Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady Marks Five Years Since Delivery
The ship began service in March 2022 after an eight-month pandemic layup, debuting on a three-night Portsmouth-to-Zeebrugge cruise with twenty-seven hours in port.
Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady has reached the fifth anniversary of its July 1, 2021 delivery from Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard. The 110,000-gross-ton, 277-meter vessel accommodates more than 2,770 passengers and carries a crew of 1,160.
Commercial operations did not begin until March 18, 2022, following an eight-month pandemic layup. Virgin has since grown from one ship to four.
From Portsmouth debut to Mediterranean service
Valiant Lady entered service with a three-night cruise from Portsmouth, England, to Zeebrugge. The inaugural itinerary included 27 hours in the Belgian port, which provides access to Bruges and Brussels.
The ship continued sailing from Portsmouth through May 2022, operating Northern and Western European itineraries. It then repositioned to Barcelona for seven-night Western Mediterranean cruises calling in France, Italy, Gibraltar and destinations including Ibiza, Cagliari, Ajaccio, Marina di Carrara and Toulon.
Virgin did not hold a conventional naming ceremony before the debut. Singer Jennifer Lopez is considered the ship’s godmother and also serves as an investor and Virgin Voyages’ chief entertainment and lifestyle officer. In 2022, the company framed her appointment as an ongoing partnership that extended beyond the godmother’s ceremonial duties.
Back in Portsmouth after a drydock
A two-week drydock earlier in the anniversary year introduced several changes aboard Valiant Lady, including Ariya, a new Indian restaurant. The ship subsequently returned to Portsmouth for a short season covering Northern Europe and Iceland.
During that season, Valiant Lady became the first cruise ship to make a commercial connection to Portsmouth International Port’s new shore-power system. The port announced the connection on Aug. 5, when Brittany Ferries’ Guillaume de Normandie also drew power from the installation, the first time the system served two vessels at once.
Following Portsmouth, Valiant Lady is scheduled to operate fall cruises to Canada, New England and Bermuda. It will move to San Juan in October for weeklong Southern Caribbean itineraries before returning to PortMiami after the winter season for short Caribbean and Bahamas cruises.
Amsterdam deployment planned for 2028
Virgin has also assigned Valiant Lady to its first Scandinavia and Baltic program in summer 2028. The six-sailing deployment will introduce Amsterdam as a Virgin Voyages homeport and comprise four departures of seven to 12 nights, bookended by two 10-night open-jaw cruises between Barcelona and Amsterdam.
The program begins July 9, 2028, with a Barcelona-to-Amsterdam itinerary calling at Casablanca, Lisbon, La Coruña and Cherbourg. The Amsterdam series starts July 19 with a 12-night sailing covering Oslo, Copenhagen, Gdansk, Stockholm, Berlin and Aarhus. Subsequent departures will visit the Norwegian fjords, Hamburg and destinations above the Arctic Circle.
“Northern Europe felt like the right next step,” Virgin Voyages CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu said. He cited the region’s fjords, Baltic capitals and midnight sun.
The final Amsterdam departure, an 11-night itinerary beginning Aug. 14, 2028, includes Tromsø, Honningsvåg, Trondheim, Åndalsnes and Olden, along with an Arctic Circle crossing. A return sailing to Barcelona will depart Aug. 25 and substitute Tangier for Casablanca.
Virgin will add the four Amsterdam itineraries to its 2028 Summer Season Pass, allowing passengers to book them consecutively. The company has not announced pass pricing and plans to release it when reservations for the new sailings open on Aug. 14, 2026.
See current Valiant Lady fares and itineraries on Cruise Lookup.
