Scarlet Lady Leaves Portsmouth for New York

Portsmouth waived a magnificent farewell to Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, illuminating the Spinnaker Tower crimson as she set sail for New York.

The ship has been in town for three months and has won the hearts of locals who have enjoyed seeing the newest kid on the cruise block cruising in and out of the harbor.

The Summer Soiree Series, which saw Virgin Voyages debut their world’s first commercial sailing from Portsmouth, attracted over 8,000 passengers.

After the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cruise restrictions in America curtailed plans for a stateside launch, a pop-up terminal was built to host passengers, known as ‘sailors’ in Virgin lingo. Sailors instead enjoyed a season of sailing in domestic UK waters, keeping strict Covid-19 health protocols in place.

“Seeing Scarlet Lady in the port has been the result of years of hard work, from securing investment to extend our cruise berth to accommodate larger ships, to building confidence with the Virgin Voyages team that we could look after their world-first sailing,” said Mike Sellers, Portsmouth International Port director.

“Everyone at the port stepped up, during the most challenging time, to make sure this was a success and I’m so proud of their hard work and professionalism.

“It has also been impressive to see the Virgin team in operation too, some spending months in the city to make sure everything went smoothly, becoming very fond of Portsmouth in the process.

“We want to become the port of choice for luxury, boutique cruises, and with plans for a terminal extension underway we’re on our way there.

“We’re looking forward to seeing Virgin’s new build Valiant Lady in the city next year, and welcoming back the team. In the meantime, the hard work continues as we continue to build our position as a major player in the cruise industry.”