Virgin Voyages Brilliant Lady Cruise Review – Day 7: October 23, 2025

We’ve officially reached the final sea day of this eight-day MerMaiden voyage aboard Virgin Voyages’ newest ship, Brilliant Lady. It’s hard to believe this cruise is already wrapping up – it’s flown by. So far, we’ve visited just two ports of call – St. Maarten and Tortola – and tomorrow we’ll hit our third and final stop, The Beach Club at Bimini, Virgin Voyages’ private Bahamian resort.

Yesterday’s sea day? Let’s just say it was a washout. Between the overcast skies, rain showers, and gusty winds from the outer bands of Tropical Storm Melissa, there wasn’t much pool time to be had. Most people spent the day indoors bouncing between bars, lounges, and coffee spots trying to find something to do that didn’t involve getting soaked. But today was a completely different story. The sun came out, the seas were calm, and just like that, the pool deck turned to the “place to be” once again. Everyone was trying to soak up one blast of solar radiation before reality calls us back to Miami.

Now, before we get into what’s waiting for us tomorrow at The Beach Club let’s take a step back and talk a little about where exactly we’re going, and how it came to be.

The Beach Club at Bimini: History and What to Expect

The island of Bimini sits just about 50 miles off the east coast of Florida, making it the closest Bahamian island to the U.S. mainland – so close that on a clear day, you can almost see it from Miami. Not really, but you get the point. It’s actually made up of two small islands – North and South Bimini – connected by a bridge. It was once a rum-running hotspot during Prohibition, a fishing spot for Ernest Hemingway, and even part of the lore surrounding the legendary Fountain of Youth (which, spoiler alert, is not real – but they’ll happily sell you a T-shirt anyway).

In more recent years, Bimini has evolved into an upscale getaway thanks to the development of Resorts World Bimini, a 750-acre resort complex that opened in 2013. The property is owned by the Genting Group, the same company behind the Resorts World casinos in Las Vegas, New York, and Singapore. Genting’s arrival brought a touch of luxury complete with a marina that can handle mega-yachts, a Hilton hotel, a casino, and an infrastructure built to handle cruise ships.

That’s where Virgin Voyages comes in. Rather than build its own private destination from scratch or buy up a private island like other cruise lines, Virgin partnered with Resorts World to create The Beach Club at Bimini, a dedicated piece of the property that turns into a Virgin-exclusive space whenever a ship is in port.

Now, Virgin doesn’t own the Beach Club – it’s a joint operation with Resorts World. When ships are in port, you’ll find crew from the ship working the bars and food outlets and running the entertainment. Other than that, it’s still Resorts World.

To get there, you’ll hop aboard a tram right at the pier. The Beach Club is about 1.75 miles away from where the ship docks, and if you had to walk there in the Bahamian heat cruisers would be complaining relentlessly.

There are two lagoon-style pools, each surrounded by loungers, cabanas, and sunbeds, and a stretch of beach with that white sand and clear water The Bahamas is known for.

The Beach Club at Bimini Shore Exursions

Virgin Voyages offers a lineup of shore excursions and private experiences that range from relaxation to adventure. Here’s a look at what’s available when we dock at The Beach Club at Bimini:

Of course, some of these excursions aren’t exactly what you’d call budget-friendly. I mean, the $1,000 Mermaid Hideaway sounds amazing – air conditioning, private service, comfy seating for ten – but at that price, I’d expect Sebastian and Flounder to show up and sing Under the Sea live.

Sure, if you’re splitting it among friends it softens the blow a little… but let’s be honest, that’s still a lot of clams for a cabana, no matter how chic the Airstream is. Then again, if you’ve come this far on Virgin Voyages, you probably already know – it’s not about saving money, it’s about sailing in style.

Let’s Talk About The Galley

If you’ve sailed on other cruise lines, you’re used to the idea of a buffet – long lines of trays, steam tables, and someone inevitably wandering aimlessly not giving a crap about the people around them trying to grab some food. Virgin Voyages tossed that whole idea overboard. Instead, they have The Galley – a food hall-style marketplace that serves up breakfast, lunch, and dinner from a lineup of different stalls, each specializing in something different.

