It’s been a big few weeks in the Virgin Voyages world — a comedy festival is literally at sea right now, Valiant Lady has a new homeport in New York, and the Spring Savings promotion is still running with serious discounts through the end of May. Here’s your quick catch-up on everything happening.
Comedy Fest Is Officially at Sea
The third annual Virgin Voyages U.S. Comedy Fest kicked off April 11 and runs through April 16, 2026 — so it’s happening right now. Valiant Lady departed Brooklyn (more on that below) for a five-night roundtrip to Bermuda, packed with stand-up sets, surprise pop-up performances, and meet-and-greets with the comedians.
This year, Virgin Voyages partnered with Don’t Tell Comedy — the grassroots live comedy platform that started as a backyard show in Los Angeles and has grown into one of the most recognizable names in stand-up. The lineup is headlined by Shapel Lacey and Tacarra Williams (aka “The Beautiful Beast”), joined by breakout acts including Emma Willmann, Amy Miller, Ian Levy, Laura Peek, Usama Siddiquee, and Shaunak Godkhindi.
Performances are spread across multiple venues on the ship in a true festival format — not a single big-room show, but a cruise-wide comedy experience. If you’ve been on the fence about a themed sailing, this is exactly the kind of event that makes Virgin Voyages different from every other cruise line out there.
A UK Comedy Fest is also confirmed for August 20–26, 2026, sailing roundtrip from Portsmouth with stops in Bruges, Amsterdam, and Hamburg. Headliners for that one will be announced in the coming months.
Valiant Lady Is Now Sailing from Brooklyn
If you’ve been planning a New York sailing and expecting to board at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal — heads up. Virgin Voyages has moved all 2026 New York sailings to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal at 210 Clinton Wharf in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
The reason? Manhattan’s Pier 90 (the main Virgin Voyages berth) is offline due to infrastructure issues, and with Pier 92 also closed for structural repairs, there’s only one functional Manhattan berth left — not enough to accommodate the schedule. Brooklyn Cruise Terminal picks up the slack, and honestly it’s a solid facility.
Valiant Lady has three New York visits planned for 2026: April, September, and October. After that, Virgin Voyages is stepping back from New York for the foreseeable future — so if a NYC departure is on your bucket list, these are likely your last chances for a while. All three sailings depart from Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is accessible from Manhattan (about a 20-minute Uber), and parking is available on-site. It’s a smaller, more low-key embarkation experience than Pier 90 — which most Sailors actually seem to prefer.
Spring Savings Is Still Running — Don’t Miss It
Virgin Voyages’ Spring Savings promotion runs through May 28, 2026, and it’s one of the better deals we’ve seen this year. The offer stacks two discounts:
- Up to $1,000 in Instant Savings off your voyage fare (amount varies by cabin category and voyage length)
- 70% off your second Sailor — effectively 35% off each sailor’s base fare on Sea Terrace, Sea View, and Insider cabins
This applies across all non-charter Caribbean sailings, including the full Miami schedule. If you’ve been watching fares and waiting for the right moment, this is genuinely a good one. The 70% second sailor discount alone makes a big difference for couples or anyone booking with a travel companion.
Want to see if Spring Savings applies to the sailing you’re eyeing? Reach out to our team at Pixie Vacations — we’re a Virgin Voyages Top 100 First Mate agency, we book VV cruises all the time, and there’s never a booking fee.
Ready to Book?
Whether you’re eyeing the UK Comedy Fest this August, a Brooklyn sailing before Valiant Lady leaves New York, or just want to lock in Spring Savings pricing before May 28 — we’re here to help. Our agents know Virgin Voyages inside and out, and we’ll make sure you get the best available deal.
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