Is There More to Virgin Voyages Abandoned Second Season?

[@BeBeXGen]

We sailed on the Singapore to Sydney leg of the initial repositioning cruise & loved it. 😍16 nights in a Cheeky Corner Suite at a super discounted price of $15K including a gifted $200US bar tab, $200 US Sailor Loot. There was unlimited Moet flowing at happy hour every day, a full bar in our room, a private area at Richard's rooftop, preferential access to anything we wanted (restaurants, booked out shows, tenders, secret entertainment events), we also loved the food and the entertainment options. The itinerary was great on paper but in reality a bit blah- it was very hot on the pool deck -unbearable at times even with cabana access. Miniscule pools, burning hot deck underfoot and the water was hotter than a bath - the only other options were hot tubs - that I'm sure are great in a cooler climate but I found them redundant. The pool structureand design is not really suitable for an Aussie Summer imho although there was more shade available than I've seen on some other ships. That said, we still had an amazing time but considering that a regular balcony cabin looks like a college dorm room and has no sofa, it's pretty expensive. Also, I didn't realize there'd be so many cruisers in their 70s & 80s (many of whom complained and whined about the loud music, and the lack of a buffet among other things) but also many who were having a ball! Seriously, on Celebrity last year I watched a woman in her 40s drop food from a serving bowl onto the counter, pick it up with her filthy mitts and plop it all back into the bowl🤢 - so I see the demise of the buffet as a great post-pandemic thing tbh. I also didn't know that speed jigsaw puzzling was a thing 😃who knew? The activities available were way more varied and fun compared to the usual faux art auctions, extortionate photo 'deals', jewelry sales and pretend skin care analysis with the nickel & diming upselling of other cruise companies. There were actually stores where you could afford to buy things! I loved the technology - it always worked for us and we did go to some great ports. It was no secret that RB wanted Sydney as the home port & when Melbourne raised their port costs , coupled with the rough trip across Bass Strait & Tassie destinations, there just weren't enough Aussies interested in those options I guess as none of the cruises were sold out. Going back via West Africa is a super expensive exercise so I do believe the Red Sea issue is a huge factor but more importantly, RB wants to secure Sydney & wants the South Pacific routes but all the slots were booked by other cruises. I'd cruise with VV again in a heartbeat though but only in a Suite and only at a discount!

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience!

[@jamiepeterson1981]

The Red Sea thing is clearly just an excuse. They could have simply changed the repositioning cruise to one that came via South Africa, as many ships transiting from Europe to Australia do.

[@karenstirling2485]

The problem with the longer Virgin cruises to New Zealand was they were Sydney to Auckland and then you had the time and cost of flying home. If you live in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane you want a roundtrip cruise that comes back to where you left, especially if that is where you live.

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Definitely, I think that contributed as well.

[@christopherwalker7045]

Yes, you've hit the nail on the head. The suez situation provided a convenient excuse to exit Australian market. Just came off Resilient on 5 night trip (Seriously Suite) and sensed that the product is not yet robust. Too much focus on the quirky rather than the basics. Ship had large number of comped Virgin employees to fill ship . They expected too much too quickly in sales . Back to the bar to study what passengers really want. Adult only was the the best feature but they need more than this to sustain product.

[@arokh72]

I feel Virgin Voyages a made common mistake among US companies. Basically they seem to think we're like their US customers, and want the same things, act the same way, etc. Short weekend cruises are very popular in the US, for example, but we Aussies, with more generous leave options, are happy to sail during the week and are able to take longer cruises, that can be difficult for their US customers. Also, as you mentioned Adrian, unlike the US, we plan longer for cruises, especially as we like to pay them off, and last minute cruising isn't as popular as in the US. We just generally don't decide on a Monday, we'll take a quick 2 or 3 day cruise the following weekend.

[@blucolife]

Americans get two-week vacations on average. We can do a week-long cruise. Also, keep in mind that Virgin is extremely expensive, I think cruises start at $3,000. I'm also not sure if Australia has the population to support the cruise industry. Your population is 25.98 million. America is 333.29 million.

[@john4flying]

That ship type comes to my home town in Montenegro… the ship is innovative in that it packs 20% more passengers into the same sized boat. We call it ‘The rats nest’.

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Oh... that's a name alright lol

[@Detail56]

Port Fees in Melb Increased without notice. Didn't help. A couple of cruise lines decided to scrap Melbourne as a port as a result

[@paulgreening7387]

That would be right! What is wrong with these people, don’t they realise that increased costs deter investments. It’s like putting up the rent then having an empty property for months and wondering why!

