NEW YORK -- As Virgin Voyages this month debuted its fourth ship, Brilliant Lady, the moment felt different from the cruise line's prior ship launches -- in a good way, said CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu.
The cruise line now has waitlists for sailings, high occupancy rates and repeat customers, said Saverimuttu and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson when aboard the ship in New York on Sept. 3. It took some time to achieve those metrics and required overcoming some hiccups, Saverimuttu said. Now that it has, Virgin Voyages has reached what he considers the starting line.
CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu said Virgin Voyages "is on the map now." Photo Credit: Bold Man Media
"The brand's on the map now," he said.
The Brilliant Lady isn't much different from its predecessors. The most significant change is an adjustment to the shape: by moving the lifeboat area closer in and making some balconies on Deck 8 narrower than on its sister ships, it can fit through the Panama Canal, enabling the ship to get to Alaska, where the cruise line will offer its first trips next year.
The ship's debut comes at a time when Virgin Voyages feels that it's finally found its footing, and can take advantage of that by simply providing more of the same product that has attracted a fan base.
The set of "Murder in the Manor," a show aboard the Brilliant Lady. Photo Credit: Teri West
The entertainment spaces are the same, but there are multiple new shows exclusive to the Brilliant Lady, including a campy murder mystery in The Manor and a musical history of Virgin Records in The Red Room theater that features a portrayal of Branson.
"I couldn't have chosen a better person to play myself," Branson said, the day after he met the actor who will do so.
"It's very hard to find someone as good looking as you," Saverimuttu quipped.
The Brilliant Lady's other main differentiator is also experiential -- it has a new restaurant, Rojo by Razzle Dazzle, serving Spanish cuisine, that is unique to the Brilliant Lady.
A dining space at Rojo by Razzle Dazzle. Photo Credit: Teri West
Some of the challenges the brand initially faced were of the technical variety -- the cruise line's launch was interrupted by a global pandemic. Covid-19 delayed and then condensed the debut of the first three ships. Branson referred to it as "a sweaty, sweaty period." The Brilliant Lady's launch was delayed two years, which Virgin attributed to supply chain and staffing challenges.
But the cruise line also struggled to define itself to the public, which allowed narratives to develop "that we were a product for only a small few" due to edgier entertainment, Saverimuttu said.
Travel advisor Jenny Koppenhaver recalled her earliest sailings with Virgin having a much older average age than she sees now, and being more than half empty.
A giant chess board on the Brilliant Lady. Photo Credit: Teri West
"You would think it would be the opposite, but I think it kind of attracted the older demographic first," said Koppenhaver, a team leader with Magical Vacation Planner. "I think it's finally trickled down. Now friend groups like to go, younger [travelers] like to go now, and I think that's why it's growing."
Saverimuttu wouldn't tease what the cruise line might be scheming up for future ships but said the core of the company's business model is about refreshing onboard experiences and destinations rather than relying on newer hardware.
The Aquatic Club main pool deck area on Brilliant Lady. Photo Credit: Teri West
"Our oldest ship, Scarlet Lady, depending on the itinerary, could be our highest-yielding ship at any point in time because we don't compete on the basis of the bells and whistles on the ship, we compete on the experience onboard and the destination," he said.
"It allows, from a business perspective, a much more stable business model, because when you are competing on nothing but hardware, you're only as good as your newest ship."