Virgin Voyages mega cruise liner Valiant Lady leaves Portsmouth for maiden voyage to Belgium

The 277-metre long luxury cruise liner arrived in Portsmouth on Tuesday, March 1, and has now taken onboard her passengers set for a three day trip to Zeebrugge.

The ship’s journey marks the first international turn-around cruise handled by Portsmouth International Port since the pandemic.

Among her 2,700 passengers was Christine and Michael Quigley from Essex, with the couple thrilled to be getting away after Covid-19 scuppered their plans to sail Virgin Voyages’ sister ship Scarlet Lady.

Speaking before the ship set off from Portsmouth, Michael said: ‘We were booked on the maiden voyage of Scarlet Lady and that was cancelled due to the pandemic.

‘So we’re thrilled to be here for the Valiant Lady.

‘So far this year all we have been on is a rowing boat – we’re hoping this will be a lot different.’

Last year saw Portsmouth International Port complete a £6.2m berth extension and upgrade to allow mega cruise liners to visit the city, with Valiant Lady expected to bring a £1.5m boost to the city per voyage.

Andy Williamson, passenger operation manager, said: ‘This is the first international turn around call we have done since the pandemic. The whole port is buzzing. It’s great to see.’

Similar to her sister ship, Valiant Lady will complete an array of voyages from Portsmouth between March 18 and May 2, before she sails on to Barcelona and the Mediterranean in the summer.

It comes as the cruise industry begins to report bounce back business following the pandemic, with Virgin Voyages reporting that bookings have surged by 178 per cent in the last six months.

Speaking at the launch of Valiant Lady, Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages said: ‘After a tough two years, people are excited to explore the world again and it means a lot to us that we can help facilitate that. We know that now more than ever, travellers want to invest in quality experiences. They’re seeking the best value for money, which is exactly what we offer.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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