Classy ladies

The floating out ceremony of Brilliant Lady, the last of four ships which Virgin Voyages, new cruise operator and brand of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, ordered to Fincantieri, took place on 25 November 2022 at the Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa.

Brilliant Lady, as well as her sisterships Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady, and Resilient Lady, weigh about 110,000gt, are 278m long and 38m wide. They all feature over 1,400 guest cabins designed to host more than 2,770 passengers, accompanied by 1,160 crew members on board to deliver the famed Virgin service. The quality of life on board is guaranteed by the ‘comfort class’ certification, testifying minimum levels of noise and vibration, as well as by an extensive use of home automation. Thanks to this, by installing an app on their smartphones, guests are able to manage a wide range of cabin functions (air conditioning, lightening, opening and closing of blinds, music, and television).

This class of ships stands out for the design, as well as for the particular attention paid to energy recovery, featuring cutting-edge alternative technologies that reduce the ship’s overall environmental impact. For example, the ships are equipped with an energy production system of approximately 1MW, which uses the diesel engine’s waste heat. In addition to a scrubber system, that is a device for the sustainable waste management of sulphur dioxides, the units are also fitted with a catalytic converter which reduces emissions of nitrogen oxides. They are entirely equipped with led lights to reduce energy consumption, while the hydrodynamic design of the hull provides excellent performance with consequent fuel saving.

The third lady-ship for Virgin Voyages, Resilient Lady, has reached an important milestone in her build period in April of 2022 as she completed her sea trials, sailing out of Genoa, Italy. During the trials, the builders tested everything from safety systems to top speed and manoeuvrability.

Sea trials are one of the last steps a shipbuilder needs to complete before the vessel can be handed over to its owner. As she set sail from the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa, Resilient

All three Virgin Voyages vessels have proven incredibly popular amongst experienced cruisersand those that have never set foot on board acruise ship.

Lady showed her true potential on her final sea trial.

The onboard teams with the shipyard generally inspect every area of the ship before sea trials, while the time at sea is used to make sure the vessel complies with the aspects agreed in the contract. A critical part of that is the speed trial.

In a press release, a spokesperson for the cruise company says, “We wanted to share that our third lady ship, Resilient Lady, has successfully completed her final sea trial, returning safely to Sestri Shipyard in Genoa, Italy. During the speed trial, she reached an impressive speed of 23 knots (42.6km/h).” Other aspects checked during the sea trials are her safety systems, automation, power generation, and propulsion systems.

Resilient Lady’s maiden voyage started on 14 August 2022. She sailed from Piraeus on a cruise to the Greek Islands, with calls to Santorini Rhodes, Crete, and Mykonos before returning to Piraeus. Other trips include an Adriatic and Greek Gems voyage that calls in Dubrovnik, Kotor, Corfu, and Argostoli, before returning to Piraeus.

On 1 November, Resilient Lady started a transatlantic voyage from Lisbon to her new homeport, San Juan, Puerto Rico. On the way, the ship will call in Funchal, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife i. fincantieri.com i. virginvoyages.com

From San Juan, Resilient Lady explored the Southern and Eastern Caribbean with calls to Barbados, Tortola, Aruba, Curacao, and much more.

All three Virgin Voyages vessels have proven incredibly popular amongst experienced cruisers and those that have never set foot on board a cruise ship. As the CDC let go of its cruise travel advice, Virgin Voyages saw booking sky-rocket as it recorded its strongest single day of bookings. All the Ladies will feature unique restaurants with Michelin-star chef-curated menus. Inclusive meals will feature experimental cuisine, without dedicated dining times or crowded bu ets. Meanwhile, the ship will serve sustainably sourced food, made fresh to order.

Free Wi-Fi is available on all Virgin Voyages’ ships so that guests can keep in touch with friends and loved ones while exploring the world. Guests can also keep fit on their cruise with all the fitness equipment and group workouts, including yoga and boxing. There is a wellness area, a casino, beautiful cabins and suites, amazing deck spaces, and plenty of themed decks and spaces for passengers to do exactly what they love.

Scarlet

Valiant Lady, Brilliant Lady, Resilient Lady