A brand new year is a time for reflection, but also for sailing full steam ahead. At Virgin Voyages, we’re doing both. Thanks to our Sailors, we’ve grown so much over the past year. From the new kid on the block to a force to be reckoned with in the cruise industry, we’re continuing to cement our award-winning place on the high seas.
To celebrate the start of 2025, we’re sailing into the new year in style — with a candid conversation with two Virgin VIPs: CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu, and Richard Branson himself. They peeled back the red curtain on Virgin Voyages’ past, present, and future, shedding some light on how far we’ve come since our inception, and why 2025 is the best time to book.
Of course, it will come as no surprise that our founder and CEO continues to be excited about our adults-only proposition. We’re the only cruise line at sea catering exclusively to Sailors 18+, which means we can offer an elevated, more sophisticated sailing experience.
“If you’ve got kids and you want to take a break,” Saverimuttu says, “if you don’t have kids and you’re looking for a kid-free escape, we are just the perfect travel option for that.”
That elevated adult experience is perhaps most evident in our 20+ onboard eateries, which we’ve curated to offer VIP-quality dining in a casual environment. “We don’t have a dress code,” says Saverimuttu. “We don’t have any stuffy formalities. People don’t want to dress up for dinner every night. We want to go to dinner in jeans and a shirt. It’s a relaxed vibe onboard our ship.”
That’s one of the reasons we’ve been so successful attracting Sailors of all ages, from 20s and 30s to more seasoned cruisers in their 70s. It’s all about creating an inclusive and energetic environment where everyone feels welcome. And that’s exactly how Branson imagined it, decades ago, when he first had the idea of starting a cruise line.
“Everything about Virgin Voyages is how we dreamt about it years ago,” he says. “It’s the wonderful feeling you get when you walk on the ship, the wow factor, the fact that it’s not massively overcrowded like some other monster ships, all the wonderful restaurants…magnificent workout areas…wonderful dancing.”
But we’re not resting on our laurels. 2025 is set to be our biggest year yet, with a brand new ship coming in September and a host of new ports. “When Brilliant Lady comes online,” Saverimuttu says, “we’ll be in New York, LA, Alaska. We’ll now sail in all the destinations people want to sail in – the Caribbean, the Med, North America. So I’m really excited about completing that bigger picture.”
Since so many ports welcome us to their shores with open arms, we do what we can to return the favor. Our service-focused attitude is one thing that won’t be changing in 2025. We take our symbiotic relationship with ports and oceans seriously. “We’ve set up 20 nonprofit organizations, which all Virgin companies contribute towards, tackling everything from drug reform to climate issues,” Branson says. “All these issues we’re working on behind the scenes to see if we can help a bit. And each Virgin company plays its part. A lot of Virgin companies also have more localized charities.”
And it goes beyond official organizations. A service mindset comes naturally to our onboard crew, which shows in their treatment of Sailors and even in how they choose to spend their off days.
“A few months ago,” Branson says, “I bumped into about 50 crew members in the BVI planting mangroves, and this was their day off. They’d just come to Tortola, and all volunteered to plant mangroves.”
While this kind of behavior might sound exceptional, it isn’t at Virgin Voyages. Our service mindset is just one of the qualities that sets us apart, and makes Sailors keep coming back to us year after year. We might be relatively new on the cruising scene, but we’ve made a big splash over the past few years – for our stellar crew, adults-only atmosphere, elevated eateries, relaxing spa, and cutting-edge cabin technology. We hope you’re as excited about sailing into 2025 as we are.
Check out the full interview with Richard and Nirmal here.
