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Updated: September 22, 2025

Virgin Voyages cruise ship makes maiden call to Eastport, the brand’s first Maine visit

A ship is on the water. Photo / Courtesy CruiseMaine Brilliant Lady, seen last week off Eastport, has a passenger capacity of 2,800.
By Laurie Schreiber

The Washington County city of Eastport last week welcomed a visit from Brilliant Lady, the latest cruise ship introduced by Virgin Voyages, a cruise line owned by English business magnate Richard Branson.

The Eastport stop was part of the ship’s maiden voyage from New York City to Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was Virgin Voyages’ first visit to Maine.

The Eastport Port Authority, Maine Office of Tourism and CruiseMaine were on hand to welcome the ship on Sept. 18. Events included a traditional exchange of ceremonial plaque and key pieces and a guided tour of the Brilliant Lady for invited guests. 

Two people pose with a plaque.
Photo / Courtesy Sam Murphy
Eastport Port Authority director Chris Gardner and ship Captain Kris Majezinski display a ceremonial piece exchanged for a ship’s first call.

"We are here because of the hard work and vision of a lot of people, and I know these Virgin Voyages sailors are going to feel the magic of a Downeast welcome,” said Chris Gardner, director of the Eastport Port Authority. 

More large ships

Brilliant Lady was the latest in a growing number of large cruise ships to visit Eastport.

In recent years, the Washington County city has showcased a growing cruise ship market.

The city was previously a popular stop for a handful of small to mid-size cruise ships. That began to change in 2020, when the city hosted Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ 785-foot cruise ship Oceania Riviera when ship was looking for refuge during the pandemic. Unlike smaller ships, the Riviera, with 11 passenger decks, towered over the small downtown.

Its arrival highlighted the port’s ability to host large cruise ships, which had been identified by the city and the port authority as a desirable market sector. Cruise line noticed. The next large ship was Holland America’s 781-foot ship Zaandam, with a capacity for 1,432 passengers, which visited in 2023. 

A ship is lit up at dusk.
Photo / Courtesy Sam Murphy
Brilliant Lady made its first call to Eastport last week on its maiden voyage.

In 2024, Princess Cruises’ “Love Boat” themed Enchanted Princess, carrying approximately 3,900 passengers, tested the waters. John Padgett, Princess Cruises’ president, subsequently posted on LinkedIn: “Eastport is known as the easternmost city in the U.S., but really should be known as the most WELCOMING port city in the WORLD! The enthusiastic welcome the Eastport community (pop. 1,500) delivered to Princess is beyond description!”

When Gardner was hired in 2007, one task was finding a way to make Eastport better known to the cruise industry. The port authority maintains a long-time presence at cruise industry trade shows and a relationship with CruiseMaine. The city’s ability to host the Riviera has made the city more mainstream in the industry, Gardner has told Mainebiz.

Eastport is one of three deep-water ports in Maine, along with Portland and Searsport.

Growing market

This year, Eastport had 25 ships scheduled, a significant increase over past years. Most had smaller passenger capacities of fewer than 750 and many with the capacity to carry only a couple of hundred passengers.

A group of people pose in lines on a deck.
Photo / Courtesy Sam Murphy
Participating in the traditional plaque and key ceremony were Eastport Port Authority director Chris Gardner, ship Captain Kris Majezinski, Virgin Voyages COO Michelle Bentubo, CruiseMaine director Sarah Flink, port and city officials, state Sen. Marianne Moore, Maine Office of Tourism Director Carolann Ouellette, Barb Haslett from the office of U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District Maine, and Carol Woodcock from the office of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The 908-foot-long Brilliant Lady was the second largest of the 2025 season, with a passenger capacity of 2,800.

It was beat out only by the Majestic Princess, with a capacity for 4,450 passengers, which was in port on Aug. 23.

The season began with one ship in May and will end with one ship in November. The majority of ships are scheduled for September and October.

"This milestone not only celebrates the arrival of a new cruise line to Maine but also highlights Eastport’s growing role as a key destination for cruise travel in the region,” said Carolann Ouellette, director of the Maine Office of Tourism. 

On Sept. 22, Eastport will welcome the 734-foot, 754-passenger Seven Seas Splendor, launched in 2020 by Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

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