Branson’s Virgin Voyages scraps next summer’s Australian cruises

Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady isn’t so resilient after all; Sir Richard Branson’s cruise line confirming the ship will not return to Australian waters for its promised second sailing season next summer, in the wake of escalating tensions in the Red Sea.

The decision comes just over two months after the cruise line’s inaugural sailing in Australia, with Melbourne as its home port.

Virgin Voyages was the first travel brand in the Virgin Group to enter the Australian market since Virgin Australia (then Virgin Blue) launched Down Under in 2000.

It is the latest in a series of cruise lines amending or axing future sailings due to safety concerns, following a series of strikes on container ships in the geopolitically significant Red Sea region by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, allegedly in protest at Israel’s campaign in Gaza.

Following the attacks Virgin Voyages altered course, moving Resilient Lady to the Mediterranean in early 2024 for the northern summer, but on Tuesday revealed it had “no choice” but to cancel upcoming Australians seasons, with a lengthier alternative return route around Africa not viable for the company.

A spokesperson cited safety reasons for the decision.

“On the heels of these recent changes and based on the regional and government advice we have received, we remain very concerned about potential escalations in the Red Sea over the next 12 months,” said the Virgin Voyages spokesperson.

The ongoing conflict posed “unacceptable risks” for safe passage through the region for passengers, crew and the Resilient Lady.

Richard Branson pictured at the Sydney launch event ahead of Resilient Lady’s inaugural sailing.

“We have been left with no choice but to cancel our 2024/25 voyage season plans for Resilient Lady, impacting the late 2024 and early 2025 repositioning voyages between Europe and Australia and a second sailing season in Australian waters.”

The cruise line, which made a huge splash in Australia during its launch campaign in December, led by billionaire co-founder Branson, expressed disappointment over having to pull out from the Australian and New Zealand market.

“These adjustments are happening now in order to minimise potential future disruption to our passengers’ holiday plans knowing there is a high likelihood that changes would need to happen in the future,” the spokesperson added.

Virgin Voyages indicated a return to Australian waters will remain a possibility, once regional repositioning opportunities become more tenable.

The Resilient Lady will be redeployed to the Caribbean for a new season on conclusion of its Mediterranean sailing in October 2024; the specifics of its repositioning route from Athens to San Juan is still under review.

Virgin Voyages is the third cruise line to withdraw from its Melbourne home port in recent months, following Princess Cruises and Cunard’s decision to pull out of the city, blaming a rise in port fees.

About 36 million people are expected to cruise globally in 2024 according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) – a big uptick from the previous year of 31.5 million.

A number of cruise companies normally operate seasonal sailings or world cruises through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

MSC have cancelled three repositioning sailings in April. Royal Caribbean and Windstar have already pivoted from a seasonal Middle East sailing to the Mediterranean, while Cunard, Princess and Seabourn have re-routed world cruises to avoid the Suez Canal.

Dan Russell, general manager at specialist cruise travel agency Clean Cruising, said the Red Sea situation presents the largest impact to ship deployments he’s experienced due to security concerns.

The loss of Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady to the Caribbean was “especially frustrating” following her successful first visit to Australia over the summer.

Virgin Voyages will deploy to the Caribbean instead of Australia from late 2024.Credit: Destination New South Wales

But amid disappointment, there have been some silver linings; many cruise customers are praising operators’ decision to cancel or divert via Africa, according to the travel agent.

“The overwhelming response from guests is that of relief at the news that their cruise will now avoid this current [Red Sea conflict] hotspot,” said Russell.

Resilient Lady’s launch campaign included ticketed Scarlet Night poolside parties, open to the public.

“Many customers on the 2024 Princess world cruise stated how excited they are about potential safari options with the ship now overnighting in Cape Town.

“Cruise lines have typically helped with the few cancellation requests and are providing generous cruise credits or extra perks onboard to make up for any inconvenience.”

A CLIA spokesperson said cruise lines are actively monitoring developments in the Red Sea region, but that the vast majority of sailings in Australian and New Zealand will remain unaffected.

“We are fortunate in this region to have a diverse fleet, including year-round locally based ships, vessels repositioning from Asia, Africa, the US and Alaska, as well as world-cruise ships visiting our region via multiple routes,” said the spokesperson.

“Each cruise line will conduct its own assessments based on their particular schedules and circumstances and will directly communicate any adjustments to their guests.”

Branson’s Virgin Voyages cruise line commenced the first Australian sailings in mid-December, 2023, bringing the company’s newest ship, the Resilient Lady, in a gesture the mogul hoped would woo Australians away from the “very tired” ships of his competitors.

“In the past, if [cruise companies had] a leftover ship they’d send it to Australia. But we’ve literally sent our newest ship. We want to knock Australians out,” Branson said following Sydney launch events.

Virgin Voyages customers impacted by the cancellations will have the option to transfer their booking to another voyage of the same number of nights or fewer, or accept a full refund, with customers who don’t contact Virgin Voyages or their travel agent before March 11 to receive automatic refunds.

The Red Sea is a critical shipping route for global trade, helping both passenger and transport ships to avoid the long detour around Africa.