smaller size doesn’t take anything away from the experience.
Brilliant Lady is thoughtfully designed, and one thing that stood out right away was how close you are to everything at any given time. In the public areas especially, you’re always within a short walk of a glitzy bar, a spot to grab a coffee or smoothie, or somewhere to sit back and relax.
The vibe (which we’ll get into more below) speaks for itself. But the layout of the ship just worked. Even though the voyage was fully booked, there was always space to move around and unwind without feeling crowded, and always in settings that felt elevated and intentional.
And to that end, the stateroom was pretty special, too. The best feature was the hammock on the balcony. I spent more hours than I’d like to admit relaxing in it, watching Caribbean sunsets and our sailaways from the different ports of call.
Related: Virgin Voyages Sailing Club: Guide to Status Tiers, Benefits, and How to Earn Points While Cruising
An Unmatched Boutique Hotel Vibe
This Virgin Voyage didn’t feel like a massive, impersonal cruise ship, it felt more like checking into a boutique hotel with a distinct personality. There’s a sense of style and intention in every space, from the design to the music to the overall energy, that makes it feel elevated but still fun.
Instead of blending into a generic experience, it felt like I was stepping into something curated and a little bit indulgent. By the second day, it wasn’t about being on a cruise at all, instead it felt like I was just living somewhere cool for a week, and that feeling continued on to the very end.
And by the end of the trip, I found myself thinking that I could extend the voyage another week.
When you check into a boutique hotel, the check in agent is also an expert on the city and places to go. The restaurant feels like it’s got a vibe you’d want to spend time in. It might even have a chill spot during the day that opens up to a cool night club at night. That’s exactly what this ship was like.
When you’d talk to your wait staff, they’d tell you all about their home towns and countries. When I danced until 2 AM at the Manor, the next morning there was an 80’s workout. I took in a chill concert at the base of the roundabout which, the next morning, became the main artery for getting throughout all the ship’s social spaces.
Every restaurant and space has been curated with design and uniqueness at the forefront. Each of the ship’s restaurants was designed to feel a bit glamorous and a bit relaxed, not an easy feat to pull off. You can go from having a multiple course Michelin star inspired dinner to having a slice of pizza the next.
Those same spaces are designed for hanging out during all hours of the day, and even though the ship holds over 2,000 people, not a single piece of furniture had worn out corners or torn fabric. Everything was well maintained and taken care of on the daily.
Unique and Unexpected Entertainment
I went in expecting a stereotypical cruise setup — fixed showtimes, big productions, everything mapped out in advance — but that’s not really how it played out. Some of the best moments were things I just kind of stumbled into: a performance I wasn’t planning on, a space that suddenly came alive, something happening that didn’t feel overly programmed.
It felt less like following a schedule and more like just wandering into whatever looked interesting. Instead of planning my nights around shows, I mostly just let the night unfold — and somehow that ended up being more memorable than anything I could’ve booked ahead of time.
I remember the first night I didn’t want to go to the electric party because I didn’t think I was ready for an intense nightclub “thumpy thumpy” vibe. When I showed up, I found a mix of all ages and genders, all just kinda vibing out to themselves and with their friends. I ran into people I met that morning at the pool and we ended up dancing together for an hour. It was exactly what I needed.
The last full day at sea the show that was going on at the Red Room was the same one that I saw on day two, but there was a concert going on at the roundabout, I just headed down to Deck 6 and checked it out. I hung out in the back with a Negroni and after about 45 minutes I headed out. It was exactly the right amount of social vibe that I needed before heading to bed.
Food and Coffee That Were Above Par
One of the many things that had previously turned me off from pursuing any cruises was the idea that food was going to be generally a let down. Most of our acquaintances and clients on our travel agency had mentioned two things I do not care for in life: making lines in a buffet and eating what I can best describe as slop.
I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that’s not the Virgin way.
There are multiple restaurants onboard with very distinct vibes and menus, making it easy to alternate when you’re eating at any point. Even if you return to the same venue, the menu is varied enough that you wouldn’t necessarily have to repeat any dishes unless you truly wanted to. For lunch, you can choose a sit-down restaurant or head to The Galley, which is a kind of food court offering from grab-and-go items to prepared to order dishes. This is also where I could refill my reusable tumbler with all the soft drinks my heart desired — another plus for the no nickel-and-diming team.
As an unexpected plus, this helped me a ton with moderating my food intake while trying to stay in shape. Many of the restaurants were happy to serve half-portions of their dishes, which further helped me feel good about my choices as well as minimizing food waste, which I’m all about.
The best thing? While sit-down dinners can be scheduled through the Virgin Voyages app, you certainly do not have to, as they hold some tables at all venues for walk-ins. When we did that, we didn’t have to wait more than 15-20 minutes, and when we were just walking in for dessert alone, we didn’t have to wait at all, as most restaurants have a separate area for quick dining.
I do enjoy good coffee as much as I enjoy eating quality meals, and the specialty coffee on Virgin Voyages did not disappoint. I’m not a fan of drip, but I do appreciate that, just like with all dining options onboard, it’s included with your fare.
