Virgin Voyages Encourages Passengers to Embark on a New Type of Cruise

As of April 2020, 96% of all world destinations had travel restrictions. 43% of destinations had a partial or complete closing of borders while 21% had origin-specific restrictions (travelers who have visited x may not enter y). The US Travel association had valid concerns about its partners and constituents going bankrupt, resulting in advocacy “for a number of key travel provisions in the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill, which includes the Restoring Brand USA Act to provide $250 million in relief funding to the nation’s destination marketing organization.”

Within the scope of travel, cruise ships faced the most immediate danger. With month-long voyages, passengers were stuck in the middle of the ocean as disease ran rampant on the ships. The most infamous case of this is the trek of the Diamond Princess Cruise ship, which departed from Japan in January of 2020. Days into the trip, over 3,000 passengers had to quarantine in their cabins following an outbreak on the boat. As there was no way for food and sanitary needs to get to passengers automatically, crew members were somewhat exempt from restrictions. They continued to share quarters and bathrooms, delivered meals without gloves, and tried their best to maintain pre-outbreak cruise arrangements. As a result, a large percentage of the group of 3,700 passengers and crew members tested positive for Covid-19. What was supposed to be a 16-day trip became a much longer one for those that were required to quarantine in their cabins before returning home: “After 39 days on the ship (and over three weeks in quarantine) the last of the 2,666 passengers finally disembarked and began their journeys home on February 27th; only to reset the clock and begin an additional two-week quarantine in their home countries.” Stories like this increased the Covid-19 fear factor tenfold. People were scared to go to the grocery store, the pharmacy, and really anywhere outside of their homes. There wasn’t a chance they were setting foot on another cruise ship. 

About a year later, when travel restrictions were lifted, the desire to reconnect with the world was met with great hesitancy. Planes, trains, and automobiles were no longer included in people’s routines, and, for many new passengers, the fear of getting sick outweighed the desire to travel again. Virgin Companies, an organization with phone lines, vineyards, and airlines, had added stress with the onset of the pandemic. Just months before lockdown, the business had announced it was opening a cruise ship company—Virgin Voyages. On February 14^th, 2020, Virgin Voyages released their inaugural ship: Scarlet Lady. Hardly two months later, on April 9^th, a “No Sail Order” was announced, banning all cruise ships from leaving their docks.

Considering that the top three cruise operators (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line) collectively lost nearly $900 million a month during the pandemic, it seemed there was no hope for the emerging cruise line. Fortunately, Virgin Companies had a few tricks up their sleeves. The cruise line targeted toward young adults (they have yoga, a tattoo parlor, and late-night cabaret shows on board) is using gamification to entice new and repeat passengers to come aboard one of the only ships with a resident sexologist.

Deemed the most lucrative rewards program at sea, Virgin Voyages hopes to roll out their “Sailing Club” in early 2023. Unlocking the benefits starts now, though. There are three ways past and future passengers can engage in savings, each one building upon the last to increase the customers’ elite status.

1. Sea Blazers

“Pioneers” who embarked on a cruise ship journey in 2021 (Virgin Voyages’ first year in operation) get a $125 Bar Tab Bonus for life, along with booking and bonus points.

2. Sea Rovers

Ride three times in 2022 and, through 2024, get a $100 Bar Tab Bonus. “Deep Blue Extras” will be added automatically, along with access to extra booking bonuses.

3. Match and Sea More Program

Cruisers already involved in loyalty programs with other ships are able to transfer their rewards to Virgin Voyages. The top Loyalty programs included are Carnival's VIFP Club, Disney's Castaway, Norwegian Cruise Line's Latitudes Rewards, Princess' Captain's Circle, and Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society.

$100 worth of free drinks is enough for many people to forget about the horrors of cruise ships during the pandemic, but the game of this system makes embarking on the journey even more exciting. By having a tiered system, Virgin Voyages encourages first-time users to become repeat customers—going so far as to promote multiple vacations in the same year. Though this cruise line had no reparations to make to customers during the pandemic — it did not even have customers yet when the pandemic hit — it is using gamification as an enticing “make-good” anyway, leveraging the failings of its competitors.

This is not to say that cruise ships are sanctuaries from the outside world where the pandemic reigns on. Just this summer another cruise ship announced that one-fifth of those on board had tested positive for Covid-19. Virgin Voyages seems to be beyond these misfortunes, though, hiring back 85% of their staff and hitting booking-recovery metrics. The company is looking toward a bright future, too. President of Virgin Cruises, Tom McAlpin, has plans to “launch two further ships from its $160m home port in Miami before the end of 2023 and employ another 6,000 to 7,000 staff in the next three years” While Gamification alone cannot save a company, coupled with some nifty marketing and a little bit of luck, it sure doesn’t hurt.

Photo by Adam Gonzales on Unsplash