[@lawrencetravelvlogs]

I've heard that Sydney's port fees are still higher than Melbourne's so that can't be a factor.

[@CruiseCrazedFam]

It’s a very hard blow for Australian cruising. Honestly it’s really hard to know what to believe but can understand their perspective be the Red Sea or financial. Would love to see VV back here soon.

[@lillianhamilton1492]

I loved the four day Virgin cruise I was on but I only tried it as it left from Sydney. I do believe they did not make much money out the Australian market and believe this was an issue for them. With the Sailiors loot and Bar tab I did not spend an extra cent of my own money. As you mentioned better marketing earlier would have made the difference. I do hope they come out to Australia in 2025/26 as I will be the first to book.

[@richardwait1206]

I agree I think Aussies are savvy . They will spend readily but not on things they don’t want. And of course Aussies do not tip , we expect people to be paid a proper wage & not rely on gratuities. There is a huge market for. Cruises down under, but nothing like the American & Caribbean route. Virgin has just done the math & used Middle East conflict as an excuse.

[@sylviaplaggemars8570]

We were fortunate to get on in late Feb to Tasmania , did not mine where it was going . We stayed in a cheeky corner suite and absolutely loved it. Have been so spoilt on being in a VV and no their line can compare now. I truly hope they come back. So sad for now we will have to miss out. We booked at the last minute (3 weeks out)

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Those suites looked amazing, and the perks were quite nice! Hoping they come back soon.

[@boscow]

I could excuse the premium prices they charged but there were so many one-way itineraries it was ridiculous

[@autisticsimon12]

I was on a casino comped package. The voyage sucked. Cold Tasmania overnights and the food was very hit and miss. No real buffet sucked bad. One night we had a late booking at 10:00pm and the restaurant decided to close at 9pm making the only option left was mostly warm room service.

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@roberthamilton1301]

Thanks for the update Mate

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Thanks Robert.

[@bradmoon9574]

Australia is an unique location for cruising. Cruise lines send their ships to summer locations to make the most of the weather conditions but our summer is also our storm season which has its issues with sending ship north to Queensland. The best time to cruise here is the cooler months because those in the southern states head north for winter. Thankfully we have P&O and Carnival. I think Virgin need to do a little more homework before returning.

[@arokh72]

To be fair, the US summer is also storm season in their tropical destinations. It's not unusual for changes to the Caribbean itineraries due to storms.

[@bradmoon9574]

@@arokh72 true.

[@utareangara5529]

They're SUPER expensive

[@Tronblue007]

Good point. Hopefully she or another ship will be back.

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

I hope so!

[@davidmeyers8230]

We just disembarked Resilient Lady, she didn’t disappoint. The crew, food and entertainment were beyond what we expected and found Virgin voyages a breath of fresh air the cruise industry here in Australia needs. Hope they return sooner then later.

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@ozavanti]

The VV first season was dead in the water after they decided to cancel longer cruises and replace them with shorter taster cruises. As someone impacted by a cancellation i can say it was handled poorly and this announcement just reiterates they really don’t get the Australian (adult) market.

[@wellardsmith3629]

My 5 cents worth on this matter.... Americans only get 2 weeks annual leave... so they are willing to pay (very) high prices in the caribean.... unlike Europeans and Aussies, we're they often have 4-6 weeks leave... thus they are not iften willing to invest all their holiday budget into just one experience. Plus heading into cooler weather, is always a turn-off for many...

[@CyeOutsider]

Its really such a shame. They should have, like you said, had itineraries going to Qld, South Pacific and NZ, rather than just Tassie. Along with all the other issues mentioned, the strategy behind Virgin's foray into the Australian market seems very ill-thought out.

[@Traveltheme706]

The 2nd Virgin casualty, Virgin Atlantic flew here until about 2014 also

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts

[@saramoroney6136]

I’m a 46 yr old Melburnian with the money to spend on luxury travel, no kids and a fairly flexible work schedule that allows me to take weekend/4 day cruises on short notice. I *should* be VV’s target demo. But the Resilient Lady left me cold from the outset for a number of reasons - Onboard pools too small for an Aussie summer, laughable itineraries, poorly planned and executed debut season and a frankly pretty ugly ship overall. Even the dining options, which everyone lauded? I already live in one of the best food cities in the world, is VV really going to be any better? The pricing was all over the place and even as a gold Velocity member, I just never felt like VV were actively pursuing me as a potential customer. (Also apparently the Brilliant Lady has been pushed back because of cashflow issues, so it doesnt surprise me in the slighest that they’ve moved RL to a more lucrative market)

[@davidmeyers8230]

The opposite for us, the ship, food, crew and entertainment was a cut above the others. The pool, we never use them.

