Virgin Cruises to launch from Miami with midsize cruise ship

MIAMI — Virgin Cruises will set sail from Miami in 2020 with a new, 2,800-passenger cruise ship constructed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri.

Two additional 110,000-gross-ton, 2,800-passenger ships will follow in 2021 and 2022, Virgin said.

The announcement took place at a media event here in Miami, held to make waves for the new cruise brand  (#letsmakewaves was the Twitter hashtag for the event). Of course, this being Virgin, it wasn’t just an ordinary press conference. Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, sporting a skipper’s hat, arrived in downtown Miami’s Museum Park via helicopter and a cloud of Virgin-red smoke.

“I have dreamed of building cruise ships… since I was 27 years old” Sir Richard Branson @richardbranson #virgincruises #letsmakewaves

— Virgin Cruises ⚓️ (@virgincruises) June 23, 2015

The line signed a letter of intent with Fincantieri for the ships; Fincantieri said the agreement is subject to customary conditions and is expected to be finalized in the fourth quarter. Financing details weren’t released, but Branson said the cost for the trio would be less than $2 billion.

Bain Capital is Virgin Cruises’ lead financial partner. Bain Managing Director Ryan Cotton said Tuesday that there was a large underserved, or unserved, consumer segment: young at heart, adventurous, sophisticated. “Those are the people we are going to deliver for,” he said. “Those people who understand why cruising is so exciting but haven’t yet found a home on the seas.”

The ships would sail seven-day Caribbean cruises, Virgin said, but it did not detail specific itineraries.

At 2,800-passengers, the ships are in the midsize category. The ships are still in the design phase, and Virgin asked consumers to weigh in at its website, virgincruises.com, to “tell [Virgin] what you want to be able to see and do when you’re on a Virgin Cruises ship.”

“We can’t wait to see what our teams create together, to really try and create some waves in this industry,” Virgin Cruises CEO and President Tom McAlpin said.