Fleet

Virgin Voyages is a new cruise line with big ambitions and its investment in its fleet backs that up. It has signed contracts with leading Italian shipyard Fincantieri for the construction of four identical sister ships, each weighing upwards of 110,000 tonnes and accomodating over 2,700 guests. The first two of those (Scarlet Lady and Valiant Lady) were delivered in 2020, the third (Resilient Lady) in 2022, and the fourth is expected to follow in 2023.

Guests

Virgin's target market is the large demographic of younger (or young at heart) travellers who are yet to experience cruising and who wouldn't readily identify with many of the more established cruise brands. As such, the line has consciously set out to do things differently and break a lot of established industry norms in pursuit of a more vibrant atmosphere than that offered by any of their rivals.

All cruises are adult only so this isn't a cruise line to consider if you are a family with young children and Virgin's clear aim is to attract a younger crowd than other lines, albeit there is still plenty to attract guests of all ages.

Style

Virgin has purposefully designed its ships to be very different from anything that has come before. In terms of exterior design that isn't immediately apparent, but inside there are a number of futuristic touches and some of mainstays of the cruising market such as a large main dining room have been replaced by a wide selection of smaller restaurants, each serving different cuisines from around the world.

The same applies to staff and guests, and a laid back vibe is very much the order of the day for both, although still maintaining a premium level of service to justify the significant price tag that comes attached to many of the higher end suites.