What to Expect on Virgin Voyages’ New Ship Brilliant Lady

After nearly two years of delays, Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady debuted last week in New York City, bringing with it all of the fun, flair, and resort-chic rockstar vibes your clients have come to expect from the first three ships in the fleet. Following the vessel’s first official revenue sailing, it’s clear that, because the ship was completed a bit later than expected, the line had time to make a few tweaks, largely based on cruiser feedback and the new destinations where the ship will sail.

Fans of the line’s unpredictable predictability don’t have to worry, though: most of the changes are barely noticeable. They’re designed to address passenger pain points, whether it’s replacing a less-popular restaurant concept with another or adding variety to entertainment so frequent cruisers have something different to enjoy.

From small adjustments to big enhancements, here are the changes you can expect on this fun new ship.

Rojo at Razzle Dazzle

Virgin has replaced Razzle Dazzle on Brilliant Lady with a new restaurant, Rojo at Razzle Dazzle. It’s a fresh take on Spanish tapas, and it doesn’t disappoint.

Dishes include mouthwatering ham croquettes, oxtail with onion and cheese on crostini, beef tartare, and olive confit octopus as starters. Among the mains are baby back pork ribs, grilled ribeye, and arctic char. In a nod to the original Razzle Dazzle concept, the menu also includes a few vegetarian and vegan options like roasted cauliflower, roasted butternut squash, and fingerling potatoes.

Whatever you do, don’t miss dessert, which features options like rice pudding, flan (made with ricotta cheese, so it’s more like cheesecake in consistency), and some of the most phenomenal churros you’ll ever taste.

It’s free to dine in at Rojo, but there are upcharge options, including a $70 Maine lobster paella and a $35 “Sip & Savor” package that pairs several dishes from the menu with three drinks.

The decor is more relaxing, too. The venue has traded in Razzle Dazzle’s original bright red with black-and-white stripes for more subdued tans, browns, and burnt reds.

Brilliant Lady’s New Menu Items

Rojo’s menu isn’t the only new one onboard. Although Korean barbecue restaurant Gunbae and Italian eatery Extra Virgin have reprised their roles on Brilliant Lady, they both feature new menu items.

Gunbae

At Gunbae, some of the original menu items – seafood and scallion pancakes, crispy chicken, and several of the barbecue grill combos – remain, but most of the offerings are new. Examples are kimchi pancakes, tofu stew, and ribeye with onions. The “Treat Yourself” option has changed from $45 Wagyu beef to $75 pork butt with oysters and caviar, and there is now a $35 “Sip & Savor” menu that includes three alcoholic drinks paired with three food courses. The drink menu has also been refreshed. (Don’t worry: the K-Pop Disco Water is still available in its signature disco ball cup.)  

Extra Virgin

As for Extra Virgin, the menu indicates new items – ones only available on Brilliant Lady – in gold type. Returning favorites include smoked chicken liver mousse, braised mini-meatballs, eggplant parmesan, braised pork cheek, and seafood and beef Bolognese pastas. Some of the new items include faro soup, calamari, tuna, chicken cacciatore, and roasted monkfish, as well as mushroom fettuccini and pasta stuffed with braised lamb. Upcharge items consist of 90-day aged steak Florentine, ravioli with truffle, and a “Sip & Savor” package including three drinks.

New Shows and Parties on Brilliant Lady

Entertainment has long been one of Virgin Voyages’ strongest selling points, and that continues to be the case on Brilliant Lady.

Richard Kilman, Virgin Voyages’ vice president of entertainment, said during a tour of the ship’s theater spaces that the goal is to retain a sense of familiarity by bringing back shows everyone loves but also create enough that’s different from ship to ship so that frequent cruisers won’t be bored.

With that in mind, returning shows include Duel Reality, an acrobatic take on the story of “Romeo and Juliet”; Festival Stage’s rotating acts, which include magicians, comedians, and musicians; and Virgin Voyages’ popular pajama party and Disco Circus party.

Scarlet Night also makes a return, featuring seafaring lore, surprise performances by the onboard cast and pop-up activations, followed by a massive dance party where everyone wears red. This time, though, there’s a plan for hosting the event entirely indoors if the chilly, rainy Alaska weather makes it impossible to do in its usual pool deck location.

Murder in the Manor

This show is a don’t-miss for anyone sailing Brilliant Lady. In what feels like a blend of “Stranger Things,” Disney’s Haunted Mansion, and the Clue board game, the sister of a murdered pop star tries to figure out which member of the singer’s entourage is the culprit. Amid the whodunit, singers, dancers, acrobats, and sword-swallowers perform to a series of mashups that include songs from Kate Bush, Brittney Spears, Toni Basil, and other pop icons.

