In a note to booked passengers and travel agents, Virgin Voyages has announced that it’s pushed back its return to cruising until January 2021.
The new cruise line’s first ship Scarlet Lady was delivered to Virgin Voyages in February 2020, and was set to begin sailing from PortMiami in March.
However, the ship’s inaugural voyage has been pushed back several times due to the global health crisis, most recently to December 2020.
Now, the 2,770-passenger ship won’t see paying passengers until January 3, 2021, when it will offer a five-night cruise that stops in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and the line’s private destination in the Bahamas, The Beach Club at Bimini.
READ MORE: Virgin Voyages Announces Longer Caribbean Cruises
For now, Scarlet Lady is in a cold layup in Genoa, Italy, where she has been for several months. Cold layup means that a vessel is docked or anchored with minimal staffing while not in use.
As in the case of Scarlet Lady, it will take at least 30-days to get it back to being fully staffed and ready to bring back to service. Even that number could vary depending on each countries positivity rates during start-up.
Virgin Voyages is a premium adults-only cruise line that includes more in the cruise fare than the average cruise line. There are 20+ eateries onboard, all of which are included. Also included are nonalcoholic beverages, wifi, gratuities, and group fitness classes.
Scarlet Lady also boasts an onboard tattoo parlor, ice cream shop, two-story nightclub, and a spa with a thermal suite. Bars onboard include Draught Haus Tap Room, Sip Lounge champagne bar, On the Rocks martini and cocktail bar, and more.
Virgin’s second ship, Valiant Lady, is currently under construction at Fincantieri’s Genoa shipyard. She will have many of the same features and venues that Scarlet Lady boasts.
READ MORE: New Virgin Voyages Cruise Ship Will Have a Record Store
Valiant Lady is scheduled to debut in May 2021 to operate week-long Mediterranean itineraries from Barcelona, Spain. In winter 2021, the ship will head across the Atlantic to join Scarlet Lady in the Caribbean.
