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Virgin just gave away free cruises to 160+ fliers on a Delta flight to San Juan – a nice bit of PR generated and a few more empty cabins filled.
All very nice.
But, they have a huge and problematic Iceberg on the horizon.
They already delayed their newest ship Brilliant Lady (claiming construction delay) in the autumn of 2023 but it is now very nearly ready to be handed over to Virgin Cruises by the shipbuilders.
However, unlike every cruise line in history, they still aren’t taking any bookings for her, none !!
In the next few weeks, Virgin will be panicking as they have a multi-million $$ ship they have to start making repayments on (plus all the existing payments on existing ships) – but with no bookings generated for income.
Watch out for some great Virgin Cruises giveaways coming soon !!
ps be sure to use your card for protection against the Company hitting that iceberg.
I hope so it’s half the reason I started collecting virgin points via VA + card! I think points deals are more likely tbh
This is the same sort of initial PR that was generated when Beardy gave away cruises to those on a VA flight in Australia the day the initial Aus VV sailed ? Lots used the ‘ gift ‘ to book a trip for this coming autumn (and are now a bit buggered by VVs imminent departure from down under).There were rumours circulating months ago that VVs were planning to leave Australia (for numerous reasons) and the Red Sea problem has given them a route out.
I thought Brilliant Lady wasn’t going to be ready until next year ?
I too have a vision of a huge iceberg about to hit – I can’t see how they’re making ANY money. At all.
A lot of the passengers are generating low / no revenue ( and bar tabs / loot offers have been very attractive previously).
I’ve another voyage booked ( paid with cash ) for the end of summer. The price was ridiculously cheap (with free bar tab on top ). Great for me but making money for VV ? Absolutely not.
I too can see more points offers on the horizon which won’t be any use to me as I’ve sadly allocated all my leave for the year already.Employees being offered half price packages is also possibly an encouraging sign for those of us hoping for another cruise on points.
This is the same sort of initial PR that was generated when Beardy gave away cruises to those on a VA flight in Australia the day the initial Aus VV sailed ? Lots used the ‘ gift ‘ to book a trip for this coming autumn (and are now a bit buggered by VVs imminent departure from down under).There were rumours circulating months ago that VVs were planning to leave Australia (for numerous reasons) and the Red Sea problem has given them a route out.
I thought Brilliant Lady wasn’t going to be ready until next year ?
I too have a vision of a huge iceberg about to hit – I can’t see how they’re making ANY money. At all.
A lot of the passengers are generating low / no revenue ( and bar tabs / loot offers have been very attractive previously).
I’ve another voyage booked ( paid with cash ) for the end of summer. The price was ridiculously cheap (with free bar tab on top ). Great for me but making money for VV ? Absolutely not.
I too can see more points offers on the horizon which won’t be any use to me as I’ve sadly allocated all my leave for the year already.Cruise lines absolutely rake in cash. They pay most staff a few dollars an hour or day, no tax on alcohol sold and loads of other slightly dodgy ways they cut costs and make money. There are a couple interesting YouTube videos on this
Virgin are actually the highest paying cruise line BY A LONG WAY
Their wait staff earn a basic $3,500 per month, where most lines are $2,500
Yes they work long hours (free food and lodgings) but a household salary in the Philippines for upper middle class is $50,000 per year.
But yes, cruise lines are like the mafia (especially MSC who probably are laundering money for the Mafia lol)
Virgin are actually the highest paying cruise line BY A LONG WAY
Their wait staff earn a basic $3,500 per month, where most lines are $2,500
Yes they work long hours (free food and lodgings) but a household salary in the Philippines for upper middle class is $50,000 per year.
I wouldn’t mind betting those are for western crew. Lots of shady things go on and recruitment agencies can easily hide / obscure what the “average” crew member is on
https://crew-center.com/cruise-lines-comparison-how-much-does-waiter-earn
And here is where the wages quoted on the above website come from – https://shiplife.org/knowledge-center/
And of course since they have cancelled the Australian cruises all of that inventory has been scrapped, people have been refunded and brand new cruises invented to fill the space at almost the last minute in cruise terms.
Bookings must be down. Deals should follow..
However I have two cruises booked on Virgin , both are dearer now than when I booked them.
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