[@Traveltheme706]

Ugliest ship ive ever seen and the grey colour doesnt help

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Thanks for sharing your experience and feedback. Interesting points, definitely something VV should consider when and if they return.

[@kathrynwyatt626]

We did the 5night. Cruise to Tasmania and loved it We have done the South Pacific too many times to enjoy it anymore The ship was wonderful and the food next level.I would recommend Virgin cruises to anyone

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Thanks for sharing!

[@ColetteNicoll]

Totally failed to service the target demographic. I was so keen, I even was going to join their gym - but all the mentioned problems - plus the huge amount of senior citizens sampling Virgin, was enough to put me off - permanently, then I heard complaints that all the dinner bookings were full before late bookings went through

[@patricec.2957]

For Australia,the market is too small and the prices way too high, that's the recipe for disaster. The only market where Virgin works well is the American market, because they're the only ones on the planet who have no idea what good value for money means. Even in Europe, 80 percent of Virgin customers are American.

[@jeanduffus2070]

Oh pleasssssseeee can we please just have a cruise line willing to invest in NZ/Aussie winter cruising ex Sydney/Brisbane/Auckand to the pacific including French Polynesia with modern up to date cruise ships that can get into smaller ports. I think we have more than prove Australia/NZ have a strong cruise culture but just a bit tired that P&O only winter option to warmer destinations during winter season- even P&O could up their game or at least competition might challenge them to do better in mho

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Would loved to have seen VV remain in Australia over the winter. Offering some cruises to the South Pacific (proper South Pacific!) during the dry season would have provided nice escapes for Aussies. Though families obviously wouldn't have been able to make use of those...

[@waynegp1]

100% agree, I’m getting my last go on her today :)

[@deidresmith2335]

We did the maiden VV cruise from Melbourne in Dec...we've done 17 and while we enjoyed it we felt it was a bit "gimicky"...also I'm a bit sick of hearing about all all these free cruises being given away...including my hairdresser who won a 2 week cruise to NZ just because her hubby was flying for work on a Virgin flight....I sort of feel like I'm subsidising those freebies...anyway just IMO 😊

[@fiesta142]

since raising the prices for the 2025 season I’m really not surprised VV may be pulling out due to perhaps low passenger volume my 11 night cruise Auckland to Sydney this March booked and paid for 2 years ago has now risen by more than 3k very pricey I feel for a single cruiser. Would not be travelling on VV in 2026 as other lines can do it at a more reasonable cost Just my thoughts

[@ColetteNicoll]

How they can justify adding 3k to an 11 day itinerary is beyond me🤦🏻‍♀️ Also a solo cruiser, I'm only giving P&O a second chance as my 10night Vanuatu cruise in May had an MA/Byron Bay Beach club Mini Suite on the Adventure for a TOTAL of 3k!!!! I had booked for the same ship ,June 1st 2022 -& 4.5k covered the August 8th , 12 night replacement cruise (95% onboard Explorer) 3nights later a 10 night FNQLD itinerary - both in balcony quads 🤦🏻‍♀️ I expect a Solo balcony will never again sell for 200 per night

[@isf1984]

Couldn’t virgin voyages use the Panama canal to transit ?

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

I spent some time looking into this and apparently not. Brilliant Lady, the last of their four ships on order has a different design across her beam, specifically where the lifeboats are located so that she is narrower at her widest point compared to the three other Lady ships. Brilliant will be able to sail through, but it doesn’t seem like the others can.

[@isf1984]

@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy thanks for the information was looking at going on a Virgin cruise in the near future as I’m a Non drinker and from all the reviews I saw Virgin put more on food and entertainment than some of the other cruise liners it would be a shame to loose them

[@thinking4902]

I think this cruise line is too out there for our small population, pricing per cabin made it look expensive also, I have cruised many hundreds of days and this not one I would go on, it sounds like an upmarket P and O ship party time.

[@lawrencetravelvlogs]

It's actually a really good, as a Royal cruiser I was apprehensive, but the ship and it's crew are fantastic. Has a few minor negatives which Royal still do better but overall a great experience and a broad age demographic.

