Charleston Just Welcomed Its Largest Cruise Ship: Virgin’s 110,000-Ton Valiant Lady

On Friday, April 3, Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady docked at Union Pier in Charleston, SC and brought over 2,700 travelers into the historic city.  While Brilliant Lady docked in Charleston in October of last year, this sister ship is one of the largest ships to pull into port.

*Update: Some savvy readers have pointed out that Carnival Splendor (a 113,000 gross ton ship) docked in Charleston in 2014, making it technically larger than Valiant Lady. 

The ship arrived around 8:00 AM and departed at 5:00 PM, but it didn’t take long for residents to notice the massive white and red cruise ship docked at the terminal which was once used by Carnival Cruise Line.

In fact, some people on social media were surprised to see the ship using Charleston’s dock, with one digital creator in the Charleston area posting a picture of the ship with the caption, “What do we have here… a cruise ship docked in Charleston again?”

At 110,000 gross tons and 912 feet in length, Valiant Lady is the largest cruise ship by gross tonnage (a measurement of volume) to visit Charleston’s cruise terminal in quite some time.

The adults-only vessel carries up to 2,770 passengers and about 1,160 crew members, bringing thousands of visitors to explore the Holy City’s historic sites, shops, and restaurants.

For comparison, Carnival Sunshine, which called Charleston home for years, is a 102,853 gross ton ship that carries over 3,000 passengers.

Union Pier has never seen a ship this large before in terms of sheer volume.

Charleston’s Farewell to Carnival

This record-breaking visit follows a major turning point for the port. Carnival Cruise Line operated as a homeport in Charleston for roughly 14 years, beginning in 2010.

The partnership started with smaller ships and eventually involved larger vessels like Sunshine, which offered regular sailings to The Bahamas and Caribbean destinations.

Carnival’s contract with the South Carolina Ports Authority officially ended at the start of 2025, and Sunshine made its final homeport departure from Charleston on December 30, 2024.   

The ship did return for its last visit on January 5, 2025, and was then repositioned to Norfolk, Virginia.

To clear up any confusion, while Carnival is no longer homeporting a ship in Charleston, the port is still used as a port of call.  This means cruise ships will still visit the port as part of an itinerary, but no major cruise line is currently homeporting a vessel in the city. 

In other words, cruises do not originate in Charleston any longer.

The Patriot’s Point Idea

After news of Carnival’s contract expiring spread, there was a local push to find another nearby location for cruise ships to still be able to access the area and retain jobs for hundreds of workers.

At one point, there was discussion about developing an alternative cruise terminal in the Mount Pleasant area (sometimes referred to in connection with Patriots Point or nearby sites).

But those ideas did not move forward, and Mount Pleasant officials ultimately rejected proposals for a new cruise terminal in the town.

Valiant Lady in Port

The visit of Valiant Lady made waves in town on Friday, and some travel agents and companies were able to tour the ship during its brief stay.

Maureen Adams of Adams Luxury Travel was able to explore the ship and grab some photos and videos of the vessel that you can see below:

Future of Charleston’s Port

Cruise activity at Union Pier is expected to dwindle more and more as redevelopment of the site is scheduled to begin next year.

Officials say the area will be used for waterfront space featuring public access, local businesses, and housing.

For now, visits like the one from the Valiant Lady keep the harbor active and provide some excitement for both land and cruise lovers alike.

Virgin Voyages even added a personal touch to its historic visit by using the ship’s balcony mood lighting to spell out ‘I [Heart] Charleston’ across the hull, a glowing tribute that could be seen reflecting off the harbor on Friday night.

Valiant Lady is currently on a 9-day sailing from San Juan that will finish in New York on April 6, 2026.  She is one of four vessels with Virgin Voyages and was just the second vessel to be built by the cruise line in 2021.