Startup cruise line Virgin Voyages pushes back Miami debut for 6th time
You'll now have to wait until October to sail out of Miami on Scarlet Lady -- the first ship from startup cruise line Virgin Voyages.
The new cruise brand backed by Richard Branson on Wednesday said it had canceled all initial sailings of the vessel out of Miami scheduled for late September and early October.
Scarlet Lady now will begin sailing out of Miami on Oct. 6.
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If this sounds like a story you've read before, it is.
Virgin Voyages has now delayed its official debut in Miami six times. Scarlet Lady initially was scheduled to sail its first “sneak-a-peek” voyages with paying passengers out of Miami in March of 2020. But Virgin Voyages has delayed the ship's big reveal party in the city every few months since then.
All of Scarlet Lady's delays have been blamed on COVID-19, which has shut down most cruising around the world for the past 16 months.
While its Miami debut now has been delayed until October, Scarlet Lady will go ahead with a brief, previously announced series of short sailings out of Portsmouth, England, in August. The trips are available to U.K. residents only.
In addition to delaying Scarlet Lady's Miami debut for the sixth time, Virgin Voyages on Wednesday canceled six more months of sailings of its second vessel, Valiant Lady.
The canceled voyages on Valiant Lady include all sailings scheduled to depart between Nov. 14 and May 1, 2022.
Recently completed at a shipyard in Italy, Valiant Lady is similar in size and layout to Scarlet Lady. It originally was scheduled to begin sailing in Europe in May of this year before moving to the Caribbean in November. It's now scheduled to skip both its initial Europe and Caribbean deployments and begin sailing out of Barcelona on May 15, 2022.
Virgin Voyages has been offering customers with bookings on canceled sailings a choice of a full refund or a credit for a future cruise. Those who choose the credit have been getting 200% of the amount they paid to apply to a future sailing. Those who choose a refund have been getting a 25% credit toward a future cruise in addition to all their money back.
Such refunds and credit terms, notably, are more generous than what we've seen over the past year from other cruise lines.
The latest delay from Virgin Voyages comes even as a growing number of cruise lines restart cruises in North America and Europe -- albeit with very few ships. Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line are among lines that just have restarted a limited number of sailings out of Florida in recent days.
The debut of Virgin Voyages was one of the most anticipated cruise industry events of 2020. The line had been promising to shake things up in the cruise world with the arrival of Scarlet Lady.
Able to carry 2,770 passengers at double occupancy and 17 decks high, Scarlet Lady was designed to cater to a hipster crowd with everything from a tattoo parlor and drag queen brunches to a colorful karaoke lounge. To ensure a proper party vibe, it also was designed a kid-free travel zone, with no passengers under the age of 18.
Virgin Voyages is going after travelers who might think themselves too cool to cruise. To that end, Scarlet Lady is eschewing buffets, dress codes and big Broadway-style theater shows in favor of interactive dance parties, DJ sets, “microplays” and late-night games of dodgeball.
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Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees