Cunard gone, Virgin gone, Royal Caribbean downgrading to a smaller, older ship.. really feels like cruising in Australia is going to shit. Pretty soon our only cruise option will be going to Noumea on old Carnival and P&O ships.
Why would she need to come via the Red Sea? If coming from Europe not need to go anywhere near to the Red Sea or Suez Canal simply sail around the Cape. From the US and the Caribbean even easier. More like Tasmanians have been complaining about the ship polluting every time it goes into Hobart.
I absolutely loved the food, entertainment and the weird alien in The Manor disco on RL. Can't wait for the Valiant Lady out of Brisbane in late 2025. This news helps me plan my next 2 years cruising. 16th Dec 24 from Brisbane (the ONLY VV cruise from BRIS) wasn't doable.
I went on the Aussie MerMaiden Cruise in December and I’ve loved it, So I’ve rebooked for 2025 going from Sydney to Singapore. But today I’ve got an email saying that my cruise is cancelled it’s disappointing but it is what it is. Too bad that they couldn’t come to Australia via Hawaii or the Pacific Islands. I hope I can get my money back without any dramas.
I think that's a load of BS. Just an excuse due to lack of bookings I betcha. Only time will tell if other cruise lines follow suit and cancel as well.
Yes I also think that it has not been a very successful season as not enough bookings (itineraries were not very good) - i wouldnt be surprised if they dont come back
Hmmm...last time I checked there was more than one way to get to Australia from, well, anywhere in the world. If the Red Sea is an issue, go around the another way. I'm sure there would be people happy to do that cruise!
I booked and payed for my first Virgin cruise in December 2023 2 nights Melbourne to Burnie I totally enjoyed myself The Loose Cannon bar was my favourite and totally Gunbae restaurant wish more cruises could take a leaf out of Virgin's book yes a I am upset my 16th to 23rd December 2024 cruise Brisbane to Cairns & Port Douglas is cancelled hopefully another day I will sail on her again hopefully in totally different territory Virgin you have done me proud keep up the great work.
Unfortunately virgin had the wrong product wrong pricing and wrong itineraries for Australia, all the sailing while appearing to be full, where either full of passengers on 50% discounts or freebie cruises
Not sure if I believe there reasoning as other cruise lines will still be sending ships down under. I think more based on poor cruise bookings for the reason you stated shorter cruises and southern destinations.
i lovecd our cruise on her :) my favorite thing was the furnishing and beautiful modern ambience of the ships public spaces :) and the crew were the best crew we have met on any of our 3 past cruises :)
I live in Burnie (Tassie) & I've had two lots of friends who I picked up from the ship twice to take to lunch when it called here over the past two weeks.They both loved the ship but said it was packed with Virgin staff who were given freebies to fill it as the bookings were so light on. So I have no doubt the real reason they're cancelling is due to lack of solid bookings & not the unsettlement in the Middle East.
I sailed Singapore to Sydney on Resilient Lady last year, cruise excellent, with Virgin having to base in Melbourne, was always going to be an issue, the South Pacific New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji , longer cruises sure but warmer , Tasmania and New Zealand excellent destinations, but passengers want hot weather . Luckily I am on Virgin Scarlet Lady for Rome to Miami Cruise in November. Virgin is definitely a 7 days or longer experience, 4 days too short , as there is so much to do on on the ship.
@@gregoryevans7880 😂 personally we have never spent our time cruising using the pool (hello gastro town) nor on the sun deck (hello melanoma town) but that’s where VV was a very welcome addition to our market for those of us with different cruising criteria. Its very sad that we are an insignificant backwater here Downunder ☹️
@gregoryevans7880 Greg you seem to have lost your sense of humour and irony. I am a realist who works in the medical field so the fact that I do cruise actually suggests that I am in fact an optimist. Anyway we are off on VV next week to New Zealand which is the best destination we have from Australia. Happy cruising to you.
@@mrscuteas Your entitled to your opinion, unfortunately your comments are misguided, I have always enjoyed cruising and will continue to do so, South Pacific is the best destination from Australia in my opinion, New Zealand excellent as well.
@@gregoryevans7880 🙂 misguided to you. Speaking from our own experience having cruised to the South Pacific, we got off the ship at Noumea and toured on our own which was ok and we have done a cruise tour in Fiji which was a visit to a local village which was nice and then the obligatory stop at the local gift shop 😆 but the South Pacific just doesn’t float our boat.
Yes we went on a 4 day cruise from Sydney to Burnie in Tasmania and back in a Cheeky Corner Suite and absolutely loved it. The Rockstar status was worth paying extra for and it was sooo much fun. Great food, entertainment and overall vibe. Was contemplating booking again for 2024 / 2025 but there was no schedule and now we know why. Virgin Cruises are not cheap so I wonder if forward bookings had to do with the decision, especially with longer cruises.
We sailed on the Sydney to Hobart 4 night cruise in Feb and had a great time. The best aspects for us as a couple were . . . NO KIDS!!! Also more adult oriented entertainment. Loved the decor and the many areas you can sit with a coffee or wine. Everyone was happy and friendly and the general ambience of the ship was chilled, but obviously the night time entertainment will be louder and more intense if that is what you would want (we did!) We found the food varieties in various restaurants excellent but not "exceptional" as we had been led to believe from various reviews. We were in a Rockstar Suite with full complimentary in-room bar and access to Richard's Rooftop which was fabulous. We had a $300 bar credit between us so we didn't spend a penny on-board! Happy Days! . We would definitely cruise again with Virgin. Our ages are a very young 73 (me) and 61 (my wife)!!!
A real shame as we sailed on RL last week (Syd-Bur-Mel) and it was excellent! The crew, entertainment and food were all great and the value was definitely up there, even factoring in the flight back to Sydney. Hopefully they come back, as I definitely want to try a longer sailing so we can try all the restaurants.
I will let you know what I think in the next two weeks, so glad I booked a cruise this year so I can at least experience the line 😢 I was ecstatic about us getting an over 18s cruise line as being empty nesters neither my husband nor I want to cruise with other people’s children. Very, very disappointing 😢
Virgin is not suitable for the Australian cruise market we do not have the population to fill these ships also we don't have the ports.I think its a cruise line marketed at the you younger demographic and our cruise season is targeted in school holidays that include children.
Sorry I disagree to an extent as stated the itinerary was ordinary to say the least, only short cruises is not worth the cost to fly interstate as well as been more expensive.
@@garydodd3638 Having watched the cruise industry evolve since the 70s iunfortunately we have never addressed the lack of terminals The OPT was build in the 60s to accomodate Oriana and Canberra because of their size amd Govenments since have not wanted to spend the money on the inforstructure to support shipping I love to cruise Cunard is leaving Australia also after next season that traditional company is not for everyone
Yes you are correct in saying that the infrastructure hasnt had the necessary investment especially in sydney - it wont happen soon either - takes a long time to get approvals in australia and i dont see any easy way to make changes at cicrular quay (brisbane have done so and now they have more ships)@@dianacarragher5845
