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Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady vs Princess Cruises Sky Princess
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 newer than the Sky Princess, which was built in 2019. This ship is the second ship to sail under the Sky Princess name.
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. Compared to the Princess Cruises Sky Princess, the Resilient Lady is 22% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady holds 26% fewer passengers than the Sky Princess 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 Sky Princess. 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.
| Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady | Princess Cruises Sky Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Lady | Royal |
| Gross Tonnage | 110,000 | 141,000 |
| Length | 912 | 1,083 |
| Beam/Width | 125 | 126 |
| Passenger Decks | 13 | 19 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,700 | 3,660 |
| Crew | 1,150 | 1,346 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.7 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 39 |
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 Pizza Place, and Sun Club Cafe. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare.
The Sky Princess has two more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are International Cafe, The Catch by Rudi, and World Fresh Marketplace. ten of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Sky Princess might be a better choice. It has 17% 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 Sky Princess. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady | Princess Cruises Sky Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 12 | 14 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 12 | 10 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 0 | 9 |
| % of Included Options | 100% | 36% |
| See the options | See the options |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Resilient Lady and the Sky Princess 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.
Princess Cruises Sky Princess has more pools than the Resilient Lady and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Sky Princess. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
| Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady | Princess Cruises Sky Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | ||
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 9 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | ||
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 | 1 |
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 Sky Princess, 77% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady | Princess Cruises Sky Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Acrobatic Show | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adults-only area (additional fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adults-only area (no extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Afternoon Tea | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Art Auctions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Group Fitness | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Private Karaoke Rooms | ✓ | ✗ |
| Salon | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sports Court | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tattoo Studio | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Virgin Voyages and Princess Cruises are both considered "Premium" cruise lines. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 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. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady will likely be more expensive than on Princess Cruises Sky Princess.
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 | Princess Cruises Sky Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | Included | $17.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | Included | 18% |
| Soda Price | Included | $2.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.00 See drink menus | $6.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | No drink package available | $77 -$100 |
| Internet Plan | Basic Wi-fi is included. Premium is $30/day and Work from Sea is $50/day. | $24.99 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Princess Cruises offers two packages to bundle onboard expenses. The Princess Plus package includes daily gratuities, the basic beverage package, 2 fitness classes, 2 casual dining meals, and internet for $60 per day per guest. The Princess Premier package upgrades to the premiere beverage package, wifi for up to 4 devices per guest, two specialty dining meals, unlimited casual dining meals, unlimited fitness classes, and a photo package for $80 per guest per day.
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