The inaugural Virgin Voyages cruise to the southernmost capital city in the country has pleasantly surprised locals with a special display on the ship’s side.
The ‘Resilient Lady’ lit up in red and white to spell out ‘♡ HOBART ♡’ while it was docked at the Macquarie No. 2 & 3 Berths on Wednesday evening.
Launched in 2022, the ship is based in Greece and is the newest addition to the Virgin family, boasting a 2,770-strong passenger capacity and includes space for 1,150 crew members.
All the latest ships in the fleet are equipped with terraces featuring light-based technology, which is frequently used to spell out local references, messages or place names upon arrival and docking at new ports.
The ship is scheduled to depart from Hobart for Melbourne at 5pm on Thursday.
First ever Australian Virgin Voyages cruise ship docks in Hobart
The first Virgin Voyages ship to make the journey down under has made its inaugural visit to Hobart.
The Resilient Lady arrived in Tasmania on her “MerMaiden sail” on Wednesday morning, loaded with thousands of passengers who are excited to be here (unlike the recent visit made by a P&O ship dubbed the ‘cruise from hell’).
Among them are some lucky Virgin Melbourne-Hobart flyers who were gifted a free cruise from Virgin Boss Sir Richard Branson last month.
Branson, who isn’t believed to be on the ship in Tasmania, said having the ship in Australia was one of the “most exciting moments in Virgin’s history”.
“Like all Virgin companies, we launched Virgin Voyages because the cruise industry was ripe for disruption.”
“We designed a ship where you could party all night, and then recover with a yoga class and a healthy breakfast and a spa treatment.”
“Some of the sailors had been on the ship for 44-days as the ship relocated from Athens to Australia,” Branson said
“I’m so excited for what the next few days will bring. This feels like the beginning of something great.”
The cruise line is one of several operating in the state this season, include Disney and P&O, who will collectively bring 287,000 passengers and 124,000 crew to our shores.
Hobart will receive 85 visits this season, while the Port of Burnie will welcome 41 cruise ships, according to TasPorts.
