Virgin Voyages Enhances Cruise Group & Weddings Program

Virgin Voyages has enhanced and expanded its Circles group program based on feedback from travel advisors (called First Mates by Virgin). Now called “Circles, Groups, and Weddings,” the program offers greater flexibility, added benefits, and more.

Additionally, when guests book their group cruise through a travel advisor, they receive additional benefits including up to a 10% travel discount, up to $300 in free drinks, and a dedicated group dinner at one of Virgin’s restaurants.

According to Virgin, the new program “directly addresses agents’ requests while maintaining the brand’s value proposition, making group bookings simpler and more rewarding while continuing to be extraordinarily fair, flexible, and inclusive.”

The three parts of the program are:

Circles

The Circles program has been reimagined to give advisors more time and flexibility to build their groups while offering better perks.

Key updates include:

• No cabin minimum
• No deposit required
• Better combinability, including My Next Virgin Voyage
• More time to form a group
• Price & promotion protection
• One complimentary Sea Terrace tour conductor credit once a 10-cabin threshold is met – or the option of a 2% bonus commission

Groups

The new groups option is designed for advisors who already have groups that are ready to lock in their sailing.

• Eight cabin minimum
• No deposit required
• 30-day hold
• On-board Bar Tab options
• Price & promotion protection

Weddings

The wedding groups option is designed specifically for advisors with clients interested in getting married onboard a Virgin ship.

• No minimum cabin requirement
• 30-day hold
• Onboard Bar Tab options
• Price & promotion protection

“Thanks to our incredible First Mates we are having a record Wave season with a more than 60% increase in revenue from February of last year, and a more than 80% increase coming specifically from our dedicated travel partners,” said Nirmal Saverimuttu, CEO of Virgin Voyages. “We made a commitment to our Travel Advisor community to always take feedback and turn it into action. This new program is a direct result of listening, learning, and making improvements. The First Mate community is everything to us as we build this brand together and celebrate a record-breaking Wave season.”