It’s been a record-breaking start to the year for Virgin Voyages with revenue and bookings at an all-time high – with demand for its forthcoming vessel Brilliant Lady exceeding expectations.
Following the success of Black Friday and the festive season, the “kid-free” cruise line reported a 60% increase in revenue year-on-year for the 2025 wave season to date and a 40% spike in new bookings.
Available inventory is nearly sold out for the first quarter of the year, with limited cabin availability in Q2 and high demand for summer 2025 voyages in the Mediterranean. Bookings for Brilliant Lady, its fourth ship in the original order and due to set sail in September 2025, are also performing better than expected.
“Thanks to our travel agents who have championed our growth based on their clients’ feedback, and to our loyal Sailors who are delivering record repeat rates, last year was a brilliant one and delivered massive growth from new customers, along with existing cruisers and those new to cruise,” CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu said.
“Our strongest start ever is a testament to our award-winning service and experience, with no hidden costs and plenty of value inclusions, the launch of additional destinations with longer itineraries from 8-14 nights and more than 30 new ports coming online from Alaska and Iceland to Turkey and Portugal. I also can’t forget about the bucket list Panama Canal voyage.”
Subscribe to LATTE Cruise’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.Saverimuttu pointed to an exciting year ahead with the launch of the new vessel as well as new food concepts, more music and comedy. Other highlights include the return of Eat & Drink month along with special sailings which include its Celebration Voyages and Marvellous Voyages.
“Every innovation and evolution is based on the feedback from our travel agents and customers,” he said.
These include the recent launch of the Groups program, which offers a more seamless booking experience for large parties, with competitive commissions for agents.
Also in response to travel agent and consumer feedback, Virgin Voyages is offering a longer runway for bookings with open inventory available to book two years in advance. “With this also comes stronger booking incentives for First Mates, pay in full discounts and access to early itinerary drops and stable pricing, something the brand has worked to deliver,” the cruise line said.
