Virgin Voyages has shaken up the cruise world in a big way – banishing buffets, ditching dress codes, and creating an adults-only cruise experience that feels more like a boutique hotel at sea.
With its bold red design, edgy entertainment, and focus on dining and wellbeing, it’s a very different kind of cruise line. Some people absolutely love it. Others find it’s not quite their vibe.
But which Virgin Voyages ship is actually the best?
To find out, I compared real guest reviews and ranked the ships from best to worst based on their average scores. What surprised me most is just how high the scores were across the board – even the lowest-ranked ship still scored over 4 out of 5.
Before we get into the rankings, here’s how I put it all together.
How I Gathered the Data
I love Virgin Voyages as a concept, but I haven’t sailed on every single ship (yet). To keep things fair, I didn’t use my own opinions at all.
Instead, I collected genuine guest review scores from three major independent cruise review websites – Cruise Critic, Cruiseline.com and TripAdvisor – and calculated an overall average score for each ship. These are large sites, with enough reviews that one or two unhappy sailings don’t skew the results.
One important thing to note – Virgin Voyages’ ships tend to score very highly in general. The gap between first and last place is much smaller than with many other cruise lines, which means this is more about “best of the best” rather than good versus bad.
With that in mind, let’s start with the highest-rated ship in the fleet.
The Best Virgin Voyages Ships By Reviews
1. Resilient Lady
Resilient Lady comes out as the best-rated ship in the Virgin Voyages fleet.
Guests consistently praise the modern design, relaxed resort-style atmosphere and high-quality food. Restaurants like Test Kitchen and Extra Virgin get regular mentions for being a real step up from traditional cruise dining.
Service is another strong point. Reviews highlight friendly, helpful crew and a fun, sociable onboard vibe. Activities and hosted events are especially well received on longer sailings, where keeping sea days interesting matters most.
That said, not everything is perfect. Some guests report frustrations with the Virgin Voyages app, which can make booking restaurants tricky – but this isn’t a ship complaint really, despite it dragging the score down.
However, more relevant criticisms were that popular venues like The Wake often have long waitlists. A few reviews also mention chaotic shore excursions and the ship’s layout being slightly confusing.
Overall though, Resilient Lady clearly delivers on what people expect from Virgin – stylish, fun, and different – which explains her standout score.
2. Brilliant Lady
Brilliant Lady ranks as one of the best-reviewed Virgin Voyages ships, although it’s important to add a caveat here – she’s still very new, so her overall rating is based on a much smaller number of reviews than her sister ships. That means her position in the rankings could shift as more guests sail and leave feedback.
That said, early reviews are largely very positive, particularly when it comes to food and dining. Guests love the restaurant-style approach with no traditional main dining room, rotating between venues like Test Kitchen, Extra Virgin and the Galley.
Many describe the food as a real step up from mainstream cruise lines, including strong options for vegans and health-conscious travellers.
Cabins also receive good feedback for their modern tech, clever storage and standout features like the famous balcony hammock. Embarkation is often described as smooth, and many guests praise cabin stewards and frontline staff for being friendly and attentive.
However, the reviews aren’t universally glowing. Several guests describe inconsistent service, particularly in bars and dining venues, and frustrations with the restaurant reservation system.
A handful of long-time Virgin fans feel the experience has become more “watered down” compared to earlier sailings, with entertainment and soft furnishings occasionally described as underwhelming.
Overall, Brilliant Lady is clearly impressing many early cruisers, but her ranking should be seen as provisional for now – as more guests sail, we’ll get a clearer picture of where she truly sits within the Virgin Voyages fleet.
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3. Scarlet Lady
Scarlet Lady sits comfortably in the middle of the Virgin Voyages rankings and is often described as the ship that really defines the “Virgin difference”.
Many guests love the adults-only atmosphere, unusual itineraries and the feeling that this is a very different kind of cruise.
Reviews regularly praise the food, with lots of sailors saying the restaurant-style dining feels more like eating out in a city than being on a traditional ship. The Galley concept, in particular, is popular for its variety and relaxed feel.
Service is frequently highlighted as a strong point, especially cabin stewards and activity hosts, and the ship itself is widely viewed as modern, clean and well maintained despite not being the newest in the fleet.
First-time Virgin cruisers often say this ship “reset their expectations” of cruising and left them wanting to book another sailing straight away.
As with all Virgin ships, it isn’t for everyone. Some guests don’t love the ‘phone-first experience’, and others feel cabins and storage can be a little tight, especially for longer sailings. Drink prices and the lack of traditional drinks packages are another recurring talking point.
Overall though, Scarlet Lady scores well for doing exactly what Virgin promises – stylish, adults-only cruising with a modern twist and a strong focus on food and experiences rather than formalities.
4. Valiant Lady
Valiant Lady rounds out the Virgin Voyages fleet rankings, but still delivers a very strong experience overall and scores well compared to most mainstream cruise lines.
Guests regularly praise the modern cabins, touch-screen controls, mood lighting and the tech-forward feel of the ship. The adults-only environment is a huge plus for many, with several reviewers saying it’s the first cruise where they’ve truly been able to switch off and relax.
Food divides opinion more here than on the other ships. Many guests say the restaurants offer some of the best-tasting food they’ve had at sea, especially venues like The Wake and Extra Virgin, while others found the menus repetitive or struggled to get reservations, making it harder to enjoy the dining fully.
Service reviews are mixed. A lot of guests mention friendly, helpful crew and smooth embarkation, particularly for guests with accessibility needs, but a smaller number felt the atmosphere was less warm than they expected.
Other common feedback includes frustrations with the Virgin Voyages app, limited pool and hot tub space, and occasional chaos at busy ports.
Overall, Valiant Lady tends to appeal most to guests who want a relaxed, adults-only cruise with a modern, non-traditional feel, and who are happy to embrace Virgin’s app-based, flexible style of cruising.
The Scores
Like I’ve said, there’s very little between the ships in this list – they all scored very well in reviews! Here’s a full breakdown including the overall average:
| Ship | Cruiseline.com Score | Cruisecritic.com Score | Trip Advisor Score | Overall Average Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resilient Lady | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.31 | 4.34 |
| Brilliant Lady | 4.5 | 4 | 4.25 | 4.28 |
| Scarlet Lady | 4.4 | 4 | 4.23 | 4.21 |
| Valiant Lady | 4.3 | 4 | 4.20 | 4.13 |
The Bottom Line
Virgin Voyages is one of the most consistently high-scoring cruise lines when it comes to guest reviews, and the small differences between ships reflect that. Across the fleet, the themes are clear – modern design, standout food, stylish adults-only spaces and a very different approach to cruising compared to traditional lines.
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Resilient Lady tends to win over guests looking for the most polished overall experience, while Brilliant Lady shows huge promise despite being very new and still finding her feet. Scarlet Lady appeals to those who love Virgin’s bold, alternative style, and Valiant Lady is a solid choice for travellers who want a relaxed, tech-forward and child-free holiday at sea.
There isn’t really a “bad” choice in the fleet. The best ship for you comes down to whether Virgin’s style of cruising matches what you enjoy most – informal dining, app-based planning, and a more hotel-like experience at sea.
But what do you think? Do you agree with the rankings, or do you have a favourite Virgin Voyages ship?
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