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

It's a very solid cruise product, and feels quite upmarket and premium - but it won't be for everyone.

[@greg6679]

"I had an incredible trip with Virgin Voyages from Melbourne to Hobart and had an amazing time on the ship. However, I was disappointed with their continuous promotion of a deal during our trip. They had signs up and even on the tablets in our cabin, encouraging us to pay US $300 for US $600 credit on board, which we could use within 60 days of traveling with them. What bothered me was that they were pushing this deal on the last day of our trip, and then on Tuesday, Virgin Voyages cancelled all Australian trips. This made me wonder if they were just trying to get US$300 from everyone and then cancelling the Australian trips after we got off. It was disappointing to see that we had to purchase the deal while on the ship." Now cannot use it in Australia

[@passionatelifeproject]

What a shame, but yes, I do think there is more to it than the conflict in the Red Sea. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to experience the ship and hoped to do so in the next couple of years. It made no real sense for a ship with so many amazing outdoor spaces to be sailing in the colder regions. They really should have started sailing from Sydney or Brisbane.

[@patrick8035]

Of the people in the comments that did go on a Virgin cruise, how much did you pay for your cruise? My partner and I went on the Syd-Bur-Mel cruise a week and a half ago and we paid $1614 for a midship sea terrace room, which I thought was a reasonable price for a cruise which included soft drinks and basic wifi. Entertainment and crew were fantastic, but I couldn’t really tell whether the cruise was full or not, but it certainly didn’t feel crowded. Having been the first time on Virgin I just assumed they just spread people out quite well, and there were lots more people visible at Scarlet night. I do hope they come back - I’d be interested in a Syd to Auck cruise (though a round trip from Syd like those offered by RC and Princess would be preferable)

[@stevensomers5668]

I disembarked today and feel very mixed about the experience. My 30th Cruise, first with VV. The Entertainment was amazing, the happenings team is fantastic. The restaurant booking system is absolutely awful. The Galley is a disaster and the drinks are extortionate. The ship spaces feel claustrophobic and entertainment happens in the wrong areas (social club). There is no where to relax and it feels like you are constantly on the go. The ship was full of Virgin Employees who got the cruises for free. I think a major rethink is required. I definitely think them pulling out of AUS is nothing to do with the Red Sea, and more about people not understanding the product.

[@lawrencetravelvlogs]

I think you're spot on, I think they didn't realise that Aussie cruisers as a whole are still quite traditional in the sense we like our main dining room and large theatres. I suspect they will re think the itinerary and re launch the product.

[@stevensomers5668]

@@lawrencetravelvlogsbeing declined a seat at breakfast / dinner is unheard of on any other cruise line, especially when there isn’t even a buffet!

[@lawrencetravelvlogs]

@@stevensomers5668 The Galley is their buffet, we found if we ordered from the table it was easier. The variety wasn't as good as Royal, we had brekky in Razzle Dazzle and The Wake which wasn't too bad.

[@BasedinReality1984]

I found after 5 days I was getting sick of the limited choices on offer. And I noticed they really don’t like changing things if you asked. Adding Mushrooms In the carbonara NO chance! I will say every steak I ate on the ship(even room service) was brilliant.

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Thanks for sharing your feedback and experience!

[@MervB1]

We booked on Athens to Perth in October this year 2024 .... contact with Virgin Voyager via there app in down and we haven't received any information yet. I hope we haven't lost our money though there is no indication that we have.

[@gisme4648]

I was also booked on that cruise and received an email last week. I was given the option of getting a full refund or rebooking another cruise. I took the refund.

[@MervB1]

@gisme4648 yes we received same this evening

[@dianacarragher5845]

Very disappointing for people looking forward th cruising on Virgin. Wrong type of ship for this market homeported in the wrong place and wrong ports a complete fail they have researched their market.

[@benwilson9150]

They have amazing food, the had boring ports, they had amazing entertainment, they couldn’t sell out a ship, they had an amazing overall experience, they are not multigenerational cruising. VV offered so much but yet had a gaping hole that sunk it and that was the no kids things, yes there are a good number of people that don’t want to travel with kids but those people go to more exotic places than Hobart and then the nu,ver of people that want cruise with kids far outweighs this. As I have said on your review when we did the the MerMaiden, a lot of people I spoke too said they love Virgin and what they have done but they want to spend time with their family on a cruise. Australia isn’t an adults only culture, Virgin could easily have ships for families and adults only and deploy them to the markets they would both succeed in and blow the competition out the water. For me a telling sign this is cutting the ropes never to return with the lack of compensation, other limes offer more than a refund when they cancel to keep you enticed to cruise with them.

