Brilliant Lady: What’s Different and What’s New
A full overview of what’s new on Brilliant Lady, including new shows, dining options, and onboard space upgrades.
Virgin Voyages’ fourth ship, Brilliant Lady, is almost ready to welcome guests. Set to begin public sailings from New York on September 5, this ship introduces subtle but significant updates across entertainment, dining, design, and layout. Unlike her sisters, Brilliant Lady benefits from four years of sailor feedback since Scarlet Lady’s debut in 2021 and that makes a noticeable difference.
So What’s Really Different?
Brilliant Lady is the first ship in Virgin Voyages’ fleet to be able to incorporate extensive real-world sailor feedback. From improved show design to refreshed public areas and reworked features, she offers a more polished and integrated version of previous ships.
While most venues and concepts remain largely unchanged, Brilliant Lady feels more considered and aligned to sailors’ actual usage of the space. Here’s a full breakdown of what’s new, what’s changing, and what to expect on board:
VV Insider Video
Entertainment
Brilliant Lady launches with Virgin Voyages’ most developed entertainment offering to date. It combines new headline productions, immersive theatre, reworked drag programming, and a series of smaller-scale cabaret-style shows designed for more intimate venues.
Red Room Shows
The Red Room remains the ship’s largest performance space and will feature two newly developed headline shows.
Red Hot is a high-energy musical celebrating five decades of Virgin Records, mixing archival visuals, costume changes and choreography with a live band.
Out of Time follows Dr. Victoria Vortex on a time-travel journey, mixing humor, live vocals and sci-fi storytelling.
Both shows reflect a slightly more structured theatrical approach than previous productions, while keeping Virgin’s bold and irreverent tone. Duel Reality will also launch on Brilliant Lady after success on Scarlet & Valiant Lady.
The Manor Shows
The Manor on Brilliant Lady becomes even more of a cabaret venue, with four distinct shows across each voyage.
Up With a Twist brings a roaring ‘20s-inspired supper club with live music, dinner, couture fashion, and interactive performances
Murder in the Manor transforms the venue into an interactive murder mystery with musical numbers and cast involvement throughout.
Duets offers a more stripped-back approach, blending classic duets in a jazz bar setting.
The Diva Goes West, a country-themed drag show led by Dixie Krystals. It introduces a fresh tone to Virgin’s drag programming, mixing live vocals with Western-inspired humor and staging.
Scarlet Night
Brilliant Lady’s Scarlet Night has been adjusted for indoor venues due to the colder climates she will visit, with new lighting cues, updated music and a rework of the Red Room party.
Parties
Electric is a neon glow party in The Manor, featuring UV-reactive face paint, a Jellyfish Parade, and a glowing photobooth, launching with Brilliant Lady.
Disco Reimagined is an immersive 90-minute party, upgrading Studio 72 with acrobatics, iconic 70s and 80s hits, and a chance to dress in retro disco style.
Expanded Programming
Other events like the PJ Party, Grog Walk, Karaoke etc will continue to feature as well as a new set of activities still to be revealed, these will likely include new Food & Drink events, new trivia activities and more game shows akin to Double Trouble & Last One Standing.
Love Love Love with The Hostess will also be on Brilliant Lady featuring the return of Abi Gold, now the only performer to open on all four Virgin Voyages ships.
Lifeboat Repositioning and “Slightly Smaller” Sea Terrace Cabins
To support Panama Canal sailings, Brilliant Lady has been structurally adjusted. Lifeboats have been repositioned lower and closer to the ship to meet clearance restrictions.
This has introduced a new category: the (Slightly) Smaller Balcony Sea Terrace. These cabins offer the same indoor layout as standard Sea Terraces, but with more compact balconies featuring two hammocks and no outdoor furniture. We have yet to see what these will look like but they are listed as Limited View on the Virgin Voyages cabin selection page. We are still working on updating our Cabin Lookup tool to support this new cabin type, stay tuned!
The Roundabout and Draught Haus Get a Refresh
Deck 7’s central Roundabout area has been redesigned to improve flow and visibility. Virgin has removed the oversized red table and partition walls, reconfigured the Shore Things desk, and added a new coffee and juice counter to Draught Haus.
The result is a brighter and more functional space, designed to feel less crowded and more social throughout the day.
Dining: Rojo Debuts, Extra Virgin Gets a New Menu
Brilliant Lady introduces Rojo by Razzle Dazzle, a Spanish-inspired venue focused on tapas, shared plates, and regional wine. It replaces the standard Razzle Dazzle offering and adds a new flavor profile to Virgin’s collection of included restaurants.
Extra Virgin also launches with a ship-exclusive menu, as announced last month. New dishes include Tuscan farro soup, fritto misto, and spaghetti alla puttanesca, leaning more coastal and seasonal in flavour.
Other venues such as The Dock will see light adjustments to menu items.
A Quick Look Ahead
Brilliant Lady will host preview events in the UK in August, before sailing to New York on a Friends & Family voyage for her first public voyage on September 5. For more itinerary information visit our dedicated Brilliant Lady page.
Look out for information on the Happenings Cast and ship-specific programming closer to launch.
