Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady – Cruise Blog – Day 2 – Sea Day

November 19, 2024 Randy Young

Day 2 of our 5-day sailing aboard Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady was a sea day so we had a whole day to relax, explore the ship, and check out the entertainment and food. The Valiant Lady was the smallest ship I’d been on in years—half the size of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class ships and 23% smaller than the last ship I sailed on, the Norwegian Viva. I was really interested to see how the ship would feel on a sea day. Would it be crowded? Would there be enough to do?

Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady Day 2 Overview

Day 2 At a Glance Schedule
A Peaceful Night’s Sleep
The Galley for Breakfast
Redemption Spa on Valiant Lady
Last Man Standing
The Pizza Place for Lunch
Internet on Valiant Lady
Pool Decks on Valiant Lady
Athletic Club for Cocktails
Lick Me Till…Ice Cream
Gunbae Korean BBQ for Dinner
Drinks at The Roundabout and On the Rocks
Dual Reality Canceled
Trying the Casino

Virgin Voyages – Day 2 At a Glance Schedule

A Peaceful Night’s Sleep

After getting back to the cabin from the pajama party the previous night, I passed right out and woke up at 8:00 AM feeling refreshed. One thing that stood out overnight was how quiet it was—no slamming doors, no kids running in the hallways, and no early morning announcements. It was a welcome change.

While I slept well, I noticed a few things about the cabin. The mattress on the bed was pretty thin, more like a futon mattress than a traditional one, but it didn’t affect my sleep. The bed also seemed a little short; I’m 5’11”, and I barely fit without my feet hanging off the edge. Another issue was the curtains, which didn’t fully close, allowing sunlight to pour in around 6 AM and wake me up. Usually, I bring towel clips for situations like this, but I forgot them this time.

I got up and quickly jumped into the shower. I’ve never experienced a true waterfall showerhead, and it felt amazing. The heat and water pressure were perfect. The bathroom itself, though, was difficult to move around in; it was just so small. One clever touch was the door damper, which kept the door from slamming while going in and out of the bathroom.

The Galley for Breakfast

After getting ready, we headed to The Galley for breakfast. The Galley is a food venue with seven different food stalls offering a mix of pre-made and made-to-order items. While Virgin markets itself as “buffet-free,” The Galley comes close to that concept, especially at breakfast. It’s not self-serve, but many stalls had pre-made dishes like eggs, pancakes, and waffles alongside higher-end options not typically found at traditional cruise buffets.

When they first launched, Virgin originally had servers take your order at the table, and then they’d bring you your food. While this is still an option, most guests now go directly to the food stations to place their orders. If there is a wait, they’ll give you a buzzer or call your name when it is ready.

For my first breakfast on board, I ordered from Hot off the Press. I decided on avocado toast—something I rarely try because it’s usually overpriced. Since it was included in the cruise fare, I gave it a shot. I also grabbed an egg sandwich on a bagel for additional protein.

I placed my order, and it took 3 minutes and 30 seconds for my food to be ready. They called my name, and I grabbed a table. The Galley was bustling, but there were plenty of tables around at this hour, most of them with beautiful sea views.

The avocado toast was good; it was quite sizable with lots of avocado, although I can’t get over the feeling it’s just under seasoned guacamole. The egg sandwich, unfortunately, had pimento cheese on it, which I didn’t realize. I’m not a fan of pimento cheese, so I didn’t finish it, but it was well made at least.

I finished by grabbing a fruit bento box filled with fresh fruits. It was nice because you could take it anywhere on the ship.

See The Galley Breakfast Menu

Redemption Spa on Valiant Lady

As part of the Splash of Romance package, I got a 3-hour pass to the Redemption Spa onboard (usually $59 on port days and $79 on sea days). I booked it as soon as I boarded, thinking the first sea day would be an excellent way to start the vacation. I also assumed the morning slot would be quieter since many people opt for later times.

I arrived a little after 9 AM, and the staff showed me to the locker room. Inside each locker was a robe and slippers you could use for the spa. In the room next door were individual changing rooms and showers. Since I wore my swimsuit there, I was good to go.

The spa was beautifully designed, with polished black floors, white stone, and large porthole windows letting in natural sunlight and offering stunning ocean views.

