Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady – Cruise Blog – Day 4 – Sea Day

December 4, 2024 Randy Young

Last Updated on December 22, 2024

Day 4 of our 5-day Mayan Sol sailing of the Valiant Lady was a relaxing sea day. Follow along as we explore the ship and its activities a bit more.

Virgin Voyages Day 4 Overview

Day 4 At a Glance Schedule
Breakfast at The Galley
Checking Out the Gym
Art Scavenger Hunt
The Dock for Live Music
Lunch at The Galley
Arcade, Popcorn, Pretzels
Relaxing in the Cabin
Pre-dinner Drinks at Draught Haus
Dinner at The Wake
Sip Lounge
Shake for Champagne
Around the World With the Diva
On the Rocks Bar

Virgin Voyages – Day 4 At a Glance Schedule

Breakfast at The Galley

Since it was a lazy sea day, and after I stayed up late for Scarlet Night the previous night (read about that here), I got a late start. I wasn’t up and out of the cabin until around 9 AM. We headed to The Galley for breakfast. It was surprising that it wasn’t overly crowded. Yes, it was busy, but most food stalls didn’t have lines, and it was relatively easy to find tables.

What might help with this crowd is the long hours of The Galley. You don’t have to rush there; you can get breakfast food between 7 AM and 11:30 AM (and Diner and Dash has breakfast all day). There were people there early and people eating breakfast at noon.

For breakfast today, I went with a bagel and cream cheese and a bowl of cereal, along with a pastry. I usually like to put a banana in my cereal, but I couldn’t find one anywhere which was disappointing.

Checking Out Valiant Lady’s Gyms

After breakfast, I decided to go to the gym to burn off all the champagne and extra calories I’d consumed in the past few days. Unlike other cruise ships that hide the gym out of the way on lower decks, on Virgin Voyages, the gym gets prime placement on the main pool deck (Deck 15). The gyms flank the pool and have large windows, so you can look at the Well-being Pool area while exercising.

The gym is split into two different parts. Both gyms have floor-to-ceiling windows offering beautiful ocean views while working out.

On the starboard side is the B-Complex Build + Balance area with strength training equipment, including free weights and machines. This room was light and airy, with light wood tones and white-washed walls. It felt almost like an Apple Store.

On the port side is B-Complex Burn and Bike. It has the cardio equipment and a totally different feel. The space is all painted black with dark equipment, giving it a more moody feel. It’s more like the trendy SoulCycle-type places.

Tip: Virgin Voyages does not sell bottled water. Bring your own reusable water bottle to carry around on the ship. While you can refill it in many places, my favorite was the dispenser in the gym which never had a line and the water felt extra chilled.

The gyms were busy, both about half full. On most of the other cruises I’ve been on, it’d be pretty empty if I went to the gym mid-morning. Most of the times I walked by the gym on this cruise, it had a good amount of people in it; I’m not sure if it’s because it gets such prime real estate on the ship, or if it’s just more common among Virgin Voyages sailors.

Virgin Voyages also includes all fitness classes in your cruise fare. Some of the most popular are the 1980s VHS Workout and the Bungee Class. You can sign up for these classes using the Virgin Voyages app as soon as you board the ship (and you should because they quickly book up). If you can’t get into a class, you can always show up a few minutes before and see if there are no-shows. Virgin Voyages charges a $10 fee (which goes to charity) if you sign up for a class and don’t attend, but there’s still some slots usually. I talked to a few people who signed up and were just too tired to go from being out the night before.

I ended up doing cardio, grabbing an elliptical looking out at the ocean. While working out, I got to see a rain shower in the distance, creating a huge rainbow across the sky.

Art Scavenger Hunt on Valiant Lady

After the gym, I showered and headed to the Art Scavenger Hunt. It was run by The Artist in the Happenings cast. With this activity, you get a list of art you must find on the ship and take a picture with it. Then, when you’re done, you head back to the meeting point to see if you won.

The hunt started at the top of The Roundabout. The Artist held up a QR code and had everyone scan it with their phones to download a PDF of the 20 items. I’ve never seen that on a cruise line before; they usually hand out papers, but it made sense here. On other cruise lines, you have to pay for internet, but on Virgin Voyages, everyone has internet included in the cruise fare so it’s easy to have people download things.

