The colourful contract signing came more than a year after Branson announced his arrival as a shipowner. He arrived by helicopter to sign a letter of intent for the vessels in Miami.

Back in Miami last week, Branson kept his feet physically on the floor while waiting on bikini-clad models as he and chief executive Tom McAlpin discussed the latest developments in the project.

Amid the fanfare, McAlpin promised “the most gorgeous ship you have ever seen” and a “transformational” product for the industry.

Pressed by TradeWinds this week for further clarity, McAlpin said: “Sharing too much detail would ruin the surprise.

“What I can promise are gorgeous ships and brilliant experiences. From a shipbuilding perspective, milestones on the horizon include steel cutting this coming February and the keel laying in the fourth quarter.”

Writing on the Virgin website, Branson revealed the reason for dropping the Virgin Cruises name in favour of Virgin Voyages.

He said: “I have never been on a cruise, and never wanted to — they sound stuffy and dull. But I would love to go on a Voyage ­­— they sound adventurous, exciting and glamorous. So I am thrilled to introduce our newest company.”

Also renamed are the customers, which Branson is branding sailors. The first ship, due out in 2020, will carry 2,700 alongside 1,150 crew members.

Virgin Voyages also revealed that it will be the first cruise line to adopt the Climeon Ocean clean-energy system, which will bring 5,400 tons of carbon dioxide savings annually per ship — an amount that would take 180,000 trees 30 years to absorb.

McAlpin says other options are being looked at to improve the environmental performance of the ships and reduce the impact of the ships in ports. He says Virgin Voyages will be “a boutique cruise line”.

“Our focus is bringing what I call a ‘sea change’ to the industry; realised through our gorgeous ships, the sailor experience and the ports we will call along with what you can do there,” McAlpin added.

Bain Capital Private Equity is a key investor in the $2bn project, with McAlpin noting Virgin’s partner has extensive experience in the travel and leisure sectors.

“They also share the vision Virgin has to create a cruiseline people love,” he said.

“We are thrilled to have them as partners, as investors and as champions of the brand involved in the development of our business.”