The Valiant Lady: A Week of Fearless Fun
For our third cruise with Virgin Voyages, we opted for a different ship, different itinerary and different time of year. The other thing that was different for this cruise was that we added a new friend to the cruising group. Even though we had recently gotten off the largest and fanciest cruise ship in the world (Icon of the Seas), we were even more excited about our third cruise on Virgin. Parenting is hard anyway but we are in a particularly difficult season right now so a vacation away from just not our kids but all kids was a very welcome respite. And, we were not disappointed. How Virgin has managed to develop a product that allows sailors to find relaxation and excitement all on the same cruise is actually very impressive.
On our previous two cruises, we were on the Scarlet Lady and did the Fire and Sunset Soireé cruise, which takes you to Key West and Bimini. We loved spending the day in Key West but the downside to that cruise is that it is only 4 nights. This cruise was the Riviera Maya itinerary on the Valiant Lady, went to Cozumel instead of Key West and lasted 5-nights. Even though it was a different ship, the layout of the ship was practically identical to that of the Scarlet Lady (and all the other Virgin ships- although Virgin just updated Scarlet Lady so it is actually a bit different now). So, we were already fairly comfortable with the ship and what it had to offer.
In Cozumel, instead of going on an excursion, we opted to find a bar or two that were recommended by a friend. At Wet Wendy’s, we had these giant frozen margaritas that were so much fun to drink. Each one of us got a different flavor and it was a really great way to spend the morning. Then, we ventured back towards the ship and stopped at The Thirsty Cougar where I got one of the best micheladas that I had ever had. Once back on the ship, we found a spot by the more empty pool and even found room in the hot tub.
We were so glad that our ship was able to dock in Bimini because on our previous cruise the weather made it so that we could safely dock. We got there early and found a couple of great spots by the pool. Unfortunately because we were there in December, the pool was too cold to enjoy. We moved down to the beach area and braved the ocean, which was actually a bit warmer than the pool. We had a really nice and relaxing morning at Virgin’s private beach club. And, the tapas that they offered were so tasty and were all included in the cruise fare, which was excellent. You could as well use your bar tab or sailor loot at the beach club, which allowed us to get a number of tasty beverages. As in Cozumel, we left the beach club around 1:30 and arrived back to a fairly empty ship so we could enjoy loungers and more empty hot tubs.
While on the ship, we participated in a variety of fun activities. Some were new to us and some were activities that we had experienced before. This time we did Bingo with the Diva, which was lot of fun and I actually won some money. We participated in Lotería Gigante, which was favorite of our group. We also joined in the fun of the Seahorse Race, which is only available on cruises that are 5 nights or longer. We went to multiple trivia games, came in second at the speed puzzle competition and won the scavenger hunt. The Happenings Cast, like the cruise director staff but way better, was great on this ship and rally did add to the enjoyment of our cruise. The shows were lots of fun. We saw the same magician we had seen on a previous cruise, still funny. We went to Duel Reality and saw some impressive acrobatics. There was a fun comedy show called Misbehave that also strangely included an acrobatic act. The Ship Show, a dinner show, was once again more miss than hit. And, the Untitled Dance Party Show, which we had been to before, was once again really enjoyable. Some of these activities were an extra cost but most were included in the cruise fare, which was great.
I can’t end a review about a Virgin cruise without mentioning the food. I have written a number of articles already about how much we enjoy the food on board Virgin’s ships. During this cruise, we were once again not disappointed. The food was great and, more amazingly, it was all included in the cruise fare. The one thing that we tried this time that we had not tried previously was The Test Kitchen. This was a weird experience that I am glad that I did so that I can say I did it. Now that I have checked that box, I will probably stay away from the Test Kitchen in the future. One thing that I would like to do more of next time is try the food offered for dinner in The Galley, which is the food hall that they have instead of a buffet. The food sounds really good and offers a variety of dishes each night.
Needless to say, we had another great cruise on Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady. We already have our next cruise booked with Virgin. We are going on an 8-night cruise on their newest ship out of New York up to Canada and back. We would love to have more friends join us, and I even have some booking deals that I snagged while on board. Let me know if you would like to give Virgin a try.