We looked at the sheet and started making our way around Valiant Lady. Rather than going in order from 1 to 20, we looked through them all and proceeded to go around the ship methodically, front to back, from left to right. That cut down on our travel time.

It’s funny; it was day four on the ship, and there were still things we had never noticed or hadn’t seen. Some of the questions were puzzling, but we got them all and rushed back. We were the first to return, and we had them all right, so we won a pin from The Artist (each Happenings cast member has their own pin, which you can collect over the sailing).

Overall, it was a fun experience, but I would have preferred more structure. For example, on Carnival’s art scavenger hunt, you had exactly 45 minutes to hunt, then everyone would come back and show all the photos together to find out the winner. In this case, we were told to come back when done, so we finished in 35 minutes but people could have taken an hour and not realized they lost.

The Dock for Live Music

After we won the scavenger hunt, we headed to The Dock to relax. We spent some time here during Scarlet Night, but didn’t get to see it during the day.

Located at the aft of Deck 7, The Dock has a great view off the back of the ship. The area has a variety of seating options, from tables and bar seating to daybeds. It’s a much more subdued area than the pool and sun decks, providing a perfect space to relax. Today, The Dock had Ohana Duo performing a set mid-day, so we grabbed a seat to listen to them.

The Dock has Mediterranean snacks available throughout the day. You order from a server in the area, and they bring the food out shortly after. It also has a full-service bar.

See The Dock Food Menu

See The Dock Bar Menu

I ordered the Orange Blossom & Blackberry Sangria, which was refreshing and light. For snacks, I got the Grilled Shrimp and Fire-Roasted Chicken Thigh. The portions are small here; it’s much more like tapas or snacks than a full meal. They were tasty, though, and hit the spot. The shrimp was tender, and the chicken thigh was flavorful.

As we relaxed in the area, I couldn’t help but take note of the really poor job Virgin did with planning the seating. They put the most uncomfortable wooden chairs and tables at the part closest to the rear railing. The seating was incredibly low to the ground, making them hard to get in and out of, and they hurt to sit in. I don’t know if they purposely made them uncomfortable so people wouldn’t hog them all day, but in the hour we were in The Dock, these chairs were mostly empty, while all the rest of the seating was mostly used.

Another disappointing part of The Dock is it could have been bigger. Norwegian’s newest ship class, the Prima Class, uses a similar structure as the Lady Class ships, and they have a full wrap-around promenade called “Ocean Boulevard.” It is at least double the size, with two infinity pools as well. Virgin could have made this space bigger if they put the lifeboats under the promenade like Norwegian did.

Lunch at The Galley

After my snack at The Dock, it was time for a proper lunch from The Galley. I started with a Toasted Crunch PB&J Brioche from Hot off the Press. It was an elevated version of the childhood classic and really hit the spot. I ordered from the counter, and it took four minutes for them to call my name.

Then, I walked over to Bento Baby, where I grabbed a premade box with a Spicy Tuna Roll. It wasn’t the highest-end sushi, but it hit the spot. It made me miss the days when other cruise lines used to offer sushi like this for free (Royal Caribbean had a “Jade” section on some of their buffets and Carnival offered a different sushi roll each afternoon).

I finished with some snacks from the sweets and bread counter. They had a delicious garlic focaccia topped with cheese; in fact, I liked it better than The Pizza Place. They also had some nice desserts to choose from.

Arcade, Popcorn, Pretzels

With nothing on the agenda that struck my fancy this afternoon, I took it easy, lounging around the ship.

First, I went to the Arcade. Valiant Lady has a vintage arcade onboard, and in true Virgin Voyages fashion, it’s completely free. It’s located in a small room off The Social Club and has old-school games like Street Fighter II, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, NBA Jam, and racing games. This afternoon, the Arcade was full. People were having a lot of fun playing the games, but the space could have been bigger.

While I was by The Social Club, I got some snacks. During this cruise, I enjoyed the snacks available nearly all day here. The popcorn was made fresh and tasted delicious, and the hot, soft pretzels were very tasty. Snack food is where most cruise lines seem to fall short, but Virgin does it so well. They kept impressing me And, as always, these are all included (want pretzels on a Royal Caribbean ship? That’s $4. Popcorn on a Carnival ship? That’s $3).

