A decade ago, the team at Virgin Voyages started with a ¡°blank piece of paper,¡± says Frank Weber, senior vice president of fleet operations. Rather than follow in the footsteps of long-standing cruise lines, the company wanted to break the mold and redefine the experience for modern travelers.

That innovative¡ªand slightly irreverent¡ªphilosophy is on full display with Brilliant Lady, the newest ship in the brand¡¯s fleet. The 2,762-guest vessel set sail on her ¡°MerMaiden¡± voyage from New York City on September 5, giving guests their first opportunity to see the new hardware on a five-night voyage to Bermuda.

Brilliant Lady has many of the same offerings Virgin Voyages¡¯ fans have come to know and love on sister ships Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady and Resilient Lady. But the 912-foot-long vessel also has a slate of new features, including some that have been designed with new destinations¡ªlike Alaska and the Panama Canal¡ªin mind.?

TravelPulse was onboard for Brilliant Lady¡¯s inaugural sailing. Here are some of the new and notable highlights from Virgin Voyages¡¯ fourth ship.?

Brilliant Lady (Photo Credit: Virgin Voyages)

Panamax Size

One subtle but significant difference between Brilliant Lady and the rest of the fleet is that it¡¯s ¡°Panamax size,¡± says Weber, meaning it¡¯s small enough to fit through the Panama Canal¡ªsomething Virgin Voyages¡¯ other ships cannot do.?

¡°We have a different lifeboat arrangement so our Davits can actually go all the way in,¡± says Weber.?

Travelers can take full advantage of Brilliant Lady¡¯s capabilities on a 17-night sailing from Los Angeles to Miami in October 2026, which includes a Panama Canal transit.

Brilliant Lady (Photo Credit: Virgin Voyages)

New Stateroom Category? ?

Brilliant Lady also has a brand new stateroom type: Sea Terrace (Slightly) Smaller Balcony. Located on Deck 8, these cabins have narrower-than-normal balconies to accommodate the Panama Canal lifeboat changes. As a result, these balconies have two red hammocks, instead of one hammock and a pair of chairs. But other than that, the interior is the same as a standard Sea Terrace.

A cabin on Brilliant Lady (Photo Credit: Virgin Voyages)

The Roundabout?

The Roundabout¡ªa central hub on all of Virgin¡¯s ships¡ªhas been reimagined for Brilliant Lady, in part because the vessel is slated to start sailing to Alaska next year. It¡¯s got a variety of cozy seating types, including curvy navy banquettes, burgundy chairs, ottomans, stools and other loungey options. It¡¯s also home to a revamped version of Draught Haus, which can now pull double-duty as both a coffee shop and a full bar.

Though the MerMaiden voyage took us to the sunnier climes of Bermuda, we did encounter a rainstorm one afternoon, which pushed everyone indoors for a few hours. The Roundabout was a popular hangout, with plenty of room to spread out and relax while still enjoying the views out the window.

The Roundabout on Brilliant Lady has been reimagined with Alaska in mind (Photo Credit: Sarah Kuta)

The Athletic Club

Located on deck 16 aft, the Athletic Club on Brilliant Lady still has adult-sized seesaws, a small basketball court, a boxing ring, a pair of hot tubs, a giant chess board and other oversized games. However, Virgin fans will notice a few changes to this space.

On the line¡¯s other ship¡¯s, the Athletic Club is home to the largest daybed at sea, a semicircular lounger with a backrest that¡¯s positioned so guests face inward toward the ship. But, in preparation for Brilliant Lady¡¯s sailings in Alaska, the team removed the backrest and changed the orientation so that guests on this ship face outward, says Weber.

¡°Now, when you lay there, you¡¯re looking straight out to sea,¡± he says. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a great viewing point for Alaska when we go through the Inside Passage and when we go through the glaciers.¡±

The newly revamped Athletic Club on Brilliant Lady (Photo Credit: Virgin Voyages)

Rojo by Razzle Dazzle

Virgin¡¯s newest restaurant, making its debut aboard Brilliant Lady, is Rojo by Razzle Dazzle. Offering Spanish-inspired tapas and hearty entrees, this sultry space on Deck 5 is ideal for a romantic evening or a cozy dinner among friends.

My favorite dish is the langosta de Maine paella, featuring a Maine lobster, uni aioli and charred lemon atop a buttery, slightly crispy bed of rice. It¡¯s a ¡°Treat Yourself¡± option, meaning there¡¯s an upcharge of $50, but it¡¯s worth it¡ªand large enough to split between multiple people. Other standouts include the oxtail montadito (rich braised oxtail, caramelized onions and melty Mah¨®n cheese on top of a crunchy crostini) and the pulpo a la grill (olive confit octopus, brown butter potato fondue and piment¨®n).

