Will You Be A Virgin Voyager ?

We all knew that Richard Branson was to launch his own cruise line. We now know it will be called Virgin Voyages and will have 3 ships launching between 2020 and 2022.

Manchester, United kingdom - August 30, 2015: Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 747-443 cn 30885-1268 G-VROS moment after take off from Manchester Airport.

Manchester, United kingdom – August 30, 2015: Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 747-443 cn 30885-1268 G-VROS moment after take off from Manchester Airport.

He has caused a stir amongst the cruising world by saying he hates the name ” cruise ” and that his new venture will change the cruising world for good, and THE good presumably ! The ships will have sailors ( not passengers ) and the reason Virgin will enter the cruise market is because he feels the industry is lacking in its present form. To quote the company CEO a departure from the ordinary getaway.”

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The ships are going to be small. So small ships, sailors – makes me think of Royal Clipper who is lovely, a proper sailing ship, and very small only 227 passengers, sounds interesting. The Virgin ships are not that small though – 110,000 tonnes and 2800 passengers is not really small is it ? About the size of P&O Azura or Ventura, they are hardly ” boutique ” ships, in fact a lot of diehard P&O passengers think they are way too big.

On the plus side the ships will be environmentally friendly with a system designed to turn the ships waste into electricity.

Traffic at Malecon road, Havana, Cuba, Latin America at sunset. Malecon (Avenida de Maceo) is 8 km (5 miles) starting from Havana Harbor in Old Havana and ending at Vedado.

Traffic at Malecon road, Havana, Cuba, Latin America at sunset. Malecon (Avenida de Maceo) is 8 km (5 miles) starting from Havana Harbor in Old Havana and ending at Vedado.

It looks like Cuba will be a definite port of call, partly because Virgin Atlantic offer regular flights to Havana. I was lucky enough to visit Cuba a few years ago and I loved the island. It might be in the Caribbean but its not a Caribbean island, nor is it Spanish, it has its own personality and identity and the people were lovely. It`s colourful, vibrant and bustling and should really be on more cruise itineraries.

Portrait of african cuban woman smoking cigar in Havana, Cuba

Portrait of african cuban woman smoking cigar in Havana, Cuba

Adventurous, daring, bold and romantic are words Branson uses to describe his new venture. It will be really interesting to see how this new Voyage shapes up. If it brings in new ports of call and different experiences, as promised, it will be wonderful, but, at the end of the day, there is only so much you can do with a cruise ship and, whatever he wants to call them, that’s what they will be! But, if he delivers, it sounds really good and I certainly will be a Virgin Voyager !

 

 

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About Me

I have been working in travel since 1991 when I realised there was more to life than the Banking Industry. I started as an Overseas Representative with Thomson Holidays moving to the beautiful Island of Rhodes, where I spent 3 very happy summer season. This was interspersed with winters in Spain -…

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