Brilliant Lady: Tearing Up the Rule Book on Cruising

First impressions: she is so modern

This was my second time on a Virgin Voyages ship. I had been on Scarlet Lady back in February 2020, but that feels like a lifetime ago, so I was not really comparing the two.

What I did notice, almost the second I stepped onboard, was how modern Brilliant Lady felt.

We walked straight into The Roundabout which, on most other cruise lines, you would probably call the atrium.

But “atrium” is obviously far too boring for Virgin.

That is something you spot very quickly: Virgin has very deliberately stepped away from traditional cruise language.

You are not passengers, you are Sailors. Onboard credit becomes Sailor Loot or a Bar Tab. Reception is Sailor Services. And your room is a cabin, not a stateroom – which makes me smile, because in the UK we usually say “cabin” anyway; it is mainly the American brands that use “stateroom”.

I actually quite like it. It reinforces the fact that Virgin is not trying to be a traditional cruise line at all.

The Roundabout really does feel like the heart of the ship. It is bright, open, very contemporary, and there is always something happening around you. The circular white staircase between decks is one of those places where everyone stops for a photo.

And yes, I was one of them.

The furniture and décor have a lovely mix of textures and styles: rich velvet seats, light woods, little tucked‑away seating areas, different flooring that almost guides you round corners. It feels more like a collection of very stylish bars, lounges and social spaces than a “big cruise ship” carved into zones.

Coffee and cake? Obviously

Our first stop was The Grounds Club.

Coffee and cake. I mean… I was hardly going to say no, was I?

It was pretty much where everyone headed as soon as they boarded, and I could see why. It has more of a grab‑and‑go feel than somewhere you would sit for hours, but it does exactly what you want it to.

I grabbed a latte and a slice of cake in a takeaway cup, and off we went to explore.

And yes, by this point, I was already enjoying myself.

Brunch at The Wake

We had pre‑booked brunch at The Wake, and this was probably the restaurant that impressed me most visually.

You check in on deck 7, then walk down a sweeping staircase into the main restaurant. As you come down the stairs you are met with floor‑to‑ceiling windows looking out over the wake of the ship.

It is beautiful.

The overall look has an Art Deco feel, with gold, cream and teak tones, and of all the restaurants onboard this was probably the one that felt most familiar to me as a traditional cruiser.

Our table of eight was relaxed and chatty, and of course the conversation turned to the ship and what everyone had discovered so far. Between us, we managed to try a good chunk of the menu.

I had the clam chowder, the soft‑shell crab Benedict and shared the brioche French toast.

The soft‑shell crab Benedict was my favourite. The French toast was… definitely one to share. Delicious, but you probably do not need a whole portion to yourself unless you are in training for something.

Food, glorious food

One theme that kept popping up throughout the day was the food.

It is clearly something people rave about once they have sailed with Virgin Voyages, and I can see why.

We dipped into different spots around the ship, including The Dock, which was busy, sunny and serving excellent prawns. But one of my favourite moments was actually much quieter.

I spent some time in The Dock House while everyone else was out by the pool. It was calm, pretty and comfortable, and I could just sit with a drink and watch the world go by.

That, for me, summed up something I really liked about Brilliant Lady. There are plenty of places to be in the middle of the action if you want to be, but there are also plenty of corners where you can sit down, exhale and do absolutely nothing.

That works very well for me.

Every venue with its own personality

Later that evening, we had dinner at Extra Virgin, Virgin Voyages’ regional Italian trattoria.

We went as a big group and ordered a ridiculous amount of food so we could all try different dishes. The restaurant was buzzing, the staff were fabulous and genuinely warm, and they took time to talk us through the menu properly.

The food absolutely lived up to expectations.

What really struck me, though, was how each restaurant and bar felt like it had its own personality. They did not feel like variations on the same theme. They felt like individual places you might choose to visit on a night out in a city: all different, all with their own mood.

I liked that a lot.

Then the ship really came alive

After dinner, the whole atmosphere onboard shifted.

You could wander one way and find yourself right in the heart of the action; walk another way and you would find a quieter spot for a drink and some people‑watching.

We headed to On The Rocks, where there was live music and more than one band playing across the evening. The drinks were flowing, the musicians were encouraging people to get involved and the atmosphere was fantastic.

It was lively without feeling like you had to join in if you were not in the mood.

That became a bit of a theme for me: you can make Brilliant Lady whatever you want her to be. Full‑on social, low‑key and chilled, or a bit of both depending on the night.

 

A show with a difference

We also watched one of the shows in the Red Room, which I really enjoyed.

I loved the production, the music, the humour and the fact that it did not take itself too seriously.

It felt more like a traditional West End‑style show than Duel Reality, the show I had seen previously on Scarlet Lady. Now, I know lots of people absolutely love Duel Reality, but I am not a huge Cirque‑style show fan. Give me good music, some jokes and a slightly silly storyline and I am happy.

The Red Room itself is another example of how Virgin likes to do things differently. It can be transformed depending on the production, rather than always looking like the same theatre with different shows. There is something quite fun about not really knowing what the space will feel like until you get there.

 

And yes… I went to The Manor

Of course we had to have a look at The Manor.

When we went in, it was absolutely packed, so we could not really move and did not stay too long. But we did make sure we got a photo in the famous glitter corridor.

Well, we were there. It would have been rude not to.

The people make Virgin Voyages

One of the loveliest things about the day was bumping into people I had met before.

I saw Abi, one of the Happenings Cast, who I first met back in 2020 onboard Scarlet Lady. It is quite hard to miss Abi. She really is the hostess with the mostest.

The Happenings Cast is Virgin’s twist on the traditional cruise director model, with a team of personalities who bring the energy, entertainment and general mischief to the ship rather than one central figure.

I also met The Diva, Virgin’s resident drag queen, and The Charmer, who entertained us with some very impressive close‑up magic.

All of it added to the sense that Brilliant Lady has a personality all of her own.

 

But is Virgin Voyages just for younger people?

This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions I come across.

There is a perception that Virgin Voyages is basically an 18–30s party ship with non‑stop clubbing.

From what I experienced, that is miles off the mark.

I would describe myself as a Gen X with a love of 80s and 90s music, and I felt completely comfortable onboard.

Virgin is adults‑only, but interestingly, when you are actually there, you do not really think about the fact that there are no children around. It is not better or worse, it is just a different vibe. You simply do not have to factor children into anything you are doing.

Virgin calls it “Adult by Design”, and I think that is a good description. There are definitely shows, quizzes and events with very adult themes, so you do need to go onboard with an open mind. But that is also part of what makes Virgin… Virgin.

 

 

 

So, what did I think?

The biggest surprise of the day was how much I liked it.

I went onboard very much seeing myself as a traditional cruiser. I came away thinking:

“I need to come back and actually sail on her.”

There was something about the freedom of Brilliant Lady that really appealed to me. There was no sense that you had to do things in a particular way or at a particular time. You could eat when you wanted, wander where you fancied, sit with a drink and some live music, join in the fun… or do absolutely nothing.

And the food? That definitely gets my vote.

I can very easily imagine a girls’ trip on Brilliant Lady: good food, lovely spaces, a bit of glamour, plenty of entertainment and the freedom to do as much or as little as we feel like.

What is not to like?

 

Would I sail on Brilliant Lady?

Absolutely.

In fact, that is probably the best way to sum up my day. I arrived curious about Virgin Voyages. I left wanting to come back.

Now I just need to find someone to come with me.