Why Richard Branson Launched an Adults-Only Cruise Line, Virgin Voyages
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“I’ve never been interested in going on cruises,” Sir Richard Branson tells me on the first day of a cruise of the Greek Islands on the Virgin Voyages ship Resilient Lady in early September.
“I asked myself many years ago, why? And I just thought, there are a lot of people like me,” he says. “Ninety-five percent of the population hasn’t been on cruises, and what I love and what the team at Virgin love to do is try to challenge ourselves to create something that caters to people who don’t like what currently exists.”
With Virgin Voyages, the cruise line Virgin launched in 2020, Branson has done that. Although Virgin Voyages’ three boats (and a fourth set to launch in 2024), look like traditional mid-sized cruise ships, there is nothing traditional about them. There are no buffets, no children, and no dress codes. Branson, who tends toward casual style like linen shirts, shorts, and Hoka sneakers on the cruise, embraces the lack of formality—an extension of the atmosphere at his Necker Island retreat in the British Virgin Islands, where he spends much of his time.
No Kids and No Buffets
The 20 restaurants onboard, which include a stylish steakhouse and a Korean barbecue spot where diners are encouraged to take part in drinking games (to facilitate participation, complimentary soju is provided along with non-alcoholic beverages), are designed to resemble hotspots in New York and London.
“My image of cruises was buffets and people queuing up, and it didn’t appeal to me,” Branson, who is distinctly soft-spoken, says. “I didn’t enjoy flying on other people’s airlines before we started Virgin Atlantic, and it was the same thing. I think we’ve managed to create the kind of airline I would like to fly on and my friends would like to fly on, and we try to do that in any sector we move into.”
A Younger Crowd Embraces Cruising
Virgin is entering the cruise industry at an opportune moment. According to a survey by the industry trade group Cruise Lines International Association that was first cited by the New York Times, there is more interest than ever in cruising among millennials and Gen-X travelers.
Seventy-seven percent of millennials and 73 percent of Gen-X travelers reported being interested in taking their first cruise. Of the 4,500 respondents who took their first cruise, 88 percent of millennials and 86 percent of Gen-X respondents said they plan to go on another one.
It's easy to see why. Aside from the ease of simply unpacking once and visiting multiple destinations throughout the trip, cruising is fun, especially with elements that distinguish Virgin’s ships from other cruise lines’.
The brand’s ships are inspired by yachts, Virgin Voyages CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu tells me. “Our ships are like a big yacht, with a lot of small, intimate spaces,” Saverimuttu says. “On traditional cruise ships, you’re looking at dining spaces that seat 1,000 to 2,000 people. Our biggest eatery seats 200, and each restaurant has a dedicated kitchen and executive chef.”
And unlike other cruise ships–both large and small–all the food is made to order, so sailors (as Virgin Voyages passengers are called) never have to queue up for a buffet.
The audience, Branson says, is the young at heart. As an adults-only cruise line, the minimum age is 18, but passengers in their 70s and 80s were also onboard the Greek Islands cruise. The core age groups are travelers in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. Branson himself celebrated his 72nd birthday onboard a Virgin cruise in July 2022.
A Delayed Launch for Virgin Voyages
Branson admits the cruise line’s launch did not go as planned. In February 2020, the first ship was set to make its debut in the U.K. port city of Dover.
“The Spice Girls, who were once on Virgin [Records], were meant to come launch it and never turned up,” Branson says. “I talked to Posh Spice and she said, ‘We’re being told, best not to go onto cruise ships.’”
After Dover, the ship sailed to New York, where Jennifer Lopez was set to turn up for the American launch. J. Lo also didn’t show.
“It made me wonder what it was that was worrying them so much,” Branson says, “and then we realized this thing called Covid seemed to be worrying enough people for us to then send both ships back to Italy and mothball them for 18 months back in the shipyard.”
The Virgin founder says that despite the inauspicious start, he and his team would not give up. “We had two beautiful ships and a wonderful team of people,” he says. “We just had to sweat it out. We got through it and here we’ve come out stronger for it.”
The Cruise Line's Accolades—One Especially Loyal Customer
Virgin Voyages has been racking up awards, including sweeping all five awards in Cruise Critic's large-ship category in 2023: Best Overall Cruise Line, Best Cabins, Best Dining, Best Service, and Best Value-for-Money. It was also named the Best Large Cruise Ship cruise line in the Condé Nast Readers' Choice Awards earlier this year.
And it has fervent fans, like Chris DeSalvo, who was on his 41st voyage in less than a year. In July, the mobile app developer celebrated his 40th birthday on another Virgin ship, Valiant Lady. He signed up for his first Virgin Voyage while living in Miami and saw Virgin ships in port there.
Having only been on a handful of cruises before, DeSalvo says that the red woven hammocks on the ship's balconies (86 percent of cabins come with balconies, and their hammocks are created by Yellow Leaf, an organization that promotes women's empowerment and community transformation in rural Thailand) first attracted him to Virgin Voyages. The free WiFi was another plus, since it would allow him to work from the ship. DeSalvo had such a great time that he booked another cruise, and another one, and so on—adding up to around 220 nights onboard. He's also booked a spot on a six-week crossing from Dubai to Sydney later this year.
As for Branson, he's planning to join another Virgin cruise in the Caribbean next summer, if not before.
"I like to learn and I love starting things," Branson tells me. "I love learning about industries I know little about, and I love trying to change things for the better."
With Virgin Voyages, that's what he's done.
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