Up With a Twist

Yes, this is entertainment, but it could also fall under dining since it’s a dinner theater show. It’s the only for-fee dining option on the entire vessel, and it’s absolutely worth the $50 per-person price tag. Your clients will enjoy a welcome drink as they order from a French-inspired menu with several courses, each accompanied by its own cocktail. Then they’ll watch as employees perform for a chance to take over Lady Valentina’s Emporium of Excess when she announces she’s moving to Nepal to raise alpacas. Waiters clear tables and serve food so unobtrusively that it doesn’t interrupt the show, which feels like 1880s burlesque meets 1980s rock concert.

Out of Time

In this comedy musical, Dr. Vortex’s time machine hits a snag when her evil assistant sabotages it, sending her to a series of time periods she wasn’t expecting. A cast of singers and dancers in colorful, elaborate costumes make this a show you’ll want to add to your schedule.

Electric

New to the fleet with Brilliant Lady, this rave-style dance party features a DJ backed by a screen showing neon digital images and a slew of Slinkies dangling overhead. Expect a dance floor jam-packed with passengers in bright clothing and light-up accessories who dance late into the night to music that will have millennials reliving their junior high school dance glory days. Oddly, on our sailing, the DJ chose to spin several line dances (think “Macarena,” “Cupid Shuffle,” “Electric Slide” and “Apache (Jump on It)”) all in a row. With the number of people on the floor, there wasn’t enough room for any of them to be done properly. About 45 minutes into the event, the ship’s dancers appear with light-up umbrellas as part of a glowing jellyfish parade.

Duets

This performance, featuring members of the ship’s vocal cast and a live band, focuses on just what its name suggests – duets. The crooners will belt out live versions of popular two-person songs like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye and Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe.”

Diva Goes West

When Virgin Voyages was developing entertainment for Brilliant Lady, Kilman said he realized the line had never offered a country music-themed show. Enter “Diva Goes West,” a combination of country western music and comedy performed by the ship’s resident drag queen (also known as “The Diva”). On-brand song selections naturally include Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” and “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” by Big & Rich.

Red Hot

This show won’t be up and running until October, but when it’s ready, it will tell the story of the Virgin brand’s legacy through song-and-dance performances.

Brilliant Lady’s Better Views

The Athletic Club – the outdoor area all the way forward on Deck 16, near the ship’s fitness centers – also had a minor facelift. On Virgin’s other ships, the large U-shaped banquette of cushioned seating at the very front of the vessel faces inward instead of outward for views. Additionally, the backs of the seats had cushions that blocked the view for anyone who did try to turn around.  

Frank Weber, Virgin Voyages’ senior vice president of fleet operations, said during the tour that cruiser feedback called out the problem, so the line fixed it – a change that will be especially welcome when the ship heads to Alaska in May of 2026.

Brilliant Lady’s Larger Pool

Since the line’s first ship, Scarlet Lady, passengers have noted the small sizes of the onboard pools. To address the problem, Virgin expanded the main Aquatic Club Pool by six feet, offering more pool space but keeping the lip of the pool the same size so it can still hold the blue and purple daybeds that have become standard across the fleet.

Additionally, poolside seating was adjusted to remove tables and chairs. Sun loungers have replaced them, offering more seating for cruisers wishing to catch some rays.

Atrium Adjustments

The Roundabout, the ship’s main atrium and thoroughfare, has been slightly reimagined with additional seating areas in anticipation of the chillier weather in Alaska. It also houses a larger iteration of the Draught Haus than is on previous ships. What was formerly a beer outpost now serves as a secondary coffee venue for when the line at the nearby Grounds Club, the ship’s main cafe, is too long. (Grounds Club Too still appears in The Galley food court, as well.)

The permanent DJ booth has also been removed in favor of a modular setup and a giant digital screen that allow more versatility in the space. The Virgin Vinyl record sales area, which proved to be less popular than originally anticipated, has also been removed; passengers can now purchase a small selection of records from the ship’s main logo shop one deck below.

A Slimmer Build

To allow for the potential of a wider variety of itineraries, Brilliant Lady’s balconies – or terraces, as Virgin Voyages calls them – have been slightly reduced in size, and the vessel’s life boats have been built in such a way that they can retract. Both of these changes are to allow the ship to pass through the Panama Canal when it relocates from Miami to Los Angeles in 2026.

Bottom Line

Brilliant Lady is just as fun, energetic, and rockstar-chic as its older fleetmates, but with the changes Virgin Voyages implemented based on customer feedback, the product is now better than ever. From the ship’s familiar layout, dining options, and cabins to its new shows and activations, the ship is equally as great for your clients who love predictability and those who crave fresh new entertainment and cuisine.