Branson’s Virgin Voyages Courts First-Time Cruisers, Cures Inhibition

Amid the flashing lights, blaring house music, and gyrating dancers at a sea-goddess-themed bash on the 2,770-passenger Scarlet Lady, single mom Kylie Story felt so uninhibited that she jumped into the pool. She didn’t even pause to remove her long crimson dress or butterfly wings.

Story, 32, and a friend had booked a cabin on Richard Branson’s first Virgin Voyages ship, which began adults-only sailings in October after 18 months of delays. “This is living life a little on the wild side,” she said, dripping wet, somewhere between Miami and Nassau.