Virgin Voyages shifts cruise debut to UK
Having waiting more than a year to launch first ship Scarlet Lady in US waters, Virgin Voyages is joining rivals and shifting the ship to the UK.
The new cruise line planned to launch in April 2020 just as global cruising came to a dramatic halt and has been waiting impatiently ever since.
Scarlet Lady will offer cruises out of Portsmouth with all passengers and crew required to be fully vaccinated.
The ‘Summer Soiree Series’ short cruises will commence in early August.
"Virgin Voyages has been looking forward to sailing, and we’re so excited to announce our plans to sail from the UK," said Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group.
Sailings are for UK adult residents.
The ship is scheduled to return to Miami in September. It will be joined by second ship the Valiant Lady in November.
"Additional testing and protocols will be confirmed closer to sailing, all in line with the most up-to-date recommendations from the UK government," Virgin said.
"We’re committed to a healthy and safe start at sea and would never set sail without the proper precautions and considerations in place.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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