‘I’m very proud of it’: Sir Richard Branson visits Halifax on new cruise ship Brilliant Lady

Sir Richard Branson arrived in Halifax Sunday for the inaugural North American visit of Virgin Voyages newest ship the Brilliant Lady.

English business magnate Sir Richard Branson arrived in Halifax on Sunday for the inaugural North American visit of Virgin Voyages’s newest ship, Brilliant Lady.

“The Brilliant lady is brilliant. I always say the word brilliant, which is why I think they called it brilliant. It was built in an Italian yard; it’s just arrived all the way from Italy by the UK and it’s heading down to New York,” Branson told CTV News.

“Every time we build a new ship, obviously, we try to make a few little differences. We got a new restaurant on board, but it’s as stunning as the other three and I’m very proud of it.”

Branson says he was never interested in going on a cruise ship, but then thought, why not? He decided to create a cruise line that he, his friends and his adult children could enjoy.

“And Virgin Voyages was born, which is an adult-only, and I think it won every award for being the best cruise line in the world in the last five years,” said Branson.

“Virgin Voyages was started about 10 years ago, but really started a long time ago when Richard dreamt about starting a cruise line in his 20s,” said Virgin Voyages CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu.

“And if you talk to him, he’ll say he wanted to start a line in his 20s, but didn’t get around to it in his 30s and 40s and then eventually he got to his 70s and we started a line for him.”

Virgin Voyages now has four vessels in its fleet with the Brilliant Lady built in 2024.

“I pinch myself every day because I’ve been lucky enough to go to space and build a space line and a few other bits and pieces, but Virgin Voyages is the epitome of Virgin. We have 12,000 of the happiest and best staff working on it from 80 different nations. Every single little detail is just great,” adds Branson.

The Brilliant Lady officially sets sail in September, welcoming public sailors. Considered a mid-sized ship, it can hold about 2,500 people. Saverimuttu says it’s meant to feel like a boutique hotel.

The ship’s first voyage, which the team calls the ‘MerMaiden,’ is on Sept. 5 out of New York City. During the New York season, Saverimuttu says the ship will be back to Halifax a few times.

“This is our friends and family voyage. So, we have a lot of our friends and family on board, which is very special because our friends and family have supported us along this journey for the last 10 years, and to be able to have them on board is very special,” said Saverimuttu.

“They are actually helping us get ready so we are pressure-testing lots of different things and making sure everything works just the way it should in advance of our main voyage.”

The ship arrived at the Port of Halifax around 8 a.m. Sunday and headed back to sea around 8 p.m. Sunday. Halifax is the ship’s first stop in North America and this is the first time the port has welcomed a vessel from the Virgin Voyages fleet.

“This is so exciting to have a new cruise line calling that hasn’t been here before and a new vessel that its first stop is in North America, and it’s here in Halifax,” said Lori MacLean, director of communications and marketing for the Halifax Port Authority. “It’s been a super day.”

MacLean feels this is a great reflection of the Canada and New England cruise itinerary and displays the interest people have in cruising this part of the world.

“Canada has always been a very important part of the Virgin brand. If you go back to Richard, we started Virgin Radio, we have had lots of Virgin Mobile. We have had lots of businesses in Canada, and I know Canadians love the Virgin brand and Richard in particular has always had a very soft spot in his heart for Canada,” said Saverimuttu.

“So, it was only natural that we bring a ship into Canada at some point and Halifax has such a long maritime history, so making Halifax the first board of call for this ship just felt like a very natural fit.”

MacLean says having Branson on board makes it even more special.

“It’s pretty exciting to have Sir Richard Branson on board in Halifax and joining us here for this part of the itinerary for the Brilliant Lady. For its first cruise across the Atlantic and its first visit to North America, we are just thrilled that he was able to join us here,” said MacLean.

Branson says he hasn’t been to Halifax in a number of years and was surprised by the beautiful weather, admitting he expected bad weather and storms. He added that people in the city are just as warm as the weather was on Sunday.

“I came many, many years ago, but then of course just walking along the harbour is just as delightful as it always was,” said Branson.

“My daughter-in-law is Kate Winslet and, of course, she was famous for the scene with Jack out front of the Titanic, and obviously Halifax and the Titanic are closely associated as well, so I’ll be giving her a ring later to tell her I am near where Jack was buried.”

The Brilliant Lady will make its way to Saint John, N.B., for Sept. 19 and will return to Halifax on Sept. 21, 30 and Oct. 6.

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