On Monday, August 18th, Brilliant Lady, the newest addition to the Virgin Voyages fleet, made her maiden call in the United Kingdom by arriving at Portsmouth International Port.
This completes a unique milestone for the port: it becomes the first and only harbour globally to have welcomed every ship in Virgin Voyages' "Lady" series, including Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady, Resilient Lady, and now Brilliant Lady. The vessel is scheduled to remain alongside for four days, hosting invited guests and completing preparations before setting off on her inaugural commercial voyage to New York on Thursday, August 21st.
Ports Day operations begin as the ship rests alongside, presenting both community engagement and official duties. The crew will host a careers briefing for 20 education professionals from local schools and colleges, introducing shipboard roles while representatives from the International Chamber of Shipping and the International Underwriting Association will observe the vessel’s internal operations.
Portsmouth’s association with Virgin Voyages has grown since Scarlet Lady’s UK launch in 2021, underpinning record cruise traffic at the port. Over 72,000 Virgin Voyages guests have embarked or disembarked through Portsmouth to date, bolstering the port's status and contributing significantly to economic momentum. Each ship call is estimated to generate up to GBP 1.5 million in revenue through port fees, supply-chain benefits, and local spending, while the council-owned port projects a total annual profit of roughly GBP 10.3 million—funds that feed directly into essential municipal services.