Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

Virgin Voyages launches new adults-only cruise ship

Richard Branson's cruise line hopes its second swanky adults-only vessel Valiant Lady will be part of a cruising boom as pandemic restrictions ease.

Virgin Voyages aimed to disrupt the cruise industry when it launched Scarlet Lady, its first adults-only cruise ship, last year.

Now Richard Branson's cruise line is premiering its next offering: Valiant Lady.

This 278-meter long vessel can accommodate 2,770 passengers, and holds the usual cruise amenities - like a pool deck - over its 17 decks, along with slightly less usual offerings - like a tattoo parlor.

"There's a lot of pent-up demand for travel," says Nirmal Saverimuttu, Virgin Voyages' president, adding that the positive response to Scarlet Lady has Virgin confident its sister ship will be a success.

On the morning of March 11, Valiant Lady set sail from Essex in the southeast of England to London, where she's docked at the London International Cruise Terminal for launch celebrations. Later, she'll embark on a UK sailing before heading off to Barcelona. A stint in Australia is also on the cards.

Swanky design
Scarlet Lady and Valiant Lady are pretty much identical, with their glitzy interior, boutique-hotel vibe and multiple restaurants. The only real difference is their respective itineraries.

Virgin Voyages' want their ships to feel noticeably different from traditional vessels. For Captain Marco Carsjens, that was part of the appeal of joining the cruise line.

Helming Valiant Lady is a "joy," says the captain, who has been in the industry for over 25 years.

"I came from more traditionally designed ships, but Virgin Voyages is very different and actually quite out there from the exterior to the interior in comparison," Carsjens tells CNN Travel. "I'm passionate about design, so the brand using people who have never worked in ship design before was fascinating and it has worked out great."

Besides his headquarters on the ship's bridge, which Carsjens calls the "best view in the house," the captain says his favorite on board spot is The Dock, an indoor/outdoor restaurant with sun loungers and sea views.

"The way the area merges from inside to outside and has a superyacht feel, I love it," he says.

Much was made about the cruise line appealing to people who've never cruised before when Virgin Voyages first launched.

There's no requirement to dress up for dinner. There's the aforementioned tattoo parlor. There are pop-up entertainment events. There are multiple restaurants rather than one large dining hall with a buffet.

Still, Saverimuttu is keen to stress that Virgin Voyages aims to appeal to the veteran cruiser as much as the newbie. He adds that the cruise line is looking to cater to people of all ages.

British cruise blogger Emma Le Teace, who runs the blog Emma Cruises, voyaged on Scarlet Lady last summer.

"Prior to my Virgin Voyages cruise, I had heard a lot about how different the cruise line was. Virgin were targeting a new cruise market and this left me wondering if existing cruisers would like the product," she tells CNN Travel.

"Virgin definitely do have some things that set them apart from other cruise lines such as the included WiFi and soft drinks but I found the entertainment and ship to be fairly similar to that which I'd find on other cruise lines."

Le Teace says that, as with all cruise lines, there were aspects she liked, and aspects she didn't. In her blog review, she praised the fact that crew were allowed to dress casually, and the great food options, while noting she was less convinced by the small pool.

She'd been unsure about the converting bed which doubles up as a couch, but upon boarding was pleased to learn the bed only converted to couch on request. It was also "very comfortable."

"I feel as though Virgin listened well to the feedback that their customers have given them and I expect them to do well in the future," she says.


Looking to the future
Launching a cruise line in the middle of a pandemic is no mean feat.

"It's no secret that Omicron had a big impact on the travel industry in December and for January, people were pulling back on near-term travel plans -- and we did see that in our bookings as well," says Saverimuttu.

But as Omicron wanes in Europe and the US, Saverimuttu is confident a corner has been turned. There's been an uptick in bookings, he says, suggesting travelers are confident to cruise again.

Virgin Voyages says it will continue to implement Covid safety protocol -- everyone on board Scarlet Lady and Valiant Lady is required to be vaccinated, and the cruise line says it also tests guests before boarding.

Saverimuttu stresses that the cruise line hasn't hasn't had any major issues in terms of Covid-19 related illnesses on board. He said Virgin's vaccination requirements will minimize the impact of any outbreak on board.

As for the future, Saverimuttu says Virgin Voyages is excited about opening up its travel schedule as Covid restrictions ease -- Valiant Lady is set to sail from Australia later this year.

The cruise line's third as-yet-to-be-launched ship, Resilient Lady, will launch later this year, while Virgin has a fourth vessel scheduled for 2023.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×