Virgin Voyages has announced that two of its cruise ships have been delayed even further due to remaining challenges on resuming operations. It’s going to take time for the cruise line to kick-start operations from the U.S. and a new update has been provided.
Scarlet Lady & Valiant Lady Postponed
Virgin Voyages has joined other cruise lines by announcing further delays in returning to service. The cruise company’s entry into the cruise market is bad timing as its new Scarlet Lady is yet to officially start regular sailings. The ship will now have to wait even longer as Virgin has delayed her cruise debut out of PortMiami until May 9, 2021.
Sister ship Valiant Lady is currently in the final stages of outfitting and was originally scheduled to debut in summer 2021. With the ongoing travel limitations and requirements to make sure cruises can resume safely, the ship won’t debut until November 14, 2021.
Message from Richard Branson
Richard Branson, the man behind the Virgin brand and “captain” has provided a message of hope and that travel brings us all together. We’ll just have to wait a little longer as the cruise line prepares for a safe return:
As we look toward 2021, we’re all beginning to see a very bright light at the end of the tunnel. And with that, we’re thrilled to be making plans for Scarlet Lady to set sail on May 9th, 2021, and Valiant Lady on November 14th, 2021.
You, our Sailors, inspire us to see beyond the expected and explore what hasn’t been seen — so we remain dedicated to crafting an experience at sea unlike anything ever imagined. We even turned our downtime into your future better time. Because for us, we’re not just building a ship and hurrying it to sea — we’re building a revolutionary way to explore the world.
And with that, a few words from our captain, Richard Branson
Branson also shared is message in a video that was posted on Tuesday which you can watch below:
Virgin Voyages Rebooking and Refunds
So the cruise line is offering some options for those guests who are impacted by the cancelled cruises for Scarlet Lady and Valiant Lady. Guests can head over to the offers page anytime until January 28, 2021, to choose to rebook or request a full refund.
Guests who book before March 31, 2021 for any departure in 2021 can also take advantage of Virgin’s flexible booking policy. This allows the cancellation of any cruise up to 48 hours before departure and still receive a full refund. The cruise line suggests contacting its Sailor Services Crew for any assistance.
Also Read: Virgin Voyages Details New Health Measures for When Cruises Resume
Virgin Cruise Ships
Both ships are currently in Genoa, Italy and Valiant Lady is not yet fully completed and still being outfitted at the Fincantieri shipyard. Scarlet Lady has already completed some special cruises just before the pandemic hit earlier in 2020, she’s also spent some time docked at PortMiami before heading back to Italy.
The cruise line is working on implementing new health measures for when cruises do resume service. As the ships will be based out of the U.S. they will also need to follow the CDC Conditional Sailing Order.
The Virgin cruise ships are of the same class at 110,000 gross tons and a guest capacity of over 2,700 at double occupancy. They are adult-only vessels and offer many different experience compared to the more traditional cruise lines.
Photo Credit: Riccardo Arata / Shutterstock.com
