Virgin Voyages Breaks Records and Looks Ahead to a Promising Year

Virgin Voyages has shared news of record-breaking achievements during its recent Black Friday and Travel Tuesday sales period. The cruise line reported its highest-ever booking day on Black Friday 2024 and a 300% increase in both bookings and revenue compared to the same period last year. Overall, Virgin Voyages has seen a 60% growth in revenue for 2024 and is projecting an additional 50% increase in 2025.

Speaking on this success, CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu expressed gratitude for the support of travelers and the brand’s travel advisor community. “We are so grateful for the support that we’re seeing from our loyal customers and travel advisor community and their passion for the award-winning, kid-free experiences we have created and built from scratch together,” he said.

Saverimuttu highlighted the company’s focus on providing value for its Sailors by including extras such as Wi-Fi, soft drinks, unlimited fitness classes, and specialty dining without upcharges. “In an environment where value is disappearing and travelers are feeling the pinch of changes from others, we are doubling down on being an incredible value for Sailors… We’re committed to sticking to our roots and not nickel and diming our Sailors, before, during, or after their voyage with us,” he added.

Plans for 2025

Looking ahead, Virgin Voyages is preparing for significant expansions in 2025. Highlights include:

• The Introduction of Brilliant Lady: Virgin Voyages’ newest ship will join the fleet.
• Longer Itineraries: New voyages to destinations like Iceland and a solar eclipse sailing scheduled for 2026.
• New Home Ports: Sailings will expand from cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
• Refreshed Experiences: Scarlet Lady, the brand’s first ship, is refreshed after a dry dock.
• Food and Entertainment Updates: New dining options, including Lucky Lotus, as well as updated live music, comedy, and production shows, will roll out fleet-wide.
• Annual Pass: Virgin Voyages also introduced a unique Annual Pass that allows adventurers to embark on any ship, anytime, for a year. This offering has already drawn global interest and is expected to sell out by the end of the year.

Industry Recognition

Virgin Voyages’ success has also been reflected in industry awards. The brand earned top honors in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards and Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards for two consecutive years. Additionally, in 2023, Virgin Voyages became the first cruise line to win across all categories in the Cruise Critic awards.

As the cruise line gears up for 2025, these achievements set the stage for what could be another record-breaking year.