Richard Branson’s Virgin Voyages has welcomed its newest ship, Valiant Lady. She is the cruise line’s second vessel. Valiant Lady will be taking a promotional tour in the UK before she sets sail with guests on her maiden voyage in March from Portsmouth.
Virgin Voyages Welcomes Valiant Lady
The Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa completed the construction for Valiant Lady earlier this month, and the vessel has now been officially handed over to Virgin Voyages. The second of four cruise ships on order for the cruise line, she will be sailing several cruises from the United Kingdom before she transfers back to the Mediterranean to start cruising from her homeport of Barcelona, Spain.
In the coming weeks, the ship will be making her way to the UK from her present position in Civitavecchia, Italy, in time for a promotional tour that will see the vessel call in Tilbury and Liverpool. After that, she will sail on her first cruises with guests from Portsmouth.
Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages, said, “Following the success of our first lady ship, Scarlet Lady, we are so excited to debut Valiant Lady this March and begin our European tour. The lifting of UK travel restrictions has already shown promising signs with a 70% uplift in bookings since December – and we can’t wait to welcome Sailors on board!“
“We’ll be showcasing our newest lady in Tilbury and Liverpool, where fans are invited to wave her in before we kick off our bookable European sailings from Portsmouth in March and our new homeport in Barcelona in May. Our epic sailings have curated itineraries that are unbelievably accessible for those in Europe wanting to cruise differently, and we look forward to hitting the high seas and showing both budding and avid sailors how to voyage the Virgin way.”
Since the launch of Scarlet Lady guest operations in 2021, Virgin Voyages has been receiving rave reviews from the thousands of guests who have sailed on her so far; in fact, the ship holds the most five-star reviews on TripAdvisor, something Sir Richard Branson hopes to emulate with Valiant Lady:
Sir Richard Branson said, “Virgin Voyages has been a dream in the making since my 20s, and today is a momentous day launching our second ladyship, Valiant Lady. It’s exciting to be able to celebrate our continued growth as a brand that’s on a mission to voyage like no other. In our five decades in business, Virgin has always sought to offer our customers something extra special, and Virgin Voyages has worked tirelessly to do just that.”
Sailing the UK and Mediterranean
After the short promotional tour around the United Kingdom, Valiant Lady will set sail with guests on her maiden voyage on March 18, 2022. Sailing from Portsmouth on a 3-day voyage, she will call in Zeebrugge and return to the UK again.
On April 4, she will sail on her first longer voyage from Portsmouth to Spain and Portugal. The 11-day voyage will call in ports such as La Coruna, Funchal, Madeira, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas, and Lisbon.
From May 15, Valiant Lady will start a series of 7-day cruises from her homeport of Barcelona, Spain. The 7-day voyages in the Mediterranean include several longer stays in port, and overnights in iconic places such as Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza.
The brand’s newest 110,000 gross-ton cruise ship has space for 2,770 guests and boasts first-class entertainment, state-of-the-art health and wellness facilities, and restaurants from Michelin-starred chefs. The cabins on board Valiant Lady, as with her sister Scarlet Lady, feature a newly designed warm and sophisticated feel.
