Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady Cruise Ship Review

We recently had the opportunity to experience life onboard Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady for their Mermaiden Tour. With just two days after its grand entrance into Sydney Harbour, accompanied by a warm welcome from none other than Richard Branson himself, we embarked on a swift two-night ‘debut’ cruise from Sydney to Melbourne where the ship will homeport for the Australian summer season. 

Relaxing Area On Board Resilient Lady

Resilient Lady Boarding and Cabins 

Arriving at the dock to board for Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady cruise ship at 2pm, the process was smooth and seamless. We were welcomed by very friendly and helpful staff, who all greeted us with a hearty ‘Ahoy’ as we stepped on board. Staff ensured we were well guided to our cabins and it allowed us to feel settled quite quickly and comfortably. Overall, the entire experience with on and off boarding as well as navigating our way to our cabin was a very efficient process. 

Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady offered various cabins on board all fit with different luxuries. The pinnacle is the ‘Massive Suite’, a rockstar-worthy accommodation with a hot-tub, multi-guitar room and an expansive wrap-around balcony. Meeting Richard Branson’s vision of creating a cruise ship he’d enjoy with friends, this suite even features a full-size freestanding bath – a true highlight.

Lounge Area of Resilient Lady Massive Suite

Outdoor Hot Tub on Resilient Lady Massive Suite

Full Size Freestanding Bath in Massive Suite

Resilient Lady Massive Suite

Bar in the Resilient Lady Massive Suite

Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady’s other suites include the ‘Fab Suite’ which is a step down from the ‘Massive Suite’ with one guitar lounge; the ‘Seriously Suite’ which is a step down again, no guitar lounge and 1x stock of the bar but is all still included with booking. These suites are another level of luxury and a good value option to get some extra perks and space over the normal ‘terraces’ cabins. 

We stayed in a ‘Sea Terrace’ cabin which was quite confined, however had great technology throughout the room. It has a pretty small bathroom and there is a couch which can convert to a bed if you request by staff. As the room was about 5 square metres smaller than most standard balcony rooms for cruise ships, we would recommend booking the XL Sea Terrace for that little bit more space. Overall, the Sea Terrace is a good, well designed-and-styled room, but lacks that little bit of space. 

Resilient Lady Seriously Suite Bar

Resilient Lady Seriously Suite

Resilient Lady Seriously Suite Balcony

Resilient Lady Dining and Bars

Our culinary journey with Virgin Voyages on the Resilient Lady began with dinner at The Wake on night one – a steak and seafood specialty restaurant. The NY Strip Steak was a standout and delicious, followed by a panna cotta for dessert which also tasted really good as well. Our meal was complimented with a picturesque window view at the back of the ship. We were seated in a great spot at the restaurant with a window view straight out the back of the ship whilst the sun was setting behind us. 

Virgin Voyages dinner place selection for night two was Pink Agave. With Mexican cuisine, this food was also incredibly tasty. The restaurant had a DJ playing music, and many cocktails to choose from. We liked the variety of options that were on the menu as well as the liveliness of the place. It was a great place to dine with a group of 5 of us as we were able to share a range of different dishes amongst us. 

As we only cruised for two nights, we were unable to get across the entire Virgin Voyages ship to try all the other food places on offer. With many great options, special mention to ‘The Galley’ – the ships ‘buffet’ version on the ship – The Resilient Lady provided to many different individual’s taste buds. We enjoyed breakfast and lunch at The Galley both days we were onboard. It held freshly prepped stations which came across as almost a food court of sorts where we were able to mix any type of cuisine you could imagine for our morning and midday meals. Other small snack places included an ice cream parlour called ‘Lick Me Til Ice Cream’, a pastry and bakery station and other sweet treats.

Beverages offered on board the Resilient Lady were great and well priced. Virgin Voyages definitely ensured there were enough bars aboard with SIP (champagne bar), The Manor (a speakeasy), Richard’s Rooftop (exclusive to suite guests with a VIP card) and Draught Haus (beer bar) just to name a few. The room credit we had in USD with our room went a long way. Cocktails in every bar were delicious and we give a special mention to the espresso martini.

The Galley

The Galley

The Galley Sweet Section

Resilient Lady Bar

Virgin Voyages Extras

The Virgin Voyages crew definitely know how to put on fun nights with hosted entertaining and great music to dance to. The cruise experience was a great place to wind down as an adult and let a hair or two loose.

The pool temperature, with its heating function, was impressive, especially considering the ship’s voyages to cooler destinations such as New Zealand or Tasmania. We applaud the Resilient Lady and how well thought of this feature is, especially considering we were the first to ‘Christen’ the pool, the water was a nice, perfect temperature. 

Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady ship has a large fitness centre with two sections. One section had all the cardio equipment and the other section had a mix of weight machines and free weights. Other fitness facilities included a spin class room, yoga and a large running or walking/track which ensured a well-rounded wellness experience.

There was a section of the ship that had table and board games available to play whenever you pleased. Another highlight was Virgin Voyages arcade room near the Social Club which created a great space to relax and socialise. The Resilient Lady really covered all areas of entertainment and provided a great variety of options for individuals to choose how they desired to relax, enjoy and socialise. 

Entrance to Reseilient Lady’s Nightclub

Overall

The Resilient Lady is a modern ship with a plethora of places and spaces to savour. The delicious and varied food options as well as plentiful bars on board made the entire dining experience a positive one. The pool temperature was a stand out in comparison to most other cruises we’ve been on and something definitely worth mentioning and patting Virgin Voyages on the back for. Virgin Voyages also had an app ‘Shake Your VV’ which provided complimentary champagne delivered to you which was a great enjoyable extra feature. The adult-only cruise, from poolside lounging to live music, nightclubs, set shows and a casino, along with numerous bars, created a vibrant and fun atmosphere. 

To book your next cruise, contact a Tour + Cruise expert, or visit our current deals for exclusive offers and packages with Virgin Voyages or other cruise lines.

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