Heated Stone Seating: I started at the heated marble seating against the porthole windows. The stone was comfortably warm to sit on but not ergonomic to lay on. Other cruise ships have heated loungers which are very popular; these slabs seemed much more about being pretty than being functional.
Steam Room: The steam room was filled with lightly scented eucalyptus steam. The porthole window made the smaller space feel less claustrophobic and provided excellent views as the steam penetrated my pores. The speakers in this room no longer worked, so the only sound I heard was drips of condensation from the ceiling.
Salt Room: Next, I tried the salt room, which is supposed to provide ionized air to help open your airways. I always thought the benches would be made of salt, but they were just white stone. For the salt, a jet would blast out a stream of salted steam into the room every few minutes. The music worked in this room, making it a relaxing experience, although overall, the salt room was my least favorite.
Pool: In the center of the spa is a pool. It was deeper than I thought, over 4ft deep at the center, but there was seating around it. It wasn’t heated, and it didn’t have any jets or bubbles. It was nice to float around in it, but it didn’t feel extraordinary.
Sauna: The largest of the treatment rooms, the dry sauna was coated in warm cedar wood, emitting a pleasant smell in the intense, dry heat.
Cold Plunge: The spa also had two small cold plunge tubs that would hold one person each (although one was broken this sailing). The water was around 40 degrees, and I struggled to lower myself below the waterline; I only reached waist level because it was so cold. After a minute, I got out and felt a refreshing tingling.
Hot Tub: There’s one small, two-person hot tub in the spa, but it was always occupied, so I didn’t use it.
Mud Room: To finish, the staff suggested using the mudroom. They provide a small cup of mud you use to put on your skin and then rinse off to clean your pores.

I’m not a big spa person; I’ve tried the free saunas on some other ships, but it was a pleasant experience. The space wasn’t crowded at all; there were around 20 people at most in there while I was there, and each room only had one or two people.

After an hour, I was done. Without loungers, there didn’t seem to be much to keep people there long. Some white chairs were stationed around the space, but they weren’t loungers, so it felt odd to just sit in a chair in the middle of a room. Overall, though, it was a good way to start the day. I felt invigorated, energized, and completely recovered from the long day before.

Last Man Standing Trivia

We changed after the spa and then decided to check out “Last Man Standing.” The event took place in The Manor which we hadn’t been to yet. It’s located on Deck 6, halfway across the casino, but we hadn’t noticed it before because when the door is closed, you wouldn’t even realize it was there.

When the door is open, though, you can’t miss it. The entrance to The Manor is a long hallway with an infinity mirror and lights. It’s one of the ship’s most Instagrammable spots; it almost felt like a funhouse trying to find my way into The Manor, being careful not to walk into any walls.

The Manor is the smaller of the two event venues on the ship and is designed more like a traditional nightclub. While smaller, it’s definitely not tiny; it has two separate levels, three large bars, dedicated bathrooms, and a dance floor. Throughout the space are a lot of different rooms and lounges. The space is dimly lit, which felt a bit odd at noon when this event took place.

We found seats on the side of the dance floor and waited for the event to start. Lew, The Entertainer from the Happenings Cast, introduced the group trivia game. Participants would stand on the floor, and he’d give a multiple-choice question with three different answers. Three colored lights were projected on the floor, and players would stand under the light they thought was the correct answer. Then he’d reveal the answer, and everyone in the wrong light would sit down. They’d keep playing it until there was one winner, and then everyone would come back up, and we’d do two more rounds.

The game was quite fun. It was interesting to watch the group dynamics at play. You’d see players quickly get unsure of their answer when 80% of them were standing in a different area. There were a couple of times when there was a huge upset, with the majority getting it wrong, so there’d be a massive departure from the dance floor and the remaining players would compete. The audience who wasn’t playing sat around The Manor and watched and had a lot of energy.

Overall, it was a lot of fun. They did the game one more time during our sailing, but we missed it due to a conflicting event. I definitely would have attended again. It was a unique take on traditional cruise trivia.

See The Manor Bar Menu

The Pizza Place for Lunch

For lunch, I decided I wanted to try out The Pizza Place, Virgin Voyage’s dedicated pizza parlor. It’s located on Deck 7 close to The Roundabout, but not directly off of it. You have to walk through a hallway from there, past the ice cream place, until you find it.

The Pizza Place is in a separate room closed off by glass doors, not a walk-up counter like on some other cruise lines. The space has a handful of tables available, some couches, and then a door that opens onto the exterior promenade with plenty of tables and chairs.

At this point, it was 12:45, and I was surprised by the lack of a crowd; there was no line and just a few people sitting at the tables. The Pizza Place has six standard options and a pizza of the day. All pizzas are personal-sized and are made-to-order so it’s easy to customize if desired. The attendant greeted me with an “Ahoy Ahoy” and quickly took my cabin number and pizza order and asked if I wanted it in a ‘to go” box or a plate to eat there. I chose the Chicken Pesto pizza, and she handed me a buzzer.

