Virgin Voyages now hopes to offer its inaugural sailings from Portsmouth this summer.
The new line had planned to debut in spring 2020, before the date was initially pushed back to October last year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, with vaccination numbers rising in the UK, the company now plans to offer UK-residents a series of staycation-at-sea trips this August.
The series will include two-, three- and four-night itineraries, with a total of six sailings.
“Virgin Voyages has been looking forward to sailing, and we’re so excited to announce our plans to sail from the UK,” said Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group.
“Our team has curated such a fantastic experience for our Sailors and know this is a holiday they will love.”
Sailing the southern coast of England, the ‘Sneak-a-Peek’ sailings will offer a taste of the Virgin Voyages experience on board Scarlet Lady.
“After more than a year of waiting and a major emphasis on a safe return, we’re ecstatic to announce these new sailings and bring Sailors onboard to experience what it’s like to set sail the Virgin Way,” said Tom McAlpin, chief executive of Virgin Voyages.
“We look at our UK summer voyages as a homecoming to pay homage to our British roots, and what an excellent way to kick-off our sailing season before heading back to PortMiami.”
As cruise operations in the US remain uncertain, before heading home to PortMiami, Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady is taking this opportunity to do a homecoming tour, heading back to where the Virgin brand began.
At this time, only residents of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be permitted to sail – with passengers aged 18+ needing to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Trips go sale next week.