The line welcomed around 1,300 agents onto its newest ship, Brilliant Lady, in Portsmouth during a dedicated First Mates Day on Tuesday (19 August).
Speaking during a panel discussion, chief marketing officer Nathan Rosenberg admitted mistakes had been made since Virgin Voyages started operating four years ago, but stressed any misconceptions about the brand had disappeared as it "stabilised" its market position.
"We entered [the cruise sector] at a crazy time in the world," he said. "We have made some missteps along the way. We’ve screwed up a lot. We’re focused on being better every day. We’re are human after all. Without our First Mates [agents] we would not be here."
Rosenberg highlighted one misconception in the market that Virgin Voyages is essentially a party cruise. "There are parties onboard, but you can read a book on the top deck and fall asleep," he explained.
"The one thing that has not changed is there are no kids. I think somebody is having their 100th birthday onboard in a couple of months’ time. Everybody is welcome onboard here. It’s bulls**t to say we cannot connect with everybody."
Rosenberg also dismissed suggestions Virgin Voyages is a cruise line aimed at millennials. "The average passenger age is 46-47," he added. "We all need a holiday. We have incredible resilience and strength to deal with the craziness in the world, but we can only handle that craziness if we go away on holiday."
Fellow panellist, Virgin Voyages’ UK sales director Sarah Jane Walker, described the line’s "incredible" journey which has now seen each of its four ships visit Portsmouth.
"When I look back to seven years ago, we were selling a CGI image, a mythical creature," she said. "Now we’re an award-winning cruise line with incredible repeat rates. We’re in a more stabilised position now."
Chief marketing officer Michelle Bentubo later told TTG repeat rates on some sailings were as high as 60%.
Walker continued: "What is there not to love? There’s immersive entertainment where you can participate or spectate, spa where you can have zen time and get that rock star-level of service. That is why our sailors [customers] are coming back time and time again."
Speaking to TTG after the panel discussion, Bentubo revealed how Virgin Voyages wanted around half of the agents onboard Brilliant Lady on Tuesday to be "new-to-brand" and experiencing their first Virgin Voyages ship.
"We want agents to understand that we are not just another cruise ship and offer something so different," she said.
On the importance of Portsmouth to the brand, she added: “Portsmouth is the first place we were able to sail from – having originally planned for launch of the brand in 2020 with Scarlet Lady, and then not being able to do so until 2023 when we had a big focus on the UK with our six weeks of roundtrips here.
"We have come back with every ship since.”