As I waited, I looked at the coolers lining the wall. Various beers were available for purchase with your meal. They also had a cooler loaded full of ready-to-go salads as well. I grabbed a Caesar Salad, thinking that’d make a good side for my pizza.

I watched the chef quickly top the dough and pop it into the oven. It felt like it took a while, but I used my timer, and it took about 6 minutes, almost all of that being the baking time. During high-demand times, I could imagine this line getting long and frustrating. While a made-to-order pizza is great, it’s also nice on other cruise lines where you can grab a slice already made while walking around.

My buzzer went off, and the server handed me a sturdy cardboard box with my pizza. I took the pizza and my salad and headed to The Social Club, where we’d eat lunch (we wanted to try the wings and hot dogs from there as well).

I started with the salad and immediately realized it wasn’t pre-dressed, and there weren’t any packets in the container. Later, I noticed the large dressing dispensers on the bottom shelf of the cooler I was supposed to use. I ended up just eating a dry salad rather than walking back. The salad was tasty, though, and I’m sure it would have been much better with dressing on it.

Tip: There are lots of grab-and-go food options on Valiant Lady; just be sure to grab what you need, like utensils, salad dressings, etc at the same time.

Then I dug into my pizza. The box kept it nice and hot, still steaming as I dug into it. The pizza was good, but not the best I ever had on a cruise ship. The crust was chewy and quite pale; it could have gone for longer in the oven or, more likely, in a hotter oven to char the bottom (I later found out you can order your pizza well done). The toppings were delicious, though. Later in the day, I’d try a plain cheese pizza, and I’d be less impressed; the sauce and cheese weren’t anything special.

Internet on Valiant Lady

Virgin Voyages is one of the only cruise lines that includes the internet in the base cost of the cruise fare. The basic package gives each person in the cabin access to the internet on one device (it used to be unlimited). You can switch between devices if needed (if you have a laptop or tablet).

Virgin Voyages uses Starlink, which provided pretty solid service for the entire cruise. The standard internet was fine for me for web browsing, social media, work emails, etc. I could also use Wi-Fi texting and make Wi-Fi calls without problems, unlike Carnival and Princess, which actively block this functionality on all packages. I routinely saw speeds around 3 Mbps upload and download, which isn’t groundbreaking, but it was enough that it didn’t feel noticeably slow.

If you need the ability to stream audio/video, you could purchase an upgrade. It was $40 for a one-day upgrade or $120 for the entire 5-day sailing.

Overall, I really liked having the internet included for everyone in the cost of the cruise; it made planning so much easier. On other cruises I’ve done with groups, only a few people wanted to pay the exorbitant cost of the internet, so it was hard to message people and coordinate. Now, with many planes offering free Wi-Fi (using the same Starlink access), I wonder how long the other cruise lines will get away with charging the ridiculous costs they’re charging for internet.

Pool Decks on Valiant Lady

After lunch, we went to check out the pool decks. As I mentioned in Day 1’s post, pool areas are Virgin’s weakest point. The two pool areas were busy, with all chairs and loungers taken and the pools packed full. The main pool had a DJ above playing beats as people socialized around the pool. Further back, the Well Being Pool was a little less crowded, and the music thumped a little less (since it’s farther from the DJ booth), but it’s definitely not a relaxing area.

I took the exterior stairs to walk up to Deck 16. On that level, there were plenty of loungers and chairs available. They were all in full sun, which isn’t my thing, but if you wanted sun, you had no problems finding it here. Virgin’s problem isn’t with the pool deck space, just the actual pool space itself.

Tip: At the front part of Deck 16, there’s a quick-serve restaurant that many people miss. Called the Sun Club Cafe, they serve “California Cuisine” with poke bowls and bao buns.

See Sun Club Cafe Menu

Athletic Club for Cocktails

We then walked to the back of the ship to check out the Athletic Club. This area is where the Pajama Party was held the night before, so it’d be nice to see it during the day. To get there, we walked on the port side and passed several pieces of athletic equipment, including pushup bars, sit-up benches, and even a boxing ring. On this sailing, I didn’t see anyone use this specific equipment, although some people used the outdoor equipment on the lower deck earlier. The area was also full of seating options: beds, couches, and tables.

