With the exception of when cruise ships enter dry dock to undergo more significant maintenance, routine inspections, and larger overhauls, they are essentially operating sailings 24/7, 365 days a year.
Virgin Voyagesโ Valiant Lady is no exception – and sometimes operating at this capacity means adjusting itineraries to address maintenance needs that pop up.
This is the case for the 2,770-guest shipโs upcoming Dominican Daze voyage that is due to embark from Miami, Florida, on January 31, 2025.
The 5-night sailing was supposed to call on Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; and Bimini Islands, Bahamas – but has had to exchange the visit to Puerto Plata on February 2 with a day in Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, due to unspecified maintenance needs.
The visit to Bimini Islands on February 4 remains unaffected.
โTo keep Valiant Lady ship-shape, our Crew needs to perform some extra maintenance that will impact the amount of time we have in port. To ensure we provide you with an incredible experience and the same amount of time in port stops, weโre adjusting our itinerary and replacing Puerto Plata with Grand Turk in the beautiful Turks & Caicos,โ Virgin Voyages wrote to impacted passengers.
The adults-only cruise line did not specify exactly what needed to be done or when the maintenance will take place, but it will most likely be completed in PortMiami before heading back to sea – perhaps delaying the previously scheduled 6 p.m. EST departure time on embarkation day.
This would make sense – as Grand Turk is over 100 nautical miles closer to the cruise port than Puerto Plata.
Itโs also worth noting that passengers currently onboard the 110,000-gross ton ship – which embarked on the same Dominican Daze itinerary on January 17, 2025 – also reported that their cruise switched from Puerto Plata to Grand Turk.
Itโs unclear if maintenance was also the culprit in this case – although some current guests reported that work was being completed on one of the engines. This, however, has not been confirmed by Virgin Voyages.
Could More Sailings be Impacted?
According to cruise tracking data, the identical Dominican Daze itinerary will be offered several more times from now until the end of October 2025 – with cruise tracking data showing Puerto Plata included on subsequent voyages.
The ship alternates between this itinerary, 5-night Riviera Maya cruises, and 4-night Fire Sunset Soiree sailings – all of which are based out of Miami.
So far, only the current and upcoming Dominican Daze itineraries seem to have been impacted – but since itโs happened twice, it could happen again. As always, Virgin Voyages will communicate any changes that might arise with booked guests as soon as possible.
That said, Valiant Lady isnโt known for maintenance issues or breaking down. Some passengers reported plumbing issues and flooding in December 2024, but as a relatively young vessel, she doesnโt have a reputation as being a โproblem ship.โ
Her maiden voyage was only about three years ago in March of 2022 – meaning she is still a bit too young to have made her first routine dry dock visit since entering service.
Read Also: Grand Turk Cruise Port: Pier, Facilities and Whatโs Nearby
But while changing the itinerary at the last minute can be an inconvenience, many impacted passengers have actually seen the port switch as an upgrade – suggesting future guests might not feel too disappointed either if the change were to occur again.
โOn ship now. We were changed to Grand Turk as well…WORTH IT!!!! I highly recommend the two hour golf cart tour, SO much fun. I’m on Dominican Daze again in April and I hope we get [Grand Turk] again,โ one current guest shared.
โThat happened on our 1/17 sailing – no complaints – Grand Turk is beautiful and so nice,โ another passenger added.
โWalk to the left of the ship and find Jack Shack. The sand, the water, the drinksโฆitโs all you need!โ, a third cruiser recommended.
Indeed, the popular port is known for its diving, snorkeling, beaches, and its historic lighthouse – and many would agree that it isnโt a bad place to spend a day.