How is Rovey AI Changing Cruise Planning?

Virgin Voyages introduced its first AI Crew assistant at Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas on April 23, 2026. Named Rovey, the assistant will launch on VirginVoyages.com to help Sailors navigate cruise planning with personalized recommendations built around their travel style, pace, and interests.

Rovey is the first expression of Project Ruby, Virgin Voyages' enterprise AI platform co-developed with Google Cloud.

Built on Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, Gemini models, and BigQuery, Project Ruby is designed as an intelligence layer connecting every part of the Virgin Voyages experience, from initial inspiration through to booking and beyond. Seven expressions are planned across the full Sailor journey. Rovey is the first.

The assistant is built to reduce the complexity of cruise planning without removing the personalisation that defines the Virgin Voyages experience, according to the press release.

Sailors exploring itineraries receive recommendations shaped to their travel preferences. Those evaluating Shore Things, the brand's excursion offerings, receive curated suggestions based on the activities they enjoy on land, from cooking classes and catamaran sails to adventurous hikes.

Travelers weighing cabin categories, dining options, or packing decisions for specific voyages can get answers across all of it in a single conversation.

Critically, Rovey retains context across sessions, according to the press release. It remembers where a Sailor left off and what they are still deciding, removing the need to restart the planning process with each interaction.

"Virgin Voyages has always been a brand that knows what it means to make someone feel something," said Billy Bohan Chinique, VP of Global Brand Marketing and AI Transformation at Virgin Voyages. "Planning a sailing with Rovey should feel the same way our Crew makes Sailors feel onboard. Not like research. Like being looked after by someone who genuinely gets it."

The Platform Behind It

Project Ruby did not begin as a product. According to Virgin Voyages, it began as a question — what if planning a voyage felt as seamless as taking one. The answer required co-creation rather than an off-the-shelf solution.

Virgin Voyages contributed deep knowledge of Sailor behaviour, decision patterns, and the friction points where planning enthusiasm turns into drop-off. Google Cloud contributed the infrastructure and AI capabilities to act on that knowledge at scale.

"By powering Rovey with our AI tools, Virgin Voyages is able to mitigate booking friction, deliver personalized travel recommendations at scale, and build deeper, more valuable connections with Sailors," said Sam Sebastian, VP of North America Regions at Google Cloud.

"Richard always said, 'be the reason someone smiles today' and that comes to life in the quiet moments onboard," said Nathan Rosenberg, Chief Brand Experience, Marketing and Momentum Officer at Virgin Voyages. "Rovey brings that same energy to the part of the trip that happens before Sailors cross the gangway."