Richard Branson announces three ships for Miami.
Swooping in by helicopter with vows to “let’s make waves,” British billionaire and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson finally revealed hotly anticipated details about his new cruise line, which is planning three mid-size ships for delivery starting in early 2020.
After his chopper landed on the lawn at the Perez Art Museum in downtown Miami, Branson went inside to reveal that Virgin Cruises signed a letter of intent to build the vessels at Italy’s Fincantieri shipyard.
The new company also signed a five-year agreement, with options for five more, for a homeport at PortMiami. Virgin plans to offer a range of seven-day Caribbean cruises that depart on Sundays.
The first ship, as yet unnamed, is scheduled for delivery in early 2020 with two more to follow in 2021 and 2022. The 110,000-ton vessels will each accommodate 2,800 passengers on a double-occupancy basis.
True to his habit of arriving in distinctive style, Branson turned up at the event at the Pérez Art Museum Miami in a helicopter accompanied by nautically dressed models, his approach heralded by a burst of red smoke at PortMiami.
“Very happy to share that we’re full steam ahead,” Branson said during a news conference inside the museum, which boasts expansive views of the port.
Representatives for the cruise line, which has an office in Plantation, said that they had signed a letter of intent with Italian ship builder Fincantieri for three 110,000-ton vessels that will carry about 2,800 passengers each. The ships are scheduled to start sailing in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Read more here: Miami Herald and at Travel Pulse
About Guest Author
