by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:25 AM ET, Tue June 16, 2020
After months of coronavirus-related conversation, Virgin Voyages shared some positive news, as the cruise line floated out the second ship in its fleet on Monday.
According to CruiseCritic.com, the new ship, dubbed Valiant Lady, will have the capacity to carry 2,750 passengers and is scheduled to debut in May 2021. The vessel will homeport in Barcelona and sail seven-night Mediterranean voyages.
The itineraries will include stops in Cagliari, Gibraltar, Ibiza, Monte Carlo and Olbia.
The Valiant Lady will be the sister ship of Virgin Voyages' first vessel, the Scarlet Lady, which was scheduled to start a series of short Caribbean cruises in April. The coronavirus outbreak forced the company to temporarily postpone all festivities.
Virgin Voyages announced the Valiant Lady's maiden voyage was rescheduled for October 16 and the naming ceremony would be conducted in March 2021.
For passengers previously scheduled to sail on one of the Scarlet Lady's impacted voyages, the cruise line is offering a 200 percent future cruise credit, one of the most generous deals in the industry.
Last week, Carnival Cruise Line CEO Arnold Donald recently stated in an interview that he doesn't know when the cruise line will sail again after a communication sent out erroneously said voyages would resume on August 1.
New data also suggests cruise bookings for departures in late 2020 and beyond are rising week-over-week, a sign that the industry is slowly recovering from the devastation associated with the coronavirus outbreak.
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