Following in the illustrious wake of Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady and Resilient Lady, Brilliant Lady has taken to the seas. She made a fleeting call in Portsmouth to show off the subtle yet imaginative differences to her sisters before heading to New York. Take a whirlwind visit.
The ship – Brilliant Lady
Swinging seaside…a Slightly Smaller Balcony Cabin with twin hammock seats
Brilliant Lady is all but identical on the outside to Virgin Voyages’ other three ships but has tantalising differences, some influenced by the fact that she’ll be sailing to cooler climes – not least, Alaska – and the on-deck beach club atmosphere has needed to be refined. There’s been a slight rejig to allow the ship to pass through the Panama Canal, introducing ‘Slightly Smaller Balcony Cabins’, no chairs but a couple of Virgin’s scarlet hammocks.
The decor
The new-look Roundabout, a great place to chill
For all the signature silvery grey dotted with red, Brilliant Lady is somehow cosier, with warmer colours. That’s immediately evident at the Roundabout, the heart of all Virgin Voyages’ ships, the areas on each level around the big, spiral staircase. It all gets a colourful reimagining and the vinyl record store, often with a DJ at the turntable, has moved elsewhere. That leaves more room for comfy seating, turning it all into a multi-level bar and sitting room that flows into the rest of the ship.
The Athletic Club, better views, better seats
On deck, the Athletic Club, actually a largely open-air bar, has been redesigned to open up the views for the dramatic new sailings. It gets bigger seats, glass-panelled rails and outward facing day beds – there are plenty of warm days even in Alaska, and never-ending scenery which often features bears on the wilderness beaches, so always something to look out for.
The food on board Brilliant Lady
Rojo, for a contemporary taste of Spain
Virgin Voyages’ commendable concept that all food (apart from a few special dishes here and there) is free, remains. There’s still no main dining room, instead a tantalising list of smaller, speciality restaurants – the big change is that vibrant, modern Razzle Dazzle has been replaced by the contemporary subdued comfort of Spanish tapas-and-more Rojo. The venue still serves Razzle Dazzle’s vegetarian-leaning cuisine by day but, come evening, there are starters such as olive confit octopus on a bed of brown butter potato fondue, plus dishes alive with almonds, chorizo, olives and dates.
Plenty of other places to eat, too, including the open-air Dock (and its indoors area, Dock House) at the rear of the ship, with a new small-plate grill menu. And The Wake, a grand steakhouse by night, but don’t forget the all-included brunch… plenty of posh eggy dishes (Benedict with soft shell crab), although I had the clam chowder. Err, accompanied by a couple of deliciously sweet churros! What’s also promised is Passport to Flavour, an event taking over the Galley buffet, celebrating the tastes of the US homeports, such as arepas (savoury South American flatbreads) from Miami and cedar smoked salmon from Seattle.
All at C… clam chowder and churros in The Wake!
The entertainment
Murder in The Manor
Duel Reality, Virgin’s trademark show, a high-wire, pole-climbing, leaping, gymnastic take on West Side Story is still here in the dramatic Red Room, a massive space that converts from theatre of gymnasium to dancehall. A dramatic new show is Out Of Time, following Dr Victoria Vortex’s out-of-whack time machine through music, dance and acrobatic cavemen. Meanwhile, Red Hot turns five decades of Virgin Records into a lively musical, mixing modern staging, historic imagery and a live band.
And, with Brilliant Lady readying to sail to Alaska and other spots less balmy than Virgin’s usual Caribbean and Med destinations, the Red Room now prepares to take over from the poolside for more nighttime party fun, with a giant inflatable octopus overseeing proceedings.
Big news is The Manor, a glitzy nightclub venue that’s reborn as a cool supper club. I saw Murder In The Manor, a madcap disco and dance take on those friendly TV crime capers, with a music star haunting and taking revenge on those responsible, so very unlike the entertainment on most cruise lines.
Another new Manor offering is Up With a Twist, a dinner-time entertainment, set in Lady Valentina’s Emporium of Excess with music – and excess – down the years. And on its way is The Diva Goes West, a country-themed drag show led by the ship’s towering drag queen, Dixie Krystals.
The once-a-cruise Scarlet Night extravaganza of food, drink and entertainment is prepared to come indoors for colder climes, taking over the Red Room, which also has a revamp of its own dance party, including trapeze and gymnastic acts overhead.
Trapeze at the Red Room party
How to do it
Everyone gets a leg… a twin helping of octopus in Rojo
Brilliant Lady has departed Britain to spend early autumn sailing the east coast of the US and Canada, moving on to Miami for a Caribbean winter. She passes through the Panama Canal for a touch of America’s west coast then, from May, a summer with Alaskan voyages from Seattle and Vancouver.