USA TODAY International Edition
Virgin Voyages announces third cruise ship in fleet
Virgin Voyages has announced the third ship in its four- ship fleet: The Resilient Lady is scheduled to be complete on July 1, 2022, joining sibling ships Scarlet Lady and Valiant Lady.
The Richard Branson- owned cruise company has had a slow start because of the COVID- 19 pandemic, which squashed Virgin’s plans to launch in April 2020. Now, after multiple delays, its first ship, Scarlet Lady is scheduled to debut in July. Valiant Lady, which was supposed to debut in May, had its launch pushed to November.
In spite of those delays, Virgin Voyages’ president and CEO, Tom McAlpin, told USA TODAY that Resilient Lady is still on track.
“We clearly see a light at the end of the tunnel with vaccines on the rise and hopefully by summertime, everyone will have a vaccine,” McAlpin said, adding that the ship’s launch is still more than a year away and that bookings haven’t yet begun.
Valiant Lady will feature a “Michelin- starred chef collective” responsible for all on- board dining experiences across more than 20 eateries with made- to- order food included in the passenger’s cruise fare.
Want to maintain your self- care routine at sea? The ship also features a spa, cycling studio, yoga and group fitness studio and outdoor track. All classes and treatments are included.
With an adults- only policy and a layout similar to that found on its sister ships, Valiant Lady also is home to a record shop and two nightclubs, which can serve as performance spaces.
However, its itineraries differ from Scarlet Lady, which is based in Miami and sails four- and five- night Caribbean cruises, and Valiant Lady, which sails seven- night cruises out of Barcelona.
“With Resilient, it’s the Greek Isles and the Adriatic,” McAlpin said, noting that the ship will feature two sevennight itineraries.
The Resilient Lady will make departures from from Athens on two itineraries:
h The “Greek Isles Itinerary” includes stops in Santorini, Rhodes, Crete and Mykonos with an overnight stay in Mykonos.
h The “Adriatic ( with Greek Isles) Itinerary” departs from Athens with a stop in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Kotor, Montenegro, before returning to Greece for calls to Corfu and Argostoli.
“Sailing in the Med is such an extraordinary experience, and we’re so excited to bring the adventure of a Virgin Voyage to this beautiful place,” Branson, founder of Virgin Group, said in a statement. “I’m so proud of the incredible work the team has accomplished to introduce Resilient Lady.”