Relaxing in the Cabin

After my snacks, I took a quick afternoon nap. While in the cabin, I decided to look at the TV, which I hadn’t turned on yet. The TV is controlled with the tablet located in the room and had a large selection of free things to watch. The TV show section was pretty slim, but they had quite a few movies to choose from. I just had to click on one, and it instantly started streaming to my TV.

I also took this time to play around with the lights in the cabin. Using the tablet, you can change the light levels or the temperature in the room, but I swear I read online that you could also adjust the colors. So far this cruise, I couldn’t figure out how to do it. Then I finally figured it out; you have to swipe up from the room control menu, and then it gives you color presets. It’s pretty poor UI design; I’m very tech-savvy and knew the lights could change, and it took me four days to find the setting. I can’t imagine the average cruiser finding it on their own. With one press, the lights would adjust to different colors and levels. It really transforms the atmosphere of the room.

Pre-dinner Drinks at Draught Haus

Before dinner, we decided to get pre-dinner drinks at the Draught Haus. If you like beer, this bar is the place to go onboard as they have the largest selection of draught and canned beers.

It’s located in the corner of the upper level of The Roundabout and could easily be missed. It has an odd setup. It’s not laid out as a dedicated bar but more of a beer counter with general seating in The Roundabout.

We walked up and ordered some beers. Virgin Voyages has their own beer made in partnership with Wynwood Brewing Company, which we wanted to try. We asked earlier in the week, and the bartender, Nicholas, said he was waiting for delivery. When we asked this time, it still hadn’t arrived, so Nicholas went out of his way to go to a different bar where he knew it had already been delivered to get one for us. We didn’t ask him to, and it wasn’t necessary, but it was such a nice touch.

Tip: If someone on the staff goes above and beyond for you during your stay, make a note of their name and the place where it happened. You’ll receive a post-cruise survey via email and if you mention them, they get bonuses.

As we were enjoying our beers, the captain came on the loudspeakers to say that because Hurricane Rafael had slowed down, we weren’t able to make it to Bimini tomorrow. We’d wait it out in our current position, and once the hurricane passed, we’d make our way above Cuba and back to Miami. He said we’d have high winds tonight, but tomorrow, we’d be back to smooth sailing by noon. To make up for it, they were having a free champagne pool party tomorrow.

See the Draught Haus drink menu

Dinner at The Wake

For dinner this evening, we had reservations at 7 PM at The Wake. This restaurant is Virgin’s version of a steakhouse and is the largest restaurant on the ship, seating around 300 people. You check in at the back of Deck 7 and then proceed down the stairs to the restaurant itself. You’re immediately struck by the large, gold-accented light fixtures and the height of the space as you descend down to your table.

Tip: The Wake has large windows overlooking the ship’s wake. For the best experience, find out when sunset is during your sailing and book during that time.

We had no wait to check in and were immediately shown to our table in the middle of the dining room. The design felt like Art Deco meets a classic elevated steakhouse. The restaurant was pretty full; it was the busiest restaurant I’d seen yet.

Our waiter promptly came over to greet us and took our order. He brought us a pull-apart garlic bread that was absolutely amazing. It came right out of the oven; you could see the steam coming off each piece as you pulled it off the loaf.

I started with the Roasted Bone Marrow appetizer. That’s something I never would have ordered at home, but I figured I’d give it a shot since it was included. That’s one of the things I love about cruising—getting to try things you normally wouldn’t since you don’t feel you’re wasting money on them. Overall, I wouldn’t get it again. The marrow didn’t have much flavor; it was just a texture that I spread on toast. I don’t have anything to compare it to, so I don’t know if it’s how it was prepared that was the issue, but I didn’t like it. I also tried the Corn Custard and Black Bean Salad. The flavor was good, but the texture was odd, almost gelatinous. It definitely wasn’t as good as the corn appetizer I had at Pink Agave on the first night (read about that here).

For dinner, I got the filet mignon with the tarragon salsa verde. The steak was cooked perfectly (I go for medium rare) and the salsa verde added a great punch. For a side, I got the twice-baked potato, which was terrific. It came with a cheese sauce that felt like a cross between a traditional bearnaise and a mac and cheese. I could have eaten another one of those. I also got the creamed spinach, which was OK but nothing out of this world. They also served a roasted garlic bulb on the side, which I loved and used to spread on the remaining bread we had.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable meal. Our waiter, Komang, was attentive despite the restaurant being very busy, and the food was top-notch. The atmosphere felt elevated without being pretentious. The timing was also just right; the entire meal took 1 hour and 10 minutes.

