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Any NEWS on VV? Please post it here...

wwcruisers

By wwcruisers,
in Virgin Voyages

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Biker19

Biker19

Posted
Posted

It doesn't look like you'll be able to take a Virgin train to your VV ship:

 

 

Brightline, the sole private passenger rail service in the U.S., is ending a licensing deal with entrepreneur Richard Branson’s Virgin Enterprises and intends to operate only under its own name going forward. Virgin may have objections to that plan.

 

Created by Wall Street investor Wes Edens, Brightline began running trains between Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida, about two years ago. (Regular service has been suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic.) It unveiled plans to rebrand the service Virgin Trains in November 2018, and renamed its main station as Virgin MiamiCentral. And while Virgin was initially expected to invest in the U.S. rail company, it doesn’t appear that happened. 

 

“We will no longer use the Virgin brand following our parent’s termination of its licensing agreement with Virgin Enterprises Limited (together with its affiliates, “Virgin”),” Brightline said in its monthly operations report. “We will change our name to Brightline Trains LLC following the expiration of the applicable notice period for name changes under the senior loan agreement. Virgin has no remaining affiliation with us, or parent or its affiliate.”

 

Brightline’s parent company delivered the termination notice to Virgin on July 29, 2020, though “Virgin has disputed the validity of the termination notice,” according to the report. A Brightline spokesperson declined to provide additional details. A spokesman for Branson and Virgin didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.

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garymfreedman

garymfreedman

Posted
Posted (edited)

Just got email from my travel planner, that Virgin is coming out shortly with an email to me, with what accommodations I get for having my October voyage cancelled.  Will be interesting to see how worthwhile it is.

Edited by garymfreedman
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drewdawg199

drewdawg199

Posted
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I would think it will be a similar offer to what others were offered due to cancellation between April 2020 and now, refund to original form of payment + 25% future voyage credit or 200% future voyage credit.  My understanding is if you take the 200% credit, you forfeit any opportunity to ever receive a refund to original form of payment, I took the refund + 25%.

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twodjs

twodjs

Posted
Posted

We just pushed our booking from this November to March of 2022. Without a trusted vaccine and with people still making the mask a political issue, we've given up on 2020. Virgin is trying very hard - just not worth the risk for us. 

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Roger88

Roger88

Posted
Posted
On 8/18/2020 at 10:09 PM, garymfreedman said:

Just got notified-No additional FCC-Just get full FCC that I had-so nothing new to rebook..:(

You got FCC and booking with it? I thought it was impossible. Everytime I hear someone getting those FCC I feel sad for them cause as I learned, these FCC points expire. If I were you, I would check on the expiration date of those credits. It will be very sad if they expire before you can go on a cruise 

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Biker19

Biker19

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/virgin-voyages-to-set-sail-with-contactless-food-delivery-upgraded-air-filtration/ar-BB18PDrj

 

The pandemic delayed the first sailing of Virgin's hotly anticipated cruise ship Scarlet Lady until this month. But when it does begin exploring the Caribbean, it will feature several innovations that will matter to cruisers in the COVID era, in addition to the ballyhooed tattoo parlor, record store, and drag brunches. “When the pandemic hit, all of us in the hospitality industry had to pause to consider how to change the consumer experience to make guests feel safe and secure,” says Nirmal Saverimuttu, the chief experience officer for Virgin Voyages. “And we found that investments we made in developing a new customer experience had a lot to offer for a healthier, safer environment.” Here, how the liner is making us want to sail again.

Clearing the air

All along, Virgin had planned an HVAC system that would pump fresh rather than recycled air throughout the cabins and public spaces to evoke “an ocean breeze,” Saverimuttu explains. But in the wake of the pandemic, the company upgraded to an air-purification system that uses bipolar ionization technology, which has proven remarkably effective in killing viruses. The system, developed with AtmosAir Solutions, will produce fresh air from bow to stern.

Skip the queue

“We're trying to create a boutique hotel on the ocean, with an intimate space and intimate experiences—and lines don't fit into that,” Saverimuttu says. Virgin Voyages' Sailor App tracks wait times around the ship. Book a table on the app, and it'll tell you when to head to the restaurant. The company conceived the approach as a means of eliminating a common cruise ship annoyance, but it has the added benefit of promoting social distancing.

Only you touch your food

From the get-go, Virgin Voyages emphasized that there'd be no buffets on board. Instead, all meals are made to order—even in the food hall, where stalls hawk everything from sushi to salads—helping reduce waste and handling. To up safety compliance, the company added contactless delivery throughout the ship. Meals arrive in a satchel and can be left outside rooms or at a lounge chair on the deck.

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resstation

resstation

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, marty's mom said:

our sailing is 11/18  has not beeen cancelled and final payment due.. not going as florida is still a state I'd have to quarantine when coming back from.  was hoping they'd cancel first.  oh well

Florida just got removed from many quarantine lists. Check again to be sure.

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