The maiden sailing of the third ship in Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Voyages' fleet has been delayed. Resilient Lady was scheduled to set sail from Athens in August, but an “unanticipated” delay means its Greek islands cruise has been postponed.
Supply chain issues, uncertainty caused by the Ukraine war, staff shortages and Covid restrictions have all been blamed for the delays and the ship will remain in Genoa until the new year for remaining work to be completed. A spokesperson said: “Virgin Voyages did not land on this decision lightly, and despite making tremendous strides alongside the cruise industry as a whole, the brand is not immune to the global challenges the world is facing.
“This includes supply chain obstacles, a level of regional uncertainty for international travellers in countries in east Europe, crewing challenges based on government regulations and restrictive Covid entry requirements back into the US.”
