The three things that set Virgin Voyages apart from other cruise Lines

In 2021, the world was introduced to Virgin Voyages with their inaugural ship, the Scarlet Lady. However, the beginning of Virgin Voyages actually came a full decade before the Scarlet Lady set sail. In 2011, Nirmal Saverimuttu and Tom McAlpin came up with the idea for Virgin Voyages with the intent to target a younger cruising demographic. The cruise industry has historically been associated with older guests, and Saverimuttu and McAlpin felt there was an untapped demographic other cruise lines were ignoring. After ten years of attracting investors, negotiating contracts, gaining permits, and building ships, Virgin launched its first voyage with paying guests in 2021 to large critical acclaim. Unlike other cruise lines, whose ships vary across theming and can be decades old, all Virgin ships have a distinct red modern aesthetic that is instantly recognizable. Instead of loading their cruise decks with theme-park reminiscent attractions like colorful waterslides and rides, Virgin instead builds their decks with sophisticated lounge spaces, pools, and dance floors. Every inch of these ships feels highly curated with decor that is trendy but unpretentious and unapologetically luxurious. Even more appealing than the striking visual aspect of these ships, however, is the unique culture Virgin has crafted on their voyages, due to three factors: adult-only cruising, elevated dining, and boundary-pushing entertainment, which is also incidentally what sets them apart from other cruise lines.