The Valiant Lady now has her colours, as the final touches are being put on the hull of the second cruise ship for Virgin Voyages in Palermo, Sicily.
Delivered earlier this year to start up Virgin Voyages, the 2,770-guest ship is expected to start sailing in early 2022.
The Valiant Lady will officially make her debut in the UK before heading to Barcelona to sail the Med in the summer.
With dates ranging from March 18 through May 14, 2022, the Valiant Lady will sail on a series of three new itineraries, including a mix of three-night, 11-night and 12-night voyages.
The hull art on the Valiant Lady was created by artist Hillary Wilson, where the new mermaid celebrates the strong, beautiful, friendly and modern embodiment of a black American woman, according to a press release Virgin issued over the summer.
“Like the Scarlet Lady that came before her, the Valiant Lady will feature a glamorous new mermaid at the helm. Virgin Voyages’ leading ladies, its mermaids, are an important symbol for the brand and meant to keep guests safe on their voyage,” the cruise line said.
The Marine Hotel Association’s (MHA) Symposium at Sea is officially underway on the Scarlet Lady from Virgin Voyages, as the event is taking place on the ship’s four-night/five-day voyage roundtrip from Miami.
MHA members, mainly composed of food and beverage and hotel supply vendors, will network with cruise line and vessel management decision-makers over the course of the next five days aboard what many consider to be the industry’s newest and most exciting ship.
Events exclusive to MHA members include cocktail receptions, organized dinners rotating between restaurants, panel discussions and an impressive five hours of speed networking between vendors and cruise line decision makers split over two days.
Vendors will look toward the speed network sessions for key one-on-one time with the right decision-makers.
Panel discussion topics will include a state of the business from each cruise line attendee, plus a deep dive into hotel product and food and beverage innovations, along with touching on the current state of the supply chain with issues, challenges and opportunities set to be discussed.
The four-night cruise includes a call at Nassau, a stop at Bimini, and one day at sea before returning to Miami on Sunday, October 24.
The Scarlet Lady has set sail from Portsmouth, England, after spending the summer in the UK. According to a press release, the 2,800-passenger Virgin Voyages ship is now heading across the Atlantic to New York.
Portsmouth International Port said that over 8,000 passengers enjoyed the Summer Soiree Series, which saw Virgin Voyages launch its world’s first commercial sailing from Portsmouth.
A pop-up terminal was created to host passengers while keeping strict COVID-19 health protocols in place after the CDC cruise restrictions in America curtailed plans for stateside launch, guests instead enjoyed a season sailing in domestic UK waters.
Portsmouth port said that the Scarlet Lady brought a “much-needed boost to the city after a challenging year.” and it felt honoured to receive an open letter of thanks from the Virgin Voyages team.
“(Y) you’ve welcomed us to your home and you will forever have a place in our heart. We couldn’t be more grateful for your support as we sailed for the first time,” the letter read. “While the Scarlet Lady is saying Bon Voyage after a brilliant Summer Soiree season, we can’t wait to see you next year when our second ship, the Valiant Lady, makes her debut, right here. She’s quite the head-turner too, and there’s nowhere else we’d rather start her off.”
Mike Sellers, Portsmouth International Port’s director said: “Seeing the Scarlet Lady in the port has been the result of years of hard work, from securing investment to extend our cruise berth to accommodate larger ships, to building confidence with the Virgin Voyages’ team that we could look after their world-first sailing … Everyone at the port stepped up, during the most challenging time, to make sure this was a success and I’m so proud of their hard work and professionalism.”
Sellers noted that it has also been impressive to see the Virgin team in operation with some spending months in the city to make sure “everything went smoothly, becoming very fond of Portsmouth in the process.”
“We want to become the port of choice for luxury, boutique cruises, and with plans for a terminal extension underway we’re on our way there … We’re looking forward to seeing Virgin’s new build Valiant Lady in the city next year, and welcoming back the team. In the meantime, the hard work continues as we continue to build our position as a major player in the cruise industry,” Sellers said.
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