The company’s second ship, Valiant Lady, will sail its maiden voyage from Portsmouth next week followed by an ex-UK mini season until May.
The vessel will then head to Barcelona for the summer season and later be joined operating in Europe by Virgin Voyages’ third ship, Resilient Lady, which will homeport in Greece from August.
Valiant is hosting travel agents and trade partners during showcase events in Tilbury and Liverpool this week before beginning its Portsmouth deployment.
Speaking to TTG on Friday (11 March), Virgin Voyages president and chief executive Tom McAlpin said more than 900 agents had visited Valiant in Tilbury on Thursday.
“We had a fantastic day yesterday with our First Mates [agents] – they didn’t want to leave last night,” he said.
The line has also released news claiming a 178% sales rise over the past six months.
“There’s a boom ahead of us, people have been cooped up for years and they’re ready to get out and set sail. We’re beginning to see that in terms of bookings increasing, so it’s an exciting time for us and the cruise industry,” McAlpin added.
He described the UK market as “super important” to Virgin Voyages as it looks to build its profile and strengthen its customer base.
“We’ve got great awareness here and it’s just a simple flight to Barcelona or Athens and we’re expecting to get a significant number of sailors [guests] coming from the UK [this summer].
“We want to make sure we treat people well and educate our travel agents so they can learn about Virgin Voyages and they can get out and sell.”
Of differences between Valiant and sister ship Scarlet Lady, McAlpin said there were “subtle” changes around the ship in the vessel’s “art, installations and Instagram moments”.
Valiant’s UK launch follows close on the heels of Virgin Voyages announcing Jennifer Lopez as its chief entertainment and lifestyle officer.
When asked about the partnership with Lopez, who has also become an investor in the line, McAlpin said: “At Virgin Voyages, everything we do is different. We value the godmother tradition in the cruise industry but we want to do it a different way.
“This didn’t happen overnight. We’ve been working with Jennifer for the past three years and have been finding the right time to make this announcement.
"She’s an investor, she’s a brand ambassador, she’s our chief entertainment and lifestyle officer. She’s super excited about what we have to offer and there’s a whole host of things we can do together.
“She is more than just a godmother – she is an ambassador for the entire fleet.”
