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One of the biggest pieces of Virgin
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Voyages news that we reported on back in
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our 2026 update was Virgin Voyages new
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focus on themed and specialtity voyages.
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And uniquely for 2026, Virgin Voyages
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have released an entire calendar of
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these themed voyages. So today, we're
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going to take a walk through this
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calendar to see what to expect if you're
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on one of these themed voyages during
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2026. If we haven't met before, my name
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is David from vbvinsider and I'm one
0:30
half of the team that runs
0:34
which is a website dedicated to
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everything Virgin Voyages. So, we make
0:38
everything super easy to understand from
0:41
making sure that you're sailing in the
0:43
right cabin for your needs to booking
0:45
dining and making sure you get a really
0:47
good deal so you're not wasting money.
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So, if you're planning your own Virgin
0:51
Voyage, you've come to the right place.
0:53
So, we know we've got an exciting year
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ahead with 2026. Not only is Virgin
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Voyages fourth and brand new ship,
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Brilliant Lady, heading to some brand
1:03
new locations, but also there's some
1:05
truly once-in-a-lifetime voyages coming
1:07
up this year. So, let's take a look at
1:09
the calendar and walk through what to
1:11
expect when you're on board in 2026.
1:15
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1:17
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1:19
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1:21
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1:25
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1:30
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hear how you can get exclusive perks by
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booking directly with us.
1:39
So, starting off with January. January
1:42
is known in the Virgin Voyages world as
1:44
the well-being season. And this is where
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every single sailing on the Virgin
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Voyages ships in the month of January
1:50
have a focus on wellness and well-being.
1:53
The way they do this is by structuring
1:55
some new programming all around
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wellness. If you've ever sailed on
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Virgin Voyages before, you'll know that
2:02
wellness is already baked into the brand
2:05
at very deep level. This isn't just the
2:07
fact that they give you free wellness
2:09
classes along with your voyage fair, but
2:12
also you'll see it reflected in the food
2:14
and beverages offered on board as well.
2:16
In general, the food and the beverage
2:18
offerings on Virgin Voyages have a real
2:21
focus on health and freshness. This can
2:23
be seen, for example, in the galley
2:25
where there's great options for some
2:27
really fresh and beautiful salad
2:29
options, but also across the other menus
2:31
on board. Every single one of the dishes
2:34
at the restaurant are prepared and made
2:36
to order. This means that you're getting
2:38
fresher and more nutritious meals every
2:41
single time you're on board. And the
2:43
wellness season at Virgin Voyages is
2:45
really highlighting this. So, not only
2:47
will there be more wellness classes
2:49
available in the lineup, but also they
2:51
go to efforts on board to highlight
2:53
those fresher menu options. What's more
2:55
is there's some unique experiences in
2:57
the lineup as well, including an early
3:00
morning wellness social where
3:02
complimentary non-alcoholic drinks are
3:04
available to not only get you energized
3:06
in the morning, but also allowing you to
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socialize with other people that are on
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a wellness journey during the voyage. So
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whether your wellness journey is a
3:14
temporary thing just for January or it's
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part of your wider lifestyle, these
3:18
voyages during the well-being season are
3:21
absolutely perfect for you. Moving now
3:23
into February, and for all you Americans
3:25
out there, February 8th should already
3:27
be in your calendar, and that is the big
3:30
Super Bowl day. Well, Virgin Voyagers
3:32
have made a commitment to make the Super
3:34
Bowl available to everyone sailing on
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February 8th. This is excluding Scarlet
3:39
Lady, who is actually embarking and
3:41
disembarking on that day. But every
3:43
other ship in the fleet will be showing
3:45
the Super Bowl in the Red Room and
3:47
making a real event of it. Really, is
3:49
there a better way to watch the Super
3:51
Bowl than in the red room with a huge
3:53
number of fellow football fans around?
3:55
And what's more, if your team wins,
3:57
there's plenty to do on board to
3:59
celebrate the win or commiserate the
4:01
loss. Then, just a little bit later on
4:03
in the month of February, there is, of
4:05
course, Valentine's Day. And Virgin
4:06
Voyages are making sure to make
4:08
Valentine's Day extra special if you're
4:11
spending it on board with the Valentine
4:13
sailings being a real part of the
4:15
calendar this year. So, expect to see
4:17
some special sweet treats and some
4:20
shipwide celebrations when it comes to
4:22
Valentine's Day this year. So, if you
4:24
and a special someone in your life is on
4:26
board during Valentine's Day, then be
4:29
prepared for a fantastic celebration.
