Tag Archives: Tom McAlpin

Scarlet Lady Floats Out, Second Virgin Ship Construction Well Underway

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Scarlet Lady

The Scarlet Lady touched the water for the first time for Virgin Voyages on Friday at Fincantieri. The first ship from the new cruise brand starts revenue service from the Port of Miami in April 2020.

Tom McAlpin, president and CEO, Virgin Voyages, was on hand for the ceremony along with Luigi Matarazzo, director of the Merchant Ships Division at Fincantieri and Paolo Capobianco, director of the plant at the shipyard.

Giuliana Rindone, an employee of the Sestri shipyard, was the godmother for the float out ceremony, cutting the ribbon that triggered a champagne bottle to crash against the hull of the ship at Fincantieri’s Sestri facility.

Scarlet Lady

With the ship now in the water and steel work on the hull complete, attention will turn to interior outfitting on the 110,000-ton, 2,770-guest ship.

With the Scarlet Lady nearing completion, Fincantieri and Virgin also celebration the coin ceremony for Virgin’s second ship, which is scheduled to be delivered in the second quarter of 2021.

Branson: ‘Cruise lines will copy Virgin Voyages’

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Sir Richard Branson predicted other cruise lines will copy Virgin Voyages in “five to six years” time.

Asked how he thought Virgin would be viewed by competitors, he referenced BA’s “dirty tricks” campaign against Virgin Atlantic in the 1990s when competition between the two airlines was at its most heated.

“Competition is always good in any industry,” he said. “It takes years to build new ships. So I think we will have five to six years then people will start copying us but by then we will have reinvented what we have.”

The first of three adult-only Virgin Voyages ships is due in 2020.

More details about what will be on board were unveiled in Genoa today at the Fincantieri shipyard where it is being built and include outdoor yoga, a wellness pool and sea-facing cabanas.

The ship, to be named Scarlet Lady, will also aim to convert all waste on board into clean re-usable energy.

Chief executive and president Tom McAlpin said: “As the (cruise sector) got bigger it had to appeal to a lot of segments but we have an opportunity to create something different and very special. The power of the Virgin brand is very important and we think we can attract people who have never cruised before.”

Virgin Group confirms entry into cruise business

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By Tom Stieghorst

Tom McAlpinVirgin Group announced that it has formed Virgin Cruises, making official its rumored entry into the global cruise industry.

The collection of companies run by British entrepreneur Richard Branson is perhaps most well known for Virgin Atlantic Airways. It has also started a hotel brand, with its first U.S. property to open in Chicago.

In its announcement, Virgin said it has hired Tom McAlpin to be CEO. Most recently, McAlpin had been president and CEO of The World, Residences at Sea. He was also part of the founding management team at Disney Cruise Line, and served as its president.

Virgin Cruises will be headquartered in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, the company said. Virgin said it plans to build two “world class” cruise ships.

Details about the timing of Virgin’s start of operations are being withheld for competitive reasons, the company said.
Bain Capital has been named lead investment partner.

“We plan to shake up the cruise industry and deliver a holiday that customers will absolutely love,” Branson said in a statement. “They’ll be sailing on the latest ships offering great quality, a real sense of fun, and many exciting activities all delivered with the famed Virgin service.”