Virgin Voyages Shatters Records with Best Wave Season in Company History, Celebrating +45% Growth in Revenue
Virgin Voyages, Richard Branson’s adult-only boutique hotel at sea, celebrates record-breaking revenue and bookings, delivering the strongest trading season in the company’s history.
Fueled by its most successful wave season to date, the multi-award-winning cruise line has seen a 34% growth in bookings, with revenue up +45%. In addition to these impressive figures, since introducing new, longer itineraries of 8 nights to 14 nights, Virgin Voyages has also reported a more than 50% increase in bookings for these new products, indicating strong consumer interest in new ports and longer voyages onboard the Virgin fleet.
Nirmal Saverimuttu, CEO of Virgin Voyages, said, “These outstanding results show the incredible momentum our brand has built – driven by our Travel Advisors who recognize that our kid-free, award-winning experience offers a true premium alternative in the industry. They love that our size offers a blend of intimate and elevated experiences and real variety. Our record repeat rates are loved by First Mates because another booking is almost guaranteed after their client’s first sailing. The entire Virgin Voyages team couldn’t be more grateful. We’ve created this together, and we remain completely committed to making sure our partners are always appreciated, supported, and rewarded for their trust in us and the journey ahead.”
The brand’s meteoric rise comes at a pivotal moment as Virgin Voyages continues to make its mark on the cruise industry with its iconic blend of luxury, relaxed sophistication, and signature Virgin spirit. As a further testament to the company’s successful Wave season, Virgin Voyages is also reporting a standout performance in web traffic as one of the only cruise brands to see gains in search, leading the industry with increases up 25%*.
In addition to this, the brand’s unique approach to cognitive marketing and non-traditional media has been a significant driver in its growth story, giving it a unique ability to reach new audiences and break through the noise to capitalize on word-of-mouth, referrals, and broad awareness as it often dominates the cruise category in effectiveness measures..
“As a Virgin brand, we are committed to keeping our unique market position and strong customer loyalty. Its because of this focus we have captured the most five star reviews and have the highest engagement rates on social platforms, including Reddit, YouTube and Meta. As the world embraces Gen AI and LLMs we are seeing significant growth for our brand in nontraditional spaces- we’ve witnessed a 200% increase in ChatGPT brand searches during Q1, demonstrating how our approach is driving meaningful engagement in emerging channels. We are a brand that is much loved, much talked about and much commented on and we embrace that.”
Excitement continues to build as the adult-only travel brand unveils fleet-wide innovations, appealing to continued growth with travelers in their 50’s and 60’s who are looking for a more sophisticated but relaxed environment without kids. Plans include delicious reveals for its award-winning culinary program, new restaurants, expanded menus, seven new entertainment concepts, longer and more sought-after itineraries and the much-anticipated debut of its fourth ship, Brilliant Lady in September 2025.
This celebratory moment marks a major brand milestone with all four Lady Ships sailing the Caribbean this fall. Brand-wide homeports will include New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, Barcelona, Athens and Portsmouth. With the completion of the fleet, Virgin Voyages offers a tremendous amount of choice, from bucket-list itineraries to solar eclipse voyages, along with ports of call ranging from Iceland to the southern Caribbean.
“This is just the beginning of what we know will be our best year yet,” concluded Saverimuttu. “We’re not just changing how people see and experience cruising—we’re redefining what a vacation at sea can be. And we’re doing it with our signature mix of style, substance, and innovation that only Virgin can deliver, including exciting new itineraries, new entertainment, new food and of course Brilliant Lady’s debut. Watch this space; we’ve got some brilliant announcements coming soon that will make waves across the industry.”
Virgin Voyages continues to break through barriers, attracting a significant new-to-cruise audience along with 60% repeat Sailors on some voyages. The company, now in its fourth year, has solidified its place as the brand of choice for travelers looking for a fresh, price-inclusive travel experience. Demand for kid-free vacations are increasing within the travel industry, and Virgin Voyages is staking its claim as the ultimate option for exclusively adult getaways.
Last year, Virgin Voyages was the recipient of two major consumer awards, including winning the top spot in its category for both the Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards and Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards two consecutive years in a row. To start 2025, Virgin Voyages is already raking in the accolades, with the line’s newest ship, Resilient Lady, winning USA Today’s 10Best No. 1 spot for Best Adults-Only Cruise, Best Dining and Best Cruise Ship for Entertainment.
To learn more about Virgin Voyages and its cruise offerings, visit Virgin Voyages or contact your First Mate.
*Source for Similarweb Data.
(Virgin Voyages Shatters Records with Best Wave Season in Company History, Celebrating +45% Growth in Revenue)