4:31
The voyages to look out for is Brilliant
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Ladies Sailing on the 12th, Scarlet Lady
4:36
Sailing on the 13th. Those are both from
4:38
Miami. Then, Valiant Ladies sailing from
4:40
San Jan on the 14th and Resilient
4:43
Sailing on the 14th as well. this time
4:45
out of Miami. You don't have to do
4:47
anything different to celebrate
4:48
Valentine's on board these sailings. As
4:51
long as you're booked, you're ready to
4:52
go. Now, moving into March, this is
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where we're going to see this year's Red
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Hot Sailing Club voyage. And if this
4:59
doesn't sound familiar to you, well,
5:01
actually, this is a change of name from
5:02
previous years when these type of
5:04
voyages were called the Virgin Voyages
5:06
Celebration Voyages. And historically,
5:09
those celebration voyages is where you
5:11
see those celebrations all around the
5:13
Virgin Voyages brand. In the past,
5:16
during these celebration voyages, we've
5:18
seen some really exciting music guests
5:20
join the lineup. For example, a
5:22
celebration voyage last year included
5:24
Melc when going out of Europe. On other
5:27
voyages, we've also seen the likes of
5:29
Sister Sledge and Boy George. It's yet
5:31
to be seen who'll be joining this
5:33
special Red Hot Sailing Club voyage in
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March on Brilliant Lady, but if you want
5:38
to be in the know, make sure that you
5:39
stay subscribed to this channel and
5:41
we'll bring you the information as soon
5:43
as we have it. You can also head over to
5:48
and sign up for our email newsletter.
5:50
There are already thousands of sailors
5:52
that are on that newsletter and getting
5:54
all of the latest Virgin Voyages news as
5:57
soon as we know it. Now, moving into
5:59
April, we will see the US Comedy Fest
6:03
sailing. The Comedy Fest sailings are a
6:05
fantastic opportunity if you're a fan of
6:08
standup comedy because this is where
6:10
Virgin Voyages will invite a host of
6:13
celebrity stand-up comedians on board
6:15
the sailing for some special headline
6:18
acts. We've seen some really big names
6:20
step on board in the past. So again, if
6:22
you want to know who to expect during
6:25
these comedy fest sailings, make sure
6:27
you stay tuned here. The Comedy Fest
6:29
voyage from the USA this year will be
6:31
hosted on Valiant Lady leaving on a
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round trip from New York to Bermuda on
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the 11th of April. The availability for
6:38
that particular voyage is still pretty
6:40
good and there's some great deals
6:42
available. If you're looking to get
6:44
booked on any of the voyages that I've
6:46
mentioned today, head over to
6:49
to find the best pricing and claim some
6:52
exclusive perks as well. What's more,
6:54
you'll not only get these exclusive
6:56
perks, but you'll be helping support the
6:58
work that we do here at VV Insider,
7:01
which is to get all of this information
7:02
about Virgin Voyages across to everyone
7:05
around the world free of charge. So,
7:07
we'd really appreciate your support. It
7:09
couldn't be easier. Head to
7:13
As long as you use our link, we'll be
7:14
connected to your booking on the Virgin
7:16
Voyagers website and we can give you
7:18
those exclusive perks and it doesn't
7:20
cost you any extra. As always, if you've
7:22
got any questions or queries or need any
7:24
help at all, then let us know. Get in
7:26
touch. Now, the big news of 2026 in
7:30
April, Brilliant Lady will make Virgin
7:32
Voyages debut in Los Angeles. So, this
7:35
very special sailing will kick off on
7:38
the 7th of April. And as with the whole
7:40
of the mermaid and tour for Brilliant
7:42
Lady, we're expecting to see big things
7:45
from this particular voyage. We can
7:47
imagine that Virgin Voyages are going to
7:48
be making a huge noise when it comes to
7:51
launching out of Los Angeles because
7:53
it'll be the first time that the brand
7:55
has visited the west coast of North
7:58
America. We've already seen some huge
8:00
news from both the Mermaiden in New York
8:02
and in Miami, but this time in LA, we're
8:05
expecting to see a huge party. We're
8:08
still waiting on the details to know
8:09
exactly what to expect in LA and on the
8:12
LA Mermaid Maiden, but again, stay tuned
8:14
and we'll let you know as soon as we
8:16
know. Then shortly following that, we
8:18
come on to May and this is another
8:20
mermaid maiden. This time, it's
8:22
Brilliant Lady's mermaid out of Seattle.
