Virgin Voyages has written to guests of four separate cruise itineraries to inform them that their planned cruises have been cancelled.
The cruises, scheduled to take place on Valiant Lady in May and October of 2025, have been cancelled as the ship has been privately chartered.
The impacted cruises were set to embark on 23rd May, 28th May, 10th October, and 15th October.
It’s not clear whether the cruises have all been chartered by the same company, or if they are separate incidents and the cruise line has only communicated them to guests now.
It’s likely that the same company has chartered the ship, as the cruise line would look to inform guests as soon as possible.
Guests are being offered a full refund, or the chance to take a Future Cruise Credit instead for the value of their cruise.
They can also opt to just move their booking to an equivalent sailing – if they do, they’ll be given $100 to spend onboard as an apology.
Private charter priority
Cruise lines do, on occasion, choose to accommodate charter cruises – especially full-ship charters – even if it means cancelling existing guest bookings.
For cruise companies, these charters can be lucrative enough to justify the inconvenience caused to affected passengers.
In a full-ship charter, an organisation or group hires the entire vessel to host events themed around a particular interest, celebration, or activity. Recent examples include sailings themed around Star Trek, Taylor Swift, and even Comic-Con, which will host its inaugural celebration at sea in 2025.
These groups typically pay as though the ship were at maximum occupancy, with each cabin counted as fully booked.
In some cases, organisers may also pay additional fees to cover specific requirements, such as special events on board and the necessary arrangements for a private sailing.
Since standard cruises often sail with at least a few empty cabins, a chartered voyage can mean a substantial increase in revenue. After reimbursing already-booked guests, cruise lines still stand to earn more from a fully chartered ship.
Virgin Voyages’ handling of schedule changes has previously caused a stir among travellers.
Earlier this year, the cruise line sparked backlash when it removed Toulon and Marseille from Scarlet Lady’s European itineraries, though the ports were soon reinstated after significant guest feedback.
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