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Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady vs Carnival Encounter
The Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady is a fairly new ship, being built in 2023. This is an adults-only ship; all guests must be 18 or older. It's 21 years newer than the Encounter, which was built in 2002 and renovated in 2025. The Carnival Encounter is a rebranded ship, previously sailing as Star Princess with Princess Cruises and the Pacific Encounter for P&O Australia. It has been brought into the Carnival family and they added things like the HUB app and Camp Ocean, but it missing several key Carnival elements. For example, they charge for pizza outside of lunch hours and there is no complimentary soft serve ice cream or burgers.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Resilient Lady is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 912 feet long and 125 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.5 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 13-story building. It's about the same size as the Carnival Encounter.
Number of Passengers
Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady holds about the same number of passengers as the Encounter based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Resilient Lady has the same amount of space per person as the Encounter.
| Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady | Carnival Encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Lady | Adventure |
| Gross Tonnage | 110,000 | 108,865 |
| Length | 912 | 951 |
| Beam/Width | 125 | 118 |
| Passenger Decks | 13 | 14 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,700 | 2,636 |
| Crew | 1,150 | 1,100 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 41 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Resilient Lady has twelve different dining options like Lick Me Til Ice Cream, The Dock / The Dock House, and The Galley. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare.
The Encounter has two fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Waterfront Restaurant, Dragon Lady, and Angelo's. six of these restaurants are complementary and the other five have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Resilient Lady might be a better choice. It has 20% more dining options than the Encounter.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Resilient Lady might be a better choice then the Encounter. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady | Carnival Encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 12 | 10 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 12 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 0 | 5 |
| % of Included Options | 100% | 50% |
| See the options | See the options |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Resilient Lady serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. The Encounter serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Resilient Lady and the Encounter below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady has a total of 2 pools and 6 hot tubs. 2 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.
Carnival Encounter has more pools than the Resilient Lady and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Encounter. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
| Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady | Carnival Encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 8 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | ||
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 | 2 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Resilient Lady. Only 55% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Encounter, 60% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady | Carnival Encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Acrobatic Show | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✗ | ✓ |
| Edge Adventure Park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Group Fitness | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Private Karaoke Rooms | ✓ | ✗ |
| Salon | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tattoo Studio | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Virgin Voyages is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.
Carnival, on the other hand, is considered a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. To get a good idea of how the pricing compares, visit the cruise line's website to price out the separate cruises or consult a travel professional.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady | Carnival Encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | Included | $16.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | Included | 18% |
| Soda Price | Included | $3.00 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.00 See drink menus | $8.75 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | No drink package available | $83 - $88 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | Basic Wi-fi is included. Premium is $30/day and Work from Sea is $50/day. | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
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