Virgin Voyages regrets sex kits and simulated blowjob shows

• The notorious Virgin Voyages sex kits were a mistake, the company’s CEO has said.
• Virgin Voyages CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu is pushing for a more “PG” reputation.
• The adults-only cruise line still won’t allow kids on board as it continues to tackle the millennial market.

Although Sir Richard Branson has already ditched the $30 vegan lube and simulated blowjobs, Virgin Voyages are only now admitting that the lascivious amenities were a mistake.

Despite the name, Virgin Voyages has developed a fast reputation for free-spirited, adults-only cruising. And yet, Branson’s fleet wants to dial back its racy reputation, flipping the occasional R18+ rating to something much closer to PG.

As reported earlier this week, Virgin Voyages has admitted that its notorious “sex kits” gave people the wrong idea about the brand.

“I’d be the first to admit that when we launched the brand we made some mistake,” said Virgin Voyages CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu told The Telegraph.

“Our biggest challenge has been the misperceptions about us. But we probably didn’t do ourselves any favours in not allowing those misperceptions to build,” he continued.

“We were not thoughtful about certain choices we were making around some of the onboard programming and small details that ended up getting so much amplification that they ended up defining what the product was.”

No more upside-down pineapples?

That “amplification” Saverimuttu mentions seemingly surrounds the highly-touted sex kits in guest rooms, receiving oodles of media attention when ships like Valiant Lady and Scarlett Lady began making their global dashes.

The packages encouraged exploration with sex toys, condoms and $30 vegan lube, holding up just part of the brand’s suggestive push into a younger market. Other tools of the trade included an in-house sex and dating expert, drag acts and a “participatory” show called Never Sleep Alone with couples’ counselling and simulated blow jobs.

But now Virgin Voyages express regret over its hedonistic schtick, a far cry from some previous testimonies where passengers described scenes of “partner swapping” at a pool party and a visual overload of upside-down pineapples. The latter, for the unfamiliar, symbolises the swinger lifestyle onboard and is employed by open-minded cruisers as a not-so-secret calling card for non-monogamous casual sex.

Are kids allowed on Virgin Voyages’ cruises?

Leaving behind an association with sex won’t actually make the cruise line prudish and boxed to traditional cruising etiquette. The sex kits have been gone since 2023, and Never Sleep Alone hasn’t popped up for over a year.

Kids under 18 are still banned from the adult-only cruise line, presenting a more mature market that still appeals to younger cruisers who may be put off by the family-friendly lean that most cruise lines take. It’s still aimed at the millennial market with rowdy Scarlet Nights parties where everyone is encouraged to wear lipstick red. And we don’t see the pool parties going anywhere.

As Telegraph reports, a 42-year-old former passenger, personal trainer and life coach, Ashley Boorman, captures the Virgin Voyages vibe well in his recollection of a cruise around Greece and Turkey earlier this year.

“The ship had style,” he told Telegraph. “[It] didn’t impose dress codes or boring etiquette… it was definitely about being relaxed in your own body and celebrating that—no judgement.

As cruise lines like Carnival move to ban topless bathing, upside-down pineapples and even Bluetooth speakers, we are starting to see a rethink of the type of behaviour encouraged on cruise ships, but despite Virgin Voyages‘ new direction, we don’t foresee them going that far.