Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady has sailed into Sydney Harbour for the first time, ahead of its highly anticipated inaugural summer sailing season.
Resilient Lady made her grand entrance into Sydney Harbour yesterday at lunch time. In true Sir Richard Branson style, the founder of The Virgin Group welcomed the superyacht-inspired cruise ship from a classic wooden speed boat as it sailed through Sydney Heads.
Sir Richard Branson then climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge in an exclusive, Virgin Voyages takeover of the iconic BridgeClimb experience.
From the summit of the bridge, Sir Richard Branson welcomed Resilient Lady to Circular Quay as she pulled into the Overseas Passenger Terminal for the first time.
Ship crew, known as ‘Sailors’ lined the decks of the adults-only ship to wave to Branson as it pulled into Circular Quay. Helicopters and drones circled in the sky to capture the fanfare.
“Sydney is one of my favourite cities in the world, and we wanted to ensure our arrival was as spectacular as the Sydney Harbour itself,” said Sir Richard Branson.
“To stand at the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and watch Resilient Lady come into Circular Quay was one of the most exciting moments since we founded the Virgin brand,” he said.
“We are now less than one week away from our Aussie MerMaiden voyage, and we can’t wait to welcome Sailors aboard our ship where they will have a blast and experience our unique approach to cruising, with the very best food, wellness, entertainment and fun.”
Virgin Voyages CEO, Nirmal Saverimuttu added: “We celebrate being different, and it’s why we decided to push the envelope and do things in a fresh and exciting way. Richard challenged us to create a cruise line he’d want to take his mates on, and we’ve succeeded. We have some incredible destinations lined up for our first summer sailing season including Sydney, Hobart, Burnie along with other brilliant ports of call in New Zealand like Auckland, Wellington, Napier and Picton,” said Saverimuttu.
Virgin Voyages is the first travel brand in the Virgin Group to enter the Australian market since Virgin Australia (then Virgin Blue) launched here in 2000.
Resilient Lady will spend tonight in Sydney, with Virgin Voyages hosting ship tours and an exclusive event this evening. Karryon will be in attendance – be sure to check it out on our social media.
On Wednesday 6 December, Resilient Lady will head to Melbourne, her new homeport for the summer cruising season.
On 11 December, the ship sets sail on her Aussie MerMaiden voyage to Tasmania, stopping over in Burnie and Hobart.
For more information on Virgin Voyages, visit virginvoyages.com