ONBOARD RESILIENT LADY — Kicking off her winter season at PortMiami’s Terminal V, Resilient Lady hosted 2,000 travel advisors, industry partners, media and Virgin Voyages executives for a two-day Red Hot Resilient Lady Retreat this past weekend.

Welcomed like ‘RockStars’ (Virgin Voyages lingo for VIPs) entering below the neon red ‘Ahoy Sailor’ sign, First Mates (travel advisors) and Sailors (their travelling companions) arrived on ship to raucous shouts from crew and good vibes from a spirited playlist created by one of the ship DJs.

The two day retreat included hallmark Virgin Voyages amenities like complimentary WiFi and access to all dining and fitness facilities, as well as self-guided cabin and suites tours, special activations and entertainment such as Persephone, Scarlet Night and the Pajama Party.

Headquartered in Plantation, FL, Virgin Voyages is riding high on recent accolades, like being named number one cruise in the large ship category in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, and Best Mega-ship Ocean Cruise Line by Travel + Leisure.

The cruise line has also confirmed the launch of its fourth ship, Brilliant Lady, in September 2025, with four home ports. The ship will set sail from New York City on Sept. 5, 2025, from Miami on Oct. 17, 2025, from Los Angeles on April 7, 2026 and Seattle in May 2026.

Resilient Lady, the third ship in the fleet, will begin her Caribbean winter itineraries for 2024-2025 from her homeport of San Juan, Puerto Rico in December.

VIRGIN VOYAGES TOWN HALL

Virgin Voyages’ VP North American Sales John Diorio was the master of ceremonies for a series of three Friday morning town halls, as First Mates packed the Red Room to listen to CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu and Chief Brand Officer Nathan Rosenberg reflect on 2024 and address problems and concerns raised by First Mates.

“It’s a big ask for you to trust a new brand,” acknowledged Saverimuttu. “We’re building a really special business together.

He emphasized Virgin Voyages’ commitment to all First Mates to pay on bookables and have no NCFs, as well as encouraging advisors to lean into the trend of adults-only travel, which he believes Virgin Voyages embodies.

“There’s no nickel and diming, and we want to offer good value for money,” said Saverimuttu. “WiFi is included. Our beach club in Bimini is included. We don’t have a dress code for dinner. Casual informality is the way of life on Virgin Voyages.”

Anne-Marie Mole, a vacation consultant for Georgetown, ON-based Expedia Cruises, was happily converted to the Virgin Voyages way of sailing after the two days of fun and festivities.

“After spending time onboard, I know I can sell Virgin Voyages,” said Mole.

CEO Saverimuttu was also candid about multiple challenges the cruise line is undergoing, especially pricing, which put him on the naughty list with some advisors. The dynamic pricing model and policies regarding ‘Circle’ (group) bookings will be relaunched in December and January. “Our prices were choppy – we’re changing the prices to become more stable and to make it easier to sell,” he said.

Additional ongoing challenges are related to technology, like the Virgin Voyages app, which Sailors use pre-departure and during a voyage. Not being able to fill out pre-departure forms or being unable to make reservations for on-ship dining with no other options has been at the top of the complaint list for many travel advisors.

Rosenberg promised a December reveal of 2025 and 2026 dates for Celebration Cruises hosted by founder Sir Richard Branson, and highlighted other themed cruises, including Mother’s Day, Eat & Drink Festival, Comedy Fest and an expansion of January’s Well-Being season with cruises focused on fitness classes, spa treatments, healthy dining, rejuvenating experiences and a newly-added run club.

VIRGIN GROUP EXPANDING IN CANADA

On March 30, 2025, Virgin Atlantic Airlines returns to Canada, with daily flights between London Heathrow (LHR) and Toronto Pearson (YYZ).

Meanwhile in 2026, the new Brilliant Lady will kick off ‘Alaska Sea-zen’ for Virgin Voyages with Canadian ports including Vancouver, Victoria and Prince Rupert in the itineraries.

One on one with Travelweek, Doiron and Canadian sales manager Sean Russo spoke about Brilliant Lady.

“She’s designed a little skinnier, as she’ll be the first of our ships to sail through the Panama Canal,” explained Doiron. Russo added that Brilliant Lady will visit Halifax and Quebec City before setting sail south to Miami.

Virgin Voyages’ inaugural ship, Scarlet Lady, is currently in dry-dock getting a ‘glow-up’ with the addition of 24 suites, new dining options and new entertainment.

Scarlet Lady will return to the Caribbean in December for her winter cruise schedule.

First Mates wanting to learn more about Virgin Voyages can learn through the tiers of Seacademy at https://www.firstmates.com/fmdc/s/seacademy.