4 Reasons to Book Virgin Voyages’ Newest Lady Right Now

Some say, “New year, new you,” so why not “New ship, new itineraries”? If you have a client who is a fan of the kid-free Virgin Voyages brand, or even someone new to cruise, consider taking advantage of a few fantastic reasons to book them onboard one of their four Lady Ships, including the forthcoming Brilliant Lady.

The fourth ship in Virgin Voyages’ fleet, the 2,762-passenger Brilliant Lady will debut in September, and will be the very first Virgin ship to sail to Alaska when she heads to Seattle in summer 2026. Sailing a variety of seven- to 12-night voyages, Brilliant Lady will make waves (ok, pun intended) in this popular destination by bringing Virgin’s signature out-of-the-box entertainment and top-tier dining options to Alaskan waters. Not to mention, your clients can be among the very first to experience all that Brilliant Lady has to offer, sailing from the Northeast and Miami before heading out to Alaska.

The following are just a handful of other reasons to get clients excited about Brilliant Lady — and booking early.

Enticing New Itineraries

It’s been nearly four years since Virgin Voyages erupted onto the cruising scene with a flourish of their signature scarlet. With their fourth ship debuting in so many years, Virgin is able to expand their itinerary offerings with some luring new destinations and a variety of getaway lengths, from short stints to longer voyages. 

Bermuda/Canada & New England: Beginning with her “MerMaiden” voyage in September, Brilliant Lady will sail to Bermuda on a five-night inaugural, followed by sailings up to two weeks long to Canada and New England for the fall foliage in late September and October. From the utterly charming Quebec City, new ports of call will include Bar Harbor, Maine; Charleston, South Carolina; Boston; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and the Canadian province of New Brunswick.

Extended Caribbean: Come mid-October, Brilliant Lady will shimmy down to Miami for the winter, cruising a variety of extended voyages through idyllic Caribbean ports of call including the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao); Ocho Rios, Jamaica; as well as Cartagena, Colombia. The ship will also visit islands in the sun like Antigua, Grand Cayman and the Turks & Caicos, previously visited by other Virgin vessels.

Panama Canal: Showing off her newly adapted frame, Brilliant Lady is a ship that can traverse the famed Panama Canal and will do so on a special 16-night repositioning from Miami to Los Angeles in March 2026. Stops include Colombia, Costa Rica and Guatemala, including an excursion to a UNESCO World Heritage Site overlooking Guatemala’s Lake Atitlan, considered to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.

Alaska: The design of Brilliant Lady will also handle the glacial waters of Alaska, which she will visit for the first time when she departs from Seattle in May 2026. Whether it’s a week or twelve nights, Sailors will experience the majesty of the Last Frontier during the height of its wildlife viewing season. Ports of call include Ketchikan, Sitka, Icy Strait Point, Haines and Prince Rupert.

Four Convenient North American Homeports

New York: Beginning with her inaugural sailing from the Big Apple, Brilliant Lady will call Manhattan her first homeport in September 2025 before heading down to Miami for the winter. The East Coast crowd can partake in a month of departures out to Bermuda or up the coast to Canada.

Miami: The Virgin Voyages cruise experience has never been more streamlined, with access to the Port of Miami less than 10 miles from Miami International Airport; a new 40-story Virgin Hotel in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood, set to open its doors in 2026; and Terminal V, a state-of-the-art cruise terminal offering your clients 100,000 square feet of stunning space to begin their best vacation yet. Caribbean cruises will depart all winter long.

Los Angeles: Spring 2026 will be a prime time for anyone in LA to hop aboard Brilliant Lady for a series of five-, seven- and eight-night voyages featuring the West Coast and Mexico. Angelinos can escape the traffic to sunny Santa Barbara, Catalina Island and then over to Cabo and Puerto Vallarta.

Seattle: For her very first summer season, Brilliant Lady will sail from the culturally rich city of Seattle — a perfect place to spend a few nights before or after an epic Alaska adventure. West Coast Canadians will also find this homeport convenient.

New Cabin Categories

While the details of life onboard Brilliant Lady have been kept hush-hush (who doesn’t love a big reveal?), we can tell you there will be 1,404 cabins and suites and 86 percent will feature a Sea Terrace — brilliantly devised for soaking in rays and views.

Virgin has also promised additional cabin categories that will round out its already rock ‘n’ roll variety of rooms and suites, including a new type of smaller Sea Terrace cabin with balcony and two hammocks instead of one. Regardless of the size of your client’s party, Virgin still offers some of the best solo traveler accommodations, with a variety of rooms designed and priced for single cruisers. For those looking for a splurge, there is no lack of splash-out suites, like the self-explanatory Massive Suite, positioned at the front of the ship with 2,147 square feet including that of your own music room and outdoor hot tub. 

Wave Season Promotion

If your clients are squeamish about booking this far ahead, remind them about in-demand destinations like Alaska. Plus, who wouldn’t want to be part of an inaugural season like this?

If that’s not enough, they might want to take advantage of Virgin Voyages’ limited-time Wave Season promotion: When you book by January 30, 2025, each second guest to a cabin sails for 80 percent off, plus your client will qualify for a bonus Bar Tab of up to $300. Sounds like it might be the year to sail a new ship to a new place.

From the Sponsor

With exclusively adult, superyacht-inspired lady ships featuring signature red hammocks on most balconies (exclusive to our brand!) and a focus on offering nothing less than exceptional service, our unique vision has been defying Sailors expectations since we first hit the water. And now that we’ve become the first brand to sweep the entire large ship category for the 2023 Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Awards, as well as take home Condé Nast Traveler’s Best New Cruises in the World and Travel + Leisure’s #1 Best Mega Ship for 2023 and most recently again 2024. You read that right, two years in a row! Our elevated and epic itineraries are curated with adults in mind and createa place where the only youthful energy comes from Sailor’s inner-child running free. And while a lot of travel companies like to trick you with (extra) low prices in their headlines — nickel and diming Sailors later — every voyage provides over $1,000 of value which includes access to all the premium dining at our 20+ eateries with menus curated by Michelin star chefs, group fitness classes, WiFi, gratuities, award-winning entertainment, and a soda and drinks package. First Mates enjoy our Brilliant For You benefits, including 16% commission on voyage fares, plus 10% on bookables, bar tabs, and no NCFs. For more information or to sign up to be a Virgin Voyages First Mate, travel advisors can visit www.FirstMates.com.