Virgin Voyages Celebrates Record-Breaking Sales And Triple-Digit Revenue Growth, Setting The Stage For A Tremendous Wave Season

Tuesday, Dec 10, 2024 0

Virgin Voyages, Richard Branson’s kid-free, boutique hotel at sea, announced today an impressive, record-breaking retail period, shattering previous milestones with Black Friday marking the single highest booking day in company history. Hot on the heels of Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday, Virgin Voyages is reporting triple-digit increases across the board, including a more than 300% increase in revenue from 2023, and equally, a +300% increase in bookings compared to this period last year. In addition to these notable outcomes, the brand is experiencing a more than 60% increase in overall revenue growth vs. 2023, with 2025 projected to be up 50% again on 2024’s record revenue performance. This news comes as a favorable precursor for the much-anticipated WAVE season, with projections set to surpass any previous records.

“We are so grateful for the support that we’re seeing from our loyal customers and travel advisor community and their passion for the award-winning, kid-free experiences we have created and built from scratch together. Breaking records would not have been possible without our First Mates, and we’re as committed to them as they are to us,” said Nirmal Saverimuttu, CEO of Virgin Voyages. “In an environment where value is disappearing and travelers are feeling the pinch of changes from others, we are doubling down on being an incredible value for Sailors with all our inclusions, such as Wi-Fi, soft drinks, still and sparking water, unlimited fitness classes, no upcharges for specialty dining and more. We’re committed to sticking to our roots and not nickel and diming our Sailors, before, during or after their voyage with us.”

Saverimuttu added, “While also being brilliant to do business with, our travel partners will continue to benefit from our no NCF policy, earning commissions from everything they sell.”

In addition to occupancy records achieved in the Med and Caribbean this year, the brand has seen a lot of excitement around its new Alaska itineraries, the introduction of longer voyages, including trips to Iceland and solar eclipse sailings in 2026. Further, Virgin Voyages’ new Annual Pass product, the first ever year-long voyage where passengers can hop on and off any ship, any time – has received dozens of inquiries from adventurers all over the world and expects to sell out before the end of the year.

“We have a lot to look forward to in 2025 with our new ship, Brilliant Lady, setting sail, Scarlet Lady back from her ‘Glow Up,’ the introduction of longer itineraries and new home ports such as New York, Los Angeles and Seattle. Plus Sailors can look forward to more food and entertainment innovations including new dining concepts, such as Lucky Lotus, and new production shows, live music and comedy all rolling out fleet-wide,” said Saverimuttu. “We continue to see really strong repeat cruisers – up to 60% on some voyages – but are also breaking through to new audiences with more than 70% of our Black Friday and Cyber Monday bookings coming from Sailors new to the brand, with a significant number being new to cruise. This further solidifies our place as the brand of choice for travelers looking for a fresh, price-inclusive travel experience. We believe this really shows the power and appeal of a kid-free vacation, a position in the travel industry where Virgin Voyages is also fast becoming the brand of choice for adult-only holidays.”

On the heels of a record-breaking season and year, Virgin Voyages also took home two major consumer awards, winning the top spot in its category for both the Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers Choice Awards and Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards, two consecutive years in a row – a rare industry designation. To further the brand’s award-winning track record, Virgin Voyages was the first and only cruise line in history to sweep the Cruise Critic awards, taking the top spot in all categories in 2023.