Sir Richard Branson’s new cruise line is progressing toward reality. At an October 18th press event, Branson and company President and CEO Tom McAlpin announced that the new cruise line’s name will be Virgin Voyages, and that a contract has bee signed for construction of the line’s first three ships.
Virgin Voyages’ ships will be constructed in Italy by Fincantieri. Details offered at the event included that the ships will carry 2,700 passengers and will be outfitted with Climeon Ocean, a system that will transform low-grade energy into clean electricity. The energy-saving Climeon system is expected reduce annual carbon emissions by 5,400 tons per ship.
Since the announcment of the new crusie line, Virgin has expressed a desire to offer a different sort of cruising experience. McAlpin stated at this event that, “This is anything but just another cruise or holiday, it will be a transformational experience delivering a very Virgin style of adventure.”
While they’re not saying exactly what will be be different about their cruise line, they promise that the cruising experience with Virgin Voyages will be different. They don’t even like to use the words cruise or passenger, preferring to speak in terms of voyages and sailors. The introductory video on the Virgin Voyages website says the company is on a mission to change cruising for good. The video goes on to mention that you shouldn’t have to follow a specific itinerary, so perhaps increase flexibility is part of their plan.