All coffee on Virgin is from Chicago-based roaster Intelligentsia, which I’d had on land many times and enjoyed so I knew I would onboard too. This felt like a great partnership with a smaller provider that can still supply great-tasting smaller batch, single origin coffees that consistently do not disappoint and make you feel like you’re not having a pre-packaged, mass-produced experience. They also use several top-of-the-range Victoria Arduino espresso machines throughout the ship so you know you’re getting a quality shot every time you order your cup of joe.
And speaking of cups, don’t forget to ask them to serve it on a ceramic cup instead of the default paper cup — a great way to enjoy the best taste of your coffee without any intrusive flavors like cardboard.
Specialty coffee is an up-charge, but it is priced fairly at same or below than what I normally pay for a latte or cappuccino in most U.S. cities, so I was absolutely happy to splurge for these drinks every morning and sometimes for a pick-me-up after lunch.
Baristas were friendly and happy to accommodate any customizations and the menu was good enough to keep changing my order every day without feeling repetitive. I also very much appreciated that there was a coffee omakase where we got to try coffee based adult beverages in the evening while enjoying a chat with a coffee connoisseur in a small-group setting, further proving that caffeination is not an afterthought in these voyages.
You Can Socialize as Much or as Little as You Want
One of my biggest concerns going in was the social side of cruising — whether it would feel forced or awkward or unavoidable. I’m not generally a high-energy social butterfly, so I need moments of downtime interspersed with the action.
On Virgin Voyages, there’s always something happening, especially at night, but it never feels like you’re being pushed into it. I found that I could ease into a drink at The Dock House with the chillest vibe, then wander into something livelier like a live music session at The Roundabout, or just call it a night without feeling like I was missing out.
That balance — having energy without the expectation that I had to partake in — ended up being a welcome surprise to me.
For all of those times where I felt like checking out and retreating to a more secluded space, I had access to Richard’s Rooftop. This is a space exclusive to where I found quieter corners to lay in the sun in one of the beach day-beds, dip in one of the hot tubs or just have a drink by the bar. While still definitely a socializing space, you can dial it up or down depending on your mood.
An Intentional Focus on Health and Wellness
I’ve been on a healthier journey in the past couple of years, and as someone who spends about half of the year in hotels, this is generally something I struggle with. Many hotels, including some you would consider fancy, barely have any space or equipment to write home about.
That was not the case on this Virgin Voyages sailing. I was even spoiled for choice when it came to choosing how I wanted to work out. From the general gym that’s split into a aerobic area (think treadmills and bicycles) and muscle building area (with weight lifting equipment), to other areas throughout the ship helping you get some exercise in.
On the top-most level you can find The Runway, which is a running and walking track around the stacks with the most gorgeous views. On the outdoor decks, you’ll find The Sports Court, a multi-sports area where you can get some basketball or pickleball while at sea, or The Training Camp where you will find a boxing ring, a few punch bags and ropes for functional training. Beyond the equipment provided, there’s also a wide array of generally instructor-led group classes like HIIT workouts, spinning classes, yoga sessions and stretching.
A Curated List of Memorable ‘Shore Things'
An equally important part of any cruise is your experience off the ship. And even though I’d personally visited a handful of the ports Brilliant Lady stopped at on this voyage, something I really appreciated was the range of “Shore Things,” Virgin Voyages’ term for excursions.
The options at each port, which you can browse and book in the Virgin Voyages app, were generally fairly priced. A lot of the more adventure-focused Shore Things also felt more unique than what I’ve seen on other cruise lines. For example, I had the opportunity to hike Mount Liamuiga in St. Kitts, which ended up being one of the most memorable excursions I’ve ever done. I also appreciated that it was sanctioned by Virgin Voyages, so if anything had gone wrong, the ship wouldn’t have left without me.
Beyond the more adventure-focused options, there were plenty of ways to relax as well, including beach days, food experiences, ziplining, and more. There was no shortage of options, and everything was easy to browse and book in the app.
Was every Shore Thing perfect? No. Jon and Ben weren’t too impressed with a food tour they did in the Dominican Republic, but Virgin Voyages acted quickly to make it right. And that, more than anything, was noticeable.
The vast majority of crew members genuinely seemed to want to go above and beyond to make the experience as good as possible. That was pretty special.
Final Thoughts
To distill the Virgin Voyages experience into a single word, it’d be “brilliant.”
Before hopping onboard, only one of us (Tyler) had any experience at sea, and he’s cruised several times. The other two of us (Jon and Ben) had never sailed at all. But by the end of the voyage, all of us walked away finding it hard to imagine cruising with anyone else. The memories we made will last a lifetime. Really, the experience was just that good.
Plus, there are a lot of brand synergies between Virgin Voyages, Virgin Hotels, and Virgin Atlantic. If you’ve stayed with the hotel brand or flown the airline and loved it, there’s a good chance you’ll find a lot to like at sea, too.
Is it for everyone? No. But if you haven’t tried it, it’s absolutely worth seeing if it’s for you. At least, that’s our take. And we’ve each already got our sights set on future voyages.
Read more:
- Booking Virgin Voyages With Points: How to Book, Current Availability, and If They’re Worth the Splurge
- Virgin Voyages Announces Four-Ship Meetup at Sea — Here’s When This Nautical Event Is Happening
- Virgin Voyages Announces Two Loyalty-Focused Red Hot Sailing Club Voyages for 2027
Page Contents
