Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady: Cruise with My 18-Year-Old
Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady with my 18-year-old
Thanks to points and miles, I have been lucky to travel with my kids all over the world. Each year I try to pick something I think they will like that we do just as mom and son.
I was trying to think of something special to do with my college son, Finn. I mentioned a few things. However, I was excited that Finn agreed to try Virgin Voyages with me. I had been on a few, and I thought the high-quality food would really appeal to Finn. I was correct! Finn loved Virgin Voyages even though he doesn’t love cruising; he has said he would do another one in the future.
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The Trip
Our trip started when we flew into Miami the day before our cruise. I booked our room at the Hyatt Regency Miami. I have stayed at this hotel a few times when sailing out of Miami. I love the location of this hotel. It is within walking distance of many great restaurants and stores. There is a beautiful walking path by the water that I have walked numerous times. You can even walk over to Bayside Marketplace or the Frost Science Museum. There is even a Whole Foods close to the hotel. If you want to grab a bottle of wine or two to take on the ship with you.
If you don’t want to leave the hotel. They have a good restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I highly recommend their French toast with lemon mascarpone. They also have a great deli area that has a coffee shop and grab-and-go items. They have a Greek salad that was extremely good and affordable (for Miami). I had it with my sister on one trip, and we thought we should have split this big salad. A few minutes later, when we both finished ours, we agreed it was too good to share. I also cannot resist their guava and cheese pastries.
We also stayed at this hotel in January thanks to a canceled flight home. Read about that stay here.
Embarkation
Virgin starts embarkation later than other cruise lines. Thanks to my deep blue extras, we had boarding at 1:30. We requested a late checkout at the Hyatt Regency Miami. It was granted thanks to my Discoverist status with Hyatt. We took a quick uber ride to the port.
Uber Receipt
They weren’t quite ready for us so we waited in an airconditioned area until we could board the ship.
After we were allowed to board, we quickly headed to our room to drop off our luggage. We only had carry-ons, so we carried everything we needed on the ship. Our room steward, Rhyan, came by quickly, and I told him I was traveling with my 18-year-old son and asked him to separate the beds for us. He said no problem and asked when it would be convenient. Since we were about to head out to explore the ship, he said he would do it then.
Bed formation for twins on Virgin Voyages
The Ship
I took Finn (my son) out to explore the Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady. First, we headed to the dock to eat lunch. This is my favorite spot to relax on the boat. They have yummy food and great service. Finn had Octopus and Shrimp, and I had Shrimp and Hangar steak. We both agreed it was fantastic. At this point, Finn wanted to explore the boat alone, and I was fine just where I was so we agreed to meet up in our room later to go to dinner together.
Dinner
My one requirement for this trip was I wanted to have dinner with my son each night. I spent a lot of time picking out where we would eat each night. One of the best things about Virgin Voyages is that all specialty dining is included. Check out my guide on the different restaurants. Each night we had the most amazing dinner and caught up on the day, discussed our plans for the next. I would rarely see Finn the rest of the time. He was living his best life playing chess or hanging out in the social club. I enjoyed reading on my balcony. It is one of the reasons I enjoy cruising. There is so much to do on board for everyone.
Check out these articles on Virgin Voyages:
Maximize your savings with Virgin Bar Tab
Our Shore Thing to Chichen Itza
My favorite things to eat on Virgin Voyages
The test kitchen - everything you need to know
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