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Virgin Voyages shows off Valiant Lady mermaid, opens sales for 2022 EuropeVirgin Voyages shows off Valiant Lady mermaid, opens sales for 2022 Europe

Virgin Voyages opened bookings for Valiant Lady's spring 2022 sailings from the UK to European ports and revealed the recently delivered ship's mermaid.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

July 21, 2021

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

This short stint of cruises will operate from Portsmouth before Valiant Lady heads to summer home Barcelona.

Each Virgin ship has a distinctive mermaid emblazoned on the bow. Valiant Lady's, in Virgin Voyages' description, is the embodiment of a 'strong, beautiful, friendly and modern' black American woman 'moving confidently toward her dreams.' 

Artist Hillary Wilson

The artist is Boston-based artist Hillary Wilson, whose background in classical art and medical illustration inspired her design of a mermaid that resembles a real woman with authentic features and characteristics.

Diversity at the core of the brand's ideology

Citing diversity at the core of its brand ideology, Virgin Voyages said it was a natural move to 'honor and represent different races and nationalities by telling those stories through the mermaids,' adding: 'This platform allows international artists to make waves and represent different backgrounds on an expansive, global canvas.'

Read more about:

Virgin VoyagesEurope

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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