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Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady vs Celebrity Xcite
The Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady was built in 2022. This is an adults-only ship; all guests must be 18 or older. It's 6 years older than the Xcite, which was built in 2028. The Celebrity Xcite will be largely similar to its predecessor, Xcel. It's the evolution of the Edge Class design with enhancements over the original Edge with more outdoor space, a more open central atrium, and an improved Rooftop Garden, plus 7 new spaces that debuted on the Xcel. The Xcite is still under construction and Celebrity hasn't released all the details yet.
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
- See Our Detailed Cruise Blog
Ship Size
The Valiant 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 Celebrity Xcite, the Valiant Lady is 22% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady holds 17% fewer passengers than the Xcite based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Valiant Lady has less space per person compared to the Xcite.
| Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady | Celebrity Xcite | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Lady | Edge |
| Gross Tonnage | 110,000 | 140,600 |
| Length | 912 | 1,072 |
| Beam/Width | 125 | 128 |
| Passenger Decks | 13 | 16 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,700 | 3,260 |
| Crew | 1,150 | 1,416 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 43 |
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 Valiant Lady has twelve different dining options like Pink Agave, The Test Kitchen, and The Dock / The Dock House. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare.
The Xcite has eight more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Fine Cut Steakhouse, Luminae, and Le Grand Bistro. Seven of these restaurants are complementary and the other thirteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Xcite might be a better choice. It has 67% more dining options than the Valiant Lady.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Valiant Lady might be a better choice then the Xcite. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady | Celebrity Xcite | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 12 | 20 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 12 | 7 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 0 | 13 |
| % of Included Options | 100% | 35% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady has 4 more bars than the Celebrity Xcite. The Valiant Lady has 18 bars like Draught Haus, Mezcal Bar and Sun Club Bar. On Xcite, you can grab a drink at 14 different bars such as Martini Bar, The Bazaar Bar and The Club.
| Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady | Celebrity Xcite |
|---|---|
| •Casino Bar • Draught Haus • Grounds Club • Gym & Tonic • Mezcal Bar • On The Rocks • Red Bar • Richard's Rooftop Bar • Sip Lounge • Sun Club Bar • The Aquatic Club Bar • The Athletic Club Bar • The Dock Bar • The Dock House Bar • The Grounds Club Too • The Loose Cannon • The Manor • The Social Club | •Cafe al Bacio • Casino Bar • Craft Social • Il Secondo Bacio • Magic Carpet Bar • Martini Bar • Mast Bar • Oceanview Bar • Pool Bar • Sunset bar • The Bazaar Bar • The Club • The Retreat Pool Bar • World Class Bar |
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.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Valiant Lady and the Xcite 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 Valiant 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.
Celebrity Xcite has more pools than the Valiant Lady and the same number of hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Xcite. 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 Valiant Lady | Celebrity Xcite | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 5 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| 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 Valiant Lady. Only 55% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Xcite, 64% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady | Celebrity Xcite | |
|---|---|---|
| Acrobatic Show | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Beyond the Podium Talk Series | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bingo | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cooking Class | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Group Fitness | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outdoor movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pickleball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Private Karaoke Rooms | ✓ | ✗ |
| Rooftop Garden | ✗ | ✓ |
| Salon | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tattoo Studio | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Attic - Adult Gaming Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Bazaar Entertainment Space | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Virgin Voyages and Celebrity 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 Valiant Lady will likely be cheaper than on Celebrity Xcite.
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 Valiant Lady | Celebrity Xcite | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | Included | $18.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | Included | 20% |
| Soda Price | Included | $4.75 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.00 See drink menus | $9.99 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | No drink package available | $55 - $99 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | Basic Wi-fi is included. Premium is $30/day and Work from Sea is $50/day. | $19 to $30 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Celebrity Cruise Lines offers an "All Included" program. Guests who book a cruise using this promotion will have wifi and alcohol included. Some sailings are available without this program so pay attention when booking. Typically prices are lower if they don't include "Always Included." The wifi and alcohol package are the base levels and can be upgraded for an additional cost.
We sailed aboard the Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady
Follow along on our sailing on the Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ship.
Valiant Lady – Cruise Blog - Day 1 – Miami
Valiant Lady – Cruise Blog - Day 2 – Sea Day
Valiant Lady – Cruise Blog - Day 3 – Costa Maya
Valiant Lady – Cruise Blog - Day 4 – Sea Day
Valiant Lady – Cruise Blog - Day 5 – Bimini
5 Hits and Misses on Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady
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