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The rooftop lounge in the forward ship was dotted with shaded loungers and multiple hot tubs with a private bar, panoramic views, and nightly happy hour. We spent every afternoon lounging on the rooftop between excursions and watched the sunset during happy hour with an intimate group of cruisers we befriended. On our sea day, when the pool was most packed, the lounge remained an empty reprieve, and we certainly felt like RockStars with our whims catered to at every turn. The only areas that ever felt crowded were the pools at the Aquatic Club and Gym and Tonic, which is pretty typical of any cruise ship, especially on sea days.
The room service was impeccable, too.
We think our detour was due to being the last excursion of the day. We didn’t feel like we had to dress to the nines or that meals were completely over the top when dining every evening. The restaurants are very hip, exciting, and social environments. From crispy artichokes with caper aioli and charred lemon aperitivo to the secondo porcini-rubbed New York Strip with Calabrian chili butter, farro and sauteed escarole, we raved about every bite. We weren’t the only ones who loved this spot; every passenger we spoke to said it was their favorite, and we failed to secure a second reservation due to its popularity. The ship’s food court-styled dining, found on Deck 15, was nothing like a traditional food court.
My cabin was generously sized.
The sold-out cruise featuring 1,400 cabins across 16 decks of Valiant Lady could have turned our vacation into a nightmare – trapped on a smaller cruise ship than, say, Oasis of the Seas, at full capacity worried us. But our fears were for naught because even during our one at-sea day, Valiant Lady never felt crowded. "Nine Carnival Miracle guests were hit by a shuttle bus in the transportation area outside the Honolulu cruise terminal on Friday morning," Matt Lupoli, senior manager of the Carnival Cruise Line, told USA TODAY. "Sadly, one guest has died from her injuries. She was traveling with her husband, who was also injured and is expected to recover."
Overall, I had such a fun experience on my cruise I didn't even spend much time in my stateroom.
I spent many of my days relaxing in the expansive multiroom thermal suite, singing along at B.B. King's Blues Club, or sunbathing by the Lido Pool with a retractable roof. In a time of high inflation and stretched budgets, cruises reign supreme.
Often cruise lines offer special rates that cannot be displayed to the general public. By registering with Cruise.com you will be able to view these special rates and offers. "We heard the tire of a vehicle screeching," Lillian Le, a visitor from Denver told the broadcast station. "We looked and it was a bus running over people and hit against a wall."
I Spent 7 Days on My First Adults-Only Virgin Voyages Cruise
By far, our best Experience was a day sailing to the Pitons in Saint Lucia, where we stopped to snorkel and dropped anchor in a quiet yet colorful bay for local eats and Piton beer. Of the ship’s additional restaurants, we loved Pink Agave’s taste of Mexico through tlayuds, memelas, sopes, tortas, esquites, and tamales, but were less impressed by Test Kitchen. We had decided to make our vacay a week of self-improvement, promising to partake in the ship’s more than 100 free exercise classes. We also swore we would utilize the open-air track on Deck 17 called The Runway, join the calming morning yoga sessions on The Perch, and visit the ship’s gym, B-Complex. When my best friend suggested we needed some one-on-one girl time, we knew we wanted to spend a week in the Caribbean sun and escape winter’s wrath. Always one to enjoy Sir Richard Branson’s hotels and airlines, a trip aboard the Valiant Lady seemed like an ideal match.
“In accordance with our zero-tolerance policy for this kind of alleged behavior, this individual is no longer with the company,” the cruise line told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. Neri, who is a citizen of the Philippines, is charged with transportation of child pornography and possession of child pornography. Sister ship Sun Princess was also delayed ahead of its launch earlier this year, with Princess citing “additional technical work” needed at the shipyard. Travelers will have to wait longer than planned to sail on Princess Cruises’ upcoming ship.
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Back in those days (not to date myself), you could get on a ship out of Port Everglades and go into international waters to drink and gamble. “The bridge team onboard spotted the vessel and turned the ship around to rescue them,” Carnival said in a news release. “All were taken aboard, given food and were seen by the medical team.” The cruise line also notified the U.S.
All offers are based on select sailings and categories and are subject to availability at time of booking. Eyewitness told KITV Island News that the relaxing Friday morning turned deadly after the shuttle bus crash. One person has died and multiple people were injured in a shuttle bus crash in Honolulu, Hawaii on Friday. The ship’s new inaugural itineraries will include 11 and seven-day Mediterranean cruises on Oct. 4 and 15, 2025, respectively. Those will be followed by a two-week transatlantic voyage to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Oct. 22, 2025.
New to cruising and want to learn about the cruise experience? Learn all about cruising from the comfort of your own home with our live complimentary Virtual Cruise Lectures. Cruise.com has been connecting travelers with the perfect cruise vacations since 1998.
Guests whose cruises are impacted will be able to rebook on any Princess ship and, depending on which sailing they pick, receive future cruise and onboard credits. They will also be able to opt for a full refund of their fare instead. My cabin was a quick two decks up to the areas I frequented most, the spa and its thermal suite, and the fitness center. The 1,196-foot-long, 20-deck Icon of the Seas is packed with bars, restaurants, and things to do. Any shorter of an itinerary, and you might not have time to experience all it has to offer. There's a reason Royal Caribbean's new mega-cruise ship is only operating seven-night sailings.
Considering the booking window opens 45 days before the sailing date, and that passengers in the know set their alarms to begin booking as soon as the app launches, this first access alone can be worth its weight. Of course, a sea day wouldn’t be a sea day without a visit to the spa, and Valiant Lady offered an easy and inexpensive way to enjoy the spa with its Thermal Suite Pass. For two hours, we could take advantage of Redemption Spa’s steam room, sauna, salt therapy room, mud bath room, hot and cold plunge pools, and heated Turkish marble lounges. Sharing a room with a friend is always a tricky proposition, but even more so in the tight quarters of a cruise ship. My friend and I shared a 225-square-foot Sea Terrace suite and from the photos, it looked like we’d have some trouble squeezing in clothes for two.
Icon of the Seas has plenty of live music venues — including rowdy karaoke and dueling pianos bars, if that counts. But if you're a jazz fan or looking for a peaceful nightcap, none of these options will top the live music at Lou's Jazz 'n Blues. I spent my time there perched at one of its in-water loungers, contently splashing my legs around the water, wondering if I actually hated cruises.
But compared to the rest of my mediocre meals on Icon of the Seas — including dinner at a specialty restaurant — my complimentary pork pita wrap from the food hall's Mediterranean-inspired stall was admittedly pretty decent. The ship's riff on Broadway-approved "Wizard of Oz" — 16-piece live orchestra and flying bed included — delighted me, a hater of most musicals. While I would've preferred a quieter atmosphere (the DJ did not, in fact, play smooth jazz), the pool's views, day beds, and lack of screaming children were hard to beat. Still, we took advantage of the Experiences offered by Virgin.
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