Today marked the first of two back-to-back sea days as Brilliant Lady makes her way toward our final port of call, The Beach Club at Bimini, Virgin Voyages private resort in the Bahamas, where we’ll arrive Friday before returning to Miami on Saturday to wrap up this MerMaiden voyage. So…

Carnival’s first Excel-class ship, Mardi Gras, just came out of her first dry dock looking fresh and polished after a little time in the yard. Like any ship hitting dry dock for the first time, she got some much-needed TLC — paint touch-ups, system upgrades, deep cleaning, and a few…

Royal Caribbean just fired up the sparks in Saint-Nazaire, France, where the first piece of steel was officially cut for the line’s seventh Oasis-Class ship — the next in a lineup that’s been redefining cruising beginning with Oasis of the Seas's in December 2009. This newest addition doesn’t have a…

Big news out of Celebrity Cruises today. The line officially took delivery of its newest ship, Celebrity Xcel, and at the same time revealed the name of its next Edge-Class vessel — Celebrity Xcite — as steel cutting is officially underway at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.…

We’re officially in the homestretch of this eight-day MerMaiden Voyage aboard Virgin Voyages’ newest and fourth ship, Brilliant Lady. Hard to believe it’s flying by this fast! This cruise is definitely what you’d call a “sea day special,” with more time floating than docking. Out of the eight days onboard,…

Since leaving Miami on Friday evening, we’ve had two back-to-back sea days en route to our first port of call — St. Maarten, where Brilliant Lady arrived right on schedule at 8 a.m. If you’ve been following along, you know the Day 1 report covered embarkation, my stateroom tour (complete…

We’re now on Day 3 of Virgin Voyages’ MerMaiden Voyage of the newest ship in the fleet - Brilliant Lady - from Miami, which includes three ports of call — St. Maarten, Tortola, and Virgin’s Beach Club at Bimini in the Bahamas. If you’ve been following along, in my Day…

After a great first day onboard for Virgin Voyages Brilliant Lady’s MerMaiden Voyage from Miami, I'm starting to get settled in and more in-tune with the whole Virgin cruises style.  Sir Richard Branson himself is onboard for this inaugural sailing, which makes this already special voyage even more memorable, as…

After years of anticipation and several schedule shake-ups, Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady has finally made her way home to Miami for her long-awaited MerMaiden Voyage. Originally announced back in 2021 as the fourth ship in the Virgin fleet, she is the sister to Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady, and Resilient Lady…

Carnival’s first Excel-class ship, Mardi Gras, is officially back in action - fresh from her very first dry dock in France. This is the ship that started a new era for Carnival Cruise Line: the first in the Excel class, the largest class ever built for the brand, with her…