I booked a $5,910 balcony cabin on an adults-only cruise. The 225-square-foot cabin felt large and luxurious.

Jul 31, 2026 12:01 AM - 1 day ago 45

A composite image of the writer opinionated successful beforehand of a cruise vessel and sitting connected a furniture wrong a cruise vessel cabin

Business Insider's newsman booked a oversea terrace stateroom connected an adults-only Virgin Voyages cruise. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

My 225-square-foot location for 7 days of cruising the Mediterranean Sea felt bigger than I expected.

When I booked the oversea terrace room pinch the adults-only cruise statement Virgin Voyages successful 2023, I was prepared to consciousness cramped successful the mini space, particularly since I was walking pinch personification else.

I'm gladsome I was wrong.

My compartment on Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady ship had a starting complaint of $5,910 for a weeklong enactment for 2 people, though Business Insider paid a media complaint for the cruise.

The cruise sailed round-trip from Barcelona to ports successful Italy and France, including 1 overnight enactment successful Ibiza. I spent much clip successful my room than I thought I would because it was truthful comfortable and luxurious. Here's a look astatine each item that made it worthy the price.

Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady vessel has 1,408 cabins and suites. My room was toward the backmost of platform 12.

The extremity of a cruise vessel travel retired of the near pinch the water connected the right. There's a upland scope and cloudy skies successful the background

The backmost of the vessel docked successful Marina di Carrara. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I booked a third-tier stateroom pinch a balcony — a measurement supra sea-view cabins, which person only a window, and 2 steps supra an interior room pinch nary view.

The room was 225 quadrate feet, including the balcony. I thought the compartment efficiently utilized the mini abstraction without sacrificing luxury details.

A room pinch a reflector and array connected the left. Behind the array is simply a furniture pinch a navy headboard, achromatic sheets, and achromatic and reddish pillows arsenic good arsenic a reddish bolded broad astatine the bottommost seen from the broadside successful beforehand of a ample model pinch reddish and bluish curtains. There's a upland TV connected a wooden-planed wall to the near  and a woody broadside array adjacent to the bed.

The stateroom. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Inside was a queen-size bed, a desk, a bathroom, and plentifulness of hidden retention compartments. Considering the room's mini size, I was amazed by the ample level space. I ne'er felt excessively confined successful my cabin.

At the beforehand of the cabin, the bath was stocked pinch toiletries and retention spaces to support the antagonistic clutter-free.

A composite image of a cruise compartment bath and the shower

The bath had clever storage, toiletries, and a rainfall showerhead. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The bath felt luxurious acknowledgment to a rainfall showerhead. Wall shelving made it easy to support the abstraction looking tidy.

Across from the bathroom, an iridescent curtain hid the closet.

 The aforesaid curtain unfastened connected the correct pinch a statement of achromatic hangers down it.

A look wrong the closet. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Inside, I spotted a support pinch 2 quiet bins for other retention and a furniture holding emergency life vests, towels, a safe, and drawers I filled pinch clothing.

Next to the closet, the table against the wall had an ottoman tucked underneath it. I thought this made the room consciousness bigger.

A achromatic table pinch a reflector supra it and a lamp connected top. There's a reddish cylinder-shaped ottoman beneath it

The stateroom's desk. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Beneath the desk, I spotted a hidden mini fridge, which I utilized to support my drinks cold.

I thought the vibrant, information reflector supra the table added a unsocial touch of luxury.

At the backmost of the room, location was a comfortable queen-size bed. Next to it, a bladed nightstand was ray capable to move astir the room arsenic needed.

A furniture pinch a navy headboard, achromatic sheets, and achromatic and reddish pillows arsenic good arsenic a reddish bolded broad astatine the bottommost seen from the broadside successful beforehand of a ample model pinch reddish and bluish curtains. There's a upland TV connected a wooden-planed wall to the left.

The backmost of the cabin. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I learned from the Virgin Voyages app that unit members could toggle shape the furniture into a sofa upon request. This made the compartment consciousness much for illustration a surviving room during the day.

The compartment besides had an in-room tablet pinch intermezo and smart controls.

A manus holds a achromatic tablet pinch Mario and Luigi connected the TV down it.

The writer utilizing the tablet to watch a movie. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I didn't person to time off my furniture to alteration the lighting aliases adjacent the curtains.

From "hangover" to "photo shoot," different tablet settings changed the temper lighting passim the room.

The champion portion of the compartment was the balcony. It had a table, chairs, and a large, netted hammock.

A composite image of A pavilion pinch a clear barrier. There are 2 grey chairs crossed from each different pinch a mini information array successful the middle. And a reddish hammock hung up connected the correct broadside of a balcony. There's a metallic chair connected the left.

A hammock, 2 chairs, and a mini array connected the balcony. Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I spent a batch of clip connected my pavilion during the voyage. With the caller aerial and sunset views, I thought it was worthy the upgrade for a backstage outdoor space.

With multipurpose furnishings and plentifulness of storage, I thought the 225-square-foot room was large capable to support 2 group comfortable.

The writer sits connected a achromatic furniture pinch a TV mounted connected the near and unfastened reddish and bluish curtains connected the floor-to-ceiling model down the bed.

The writer relaxes successful the oversea terrace cabin. Joey Hadden/Insider

I'd decidedly book a oversea terrace compartment pinch Virgin Voyages again. And I'd urge it to big travelers who want to consciousness wrapped successful luxury astatine sea.

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Joey Hadden is simply a recreation newsman and photojournalist astatine Business Insider based successful NYC. She covers proscription modes, replacement lifestyles, and luxury travel. Many of Joey's stories are ocular features that springiness readers a front-row spot to her individual experiences astatine location and astir the world.Joey graduated from St. Edward's University successful May 2019 pinch a BA successful Photocommunications. Since joining BI successful 2019, Joey has traveled by train successful 7 different countries, from day trips to overnight rides arsenic agelong arsenic 30 hours. She's ridden connected galore different train lines, including Amtrak, Via Rail, and the iconic Orient Express of the 21st century, among others. During her travels, she's slept successful countless accommodations — five-star hotels, unique mini homes, and backstage train cabins, to sanction a few.When walking successful North America, Joey takes readers wrong the continent's wealthiest enclaves wherever billionaires hide away, from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to Medina, Washington. She spends her free clip singing and playing drums for the indie-rock set Blanket Approval. You tin travel Joey connected Instagram or nonstop her an email at [email protected].Popular ArticlesI spent $1,000 to person a room to myself connected a 30-hour Amtrak ride. It was the champion acquisition I've had connected an overnight train successful the US.I booked basal system flights pinch Delta and United. They felt for illustration 2 wholly different classes.I went connected an adults-only cruise for the first time, and 8 things amazed meI spent 2 nights successful a 2-story, 100-square-foot mini location successful Germany that was smaller than immoderate I've seen successful the USStep wrong the richest metropolis successful Arizona, wherever able Californians are flocking for backstage mountainside estates

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