Travel Advisors on What They Like About Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady

Gummy bears, drag queens, and parties galore: That’s just some of what Virgin Voyages’ new Brilliant Lady has in store for passengers. The ship debuted earlier this month as the fourth vessel for the line, bringing with it the same “be yourself” ambiance that has some advisors claiming a 90% client repeat rate.

What Brilliant Lady managed to do is bring back all of the passenger favorites – excellent entertainment, phenomenal food, chic cabins, and rockstar glam – that avid Virgin cruisers love while adding a few new elements to improve the onboard experience and give returning passengers something fresh and interesting.

On Brilliant Lady’s first revenue sailing out of New York’s Manhattan cruise terminal, TMR caught up with three of Virgin’s top travel advisors, or “first mates,” who had lots to say about what makes the ship an excellent choice for cruisers.

The Right Comfort Level

Virgin Voyages has quickly become a favorite for passengers who have been bold enough to give it a try. Since all of its ships – including Brilliant Lady – are nearly identical, repeat passengers enjoy a sense of comfort and predictability in the vessels’ layout, cabin types, dining options, and other offerings that have stayed consistent throughout.

The line was careful to retain that familiarity for its biggest fans.

“It’s slightly different, mostly the same, so it’s that comfort level you get from the other ships with a little, tiny twist of difference – just enough to pull you in,” said Sue Knebel, a California-based travel advisor with DreamFinder Travel, who has spent nearly 25 years in the industry.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few new additions to pique repeaters’ interest.

“If someone’s like ‘I love the ships; I don’t want them to ever change,’ you can be like ‘Oh yeah, you can go on this,’” added Randy Marsden, a New Yorker who’s head of cruise at Fora Travel. “And then when you have people who are like ‘I’ve been on them all; it’s fine,’ I’m like ‘No, there’s different things.’ So, you can sell both.”

But Enough That’s Different

Stemming from passenger feedback and the line’s desire to listen to it, Virgin has addressed some common issues that detracted from the cruiser experience. Brilliant Lady splashed onto the scene with new Spanish tapas-style restaurant Rojo at Razzle Dazzle, a pool that was extended by 6 feet since previous iterations were too small, the ability for Draught House to serve as coffee overflow when the nearby Grounds Club cafe is too crowded, and seating at the Athletic Club that now faces outward for sea views that are unobstructed by seat cushions.

Some of the ship’s staple restaurants, including Gunbae Korean barbecue and Italian eatery Extra Virgin, have refreshed menus. Entertainment is largely new, as well.

“I think Virgin has very cutting-edge entertainment that some people may have been uncomfortable with….” Marsden said, referring to Never Sleep Alone, a former show that debuted on Virgin’s first ship, Scarlet Lady. “Up With a Twist … I saw everyone in the crowd across a very diverse group of sailors all enjoying it for different reasons because they blended songs, they blended Broadway, dancing, food, drinks, so it was like they really ticked a lot of boxes.”

“Same thing with Murder in the Manor,” said Donna Entrichel, a New Jersey-based travel advisor with Never Grow Up Vacations. “That was fantastic. I may go see it again, it’s that good.”

Brilliant Lady’s New Destinations

In addition to switching up much of its entertainment lineup, Virgin Voyages has also added to its destination repertoire. Brilliant Lady will help the line to expand its presence to Alaska when it leaves Miami in May 2026 to offer a season of sailings to the Last Frontier from Los Angeles.

In order to reach L.A., the ship will pass through the Panama Canal. For that reason, designers tweaked the ship’s structure slightly by decreasing square footage on Sea Terrace balconies and making the lifeboats retractable.

“What I think is so amazing about that [the expansion to Alaska] is you have a lot of people that their thing is ‘I want to see Alaska,’” Knebel said. “It’s a big bucket list for a lot of people. Because we now have an option that is adults only, you don’t have the kids onboard. It’s going to be that little springboard to get those people who have been kind of on the fence over to Alaska…. It’s going to help our business and help cruisers who are looking for that option.”

‘Come as You Are’ Vibe

Despite its differences, Brilliant Lady maintains al of the cornerstones for which Virgin is known for.

