Tag Archives: Ibiza

Virgin’s Scarlet Lady Returns to Europe

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Virgin’s Scarlet Lady Returns to Europe

The Scarlet Lady recently returned to the Western Mediterranean as part of Virgin Voyages’ summer deployment in Europe.

After crossing the Atlantic earlier this month, the 2020-built vessel arrived in Barcelona for the season on May 18, 2025.

For its first voyage in Europe this year, the ship embarked on a seven-night itinerary to Spain and France.

Sailing round-trip from Barcelona, the cruise included visits to Cannes, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca and Ajaccio.

Over the next two months, the Scarlet Lady offers a series of seven- to 11-night itineraries in the Western Mediterranean, including Virgin’s “Spanish and Italian Hot Spots” voyage.

The seven-night cruise departs from Civitavecchia, a port near Italy’s capital city of Rome, and sails to five destinations in three countries.

Before arriving in Barcelona, the open-jaw itinerary is set to visit Naples, Palermo, Ajaccio and Marina di Carrara.

The Scarlet Lady is then set to reposition to Northern Europe in late July for cruises departing from Portsmouth, England, and Reykjavik, Iceland.

Itineraries include visits to the British Isles, Scandinavia, Western Europe and the North Sea destinations.

Before repositioning back to North America for the winter, the Scarlet Lady returns to the Mediterranean in late September for a short fall season.

Concluding its European deployment, the 2,770-guest ship then kicks off a trans-Atlantic crossing to PortMiami in mid-October.

As part of its 2025-26 winter deployment, the Scarlet Lady offers four- and five-night cruises to the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Most of the sailings also feature a visit to Virgin’s exclusive beach club in Bimini.

In addition to the Scarlet Lady, a second Virgin Voyages ship, the Resilient Lady, is also offering cruises in Europe this year.

Sailing from Piraeus, Greece, the vessel offers itineraries to the Eastern Mediterranean that highlight the Greek Isles and the Adriatic.

Celebrity Apex to home port in Southampton in the 2024 season

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Celebrity Cruises’ second Edge-class ship, Celebrity Apex, will homeport in Southampton for its entire 2024 season.

Apex – which will be the first Edge-class ship to sail out of Southampton – will replace Celebrity Silhouette and offer four- to-13-night sailings from May through November 2024.

Itineraries include a 12-night Norwegian Fjords and Arctic Circle cruise, as well as sailings to Ibiza and the Mediterranean.

Following feedback from its travel partners, the line has announced its UK deployment two weeks in advance of the launch date for the first time, to allow agents to pre-register interest from guests.

To support the trade in selling the vessel, the line will host 600 agents onboard Apex in 2023, across a range of ship visits and seminars.

Agents will also have access to a suite of training and marketing tools via Celebrity Central, including webinars; digital “Be the first to book” banners; fact sheets; talking points; itinerary flyers; and print adverts.

New training modules featuring Apex will also be available on Celebrity Passport. Agents selling Apex can also earn up to £20 per booking on all 2024 bookings via Celebrity Rewards.

From 1 November to 5 December 2022, agents can earn up to £50 Celebrity Rewards points per booking on all 2023 sailings, across all stateroom categories.

Lisa Lutoff Perlo, president and chief executive of Celebrity Cruises, said: “Having one of our award-winning Edge Series ships sailing from Southampton will offer an experience like no other from the UK.

“Celebrity Cruises continues to redefine cruising, taking our guests to the world’s best places on the world’s best places.”

The line’s vice president and managing director EMEA, Jo Rzymowska, said the UK “has always been integral to the success” of the company, and homeporting Apex from Southampton “underlines our commitment to this market”.

“There is a huge appetite from UK guests who share our curiosity for people, places and cultures, and our passion for opening up the world through a love of travel.

“We invest a lot in the training of our travel partners because what’s really important to us, is that they can talk about what makes Celebrity different and what makes us unique, therefore they’re not just selling a big white ship. And that is really important.

“I’m looking forward to welcoming even more of our guests onboard Celebrity Apex when she raises the bar for cruising from Southampton in 2024.”

Virgin’s Valiant Lady Starts Atlantic Crossing Ahead of U.S. Debut

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Valeant Lady flying the Virgin Flag photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

Wrapping up its inaugural summer in Europe, the Valiant Lady is starting a trans-Atlantic crossing to the United States.

The 14-night voyage departs from Barcelona today and marks the North American debut of the Virgin Voyages vessel.

In addition to the Spanish port, the one-way voyage includes visits to four European destinations, such as Ibiza and Funchal, before arriving in Miami on October 30.

Once in the U.S., the 2021-built cruise ship is set to kick off a series of week-long voyages to the Caribbean and the Bahamas.

The program includes two different itineraries, such as the “Western Caribbean Charm.” Sailing to Mexico, Honduras and the Bahamas, the voyage features visits to Costa Maya, Roatán and Bimini.

Through mid-April, the Valiant also offers the “Eastern Caribbean Antilles” cruise. In addition to Bimini, the eight-night cruise sails to Amber Cove, St. Croix and San Juan.

Following the Scarlet Lady, which entered service in 2021, the Valiant Lady debuted in March 2022.

Virgin’s second newbuild, the 110,000-ton cruise ship spent its inaugural season in the Mediterranean, offering different itineraries to Spain, Italy and France.

Like the Scarlet Lady, the Valiant offers an adults-only product that focuses on what Virgin calls an intimate and elevated all-inclusive experience.

As part of the concept, the 2,770-guest vessel boasts 20 dining venues, in addition to many entertainment options. A highlight is The Manor – a two-story 1970s-style nightclub inspired by Virgin’s heritage in the music business.

Another feature is the Red Room, which, according to Virgin, is the first transformational multi-form theatre at sea.

The venue can be transformed into four different configurations – including a traditional Proscenium stage, to alley stage used in fashion shows, to a dance flat-floor configuration and finally a unique reverse stage setup.