I’m usually not a big fan of steakhouses, especially not on cruise ships. Over the summer, I tried Norwegian’s Cagney’s Steakhouse and was less than impressed, especially considering it was an extra $60. I had a similar experience with Royal Caribbean’s Chops Grill, which didn’t seem elevated enough to be worth the extra $55 – $65. On the other hand, The Wake was included in the cruise fare, which probably helped lower my perception of the value I needed out of the experience.

Sip Lounge

After dinner, we headed to the Sip Lounge, the dedicated champagne bar located at the front of Deck 7. The lounge has an interesting setup. The bar area is long, with a main walkway winding through it with vertical dividers visually breaking up the space without making it feel smaller. The bar is at the far end against an interior wall, making it a long walk from some of the tables. It has a good design and does a good job incorporating a major thoroughfare into a bar space.

This evening, the Irish violinist Meg LaGrande was playing. She had repeating pedals so she could add three or four music tracks and mix them together for a full sound. She was incredibly talented, like a cross between Florence and the Machine and Lindsey Stirling without the acrobatics.

All sailing, I had been impressed with how good the live performers were; they blew the “entertainment” I saw on the Norwegian Viva this summer out of the water. Part of the reason is that Virgin Voyages’ featured artists sign on for shorter runs, sometimes as few as four weeks, so you get different artists who have careers on land but might not want to dedicate three or four months at sea.

The acoustics in the space were good. The violin player was all the way at the front of the bar, and we sat all the way at the back. We couldn’t see her, but we could hear her perfectly.

See the Sip Lounge Bar Menu

Shake for Champagne

While we were there, I decided to use the app’s Shake for Champagne. From anywhere on the ship, you can shake the app, and they’ll bring you a bottle of Moët champagne for $105.

Even though we were sitting right next to the Sip Lounge and could have easily ordered it, I had a Shake for Champagne as part of my Splash of Romance package and that was the only way to get it.

In 12 minutes, I saw a server with a red bucket strapped to her with a bottle of champagne and holding two glasses. She noticed me from my picture in her phone and brought it over. She placed it on our table, opened the champagne, and poured it for us.

I didn’t think this option would be too popular, but the waitress said people use it often in the evenings. This evening was pretty light at this point, so our 12 minutes was quick; usually, it’s closer to 25 to 35 minutes, she said.

Around the World With the Diva

For the show this evening, we saw “Around the World With the Diva”. We showed up around 15 minutes before the performance and had no problem getting a good seat. I have to say, I thought they designed the theater a little too small initially, but so far, we never had a problem getting a seat. By the time the show started, the Red Room theater was about 90% full.

Tip: Virgin Voyages used to have you schedule shows ahead of time. Now, for the main shows, it’s first-come, first-served. You shouldn’t have a problem if you get there 15 minutes or so ahead of time (30 minutes if you want the absolute best seat).

“Around the World With the Diva” feels like a cross between a drag show and a comedy show. The Diva, Virgin Voyages’ resident drag queen, headlines this performance. Unlike other drag shows, The Diva actually sings all the numbers herself; she’s not lip-syncing. You’re not going here for outstanding vocal performances, though, but for the fun and comedy in it. There was dancing and jokes, and she invited audience members for some “interviews.” Overall, it was definitely something unique but totally in line with the Virgin brand. The audience seemed to enjoy it.

On the Rocks Bar

We finished with a nightcap at the On the Rocks Bar at the bottom of The Roundabout. This time, the live music was listed as being at the “On the Rocks” stage instead of “The Roundabout” stage. This meant about 70% of the people could see them perform.

The bar was full; this was definitely one of the hot spots to be at night if you weren’t looking for a show or dance party. Even being full, within less than a minute of sitting down, a waiter came over and took our order, and we had our cocktails within three minutes. The service was so friendly and quick onboard.

See On the Rocks Bar Menu

Day 4 Wrap Up

Overall, Day 4 was chill and relaxing, and it was great to enjoy Valiant Lady. I was disappointed that we were losing our next stop, Bimini, making it a 5-day cruise with three sea days, but since this was meant to be a totally relaxing vacation, I figured that’d be OK.