I recently toured the Brilliant Lady while it was making its way up the West Coast ahead of its Alaska season, and my biggest takeaway was pretty immediate: Virgin Voyages knows exactly what kind of cruise line it wants to be.

Virgin Voyages launched in 2021 as Richard Branson’s adults-only cruise line, built around the idea that cruising could feel a lot less traditional. The line currently operates four ships: Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady, Resilient Lady, and now Brilliant Lady, the newest addition to the fleet. Virgin typically sails the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Europe, and tends to attract a younger, more social crowd than many traditional cruise lines. That said, the vibe onboard isn’t really “spring break at sea.” It feels more like a boutique hotel crowd: couples, friend groups, food-focused travelers, wellness people, and a lot of travelers who previously swore they’d never go on a cruise.

The Brilliant Lady is especially notable because it’s the only ship in Virgin’s fleet that can fit through the Panama Canal, which makes it their West Coast ship. Right now it’s essentially doing a repositioning tour up the coast before beginning Alaska sailings out of Seattle for the summer. After Alaska season wraps up, it’ll head south for Mexican Riviera itineraries.

The ship itself is very clearly brand new. Everything still has that crisp, untouched feel to it. The design is bold without crossing into tacky, which honestly feels like a difficult balance to pull off when your brand color is aggressively red. There’s mood lighting everywhere, modern furniture, music constantly playing, and a general atmosphere that feels more like a trendy hotel than a cruise ship.

But the thing that stood out most to me was the staff. Not in the fake “cruise ship customer service voice” kind of way either. The crew felt genuinely warm, fun, energetic, and relaxed. People joked with guests. Conversations felt natural. The energy onboard felt much less transactional than what you sometimes experience on traditional cruise lines.

The dining is probably the biggest thing that separates Virgin from other cruise experiences. There’s no giant formal dining hall. No assigned dinner times. Instead of a buffet, there’s a food court marketplace with made to order quick food. Instead, the ship is built around individual restaurant concepts, and almost all of them are included in your fare.

More importantly, they actually feel different from each other.

Virgin designed the restaurants with separate kitchens, so it doesn’t have that feeling some cruise ships get where it’s basically the same ingredients wearing different costumes depending on the restaurant theme.

A few of the restaurants onboard:

The Wake
A steak and seafood restaurant with a dramatic dining room overlooking the back of the ship. This is where you go when you want martini energy.

Extra Virgin
Italian-inspired and very pasta-focused. Handmade pasta, solid olive oil, simple dishes done well.

Gunbae
Korean BBQ with communal seating and drinking games. This restaurant alone tells you a lot about Virgin’s personality as a cruise line.

Pink Agave
Upscale Mexican-inspired restaurant with darker lighting and more lounge-like energy.

Rojo by Razzle Dazzle
By day, a brunch spot with a Spanish twist, by night offers tapas, pintxos, and larger plates inspired by Spain’s culinary regions.

The Test Kitchen
Easily my favorite concept onboard. The space looks like a minimalist cooking lab, and the menu rotates every few nights. It’s tasting-menu style with optional wine, cocktail, or mocktail pairings. The whole experience feels experimental in a fun way instead of a pretentious way.

And unlike many cruise lines, most of this is included. The only notable upcharges are specialty items like the Tomahawk steak or seafood tower.

One thing that surprised me was the pool setup. There’s basically one main pool.

On paper, that sounds wildly insufficient for a cruise ship. But because there are no kids onboard, it somehow works completely fine. You don’t get the same overcrowded chaos that happens on family-oriented ships where every pool becomes packed the second the weather hits 80 degrees.

Instead, Virgin spread smaller hot tubs all over the ship, which honestly creates a much better atmosphere anyway. The ship feels designed around lounging and socializing rather than maximizing water slide capacity.

*Love it or hate it, word play is rampant with Virgin Voyages.*

The entire experience feels intentionally built around this idea of “third spaces,” places where people naturally gather, linger, talk, drink, read, play games, or meet new people.

That’s also why I think Virgin works for a wider range of travelers than people assume. Yes, extroverts will thrive here. There are parties, performances, bars, DJs, and lots of social energy. But there are also wellness classes, workout spaces, quieter lounges, sports courts, board game rooms, and plenty of places to disappear if you need a break from humanity for a while. It actually feels well-designed for couples where one person wants to socialize constantly and the other absolutely does not.

And yes, the balcony hammocks deserve the hype. People are borderline obsessed with them, to the point that Virgin apparently created demand issues for the hammock manufacturer because passengers kept trying to buy them for home use after sailing.

The cabins overall felt fairly spacious and thoughtfully designed too. Modern without feeling cold.

One other interesting thing about Virgin: you can actually get married onboard, which fits the brand pretty perfectly. The ship feels built for celebrations, group trips, milestone birthdays, bachelor and bachelorette groups, anniversaries, or just adults wanting a vacation that feels more social and design-forward than the typical cruise experience.

At the end of the tour, my overall impression was that Virgin Voyages understands something a lot of cruise lines still don’t fully get: many modern travelers want flexibility more than formality.

You can make the experience wellness-focused, food-focused, nightlife-focused, or completely low-key depending on your personality.

And the Brilliant Lady feels especially well-positioned for the West Coast crowd that maybe always felt a little cruise-skeptical to begin with.

If you want to learn more about Virgin Voyages, or you would like to know the benefits of working with a travel advisor for your cruise bookings, reach out below!

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