Branson hopes to woo Aussies from ‘tired’ ships with Virgin’s dazzling new Lady
Australia has long put up with older ships from cruise brands, but Virgin Voyages is hoping to woo Aussies by sending its newest – and dropping its cabin prices for launch. That’s according to Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson.
Branson, who is in the country to promote his cruise line, has already sized up the competition, and he isn’t impressed.
Branson welcomes his $1.1 billion ship, Resilient Lady, from the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
“We came [to Sydney] and saw a very, very tired ship in the harbour,” he said, without naming the vessel.
“In the past, if [cruise companies had] a leftover ship they’d send it to Australia. But we’ve literally sent our newest ship. We want to knock Australians out.”
The liner in question is the $1.1 billion Resilient Lady, the third and newest vessel in the Virgin Voyages adult-only fleet. The ship spent two nights in Sydney, dazzling more than 1200 Australians who bought tickets to its one-off Scarlet Night poolside party event, before heading south to its home base in Melbourne for its maiden voyage. The inaugural season includes itineraries ranging from two- to 14-nights.
“We really think Australia is one of the markets for the brand,” said Virgin Voyages chief executive Nirmal Saverimuttu, who added that a combination of pent-up cruising demand and the Virgin brand’s already strong presence in Australia made it an ideal market for the cruise company.
Virgin Voyages is the only major cruise line explicitly designed for adults. Resilient Lady features over 20 eateries, 25 bars, a tattoo parlour, record store, karaoke lounge, nightclub, 255 metre running track, day spa and extensive health and fitness facilities.
Resilient Lady spent two nights in Sydney before heading south to Melbourne for its inaugural voyage.
Virgin Voyages has gone to market with inaugural season pricing in a bid attract as many cruisers as possible, according to Saverimuttu, with cabins starting from $149 a night per person with up to $1000 in bonus inclusions.
“We really want a lot of people to get on and try the product … short cruises tend to book very close [to departure] so we’ve been holding capacity back for that. But sales in the last few months have really started to take off because we’re now in that core booking window,” said Saverimuttu.
Virgin Voyages was originally due to launch in April, 2020, but the launch was delayed by more than a year due to the pandemic.
Branson said the Australian reception to the ship was heartening, following a difficult few years due to COVID-19.
Branson said he was heartened by the Aussie reception to Resilient Lady.
“We were in cruises, airlines, hotels and fitness clubs – every single company we were in was hit in a much bigger way than any other group of companies.”
Branson said he had to sacrifice a majority share of Virgin Galactic, among other measures, to help his empire survive.
“I had to sell 85 per cent of the shares in the space company to help keep everything else going, and that’s what I did,” he said.
“Everybody had to work enormously long hours and incredibly hard … to keep everything going, and keep 60,000 jobs protected, and somehow we got through it all and hopefully have come out stronger for it.”
Resilient Lady arrives in Melbourne as Carnival Australia cruise lines Princess and Cunard pull out of the city due to a recent 15 per cent port fee rise.
They announced they will no longer sail from Melbourne from 2025-26 after the rise, which will go towards maintenance at Station Pier.
After dazzling Sydneysiders, Resilient Lady will be bringing her Scarlet Night poolside party to Melbourne.
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) managing director in Australasia Joel Katz described the decision to raise fees as a major blow to the Victorian economy.
“Australia already has some of the highest operating costs in the world for cruise lines and further increases directly impact the viability of operations,” said Katz.
“Cruise lines paid $227 million in fees and charges to Australian ports and governments during 2022-23, which is almost 20 per cent of their spending in this country. This ultimately impacts holidaymakers and makes Australia an expensive country for cruise operators.”
Virgin Voyages’ Saverimuttu said Ports Victoria’s move to increase fees was “unfortunate”.
“We love being in Sydney, we love being in Melbourne, and we’d love to operate in as many ports as we can in Australia, so [the cost] is an ongoing conversation for us.”
Resilient Lady’s first Australian sailing commences on December 11, 2023, to Tasmania, stopping over in Burnie and Hobart.
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