You just walk up to whatever catches your eye, ask for some, or order what you want, and a crew member brings it right to your table. You can also sit down, raise the flag on the table tent thing, and someone will come over, take your order, and deliver your food. Simple, fast, and (usually) pretty tasty.

Here’s a breakdown of the different stalls you’ll find at The Galley:

• The Daily Mix – Your morning go-to for cereal, yogurt, and fresh breads, but come lunchtime, it transforms into a made-to-order salad and soup bar. Perfect for something lighter in between heavier meals or after too many desserts.
• The Burger Bar – Craving something hearty? This spot serves pancakes and breakfast burgers in the morning, then flips to classic burgers and a rotating specialty burger for lunch and dinner. The fries are pretty good, and the specialty burger changes daily.
• Diner & Dash – All-day breakfast lovers, this is your happy place. You’ll find omelets, bacon, sausage, and toast no matter the time of day. But at lunch and dinner, they also mix in carved meats and entrée-style dishes, making it a great option if you want something more traditional but still casual.
• Taco Bout It – Serving burritos and tacos in the morning and through lunch. Sadly, it’s closed for dinner, so get your taco fix early.
• Bento Baby – One of my personal favorites. These grab-and-go bento boxes range from fruit and yogurt in the morning to fresh sushi at lunch and dinner. There are two rotating sushi menus that change every other day, and I can confidently say – I made it my mission to sample as many rolls as possible this week and they’ve all been fantastic.
• Noodle Around – Serving ramen for breakfast and lunch (yes, breakfast ramen is a thing here). It’s not open for dinner, but it’s a solid midday meal if you want something warm.
• Hot Off The Press – You’ll find breakfast sandwiches and paninis in the morning, followed by toasty pressed sandwiches at lunch. Another that closes after the lunch rush, but great for a quick bite when you don’t want to sit down for a full meal.

Between the variety, the freshness, and the fact that you never have to fight through a buffet line, The Galley is one of Virgin’s smartest ideas. It keeps things casual, quick, and surprisingly good – with enough options that even the pickiest eater can find something to love.

Below are both rotating menus so you can see what kind of food hall magic Brilliant Lady has been serving up this week.

Evening Entertainment

Remember earlier in the week when I mentioned that the show Murder in The Manor was canceled due to a cast member being under the weather? Well, unfortunately, tonight’s scheduled performance met the same fate. Totally understandable – these things happen – and I hope whoever’s sick is on the mend soon. Still, I have to admit, it was one of the shows I was really looking forward to seeing!

To fill the gap, Virgin swapped in another show that ran earlier in the week, and over in the main theater – The Red Room – tonight’s headliner was a repeat performance of Red Hot, which I caught earlier in the voyage.

If there’s one thing Virgin Voyages really gets right, it’s how they handle entertainment. Instead of the usual “one-night-only” performances you find on other lines, Virgin schedules multiple showtimes across multiple nights, sometimes even adding afternoon performances so every sailor gets a chance to see everything. Between the productions in The Red Room and the nightlife-style performances in The Manor, it’s easy to build your own entertainment schedule without feeling rushed – or like you’re missing out.

Dinner at Gunbae

After a few G&Ts at Sip Lounge (thanks again to Saffrone and Leonardo for keeping the Fever Tree flowing), it was time for dinner. I only had two restaurants left to check off my list – The Test Kitchen and Gunbae – so I flipped a coin as I took the last sip of my drink. Fate decided: Gunbae it was.

Gunbae is Virgin’s Korean BBQ restaurant, described as “maximum social engagement, a catalyst for great conversation, soju drinking, and meat grilling.”