8:25
This marks the beginning of Brilliant
8:26
Lady making Seattle her home port for
8:29
trips to Alaska. The Alaska itineraries
8:32
in particular are hotly anticipated and
8:35
Virgin Voyagers have already stated that
8:36
they're really looking forward to
8:38
showing sailors what to expect with
8:40
Alaska on their signature adult only
8:43
vessels. This is one that we're really
8:44
excited to see ourselves. We're going to
8:46
be on board one of the Alaska sailings
8:48
and we can't wait to see what it's all
8:50
about. We'd previously sailed to Norway
8:52
and Iceland before on Virgin Voyages, so
8:55
it'll be really exciting to see the
8:57
changes that Brilliant Lady make to
8:59
those colder weather cruises. Staying in
9:01
May, we're talking Mother's Day. So, the
9:04
US Mother's Day is in May, and Virgin
9:06
Voyages are celebrating with some
9:08
voyages they're calling the celebrating
9:10
her voyages. Again, we're still waiting
9:12
on some specific details around what to
9:15
expect during these Mother's Day
9:16
voyages, but it does sound like they're
9:19
doing some programming this year, which
9:20
will make Mother's Day really special on
9:22
board. Then we get to June, and June is
9:25
Pride month. Virgin Voyagers have always
9:27
celebrated Pride on board their vessels,
9:30
and with the introduction of a regular
9:32
LGBT meetup in the lineup, now it's
9:34
clear that Virgin Voyagers are wanting
9:36
to celebrate Pride in a fantastic way.
9:39
Last year on board during Pride Month,
9:40
we saw cocktails inspired by the
9:43
progress flag. And these cocktails pair
9:45
very nicely with the entertainment
9:47
that's on board Virgin Voyages, which is
9:49
always inclusive. It doesn't need to be
9:51
Pride Month for Virgin Voyages to be a
9:53
welcome space for everyone. If you've
9:55
been on board before, you'll know that
9:57
one of the Happenings cast is the Diva,
9:59
the resident drag queen on board Virgin
10:01
Voyages, and she has her own shows,
10:04
including Bingo with the Diva and a
10:06
special drag show dedicated to each one
10:08
of the ships. If you want to learn more
10:10
about these drag events, then head over
10:12
to vbvinsider.com/events
10:14
where we list out all the events that
10:16
you'll need to know. Moving into July,
10:18
and that's the kickoff, if you pardon
10:20
the pun, of the World Cup. The World Cup
10:23
this year is being hosted in the USA and
10:26
Mexico, which means many of the matches
10:28
and fixtures will be scheduled around a
10:30
time where you'll be able to watch them
10:32
on board if you want to. So, Virgin
10:34
Voyagers have made a commitment that
10:36
they're going to be showing as many of
10:37
the World Cup matches on the ships as
10:40
possible. We understand that many of the
10:42
larger games are going to be shown in
10:43
the red room and some of the minor games
10:45
and qualifiers will be shown in the
10:47
social club. As we're still a few months
10:50
away from the tournament, it's not clear
10:51
what the scheduling looks like just yet,
10:54
but again, stay tuned to VB Insider and
10:56
we'll try and tell you as much
10:58
information as we get closer to the
11:00
time. Moving into August and our sites
11:02
are set on Europe. First of all, we have
11:05
a full solar eclipse on August 12th and
11:08
two of the Virgin Voyages sailings in
11:11
Europe will be able to see the solar
11:13
eclipse for themselves. So, first of
11:15
all, we have Valiant Lady leaving on the
11:17
5th of August for a voyage called
11:19
Eclipse in the land of fire and ice.
11:21
This particular sailing leaves from
11:23
Portsmouth and goes up to Iceland via
11:26
some stops in Ireland and the UK. Before
11:28
returning from Iceland, via some stops
11:31
in the UK as well. Then on the 10th of
11:33
August, Scarlet Lady leaves Barcelona on
11:36
a voyage named Total Eclipse of the Med.
11:38
This particular sailing has some stops
11:40
in Spain, France, and Italy before
11:43
finishing off in Rome on the 22nd.
11:45
Again, the availability for these
11:47
Eclipse sailings is limited. So, if
11:49
you're looking to get booked up, then do
11:51
let us know and we'll see if we can get
11:53
you the best deal possible. Then, on the
11:55
20th of August, Valiant Lady will be
11:57
hosting the UK Comedy Fest. So, just as
12:00
I mentioned earlier with the US Comedy
12:01
Fest, Virgin Voyagers will be hiring
12:04
some very famous guest artists to
12:06
perform during that sailing. This time,
12:08
of course, the type of comedy will be
12:10
very different as this one is programmed
12:12
for a UK crowd. This particular sailing
12:15
has stops in Belgium, Amsterdam, and an
12:18
overnight in Hamburg, Germany before
12:20
heading back to Portsma. Then moving
12:22
into September, that is the Eat and
12:25
Drink Festival on board Virgin Voyages.
12:27
This particular season is very, very
12:29
popular with Virgin Voyagers fans
12:31
because it's a time where Virgin
12:33
Voyagers can flex their menu a little
12:35
bit and show you some new food varieties
12:38
on board the ship, as well as some brand
12:40
new beverages, too. These limited
12:42
edition options are only available on
12:45
sailings during the month of September.
12:47
And as I say, these are very, very
12:49
popular sailings. So, if you're looking
12:51
to get booked, make sure you don't miss
12:53
the availability. Then moving into
12:55
October, there's the very popular
12:57
Halloween sailings. If you haven't been
13:00
along to Halloween sailings on Virgin
13:02
Voyages before, you are missing out.
13:04
This is where if you love dressing up
13:06
and you love a Halloween party, there's
13:08
no better place to do it than on the
13:10
Virgin Voyages ships. If you've been on
13:12
board before, you'll know that events
13:14
like the PJ Party and Scarlet Night are
13:16
a great opportunity to dress up and have
13:18
fun. Well, imagine that energy, but add
13:21
on the fact that it's Halloween and you
13:23
can dress up as silly as you like. Well,
13:25
that is exactly what happens during
13:27
Halloween on Virgin Voyages. There are
13:29
fullscale Halloween parties. There is a
13:32
fantastic costume ball and a costume
13:35
contest as well with some absolutely
13:37
incredible prizes for the winners. They
13:40
have a few categories of who can win.
13:42
So, check the information that we've got
13:45
especially closer to the time as we
13:48
learn more about these Halloween voyages
13:50
as the time approaches. But just know
13:52
again, these voyages are really, really
13:54
popular. So, if you're looking to
13:55
celebrate Halloween in a very different
13:57
way this year, why not try celebrating
13:59
at sea by booking one of these Halloween
14:02
voyages? Then, as we get to November,
14:04
that is Thanksgiving. So although these
14:07
aren't specialtity or themed cruises at
14:10
Thanksgiving you will see some menu
14:12
changes which generally means some
14:14
really fantastic turkey dishes available
14:16
at the restaurants on board as well as
14:19
some new dessert options as well. So
14:21
keep an eye out if you're on board
14:22
during Thanksgiving. Then we get to
14:25
December and that's all around
14:27
celebrating the holidays on board. There
14:29
are some special holiday sailings. Make
14:32
sure you check the name of your voyage
14:33
if you're booking something in December
14:36
and you'll know whether it's a holiday
14:37
voyage or not based on the name of it.
14:39
But during the holidays, this is where
14:41
Virgin Voyages celebrate Christmas by
14:43
not only including some fantastic new
14:45
food and beverage options, but also
14:48
hosting some very special holiday themed
14:50
events as well. So, you'll be expecting
14:52
to see the ship decked out in some
14:54
holiday decor. And there'll be a very
14:56
special event called happy holidays with
14:59
the hostess which is a very special show
15:01
only on these holiday voyages which is
15:03
hosted by the happenings cast and the
15:06
hostess herself who helps lead sailors
15:08
to ring in the holiday season in a very
15:11
special way that only Virgin Voyagers
15:13
can do. One not to be missed. And if
15:15
you're looking to celebrate the holidays
15:17
a little differently this year, maybe
15:19
that's the one for you. Then of course
15:20
to round the year off, there are the New
15:22
Year voyages where spending New Year's
15:24
Eve at sea is possibly the best way to
15:27
ring in the new year. We've seen Virgin
15:29
Voyages build New Year's Eve up to have
15:31
some really fantastic celebration at the
15:34
pool deck with some very special guest
15:36
artists. Ringing in the new year with a
15:39
huge pool party and a live band sounds
15:42
really good fun to us. This is another
15:44
case where those guest artists will not
15:46
be revealed until closer to the time. So
15:49
again, if you're looking at one of those
15:50
New Year's voyages or if you're already
15:52
booked on it, make sure to stay tuned
15:54
and we'll let you know the news as soon
15:56
as we have it. We're going to be
15:57
releasing tons more information about
15:59
these specialty and themed voyages as
16:02
the year progresses. But if you're
16:04
looking to get booked up with some extra
16:06
special perks and some special deals,
16:08
then we'd be more than happy to help
16:10
you. So, if you head over to
16:13
take a look at the pricing there and
16:15
also feel free to read through all of
16:17
the fantastic perks that you'll get by
16:19
simply using the link on our website to
16:22
book your next voyage. It really
16:23
couldn't be easier to do, and it doesn't
16:25
cost you any extra. You might even get
16:27
some bonus sailor loot on board credit
16:30
by booking with us as well. It really is
16:32
a win-win. So, thank you so much for
16:34
coming along as we took a look at the
16:36
calendar for 2026 with all those
16:38
specialtity sailings. If you've been on
16:40
one of these themed voyages before or if
16:42
you've got one planned this year, let me
16:44
know in the comments what you think. But
16:46
until next time, happy sailing.
