The first Virgin Voyages ship - Scarlet Lady, didn't dock in NYC New York due to Coronavirus concerns. Later this week, the cruise liner was scheduled to dock in NYC for several days to give travel and media professionals an unprecedented look at the newbuild.
Passengers on the ship claimed they had been given short notice about not berthing in NYC over coronavirus fears and that the vessel instead goes to PortMiami Florida. Scarlet Lady, with 850 passengers onboard, sailed from Liverpool UK and was scheduled to visit New York for several days prior to heading to Florida.
According to Virgin's CEO Tom McAlpin, it "was not an easy decision to make" and he "sincerely apologises". Addressing those on the liner earlier today, he said that in light of "growing media focus on global health concerns," they didn't feel that it was the right time to showcase the brand in New York City.
For Coronavirus updates on cruise ship quarantines (infected passengers and crew) and top-pandemic countries (COVID-19 cases and deaths, daily updated statistics) see at CruiseMapper's Norovirus page.