04 Feb Virgin Voyages – Redefining everything you know about cruises
Launching in 2020 to coincide with Richard Branson’s 70th birthday, Branson’s new venture, Virgin Voyages is set to completely shake up the cruise industry. Described as “a 24/7 festival at sea where tranquillity meets curiosity with no kids and no buffets”, the vessel promises to completely disrupt the cruise industry.
The Scarlet Lady, slated to set on its first sail in July 2020, will be a mid-sized 2,700 passenger ship that will offer over 20 eateries onboard, including food trucks and a 24-hour diner, and absolutely NO buffets. In terms of entertainment, don’t for a second think you’ll find the usual cruise-ship, West End style performances. On The Scarlet Lady, it’s all about interactive dance parties, private beach parties when you dock on the tiny Bahamian island of Bimini for a truly exclusive day-long beach experience and up-and-coming DJs.
Voyages will all depart from Miami for the Caribbean with 4 and 5 night itineraries to Cuba (including a one-off special 4 night trip for Richard’s birthday bash!), Dominican Republic and Mexico.
Ever at the forefront of what is current and on-trend, the ship also promises to provide a catalogue of wellbeing programmes that can suit everyone. From sunrise yoga to outdoor boxing, meditation to HIIT workouts, and even specifically curated hikes at the port destinations, there is a guaranteed solution for everyone. In addition, sustainability has been put at the very heart of the whole experience. Pioneering, innovative and sustainable technologies have been used throughout the build, unnecessary one-use plastics have all been banned, and all food onboard will be thoughtfully resourced.
And on top of all of this, the ship has been named Scarlet Lady to call attention to the companies “pledge to a future of fostering gender equality across all Virgin Voyages crew. From ship to land, the new Scarlet Squad program will help promote female empowerment across the entire company”. Fair to say, we’re sold and ready to board.