I didn’t have a reservation but showed up around 8:30 PM and was seated right away at a shared table with two other guests. A few minutes later, four more joined, bringing us to a full table. The setup is similar to a teppanyaki restaurant, with a half-circle table and a grill built into the center where the chef cooks everything right in front of you, serving it as it’s ready.

Now, your experience here really depends on your tablemates. I’ve been in both extremes – once on MSC Seascape, I was seated with a family from Asia who didn’t speak any English, and it was… well, an interesting dinner to say the least. This time, my tablemates were more talkative, but since they mentioned they wanted to make the 10 PM show, service was a bit quicker and we skipped the drinking games (jury’s still out on whether that was a good or bad thing).

Yes, you read that right – drinking games. If you’re up for it, your chef can lead the table through a few rounds, and things can get loud, lively, and very soju-fueled.

For those not familiar, soju is a clear, slightly sweet Korean spirit typically made from rice or sweet potatoes. It doesn’t have much of a taste and is a bit lower on the proof scale, so you can tolerate more of it than say, endless shots of tequila.

There are three main games they’ll play:

• 3-6-9 (Sam Yuk Gu) – Players take turns counting aloud from 1 upward. You can’t say any number that contains a 3, 6, or 9 – instead, you clap. Miss one or say the wrong thing, and yep… you drink.
• Sense – Everyone secretly picks a number from 1 to however many players there are. Everyone shouts their number at once – if two or more say the same number, or you’re the last to shout, you lose and take a shot.
• Yearbook – Players make up a character (“Most likely to …”), then everyone votes on who fits the description. Whoever gets the most votes drinks.

Gunbae Dinner Menu

Dinner is broken into three sections – Small Bites, Rice/Noodles/Stew, and The BBQ Grill.

Our chef went over the menu, made a few recommendations, and then it was time to order.

From the Small Bites menu, I went with the Shrimp Kimbap Rolls (nori, crispy rice, black garlic) which were very similar to sushi, and the Dakgang Jeong (crispy chicken, pickled daikon, chili sauce) – obviously a favorite since everyone at the table ordered it. Both dishes were excellent.

For the Rice/Noodles/Stew section, I went with the Kalbi Jjim – a bowl of soy-braised short ribs with egg ribbons, chestnuts, and daikon, along with some kimchi fried rice. Everything served up to this point hit the mark.

Then came the main event – the BBQ Grill. Our chef suggested she just cook everything so we could try it all, and nobody at the table objected. We started with grilled vegetables, then moved on to a round of squid, octopus, scallops, and shrimp – all perfectly cooked and shared around the table.

Next came the Bulgogi, thinly sliced marinated ribeye with onions, which was OK it really needed some type of flavor. There was a lot of food, and our chef even cooked up an extra round of seafood for us, which nobody complained about.

By the time dessert rolled around, the first couple at the table left for the 10 PM show, and the remaining four women decided to skip the drinking games and headed out too. That left me solo to enjoy dessert – a soft-serve swirl ice cream topped with granola, mini mochi, and miso caramel. It was the perfect finish to a big, satisfying meal.

Dinner at Gunbae was great overall – the food was spot-on, the atmosphere was lively, and the service was quick and friendly. The only thing missing was the full “Gunbae experience” with the soju-fueled drinking games, but hey, life happens. I did have a few shots of soju tho.

Wrapping Up the Day

After dinner, I took a walk around the outer decks to enjoy the night air – athough it was very windy, giving a bit of a preview of what to expect tomorrow in Bimini.

Eventually, I decided to call it a night. It’s hard to believe that a full week has already gone by and this MerMaiden voyage aboard Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady is coming to an end. One more day to go before we return to Miami – but first, a full day of sun awaits at The Beach Club at Bimini, so be sure to check back for my thoughts on the resort.

Then on Tuesday, I’ll be trading the quirky for the classic as I board Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth for an itinerary that might get adjusted thanks to Tropical Storm Melissa, but we’ll see what happens.

As always, thanks for following along – more tomorrow from Bimini!

Personal Day-By-Day Brilliant Lady Cruise Review: