Virgin Group announced Thursday that it鈥檚 creating a cruise ship company and plans to begin offering cruises around 2020, .
The company will soon begin construction of two cruise ships from scratch.
Virgin says it will seek to broaden the appeal of cruises beyond the familiar theme park鈥搒tyle entertainment offered by today鈥檚 major companies. Details are limited, but Virgin executive Evan Lovell promised a more ocean-focused experience. 鈥淭he whole point of being on a cruise ship is to be connected to the ocean, to be connected to the sun and the wind,鈥 he said.
Virgin Cruises will operate as an independent company within the Virgin Group, which has gone through a rough patch after the death of a pilot working for Virgin Galactic, the group鈥檚 commercial spaceflight company.