Excitement Builds from Travel Advisors Selling Virgin Voyages

Sir Richard Branson invited a host of top travel advisors and press last month to the official debut of Virgin Voyages, the newest brand to attempt to shake up the cruise industry.

The party began at the highest point in Manhattan, the One World Trade Observatory, and then moved on to a less subdued Scarlet Night Party in Times Square, where Mark Ronson DJ’d — and actress Shailene Woodley, dressed in red ostrich feathers, chugged a bottle of Moet as she kidded around with Branson on stage.

While one travel agent suggested the Scarlet Lady might be too big a ship for a small niche, everyone else with whom Travel Market Report spoke applauded the chutzpah behind the upstart company — and the product it has introduced. 

“The party was amazing and the new cruise concept will shake the industry,” said Limor Decter, an independent travel advisor at Ovation Travel Group in New York. “Sir Branson is always one step ahead of the game as he is always forward-thinking. Virgin Voyages will appeal to demographics that never considered cruising. The design, décor and fun factor will breathe new life into the industry; and wellness, culinary and other travel trends will be incorporated into fun at sea. Virgin Voyages will be good vibes only.”

“I think this concept is going to be a hit,” agreed Sarah Kline, president of Time for Travel Ltd., “combining fun, edgy décor, great entertainment and fabulous food in an adult-only setting. Perfect.”

The Virgin model, where a five-day Caribbean cruise includes free WiFi and gratuities at a base price point of just $1,500 per person double occupancy, is designed to attract the new-to-cruise passenger, Branson said at the press conference. And for those who want to splurge, the Rock Star Suite is available at $28,000. These will be adult-only cruises designed to let guests detox and relax, with cutting-edge entertainment, late night munchies and glamorous brunches with extended hours; one of the “most amazing beach clubs in the world” with a residency program for DJs; and a new Virgin loyalty program that combines points for all Virgin travel products.

“Like Virgin Atlantic, it will be a first-class product at a business-class price,” Branson said.

As for travel advisors, “we love the trade and expect to get a significant amount of business from you,” he told Travel Market Report. “We thank you for your support and have created a great commission structure for you”— which has no non-commissionable fares.

And indeed, agents already are selling Virgin Voyages. For example, Karen Quinn-Panzer, who owns a Dream Vacations franchise, posted on her Facebook page that she has booked a cabin on Branson’s Birthday Bash sailing to Cuba in July. Within 20 minutes, she got requests for information from four clients, including one interested in taking a group.

“I think it’s a very hot, much-anticipated product that will attract a different type of individual to cruising,” she said. “And expanding the market is an excellent thing!”

“It will be a smash and hopefully shake up a staid industry,” agreed Tom Baker, a partner at CruiseCenter.com, though he did make a suggestion: “I hope that some additional marketing materials for agents that are easy to digest are forthcoming. Agent training is critical.”

At Destinations Travel Services, meanwhile, owner Avril Victoria Winkle is a fan of all things Branson — ever since he dropped into the agency at which she was working in London years ago. Like him, she said, when she does marketing for her agency, she “tries to make it upbeat and sometimes on the verge of risky, because taking chances is what business is all about.”