Key Aspect
- Nile Rodgers & CHIC will take the stage during the cruise line’s special musical cruise in March 2026.
- The 9-night Red Hot Sailing Club Voyage sails roundtrip from PortMiami onboard Brilliant Lady.
- Cruise line executives will join the sailing and interact with guests.
Virgin Voyages has pulled back the curtain to reveal the top entertainer who will join its 2026 Red Hot Sailing Club Voyage. It’s the legendary singer/songwriter Nile Rodgers, who has sold more than 500 million albums worldwide.
Rodgers is a master songwriter responsible for a slew of musical works recognized around the world. He wrote major hits for major stars, such as “Like a Virgin” for Madonna, “We Are Family” for Sister Sledge, and “Let’s Dance” for David Bowie.
His current band, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, will perform on the cruise line’s newest ship Brilliant Lady, which is scheduled to sail her MerMaiden cruise from New York on September 5, 2025.
The 2026 Red Hot Sailing Club Voyage sails roundtrip from PortMiami on March 12, 2026. The 9-night cruise will call at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, St. John’s, Antigua, Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, and The Beach Club at Bimini.
The special music voyages launched in 2023 under the name Celebration Voyages. The name change to Red Hot Sailing Club was announced in May 2025.
The voyages always feature performances by A-list celebrities and often are joined by Virgin Voyages’ top executives, including founder Sir Richard Branson, although it is not clear whether he will be on the 2026 cruise.
Past headliners on the former Celebration Voyages were Nicky Jam, Melanie C, Boy George, and Kathy Sledge.
Like other musicians who early in their careers recorded on the Virgin Records label, Rodgers is coming full circle by performing aboard a Virgin ship.
“Nile Rodgers is the perfect artist to kick off this new chapter of our Red Hot Sailing Club Voyage. He’s spent decades breaking boundaries and bringing people together through music, which is exactly what we’re all about,” said Jamie Douglas, Director of Design, Innovation & Immersive Experience at Virgin Voyages.
“This evolution of our Celebration Voyages reflects our commitment to creating deeper connections with our Sailors,” added Douglas.
Onboard the 2,770-guest Brilliant Lady, guests will enjoy a “sunset mixer” to get the cruise started, followed by “fireside chats” with the cruise line’s executives. There will be surprise pop-ups and a special line of merchandise to commemorate the voyage.
Entertainment Abounds Onboard Virgin Voyages Ships
Besides Nile Rodgers & CHIC, other entertainment aboard Brilliant Lady will feature the line’s popular Scarlet Night pool party, Studio 72, a disco nightclub, and Ships in the Night, a choreographed dance performance.
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Brilliant Lady was constructed at a Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, Italy, and recently underwent final outfitting. She completed a call to Lisbon on August 13 and is currently headed to the UK, where preview events will be held.
Like her sister ships, Scarlet Lady, Resilient Lady, and Valiant Lady, the new ship has multiple themed dining venues, all included in the cruise fare, and no main dining room or buffet.
Restaurants include The Wake, a steakhouse, Razzle Dazzle, offering burgers, fish and chips, and pasta, and Pink Agave, serving Mexican specialties.
Other services and amenities that Virgin Voyages covers in the fare include WiFi access, crew gratuities, and all soft drinks and water. The line does not offer an alcoholic drinks package but does feature its Bar Tab program.
Under Bar Tab, cruisers pre-pay an amount toward their alcoholic beverage bill in the form of an onboard credit and the cruise line embellishes the amount. For example, guests can pre-pay $300 and the line will increase the credit to $350.
