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…
There is a new lady in town, and she has quite the pedigree. For the first time in her history, Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth is calling PortMiami home. The classic ocean liner known for her British elegance has officially kicked off her Caribbean season today, sailing from the Cruise Capital of…
It’s almost go time and I'm quite excited! In just a few days, I’m kicking off an incredible stretch of cruises on five ships across four cruise lines and nearly three months at sea. This run checks every box. I’m starting with my first time on Virgin Voyages for the…
Margaritaville at Sea is giving us a sneak peek at life aboard its brand-new flagship, Beachcomber, sailing from PortMiami in 2027, and let’s just say, it looks pretty, pretty cool! The cruise line dropped concept art of several major spaces on the ship, and if these renderings are anything to…
If you’ve cruised with MSC, you probably already know how incredible Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve is. It’s hands-down my favorite private island — no crazy theme park-style attractions, no rushing here and there, just beach, sand, and plenty of relaxation on an island that never feels crowded and where…
If you’ve ever spent a day on Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay, you know it’s the perfect place to kick back with a frozen drink in one hand as you work on a tan to make your friends back home jealous. But if you’ve got a cruise…
