Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady cabins reviewed

Quentin Long has written a review of Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady, which is coming to Australia in December 2023. Here’s a detailed analysis of all the cabins on board.

Before embarking, a knowledgeable cruiser suggested the interior design of the Virgin Voyage’s cabins was a bit ‘Ikea-ish’; overly simple and ordinary. But I found the design to be fresh and cleverly minimalist.

The designers have done away with some of the heavier furniture like floor-to-ceiling cupboards, instead installing enclosed hanging spaces to create a far lighter interior and feeling of space.

Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady cabins will keep you cosy for the night.

Much of the cabin is controlled by the in-room tablet, which allows you to open and close the curtains and operate the TV. The lighting is also controlled by the tablet, with three phases plus individual settings like ‘cinema setting’ (perfect when watching the 43” 4K TV).

The cabins are also fitted with sensors to know when you’ve left the room, allowing it to then go into power-saving mode. Cleverly, the lighting is also set to automatically adjust to the time of day.

Lounge in a hammock outside your cabin.

There are six different levels of cabins on Resilient Lady. I stayed in the Sea Terrace and have expanded on this below.

Sea Terrace: 17.2–20.9 square metres

The Sea Terrace comes in regular and XL sizes. The minimalist furniture creates a greater sense of space, and the palate is predominantly blonde and black with splashes of red.

For clothing storage, there’s a hanging rail hidden behind a curtain and a small narrow cupboard with drawers and shelves. It’s not the usual floor-to-ceiling wardrobe, which aids in creating a sense of space.

The small, curved desk is ample, and only a small round stool that doubles as a poof is able to sit at the desk. An armchair, too low for the desk, sits in the corner.

The curtains open up to incredible sea views.

The permanent bed is comfy and firm. Although Virgin’s fact sheets state that it’s “the Seabed, the first-ever transformational cabin bed at sea, specially engineered and handcrafted by Walter Knoll in Germany”, I didn’t personally see the bed ‘transformed’.

A mirror desk adds to the aesthetic feel of the cabin.

There are two unusual cabin additions. A convertible c-table can be used as an ottoman, coffee table, nightstand or tray for breakfast in bed, while the small, raised platform on the non-window side of the bed is handy for unpacking collections from the day on shore or objects like cameras that don’t fit in the hanging cupboard or on the desk.

There’s a small bar fridge but no mini bar.

Settle in the Sea Terrace cabin.

The bathroom is compact and has no cupboards for toiletries; instead, they can either sit next to the sink or on the shelf underneath. There’s a darker dedicated make-up remover towel which is a smart idea, for those who wear make-up. In the shower, the rain showerhead is appreciated and there’s enough room to swing a kitten.

The balcony is small, with a slimline set of table and chairs. The hammock innovation is smart, and while many other Sailors enjoyed hours reading in these slings, I unfortunately never had the time. The hammock is also a partnership with Yellow Leaf, a social enterprise empowering women in rural Thailand.

The cabin’s amenities will keep you comfy.

Sea View: 12–17.7 square metres

Without a balcony, but with a window seat or porthole, the Sea View cabins are Sea Terraces without the terrace.

The Sea View is perfect for solo travellers.

The Sea View also comes in a one-person format, which is a nice inclusion for the solo traveller. The space is much smaller, with just a round stool to sit on.

It comes with a cosy bed and couch to sit on.

Insider: 9.75–16.4 square metres

The internal cabins come in three different configurations.

Insider

The internal couples cabin. This is much like the Sea Terrace (except with no sea views).

Social Insider

This is the classic four-bunk configuration. As this is an adults-only cruise, you’ll want to be very good friends with your bunkmates.

The Social Insider has bunk beds that can fit four persons.

Solo Insider

Take the solo Sea View and remove the porthole and you have your Solo Insider. You’ll either be an agoraphobe or hyperactive and literally use the room just for the three Ss (shower, shave and sleep… not sure what you were thinking the third ‘S’ was).