Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady vs Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas

The Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady was built in 2022. This is an adults-only ship; all guests must be 18 or older. It's 21 years newer than the Adventure of the Seas, which was built in 2001 and renovated in 2024.

Comparison Overview

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 Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas, the Valiant Lady is 20% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady holds 13% fewer passengers than the Adventure of the Seas 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 Adventure of the Seas.

Virgin Voyages
Valiant Lady
Royal Caribbean
Adventure of the Seas
ClassLadyVoyager
Gross Tonnage110,000137,276
Length9121,020
Beam/Width125157
Passenger Decks1314
Passengers (double occupancy)2,7003,114
Crew1,1501,185
Passenger to Crew Ratio2.32.6
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)4144


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 Lick Me Til Ice Cream, Sun Club Cafe, and The Dock / The Dock House. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare.

The Adventure of the Seas has four fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Johnny Rockets, Chops Grille, and Izumi. eight of these restaurants are complementary and the other five have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Valiant Lady might be a better choice. It has 50% more dining options than the Adventure of the Seas.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Valiant Lady might be a better choice then the Adventure of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

Virgin Voyages
Valiant Lady
Royal Caribbean
Adventure of the Seas
Total Dining Options128
Complimentary Dining Options:128
Additional Fee Dining Options:05
% of Included Options100%38%
See the optionsSee the options

Bars and Drinks

Virgin Voyages's On The Rocks
Virgin Voyages's On The Rocks
Royal Caribbean's Boleros
Royal Caribbean's Boleros

The Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady has 5 more bars than the Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas. The Valiant Lady has 18 bars like On The Rocks, Richard's Rooftop Bar and The Athletic Club Bar. On Valiant Lady, you can grab a drink at 13 different bars such as Casino bar, Schooner Bar and Windjammer Bar.

Virgin Voyages
Valiant Lady
Royal Caribbean
Adventure of the Seas
•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
•Aquarium Bar
• Blue Moon
• Boleros
• Casino bar
• Champagne Bar
• English Pub
• Imperial Lounge
• Pool bar
• Schooner Bar
• Sky Bar
• Solarium Bar
• Suite Lounge
• Windjammer 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. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Valiant Lady and the Adventure of the Seas below.



Pools and Hot Tubs

The main pool on the Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady
The main pool on the Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady
The main pools, hot tubs, and giant movie screen on Royal Caribbeans Adventure of the Seas
The main pool on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas

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.

Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas has more pools than the Valiant Lady and the same number of hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Adventure of the Seas. 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
Valiant Lady
Royal Caribbean
Adventure of the Seas
Total Pools23
Pools - General Access22
Pools - Adults Only1
Pools - Exclusive0
Total Hot Tubs66
Hot Tubs - General Access44
Hot Tubs - Adults Only2
Hot Tubs - Exclusive20



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 Adventure of the Seas, 75% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

Virgin Voyages
Valiant Lady
Royal Caribbean
Adventure of the Seas
Acrobatic Show
Adult Only Relaxation Area
Arcade
Basketball
Casino
Climbing Wall
Fitness Center
FlowRider
Group Fitness
Ice Skating
Jogging Track
Mini golf
Pool-side Movies
Private Karaoke Rooms
Salon
Shows - musical review
Spa
Splash park
Tattoo Studio
Thermal Suites
Water slides
Learn moreLearn 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.

Royal Caribbean, 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
Valiant Lady
Royal Caribbean
Adventure of the Seas
Base Daily Gratuities*
(Per Person Per Day)
Included$18.50
Tip added to drinks & servicesIncluded18%
Soda PriceIncluded$3.50
Domestic Beer Price$8.00
See drink menus
$8.25
See drink menus
Drink Package PriceNo drink package available$77 - $118
Learn more
Internet PlanBasic 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.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.

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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