The Athletic Club is spacious, taking up the whole aft of Deck 16. It has a huge bar with two separate service stations (although only one was used on our sailing except for the Pajama Party). Tucked behind the bar are several large TVs that show sports. The Athletic Club also has two hot tubs, one on either side, accommodating six people each.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, but the area was pretty empty, maybe only one-third full. There wasn’t any music playing, and most of the seating was in full sun at this point in the day. It felt like people didn’t remember this spot existed or preferred being by a pool (even though they were jam-packed).

The Athletic Club Bar had some delicious-sounding frozen cocktails on the menu, so I tried the “Work It,” a refreshing, fruity frozen beverage with vodka, passion fruit, peach, and strawberry.

See Athletic Club Bar Menu

Also in this area was a large, red cargo net in the middle where guests can sit and be suspended over the water. I walked over to the net, looked down, and saw the churning water behind the boat a hundred feet under me. You must take your shoes off to go on the net, so I took them off and ventured on. It hurt so much! The net has these large rubber balls at all the intersections of the rope, and they dig into your feet and hurt. It’s not any better if you lie down; it’s not comfortable at all. I never saw someone spend more than a few seconds there.

Lick Me Till…Ice Cream

Ice cream and cruising seem to go hand in hand; It’s almost impossible to be on a ship and not have a cone. While Virgin doesn’t have soft-serve ice cream on their pool decks, they have an amazing ice cream stand with the cheeky name, Lick Me Till…Ice Cream. It’s located on Deck 7 at the top of The Roundabout and in a hallway you pass on the way to The Pizza Place.

The ice cream is all made on board and it looked impressive, resembling the massive overflowing containers of gelato I saw while visiting Italy this summer (read about that trip here). Each day, they had six different flavors to choose from. You also could choose a sugar cone, midnight vanilla cone, red velvet cone, or a cup.

I tried the malted strawberry milkshake flavor, and it was delicious. I love strawberries in general, but the malted flavor brought me back to when my Grandfather would make us “strawberry malts” for lunch. The texture was perfect: rich and creamy, not full of ice crystals like you’d get on other cruise lines. Also, it was free; on Royal Caribbean, this would be $5 or $6.

Tip: Although the sign says daily flavors, on this sailing, they didn’t get swapped out often. I only saw two new flavors come out over the 5 days, so don’t feel overly pressured to overindulge in fear of it not being there the next day.

Learn more about Lick Me Till Ice Cream

Rough Seas

As I got ready for dinner, I felt the ship rocking strongly. Hurricane Rafael was churning up the Caribbean, and while the weather was beautiful, the seas were rough. The Facebook group for the sailing was full of people having to go to bed early or relax. It was probably the roughest I’ve felt in all the cruises I’d done. I don’t think it had anything to do with the ship itself, just an unseasonable November Hurricane.

Gunbae Korean BBQ for Dinner

We booked Gunbae Korean Barbecue for dinner tonight, where they cook the meat on a grill right in front of you. I was on the fence about booking this restaurant. You are seated with others to fill the table, and they mentioned a drinking game, which I wasn’t sure I wanted to do with strangers. But I love Korean Barbeque, and it’d be silly to pass it up, especially when it’s included (again, this would easily be $30 – $50 on other cruise lines).

We arrived and were instantly seated at the table, with others joining us shortly after. Each booth can hold up to 8 guests and has its own electric grill built-in with an individual exhaust fan over the table to keep the restaurant from getting smoky. Apparently, Virgin had to work hard to figure out how to get this concept to work on a cruise ship, but they pulled it off; the decor was beautiful, and unlike what you might experience at a Hibachi restaurant, there was no smoke in the air. It was very loud, though, and hard to hear.

We briefly chatted with others at the table, making small talk until the waiter came over. That’s the dangerous part of this experience: who you sit with can change everything. Luckily, everyone was very friendly and sociable (although one guy had his Bluetooth headphones in the whole time, and he and his wife had to leave early because they were feeling seasick).

See Gunbae Menu

The waitress introduced herself and explained that the appetizers and sides are all individual, and then, unless someone is allergic, the meats will all be cooked family-style. We put in our orders, and then she came back to play the drinking game.

Each table gets a complimentary bottle of Soju, a Korean rice liquor that’s only 17.2% alcohol/volume, that’s used for the game. She didn’t pressure anyone into playing who didn’t want to; the woman who was seasick sat it out. It was a counting game where you had to clap on specific numbers as you went around the table. If you got it wrong, you had to take your shot and you were out.

We went around the table a few times, and ultimately, I won, my prize being the last shot in the bottle. Overall, it was a cute game, but I don’t get all the fuss people make about it. It took only 5-10 minutes, and I wouldn’t say it’s as big of a part of the experience as people make it out to be.