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Very good points. Thanks for sharing.

[@lawrencetravelvlogs]

I think Virgin is very misunderstood here in Australia, the problem is the whole booking everything through the app, dinner, shows and brekky. You can't just leave your phone in your room and turn off you need it for everything. The Australian market like their Dining room and theatre shows, which you can just arrive early and get a seat and order a drink, you can't do that on Virgin. You can't walk into the dining room and be seated by your waiter who knows you by name or walk into brekky and get a table again you need to book through your app. I think once you've done a cruise with virgin you understand a lot more and understand the process which makes it more enjoyable. But it's getting over that confusion for a lot of passengers which is the problem for virgin and the itinerary is poor.

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts.

[@baobo67]

Foul fuel fumes in Tas was not a good move. So much marketing spin with the Cruise lines hard to really know the truth.

[@robertbarnier45]

Sounds like a weak excuse to me. Profit first as always. Aussie Bob

[@robertbarnier45]

Virgin doesn’t get good reviews. I wouldn’t book it. Aussie Bob

[@lawrencetravelvlogs]

It's pretty good, the food quality is amazing and I'ma royal cruiser at heart.

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

I had a great time onboard, there were a few shortcomings, but overall it was fun.

[@lawrencetravelvlogs]

At actually won cruise critics best large cruise ship awards for 2023 so not sure what reviews Rob is looking at.

[@lawrencetravelvlogs]

@TheCruiseandTravelGuy I just got off from her Saturday. Couple of things I didn't like was the ship layout it doesn't flow and the restaurant booking process.

[@NeilStanners]

If you check out Virgin ships they quickly give you the impression that they were designed by a committee, perhaps chaired by Richard Branson his dreamtime wish list. Yes, they are innovative, yes they are cutting edge but they give the term 'over the top' a new meaning. Branson obviously wanted to put 'everything' on board and he nearly has. If you're a new age yuppie gym junky you might like them but for about 90% of the potential cruise market they are just too much. While packing everything in they have ignored the things that cruise passengers like. First lesson in marketing is "know your market". Maybe there are passengers for these very expensive cruise ships but I don't think it's in Australia. (Are they making money elsewhere?) Obviously the Red Sea is just an excuse to get out of here.

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@markargent6937]

If I was a conspiracy theorist, I'd say that Richard Branson orchestrated the Red Sea crisis to give him an excuse to quit Australia. Just as well I'm not a conspiracy theorist then 🤣🤣 I'm not thirsting for a Virgin cruise, but it is disappointing that they have made the decision to cancel 24/25. Hopefully they can review the feedback and come back the following season.

[@dlgregory35]

Hi Adrian what a limp excuse from Virgin about the Suez Canal and Red Sea. Why would any cruise ship wish to come that way in fact how many do as the best route is down the West Coast f Africa around the Cape maybe calling at South Africa ports such as Cape Town and over to Australia? Simple. They must think we are all stupid with that excuse or more likely like most corporate cruise lines they are the stupid ones with their eyes simply on profit. You hit the spot it is obvious they are not filling their ship or shi[s so taking back to the Caribbean, Bloody awful looking top heave monstrosities also and hopefully; those other monstrosities from Royal Caribbean never come here.

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

Thanks for sharing. I hope they make a return too!

[@scottsworld]

yeah, the hell wants to cruise from Melbourne to Tasmania?! LOL, how can they be so dumb?

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

lol it's definitely not the greatest range of itineraries...

[@BasedinReality1984]

Go woke go broke. It’s as simple as that. The majority of sailors on our cruise were just your average cruisers. We still had a good time. My 3 biggest complaints - food was overhyped. Spending anymore than a week on the ship and the options get boring. Bring back the buffet. -A lot of the seating was very uncomfortable, lots of metal chairs and very bland. Not to mention no seating at times as events (karaoke, trivia)were held in small areas that filled up quick. - Too much focus on LGBT theme. Just drop it, the majority of sailors just wanted an adults only cruise. I think their marketing team needs to be replaced, and quick.

[@TheCruiseandTravelGuy]

I remember one of the ottoman style chairs meant my knees were basically under my chin while I was sitting on it