One of the winners of Virgin Voyages’ free cruise giveaways has publicly complained that redeeming her prize is becoming more expensive than the prize itself.
An Australian woman who goes by the name of Morgan says she won a free cruise for herself and a companion last November. The congratulatory note from Virgin advertises, “A mix of itineraries for the 2024/25 season will be available to book, ranging from 3 to 11 nights, departing from Australian and New Zealand ports.”
| After booking a cruise from Brisbane to Tasmania, the company canceled its Australian itineraries in February because of conflict in the Red Sea. Virgin Voyages offered to replace their cruise with a more expensive one, sailing to the Caribbean or Europe, and itineraries worth around $10,500. |
This didn’t sit well with Morgan, who claimed that the longer journey could cost them up to $8,000, more than the $7,000 value of the original prize.
The disgruntled winner raised the issue with Virgin Voyages’s PR team but said they stopped communicating when she mentioned that the flights were costly.
“We were genuinely shocked, we thought Virgin would provide us with an alternative prize like a flight credit… or they would allow us to rebook on a later season. They sort of gave up on us … like ‘you’re a bit of a problem now,” she narrated to ABC News.
Will Virgin Voyages submit to public pressure?
So far, the Virgin Group company has mentioned no additional compensation besides accommodating its prize winners on alternative itineraries and issuing an apology.
A spokesperson said, “We apologize to our winners who can no longer redeem their prize due to the cancellation of Virgin Voyages’ Australian and New Zealand cruises amid the conflict in the Red Sea.”
Virgin Voyages regularly promotes its cruises with elaborate and well-publicized giveaways. Though this particular promotion backfired due to unforeseen events, marketing experts recommend that the company give away free credits that could be used toward Virgin flights, cruises, and other travel experiences.
Virgin Voyages has three cruise ships, and a fourth vessel is nearing the final stages of construction.
