I recently had the honor of interviewing Virgin Voyages CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu about the cruise line’s impressive growth as the brand looks forward to welcoming its fourth ship, Brilliant Lady, in September 2025.
But with the fleet of Lady ships about to grow, I couldn’t help but reflect back on how the adults-only cruise line got its start in the competitive cruise industry.
I went on a deep dive into who owns Virgin Voyages, how it was founded, and how its cruise ships offer their “sailors” a one-of-a-kind cruising experience.
In This Article:
Who Founded Virgin Voyages?
English Business Magnate Sir Richard Branson is the famous founder of the cruise line, but he didn’t do it alone.
Instead, the cruise line was officially born on December 4, 2014, through a collaboration between the Virgin Group (which Sir Branson owns) and Bain Capital.
Ownership of Virgin Voyages still falls under the Virgin Group and Bain Capital today.
The idea to add a cruise line to the Virgin Group, which also owns the Virgin Atlantic airline and a total of eight Virgin Hotels between the UK and the US, was first conceived in 2011.
Current CEO Saverimuttu, who was a Virgin Group Executive at the time, and Tom McAlpin, who was CEO of a private residential cruise ship named MS The World, get credit for conceptualizing the idea.
Saverimuttu then brought Bain Capital into the fold, who helped conduct market research to prove that there would be space on the world’s oceans for an adults-only cruising experience.
Over the course of three years, the men raised $700 million from Bain Capital, which became the lead investor in the brand, as well as more than $1 billion from private investors and institutions.
When Did the Cruise Line Launch?
| The Fleet | Launch | Gross Tons | Guest Capacity | Current Homeports |
| Scarlet Lady | October 6, 2021 | 110,000 | 2,770 | Miami, Barcelona, Athens |
| Valiant Lady | March 18, 2022 | 110,000 | 2,770 | Miami, San Juan, New York |
| Resilient Lady | May 14, 2023 | 110,000 | 2,770 | Miami, Athens, San Juan |
| Brilliant Lady | September 5, 2025 | 110,000 | 2,770 | Miami, Seattle, LA |
On June 23, 2015, Virgin Voyages announced that it had signed an agreement with the popular Italian shipyard, Fincantieri, to construct its first three Lady ships. Fincantieri is commended as the largest shipbuilder in Europe.
The plan was to deliver three ships back-to-back, all of which would be 110,000 gross tons with a capacity for around 2,800 passengers plus 1,150-1,160 crew members.
The mid-sized ships were initially expected to launch in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Of course, this had to be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down cruising operations for months and slowed construction.
Scarlet Lady came first. Though she was supposed to enter service on April 1, 2020, her maiden voyage did not embark from her homeport of Miami, Florida, until October 6, 2021.
Up next was Valiant Lady. Even with pandemic-related construction delays, including floating out two months behind schedule, she officially launched on March 18, 2022, with a 3-night maiden voyage from Portsmouth, England.
Resilient Lady came the following year, with her inaugural voyage setting sail on May 14, 2023, from Athens, Greece.
Launching three cruise ships in less than two years (and in the wake of a pandemic) is a hugely impressive feat, but the cruise line wasn’t done.
Just over two years since this accomplishment, Brilliant Lady will be launching in September of 2025.
The fourth sister ship to join the fleet will be embarking on a 5-night “MerMaiden” voyage from New York to King’s Wharf, Bermuda, on September 5, 2025.
No additional new builds have been announced for after Brilliant Lady, but my recent conversation with Saverimuttu showed that the cruise line has no plans of slowing its forward momentum.
How Has Leadership Changed?
Sir Richard Branson remains involved in guiding the cruise line as its owner and founder.
He is known to join select special event sailings, such as the celebratory “Red Hot” voyages, and to personally take part in surprise giveaways.
The most noticeable change within Virgin Voyages’ leadership structure has been with who has filled the role of CEO and President.
Tom McAlpin first filled the role and was appointed when the cruise line was first established in 2014. He stepped down from the head of the company in 2023, but is still involved as the current chairman.
The CEO role then went to Saverimuttu, who had previously acted as the Chief Commercial Officer from the Virgin Group and as President and Chief Experience Officer.
Filling a Niche in the Cruise Market
A major factor behind Virgin’s success, which I spoke about at length with Saverimuttu, is that the cruise line will only ever be an adults-only brand. This means guests must be above 18 years old to sail.
Virgin Voyages offers these adults-only cruising experiences at a more affordable price point than other luxury adults-only brands, with mostly inclusive sailings averaging at $250 to $300 per night.
Because kids are never and will never be allowed onboard, the cruise line was able to craft an experience specifically for adults in ways that other major brands like Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line can’t.
For example, balcony cabins feature their own hammocks for relaxing, which wouldn’t be safe with kids around.
Spaces that might normally be used for family friendly entertainment have also been dedicated to cultivating the ultimate culinary experiences for more mature palettes.
Instead of using traditional buffets, the eateries on Virgin’s ships are a bit more intimate and have their own dedicated kitchens.
Everything is made to order by teams led by Michelin-star chefs, which ensures quality and lessens food waste.
The vibe is also a lot more casual, with no strict dress codes and no set dining times, so guests can relax, party, and eat at their leisure.
For guests looking to stay active, there are of course a variety of options from themed parties for dancing to a variety of included group fitness classes.
Read Also: 12 Ways to Get the Best Out of Your First Cruise
All in all, the experience onboard is a lot like visiting an innovative boutique hotel, which has helped the brand stand out from its competitors.
Virgin Voyages’ Net Worth
Determining the exact net worth of the brand is difficult because it’s a private company, but estimates from 2023 suggested it was around $3.8 billion at the time (and I wouldn’t be surprised if the number has grown).
Virgin Voyages has a robust sales presence in the US and Europe, including throughout Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands.
In 2022, the company also secured a $550 million investment from BlackRock, an investment management and financial services company, that helped pave the way for the brand’s continued growth.
At the beginning of this year, Virgin Voyages experienced record-breaking bookings and revenue during the 2025 Wave Season, with bookings up 34 percent year-over-year and revenue climbing by 45 percent.
Where is Virgin Voyages Headquartered?
Virgin Voyages’ is currently headquartered in Plantation, Florida, which is only about 37 minutes away from the Cruise Capital of the World (Miami).
It’s even closer to Fort Lauderdale, which is about 7 miles or a 17 minute drive away.
It’s farthest from Orlando’s Port Canaveral at about 187 miles away, but even this trip can be made by car in just under three hours.
Though the company operates out of Florida, it’s interesting that it is actually registered as a Bermuda limited company.
Meanwhile, all four of the ships are flagged and registered to Nassau in the Bahamas.
Conclusion: How You Can Sail
If you are interested in experiencing Virgin Voyages’ niche onboard experience for yourself, bookings can be made by visiting the cruise line’s website or calling the cruise line.
You can also book through Cruise Hive with our new booking feature, which often comes with significant discounts.
The cruise line offers a variety of itineraries to destinations through the Caribbean and the Bahamas, Europe, and even Australia, so there should be a sailing that checks off bucket list destinations for everyone.
Once Brilliant Lady enters service, the cruise line will begin offering cruises from Los Angeles and to Alaska (from Seattle) for the first time in its history.
I know I will certainly be trying to get onboard when Brilliant Lady is in my hometown of Los Angeles, and I’ll hope to see many of our readers there!
