Travel Associates’ inaugural Luxury Cruise Event lured more than 500 keen-to-book cruisers to the Hyatt Regency Sydney last Sunday, with crowds amassing at the doors to the Grand Ballroom eagerly awaiting for the doors to open at 10am.

Virgin Voyages has pulled out of its scheduled 2024/25 summer program in Australian waters due to the potential conflict in the Red Sea flagged for the next 12 months. Resilient Lady will now instead be deployed to the Caribbean, based out of San Juan.

When Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady made her inaugural sailing on Australian shores earlier this month, it was only natural that TravelManagers’ Tanya Barker would be on board to share the experience, having sold an astonishing 213 cabins for the 2023/24 season.

Virgin Voyages sailed into Sydney on Monday [4 December 2023] for the first time ahead of the highly anticipated inaugural summer sailing season.

Resilient Lady – the third ship from Virgin Voyages – has arrived in Australian waters as part of her highly-anticipated first season Down Under. The adult-only Resilient Lady arrived in Darwin at 8 am this morning with excited sailors stepping off at Darwin Cruise Ship Terminal to explore the Northern Territory’s tropical capital and surroundings.

Virgin Voyages is looking to drive sales for its upcoming Oceania deployment with travel advisors, launching a ‘Sell Three, Set Sail Free” promotion for new bookings made from now until 4 December.

Virgin Voyages’ third ship, Resilient Lady, has commenced her 44-day repositioning journey from her current home port of Athens, Greece to her new home port in Port Melbourne, Australia.

Virgin Voyages has closed on a US$550 million capital raise to accelerate its growth plans. The new funding raise will enable Virgin Voyages to strengthen its financial position while supporting the brand’s rapid expansion into international markets.

Virgin Voyages has confirmed plans for a national, multi-city roadshow during the next month to mark Virgin Voyages’ arrival to Australian shores this coming summer.

Expect to see a boost in awareness of Virgin Voyages’ inaugural season – and future seasons – Down Under as Richard Branson’s cruise line makes a stronger play at the Australian and NZ markets.

Virgin Voyages appears to have strong confidence in the Australian market, with the adult-only cruise line securing multiple slots in key Australian ports for Resilient Lady for the 2024/2025 cruise season.