Brilliant Lady Indefinitely Delayed - Bookings Cancelled

Innovative cruise brand, Virgin Voyages, has taken “the difficult decision” to postpone the debut of new ship Brilliant Lady, due to “unexpected construction, supply chain and staffing challenges”.

New Virgin Voyages ‘ladyship’, Brilliant Lady, was due to enter service in December 2023, but the launch has been postponed indefinitely, according to an announcement from the brand earlier today. The disappointing news was revealed as part of a wider press release announcing a range of new initiatives.

Brilliant Lady is Virgin Voyages fourth ship to join the fleet, following sister-ships Scarlet Lady (2020), Valiant Lady (2022), and Resilient Lady (2023). The ship is under construction at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Italy, and was floated out in November last year (2022) with bookings opening in September 2022.

The Company Announcement

The news broke in a comprehensive press release issued by Virgin Voyages at 4 pm today (7 September 2023). covering various developments across the fleet see HERE.

Michelle Bentubo, SVP Service Excellence and Travel Operations said:

“Despite careful planning, Virgin Voyages is facing unexpected construction, supply chain and staffing challenges that have delayed the introduction into service of its new ship, Brilliant Lady. The award-winning brand has established industry leading service and experiences, and given the challenges outlined, has made the tough decision to postpone Brilliant Lady’s highly anticipated launch. Virgin Voyages is evaluating new possible launch dates when it is able to deliver the standards the brand’s Sailors have come to expect.

Guests with bookings that have been canceled will receive generous offers along with exclusive rebooking perks and on-board credit once the new date is announced.”

She continued:

“We are sorry that our Sailors and First Mates who were excited about Brilliant Lady will have to wait a little bit longer for her launch. We know they will love the new itineraries as much as we do, and we look forward to welcoming them on-board.”

Following the press release, an email was received by ‘First Mates’ (travel professionals) announcing the news and highlighting the impact to other sailings.

Which Sailings Are Affected?

The delay of Brilliant Lady has had an impact across the fleet as Virgin Voyages attempt to reshuffle sailings to minimise disruption as much as possible.

Brilliant Lady’s two inaugural sailings have been cancelled, as have a roundtrip 5 night cruise from Miami on Christmas Eve and another round trip from San Juan on 30th December 2023.

Sailings from Brilliant Lady’s intended home port, San Juan, have also been cancelled with guests being offered alternatives. In order to facilitate this, there has also been some disruption to some itineraries on both Resilient Lady and Valiant Lady who are being redeployed to try to bridge the gap. Selected winter 2024 voyages to the Caribbean scheduled to be operated by Brilliant Lady will now be operated aboard Valiant Lady.

Cancelled Sailings

• Brilliant Lady’s MerMaiden voyages sailing on December 24th and December 30th, 2023
• Brilliant Lady’s 7-night Sunsets in the Lesser Antilles departures on January 6th, March 30th, and April 13th, 2024
• Brilliant Lady’s 7-night Southeastern Caribbean Isles departures on March 23rd and April 6th, 2024
• Brilliant Lady’s 11-night Transatlantic Puerto Rico to Portugal departing April 20th, 2024
• Valiant Lady’s 6-night Western Caribbean Charm departures from January 7th, 2024 through March 17th, 2024
• Valiant Lady’s 8-night Eastern Caribbean Antilles departures from January 13th, 2024 through March 23rd, 2024
• Resilient Lady’s 7-night Adriatic Sea & Greek Gems departures from July 28th through September 29th, 2024
• Resilient Lady’s 7-night Greek Island Glow departures from August 4th through October 13th, 2024

How Will Affected Sailors Be Compensated?

Virgin Voyages are offering two options to those impacted by the cancellations:

Option 1

Rebook Any Ship, Any Date: With Bonus Onboard Credit and Price Guarantee

Sailors can choose a new voyage date and Virgin Voyages will protect your original voyage fare no matter the duration, as long as it's in the same cabin category. Plus, they will honour any previous promotions you had when you first booked, including your Bar Tab bonus. If the new date you choose costs less, Virgin Voyages will refund the difference if you’ve already fully paid. The re-booking window starts on September 11th. You can request your re-booking dates using the form here. 

• Bonus Credit: As an added benefit, Virgin Voyages will include $500 in onboard credit to use onboard

• Double Bonus: Rebook by October 11th and receive an additional $500 as a bonus credit, making it a total of $1,000 in onboard credit.

Hold Your Spot: An additional bonus offer regardless of what you choose above!

In addition to the above, when the new date for the Brilliant Lady MerMaiden voyage is announced, Virgin Voyages will guarantee your spot, while also presenting you with additional special offers:

• They will rebook your same cabin category and apply a $300 discount off the voyage fare

• They will also give you $600 in onboard credit for that voyage

Option 2

Full Refund

100% of Your Voyage Fare Back to You

Should you decide not to rebook at this time, you have the option to request a full refund, or Virgin Voyages will automatically process your refund after December 28th. You can request a refund using the form here. 100% of the refund amount will go back to your original form of payment.

Find Details of Sailor Itinerary Options Here.

This post will be updated if further information becomes available.