Virgin Voyages cancels upcoming cruise season in Australia

Virgin Voyages has some disappointing news for Australian cruisers. Virgin ship Resilient Lady won’t return to the southern hemisphere for a second Australia and New Zealand cruise season next winter.

Red Sea Tensions Give It ‘No choice but to cancel’

The cruise line is more proactive than most by canceling months ahead due to the ongoing tensions in the Red Sea region. It is not holding out any hope of an end to the conflict soon. “Based on the regional and government advice received, we remain very concerned about potential escalations in the Red Sea over the next 12 months,” Virgin Voyages said.

Therefore, it has canceled Resilient Lady’s late 2024 and early 2025 repositioning voyages to and from Europe and Australia and a second Australia cruise season. It was “left with no choice but to cancel” due to the “unacceptable risks for safe passage through the region.”

Virgin has been forced to massively alter the ship’s March repositioning cruise from Sydney back to the Mediterranean to avoid transiting the Red Sea. Instead, it is taking a big detour around the West African coast.

Ship will Sail in the Caribbean

Resilient Lady will move to the Caribbean after finishing its summer in the Mediterranean. In October, it sails to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for a series of Caribbean cruises calling at St. Maarten, St. Vincent, Colombia, and Dominica. The line hopes to return down under as soon as it is safe.

“We are currently working through options to return to Australia and the Asia Pacific region once regional repositioning opportunities become more tenable,” it said.

Customers affected by the change can rebook another cruise or take a full refund.