Virgin Voyages has confirmed its second ship, the Valiant Lady, will start sailing this March in the UK.
Speaking of the arrival of Valiant Lady to the UK, Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages, said: “Following the success of our first ladyship, Scarlet Lady, we are so excited to debut Valiant Lady this March and begin our European tour. The lifting of UK travel restrictions has already shown promising signs with 70% uplift in bookings since December – and we can’t wait to welcome Sailors onboard!”
The company is showcasing the new ship Tilbury and Liverpool, where fans are invited to wave her in before the company kicks off bookable European sailings from Portsmouth in March and a new homeport in Barcelona in May.
Sir Richard Branson added: “Virgin Voyages has been a dream in the making since my 20s, and today is a momentous day launching our second ladyship, Valiant Lady. It’s exciting to be able to celebrate our continued growth as a brand that’s on a mission to voyage like no other. In our five decades in business, Virgin has always sought to offer our customers something extra special, and Virgin Voyages has worked tirelessly to do just that.”
For a limited time, Sailors can book any voyage on any ship and get 20% off along with a $100 toward their prepaid Bar Tab, plus an extra 10% off if they pay in full.
Preziosa will arrive in early October offering itineraries visiting five European cities, with its 2022/23 winter season due to run through to April 2023.
Sales will open in the coming days, said MSC. Preziosa will replace MSC Virtuosa, which will sail in summer 2022 from Southampton.
Virtuosa’s season will get underway with a Guernsey mini-cruise departing 29 April and will wrap up with a final Mediterranean sailing scheduled to depart on 4 November.
MSC managing director the UK and Ireland, Antonio Paradiso, said Preziosa’s deployment from Southampton underlined MSC’s commitment to the UK market and travel trade.
“We are proud that we are providing agents with such a variety of products to sell in the ex-UK space this year,” said Paradiso. “Sailing MSC Virtuosa from Southampton last year allowed us a great opportunity to access the new-to-cruise market, which made up 50% of our sales for summer 2021.”
Preziosa will offer a seven-night winter itinerary featuring five European city destinations, with calls in Hamburg, Zeebrugge (for Bruges and Brussels), Rotterdam (for Amsterdam) and Le Havre (for Paris).
Virtuosa, one of MSC’s newest ships and capable of carrying around 4,000 more guests than Magnifica, will offer a range of 20 itineraries including two-night mini cruises calling in Saint Peter Port in Guernsey to 12 nights exploring the Baltics or 14 nights exploring the Western Mediterranean.
MSC said, “high demand” for its summer 2022 sailings had led to the decision to bring Virtuosa back to UK shores. Passengers already booked on Magnifica will be automatically rebooked to the nearest like-for-like Virtuosa sailing.
Agents with booked guests and direct customers will be contacted with all information pertaining to the change.
MSC’s the UK and Ireland managing director Antonio Paradiso said the line “couldn’t turn down the opportunity” to bring Virtuosa back to Southampton after the success of its 2021 summer season.
“The feedback from passengers has been that they loved MSC Virtuosa and are eager to get back on board and explore more of the world on this fabulous ship,” Paradiso said.
“Despite the challenges of 2021 we had a record-breaking year with passengers sailing from Southampton, and it was great to see so many new-to-cruise guests amongst them.
“We have listened to the feedback from consumers and travel agents and have delivered itineraries with more choice, new destinations and longer cruises to warmer climates – all departing from Southampton.”
MSC added that current booking trends also meant it would base a ship in Southampton year-round in 2022 with the vessel due to be announced later this year.
Paradiso added: “Five years ago we announced our intention to grow our business in the UK market and I am pleased to say that this announcement is further evidence of our commitment to this target.
“We have made a series of investments, from increasing the number of sailings from UK ports visiting new and exciting destinations, to supporting the building of the new Horizon Cruise Terminal in Southampton, that all help us achieve our goal to give UK guests the holidays they want, and travel agents the cruises they want to sell.”
The news comes as MSC confirms its full fleet of 19 ships will be sailing by summer 2022, with its requirement for all guests to be vaccinated remaining in place.
MSC said it would continue to implement “the appropriate measures” to ensure guests can “enjoy one of the safest holidays options out there”.
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