There’s a lot that differentiates the line from other brands, but perhaps none is more notable than the fact that the line is intentionally kid-free. And, without kids, it means passengers are free to act a little silly themselves.

“Do you know what my favorite thing is on this ship?” Knebel asked. “It’s that not a soul on this ship is a parent when they’re on the ship. You’re here, you bring in your inner kid. You’re running to Social Club, and you see people getting hot dogs and candy and popcorn, and they’re … playing video games…. It’s your inner child, which you don’t get to be when you’re not on this ship. In the real world, you have to be an adult.”

“Those types of things make it easier to sell this product to people,” Knebel added. “Sometimes it’s hard to explain how you feel on these ships, but … you get to be you.”

“And everybody onboard accepts it,” Entrichel said. “There’s no judgement whatsoever.”

Genuine Travel Advisor Partners

With the changes Virgin has made to Brilliant Lady, it’s clear also the line takes feedback – from both passengers and travel advisors – seriously.

“[Other companies] say they’re your partner, but they’re not taking your input as much as Virgin does,” Entrichel said. “They really do take the input and work on it.”

One of the other ways in which Virgin has built a great product is by bringing on the right people. The line values diversity and embraces an inclusive vibe that welcomes everyone – from shoreside personnel and crew to passengers and travel advisors.

“There’s a lot of new cruise lines entering the market like Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons – all these luxury brands and beautiful ships,” Marsden said. “I love them, and I sell them, but at the end of the day, to me, what I think Virgin does is they bring the right people in. It’s a very diverse group of people from different places, different ages, and that magic – I know it has a lot to do with how they work with travel advisors and how they put us out there to make sure we’re targeting the right people. I’d love to see other cruise lines do that, but it’s like a secret sauce that Virgin has created.”

Other Key Things to Consider When Selling Virgin Voyages

Virgin Isn’t for Everyone — and That’s Okay

As with any cruise line, it’s key to consider your client’s needs before sending them onboard.

“A lot of people have a misconception of what Virgin is, I think,” Entrichel said. “Because it’s so different, they don’t understand what it is, so I’ll sometime say – speaking to someone that I don’t really know and know what they like – I explain what the name of the ice cream store is. I say ‘If that offends you, then I don’t think Virgin would be right for you.’ It’s that in a nutshell because if that’s going to offend you, then you might be offended by other things you see.”

It’s Nearly All-Inclusive

If you want alcohol or coffee, a spa treatment, casino play, or a dinner theater experience, you’ll pay extra, but everything else is included.

“It’s such a key selling point – there are no additional gratuities, which you have to keep adding, adding, adding…” Knebel said. “It is strictly ‘This is out product. This is what it costs, and other than if you’re drinking alcohol, this is what you’re paying for our cruise.’ …On Virgin you get onboard, and it’s like ‘I can go anywhere I want on here, and I don’t have to pay for it.’”

It’s Not About Convincing People to Switch Brands

“For me, Virgin is the way to get people who don’t cruise or don’t think they want to cruise … because it doesn’t have all those rules and things that I think make people confused,” Marsden explained. “It’s like you’re going on a floating resort. I’m always comparing it to a resort. I’m not comparing it to another cruise line because my clients have either never cruised, or they cruised when they were kids, and now it’s going to be the first cruise that they’re deciding to go on themselves.”

Bottom Line: The Ship Sells Itself

Brilliant Lady is an excellent new ship that has weighed returning and new elements to provide stellar food, entertainment, and service with the same classy, accepting rockstar twist Travel advisors and their clients know and love.

With all of that on offer, advisors don’t have to try too hard to sell sailings to repeaters.

“It’s making me … excited, and I know that my clients will want to come on here, even if they’ve been on the other ships,” Marsden said.

“I have about a 90% repeat rate…” Knebel revealed. “I’ve been doing this 25 years, and I have never seen a repeat booking rate of any other product as I do with Virgin – and we do a lot of Disney. Disney people are very loyal, and they come back, but … the rebooking rate on this cruise line is the highest of any product I’ve got.”

“Eighty percent of my clients are buying their next Virgin voyage onboard,” Marsden said. “It’s really nice to wake up in the morning to a commission e-mail…. The fact that we have that opportunity is really important.”