Virgin Voyages Cancels Australian 2024/2025 Summer Sailings

Cancelled Voyages

The cancellation of the Australia season has had an inevitable impact. It has affected a substantial portion of Resilient Lady’s itinerary from October 20th, 2024, to May 4th, 2025. This has resulted in changes to several linked and repositioning sailings including:

With the Resilient Lady now available for four months, the decision has been made for her to embark on voyages in the American market. This marks Resilient Lady’s inaugural visit to the United States, likely featuring a MerMaiden voyage. Alongside the opportunity for US based sailors to experience the incredible new entertainment offerings aboard launched in May 2023.

Resilient Lady will set off on a Transatlantic sailing, calling at ports such as Casablanca, and Tenerife. Before taking part in sailings out of Miami & San Juan. Sales for these exciting new itineraries will commence soon.

Past Adjustments

Virgin Voyages has a track record of revising itineraries based on both company needs and sailor feedback. Previous adjustments include the reworking of the European Summer 2024 season to incorporate trips to Greece aboard Scarlet Lady and the cancellation of several months of Brilliant Lady sailings.

A Successful Inaugural Season

Despite the cancellations the season for an overall success for Virgin. The Resilient Lady began its Maiden Season in Australia with a grand entrance into Sydney Harbour on December 4, 2023. Sailors embarked on 36 South Pacific voyages many with unique itineraries, exploring destinations like Hobart, Burnie, and Auckland, creating unforgettable experiences.

Sir Richard Branson’s presence throughout the season infused a celebratory tone. Sailors actively praised the ship for its luxurious amenities and vibrant atmosphere however sales of the itineraries were mixed with many sailings below capacity. The heightened challenges of returning to Australia amid tensions in the Red Sea have necessitated a reassessment of the timing for the return to Australia.

A Heartfelt Note From The C.E.O

Nirmal Saverimuttu, CEO of Virgin Voyages, shared this note to ‘First Mates’ (Virgin Voyages’ term for travel agents) about a future return to Australia:

Ahoy First Mate,

I just wanted to reach out and thank you for making our inaugural season in Australia such a huge success. In no uncertain terms, the warm welcome we received from Aussies was because of how deeply you championed us. This made for an incredibly brilliant season — with rave reviews and record bookings. And the love is very much mutual.

With the safety of our Sailors and Crew remaining our #1 priority, and on the heels of our recent changes to Resilient Lady’s Spring ‘24 repositioning voyages, we’ve conducted a full safety and security review of future repositioning voyages through the Red Sea with a range of experts. Given the circumstances, unfortunately, she will instead be sailing in her temporary home of the Caribbean starting next October. We love Australia and have every intention of traveling back in the future when we can safely do so. While we’re sad to have had to make this choice for now, we are very much looking forward to getting back there as soon as possible. But in the best interest of your Sailors, we’re making these adjustments now in order to avoid disruptions in the future — giving them more time to think through alternatives.

Thank you again for making our first season so unbelievably outstanding — we’re deeply grateful for that and your continued love and partnership. In the meantime, we want to make sure we can still get your Sailors who loved us in Australia escaping the winter and sailing the gorgeous waters of the Mediterranean aboard that very same award-winning ship that made such a splash. It’s safe to say the experiences at sea are even better when Aussies are on board.

Gratefully,

Nirmal Saverimuttu
CEO, Virgin Voyages

Some additional details from the Virgin Voyages Press Team highlighted their hope to return to the region in the future:

“We are currently working through options to return to Australia and the Asia Pacific region once regional repositioning opportunities become more tenable. We will share updates on future itineraries across the fleet as soon as possible, and in the event that we return for the 25’ season, existing booked Sailors will have priority to move onto these sailings. In the meantime, we know how much Aussie and New Zealand tourists enjoy visiting Europe and with two ships taking in standout destinations from our home ports in Barcelona (Spain), Athens (Greece) and Portsmouth (UK) we look forward to welcoming sailors to Europe so they can experience it the Virgin way.”

— Virgin Voyages Public Relations

More About San Juan Sailings

Virgin Voyages initially sailed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, starting January 2024, with Valiant Lady. This move comes as an adjustment to the cruise line’s schedule, replacing the originally planned ‘MerMaiden’ season of the Brilliant Lady that was set to sail in the region. San Juan, known for its rich cultural heritage and strategic location in the Caribbean, now serves as an alternative departure point, offering travelers a unique blend of historical and natural attractions. These 9 new sailings will go on sale Thursday February 29th.

Read More Directly from Virgin Voyages

The continuation of San Juan as a departure port by Virgin Voyages reflects an adaptive approach to cruising, ensuring passengers have access to enriching travel experiences despite initial itinerary cancellations

Conclusion

Virgin Voyages’ choice to cancel the Resilient Lady’s Australian season underscores the challenges of cruise lines navigating this region. With the Suez Canal route seemingly impassable due to ongoing tensions for the foreseeable future, adjustments are necessary. Varying interest levels in Australian sailings further compound the need for adaptation. Cunard recently cancelled their 2025/2026 Australia season for similar reasons.

In line with their standard practice, Virgin Voyages has offered several rebooking options. These options facilitate sailors’ transition to alternative voyages and ensure the Resilient Lady continues to navigate successful routes.