In the schedule for the 2026 season, the adults-only cruise ship Valiant Lady has been assigned a specialized sailing of its annual U.S. Comedy Fest that will depart from New York City and proceed to Bermuda, signalling both a new departure port for this themed service and an extended engagement ashore. The voyage, set to run from April 11th to April 16th, 2026, combines maritime transit with two days of port calls at Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda before the return passage to New York, and is distinguished by a collaboration with the performance collective Don’t Tell Comedy, whose curatorship will shape the shipboard programme.
Don’t Tell Comedy, a live entertainment entity known for staging surprise performances in unconventional venues prior to its engagement at sea, has been tasked with structuring both scheduled stand-up appearances and impromptu sets within various spaces aboard Valiant Lady. Acts on the 2026 sailing will include a roster of professional comedians whose work spans established club performances and digital platforms, blending headline shows with more intimate presentations distributed through the ship’s entertainment venues during sea days and evenings.
The Bermuda leg of the itinerary allows for an overnight stay in port, affording those aboard the opportunity to disembark and explore local points of interest ashore between performances. The arrangement represents an evolution of the Comedy Fest concept by embedding it within a northwestern Atlantic round trip from a U.S. home port, rather than the Caribbean crossover departures more typical of earlier iterations of the series.
The Valiant Lady will continue to integrate this themed sailing with its broader onboard offerings, including the line’s established entertainment, dining and social spaces, in keeping with the vessel’s operational profile as a purpose-built cruise ship for adult passengers.
In addition to the April U.S. voyage, Virgin Voyages has scheduled a corresponding Comedy Fest departure from the United Kingdom in August 2026, reinforcing the role of live performance programming in its seasonal deployment strategy.