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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 4 years older than the Festivale, which was built in 2027. The Festivale is named after the original ship that sailed with Carnival from 1977 - 1996. It has two unique zones not found on its sister ships. Unlike the first Excel Class ships, Festivale does NOT have a BOLT roller coaster, instead it has a waterpark called "Sunsation Point." The ship will sail from Port Canaveral starting in Spring 2027.
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. Compared to the Carnival Festivale, the Resilient Lady is 40% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady holds 50% fewer passengers than the Festivale based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Resilient Lady has more space per person compared to the Festivale. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.
The Festivale uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady | Carnival Festivale | |
---|---|---|
Class | Lady | Excel |
Gross Tonnage | 110,000 | 182,800 |
Length | 912 | 1,130 |
Beam/Width | 125 | 137 |
Passenger Decks | 13 | 17 |
Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,700 | 5,400 |
Crew | 1,150 | 1,700 |
Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.6 |
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 35 |
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 Gunbae, Lick Me Til Ice Cream, and The Pizza Place. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare.
The Festivale has eleven more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Guys Pig and Anchor Smokehouse (Excel-ship), ChiBang, and Carnival Deli. nineteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Festivale might be a better choice. It has 92% more dining options than the Resilient Lady.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Resilient Lady might be a better choice then the Festivale. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady | Carnival Festivale | |
---|---|---|
Total Dining Options | 12 | 23 |
Complimentary Dining Options: | 12 | 19 |
Additional Fee Dining Options: | 0 | 9 |
% of Included Options | 100% | 61% |
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 Festivale 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 Festivale below.
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 Festivale has more pools than the Resilient Lady and more hot tubs.
Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady | Carnival Festivale | |
---|---|---|
Total Pools | 2 | 6 |
Pools - General Access | 2 | 3 |
Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
Pools - Exclusive | 2 | |
Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 7 |
Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 5 |
Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 | 0 |
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 Festivale, 65% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady | Carnival Festivale | |
---|---|---|
Acrobatic Show | ✓ | ✗ |
Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
Brewery Tour | ✗ | ✓ |
Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
Cooking Class | ✗ | ✓ |
Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✗ | ✓ |
Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
Group Fitness | ✓ | ✗ |
Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
Outdoor gym | ✗ | ✓ |
Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
Private Karaoke Rooms | ✓ | ✗ |
Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
Salon | ✓ | ✗ |
Spa | ✓ | ✗ |
Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
Tattoo Studio | ✓ | ✗ |
Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
Waterpark | ✗ | ✓ |
Learn more | Learn more |
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.
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 Festivale | |
---|---|---|
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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Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
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