Sun Sentinel Broward Edition

Branson has cabin fever

Billionair­e to launch Virgin Cruises in Miami in early 2020

- By Arlene Satchell Staff writer

It was another grand entrance for British billionair­e Richard Branson, of Virgin Group fame.

Branson’s helicopter touched down Tuesday on the grounds surroundin­g the Perez Art Museum Miami, and he emerged to plant the flag of his latest venture — Virgin Cruises — on Miami soil.

The flamboyant Branson appeared with several business partners and with models in sailor suits to an- nounce that his new cruise company will set sail from PortMiami in early 2020.

The cruise line has signed a letter of intent with the Fincantier­i shipyard in Italy to build three ships with room for more than 2,800 passengers each, Virgin Cruises CEO Tom McAlpin said. A final contract is expected to be signed by the end of the year.

Virgin expects the ships to be delivered in early 2020, 2021 and 2022, with the first based at PortMiami.

Branson said research showed that 85 percent of people who never had gone on a cruise would seriously consider one on Virgin.

The 1,430-cabin ships, mid-sized vessels weighing in at 110,000 gross tons, are under design. Branson said the investment is worth under $2 billion.

McAlpin called Miami “without a doubt the best fit for the Virgin brand.”

“It’s a vibrant, red-hot, sassy, sexy and obviously internatio­nal city with so much going on,” he said.

Virgin has a long history with Miami, which is headquarte­rs for its Virgin Hotels brand. Its internatio­nal airline, Virgin Atlantic, flies from the city daily, McAlpin noted.

Branson in Miami.

London-based Virgin Group, which also includes Virgin Mobile, Virgin Trains, Virgin Vodka, Virgin Records and others, is partnering with private investment firm Bain Capital on the cruise line venture.

“It’s no secret that I’ve dreamed of building a cruise line for a very, very long time,” Branson said.

Cruise industry specialist­s welcomed details about the cruise line.

“There is room for more ships, and adding the Virgin Cruises brand into the mix will help drive healthy competitio­n and consumer demand,” said Vicky Garcia, chief operating officer and co-owner of Cruise Planners, an American Express travel representa­tive in Coral Springs. “Also, Branson’s creative marketing may attract new cruisers to the industry.”

Branson is known as brash and outspoken and has arrived at other media events by zip line or parachute and also has been photograph­ed with models or celebritie­s on the wings of parked Virgin Atlantic

also

has a home planes.

Some cruise experts said that selecting McAlpin to lead the new line was a good move. “He brings credibilit­y to the table,” said Stewart Chiron, president of industry website CruiseGuy.com, based in Miami.

Before being tapped to lead Virgin Cruises, McAlpin was president and CEO of The World, Residences at Sea, based in Fort Lauderdale. He’d also served as president of Orlando areabased Disney Cruise Line.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said the new cruise line will mean more business and jobs for the community.

“Economical­ly, it’s a great thing for the port,” he said.

Gimenez was one of the three men dressed in suits Tuesday who got their ties lopped off by a shorts-wearing Branson, who’d said the mayor told him earlier that he wished all of his staff weren’t stuffed in ties and suits.

“This is a good tie,” said a surprised Gimenez. “I would have worn something a lot cheaper.”

Chiron said Virgin’s entry into the cruise market isn’t likely to worry the major players. A vast majority of Americans have never taken a cruise, so the market is big enough for everybody, he said.

“There’s certainly an opportunit­y for them to fill a niche,” Chiron said. “There’s no negative impact on anybody, and PortMiami will have a new offering.”

Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corp. & PLC, the world’s largest cruise company, said: “We’re excited. We want more people talking positive about cruising. We welcome them.”

Branson said market research showed that some 85 percent of people who had never taken a cruise would seriously consider it on a Virgin Cruises ship.

Virgin Group first announced plans for the venture in December, hinting that it would be based in South Florida.

After that announceme­nt, a lawsuit was filed in March in Miami federal court on behalf of Colin Veitch and his VSM Developmen­t firm, seeking more than $300 million in damages against Branson and Virgin Group and other court actions.

The lawsuit by Veitch, a former CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, alleged that Branson and his company stole his ideas and business plans to enter the luxury cruise industry by building two state-of-the-art ships capable of accommodat­ing 4,200 passengers each.

Asked about the litigation Tuesday, McAlpin said the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

Still he said: “We’re fully confident that this lawsuit does not have any merit and it’s not going to slow us down. We’re confident that we will prevail.”

A decision on tion is pending.

the

litiga-

News researcher Barbara Hijek and The Associated Press contribute­d to this report.

asatchell@tribpub.com, 954-356-4209 or Twitter@TheSatchre­port

 ?? GUSTAVO CABALLERO/GETTY IMAGES ?? British billionair­e Richard Branson arrives Tuesday in Miami by helicopter with banners and models in sailing attire.
GUSTAVO CABALLERO/GETTY IMAGES British billionair­e Richard Branson arrives Tuesday in Miami by helicopter with banners and models in sailing attire.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States