The Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady turned a lifelong cruise sceptic into a convert on a seven-night itinerary sailing from Rome to Barcelona, with the ship’s scale, calm, and inclusive offering defying almost every expectation held before boarding.
What the Ship Actually Offers
Writer Justine Lee had spent years dreading the prospect of being stranded in open water, and motion sickness on smaller ferries had compounded her anxiety. On the Valiant Lady, she never felt the ship move. She reports sleeping better than on any previous trip.
The ship has good reason to feel steady. Virgin Voyages describes the Valiant Lady as measuring 278 metres (912 ft) in length with a gross tonnage of 110,000 GT, carrying up to 2,770 passengers across 17 decks. Two 16,000 kW ABB Azipod propulsion units push her to a service speed of 20 knots, with 1,160 crew members on board.
The ship was built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri at its Sestri Ponente yard, ordered in October 2016, floated out in May 2020, and delivered to Virgin Voyages on 1 July 2021. Her maiden voyage departed Portsmouth on 18 March 2022, according to a Virgin Voyages press release.
Virgin Voyages, founded by Sir Richard Branson and positioned as an adults-only line inspired by superyacht design, markets itself as a boutique hotel at sea. Lee had worried the adult-only format would mean unrelenting nightlife. In practice, she found the Valiant Lady offered both: drag queen shows and a casino for those who wanted them, and spin classes, a sunset meditation session, a manicure, and an arts-and-crafts workshop for those who did not.
The inclusive package adds to the appeal. Virgin Voyages states that its standard included offering covers all dining across more than 20 eateries, Wi-Fi, soft drinks and water, fitness classes, and entertainment, representing over $1,000 in value per sailing.
From Motion Sickness to Mediterranean Ports: the Valiant Lady Experience
Dining was a particular revelation. Lee and her mother had packed emergency instant ramen, fearing the food would disappoint. They disembarked without touching it.
Virgin Voyages operates over 20 eateries, all made-to-order and included in the cruise fare, with no traditional buffet; The Galley provides a food-hall alternative with freshly prepared dishes. Lee’s highlights included Ariya, a modern Indian restaurant added during the ship’s most recent dry dock refit, and The Wake, which served surf-and-turf dishes such as steak and lobster. A Greek-style bar ran happy hours and an ice cream shop offered flavours including rum raisin, chocolate hazelnut, and malted strawberry milkshake.
Ariya’s arrival is part of a broader refresh. A Virgin Voyages press release dated 1 June 2026 confirmed that the Valiant Lady emerged from dry dock with new dining venues, redesigned spaces, and more than 20 new Happenings, with all 1,300+ crew members completing a ‘Virgin Way’ culture training programme.
Port time proved more generous than Lee had anticipated. On the Amalfi Coast, she and her mother joined a full-day beach excursion. In Cannes, they visited Nice and Monaco. Ibiza offered solo exploration at their own pace. The fear that docked hours would be too short to be worthwhile did not materialise.
Missing the ship’s departure had been Lee’s largest fear before sailing. The Valiant Lady’s protocols eased it: shuttle buses, marked signs at checkpoints, crew members in branded shirts, and the Virgin Voyages app, which updated boarding times in real time, all pointed passengers back to the gangway. She made every departure.
Navigation inside the ship was the one area where the experience lived up to her anxieties. She got lost almost every day across the 17 decks. The saving grace, she writes, was that a crew member was always close enough to redirect her, and would often walk her directly to her destination rather than simply pointing the way.
For Lee, the cumulative effect of a week aboard reset her baseline entirely: by disembarkation, the anxiety that had preceded the trip had been replaced by something closer to reluctance to leave. The question for other cruise sceptics considering the Valiant Lady is whether her next Mediterranean season fills the remaining berths before they decide.