The food was quite good, although the meats weren’t up to par where the Korean BBQ I get at home; flavors were milder, and some of the meats were a tad overdone. Overall, though, if you’re a meat lover, I’d highly recommend trying Gunbae.

Drinks at The Roundabout and On the Rocks

After dinner, we went to The Roundabout to grab some drinks while we waited for this evening’s show, Dual Reality. This evening, Ohana Duo provided the music. They’re an acoustic duo made up of Nikita Williams from South Africa and Alex from Ukraine. They were talented, playing acoustic covers of modern and older songs utilizing a simple acoustic guitar, a looper to add background music, and sometimes a ukulele. The vocalist Nikita felt like a cross in style between Rihanna and Lorde.

We found a seat behind the stairs, sat down, and perused the bar menu. The space is a little confusing to describe. The center of The Roundabout has a large circle where artists would be scheduled to perform. Then, behind the stairs was the On the Rocks, a beautifully designed bar with lots of comfy seating. Another performing area with a small stage-like setup was in the corner of that bar. When people were performing at the On The Rocks stage, about three-quarters of the seats could see the performers, but when they performed in The Roundabout, maybe one-third of the people could see. It wasn’t a good design choice, and I don’t understand what they were going for.

See On The Rocks Bar Menu

The acoustics were great, though, and a server quickly came over and took our drink orders. Overall, I was impressed with how responsive the service was this whole sailing. Except for one time, we always were able to place our order within minutes of sitting down. Even better, each waiter had their own smartphone, which they use to place the order and charge your account. That meant the bartender instantly started on your order because the server even got to the bar, and your account instantly showed the translation. It just made everything so much quicker; other cruise lines could learn a lot from them.

Dual Reality Canceled

As we were enjoying our cocktails and listening to the performer, my Virgin Voyages app vibrated and notified me that the show Dual Reality was canceled for the evening due to the rough seas. It was rescheduled for the next day at 7 PM, but unfortunately, we had dinner that day. I was disappointed, but I heard the show was excellent; so good that a separate land-based tour of the production is currently happening in the US (ironically, it was playing just 15 minutes from my house two weeks before the cruise, but I didn’t go because I thought I’d see it on the ship).

Tip: It really is helpful to have the Virgin Voyages app on your phone. They rarely make announcements on the PA system, so the app is the best way to stay up-to-date with what’s happening. If you don’t like having your phone with you, you can get by still. There are printed copies of the daily schedule at Guest Services and The Grounds Club and The Grounds Club Too.

With the 10 PM show canceled, there was a lull of activity. The bottom deck of The Roundabout was full of people, but they didn’t have any live music playing. Looking at the schedule, between 10 and 11, there wasn’t live music anywhere on the ship, but then it came back at 11. I guess this is because they assumed one-third of the guests would be at their headliner show.

Trying the Casino

Since we had nothing else to do, we thought we’d try out the casino. We’ve walked through it a few times during the cruise, but I never paid much attention to it. The casino is fairly modern, with black carpets, lots of chrome, and even black-felt gaming tables. It was small, probably the smallest casino I’ve seen on a cruise ship. Still, they had 11 different game tables and a variety of slot machines. It was completely smoke-free, which was nice; there was a separate smoking room with some slot machines in the back, but it wasn’t marked well. I only know about it because someone in the Facebook group asked about it.

The casino was decently full and abuzz with activity. It didn’t feel too crowded. At the entrance to the casino is a good-sized bar, but they also had cocktail servers circulating between the tables and machines (unlike Las Vegas or Atlantic City, you have to pay for your drinks in the casino).

See the Casino Bar Menu

I tried my hand at some slot machines. They were large and bright, very modern, with wireless phone charging built in. Unfortunately I didn’t win big this sailing.

Tip: If you get free play at the slots, you need to create a PIN. You need to do that in the Virgin Voyages app (for some reason, they don’t tell you that).

First Sea Day Made Me Appreciate Virgin Voyages

After I lost my money in the casino, I headed to bed. The next day, the ship would arrive in Costa Maya, where I scheduled a relaxing resort day.

Overall, my first full day on Valiant Lady continued to impress me in many ways. Even though it was a sea day, when ships usually feel very crowded, I didn’t get that feeling at all with Valiant Lady. Except for the pool area, the rest of the ship felt very open and uncrowded. The staff had a great and positive energy, everyone from the bartenders and waiters to the entertainment staff. The food again was delicious and I still had only sampled just a fraction of the options.