Other restaurants on the ship have dishes that are only available on Brilliant Lady. In Extra Virgin, for example, guests will find tasty exclusives like braised lamb girella, spaghetti alla puttanesca and fritto misto.

Rojo by Razzle Dazzle is Virgin Voyages' newest restaurant (Photo Credit: Virgin Voyages)

New Shows and Experiences

Travelers adore Virgin Voyages¡¯ robust and creative entertainment offerings¡ªand the cruise line has upped the ante yet again for Brilliant Lady. The team developed several new shows and experiences that will keep guests thoroughly entertained throughout their sailing.

Performed in the Manor, ¡°Up With a Twist¡± is the newest addition to Virgin¡¯s supper club series. Singers, dancers and a live band tell the story of Lady Valentine¡¯s search for her successor to run the ¡°Emporium of Excess.¡± Throughout the high-energy performance, guests enjoy an expertly choreographed multi-course meal with clever cocktail pairings. It¡¯s funny, it¡¯s sexy, it¡¯s delicious. My favorite line: ¡°Thank you for being such a fun and phenomenal participant in your own life.¡±

Another new offering is ¡°Murder in the Manor,¡± which Richard Kilman, vice president of entertainment, likens to as a mash-up of ¡°Scooby Doo,¡± ¡°Stranger Things¡± and ¡°Haunted Mansion.¡± Set in the 1980s, the storyline follows Jenny as she tries to figure out who killed her older sister Sheena, a famous and glamorous pop star with lots of enemies.

¡°We know murder mysteries are timeless and popular, we know true crime is a big deal,¡± he says. ¡°It¡¯s definitely a twist on a typical murder mystery.¡±

"Murder in the Manor" is one of the new shows on Brilliant Lady (Photo Credit: Sarah Kuta)

Also making its debut on Brilliant Lady is ¡°Duets,¡± which Kilman says is Virgin Voyages¡¯ first foray into jazz.

¡°What we¡¯ve done is we¡¯ve curated a list of famous duets¡ªit could be rock, it could be pop, it could be soul, it could be funk¡ªand we¡¯ve jazzified them,¡± says Kilman.

Like every other ship in the Virgin Voyages fleet, Brilliant Lady has its own resident drag queen known as the Diva. Each ship also has its own Diva show, and Brilliant Lady¡¯s version is called ¡°Diva Goes West.¡± The new offering gave the Virgin Voyages¡¯ team a chance to play with country music for the first time.

¡°We¡¯ve really expanded across many different musical genres on this ship,¡± says Kilman.

¡°Out of Time¡± is an upbeat, time-traveling journey through the decades, with the brainy and fearless Dr. Victoria Vortex in the driver¡¯s seat. Another new show, ¡°Red Hot,¡± which explores five decades of iconic hits from Virgin Records¡¯ musical catalogue, is scheduled to debut in Miami next month.?

For guests who love a good glow party, there¡¯s Electric, a festive new gathering featuring black lights, neon body paint, a jellyfish parade and a DJ spinning tracks in the Manor. Brilliant Lady is also debuting Disco Reimagined, an immersive, 90-minute party featuring acrobatics and disco tunes.

Scarlet Night

Scarlet Night is legendary on Virgin Voyages¡¯ sailings. This fan-favorite event includes activations throughout the ship¡ªfrom pop-up dance performances to games to live music¡ªall culminating with a finale performance on the pool deck. Everyone onboard wears a splash of red, and the ship gets bathed in crimson light.?

Virgin Voyages has always had an indoor version of Scarlet Night in the Red Room as a back-up in case of inclement weather. But, with Brilliant Lady heading to Alaska, the team wanted to improve the indoor version.

On Brilliant Lady¡¯s inaugural sailing, coincidentally, a thunderstorm forced Scarlet Night indoors¡ªso we got to experience the new version first-hand, even though we were sailing through warmer climes. There¡¯s a finale in the Red Room, as well as a ¡°moon party¡± in the Manor.

Scarlet Night got a glow up ahead of Brilliant Lady's sailings in Alaska (Photo Credit: Sarah Kuta)

¡°We¡¯ve done what we call the Scarlet Night glow-up,¡± says Kilman. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to capture the energy of a pool party in an indoor space, but we now have a curated party that is a great experience.¡±?

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