Having been mooted earlier in 2014 the Virgin Group confirmed on 4th December that it is to enter the cruise market with two new ships in partnership with lead investment partner Bain Capital and with Tom McAlpin as CEO.

Virgin Cruises will be headquartered in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area and plans to design and construct two new world class cruise ships. The recent plethora of cruise newbuilds is ambitious to say the least. It is no wonder that the major companies are scrambling to attract “new cruisers” but whether or not these so-called “new cruisers” will gel with the more seasoned cruisers remains to be seen!