Gay Travelers Magazine: Virgin Voyages – No Nickel and Diming Cruising Arrives in Florida
Reprinted with permission from Sunny Harbor Publishing
By Steven Skelley & Thomas Routzong
SCARLET LADY, the first ship of Virgin Voyages brand by Sir Richard Branson is cruising to Florida where it will offer “no nickel and diming cruising” where tips, wifi, food and group workouts are all included.
Here is what you need to know:
Virgin Voyages’ first ship, Scarlet Lady, will arrive at PortMiami in 2020 for her inaugural sailing season where she will sail to the Caribbean hosting more than 2,770 sailors and 1,150 amazing crew from around the world. Virgin Voyages will offer a mix of itineraries.
86 percent of Virgin Voyages cabins will feature a balcony and 93 percent will feature an ocean view.
The Scarlet Lady is “Adult by Design,” a sanctuary at sea for the “18 plus traveler.”
The Scarlet Lady’s design mimics that of a yacht with a sleek silvery-grey
hull with smoked glass, and of course, distinctive touches of red. The ship’s livery was conceptualized by Ben Christie and David Azurdia from the multi-award-winning Magpie Studio in London. RWD from Beaulieu England, leaders in super yacht design, created the iconic red Virgin funnel of the vessel.
Scarlet is the beautiful mermaid design that adorns the bow the Scarlet Lady. The
mermaid, designed by artist Toby Tinsley, will serve as the ship’s powerful spirit guide and is inspired by figureheads on historic vessels.
There are 20+ food choices onboard the Scarlet Lady to bring city-like eating to sea and throw out the traditional cruise dining rule book, with no buffet, no main dining room, no forced formal wear, no assigned seating, no assigned dining times and enhanced the choice for sailors to grab a bite by keeping restaurant doors open until well into the night and in some cases the early hours of the morning.
Virgin Voyages does not believe in paying more for great food and ditched the traditional upcharges levied when dining in specialty restaurants at sea. Virgin Voyages has designed all eateries on board to offer exceptional made to order eats and opted to include all restaurant food in the cruise fare.
The largest Rock Star Suite aboard the Scarlet Lady is over 2000 square feet and includes a guitar stocked music room, views of the ocean from every corner of the suite, and a massive terrace complete with its own Peek-a-View outdoor shower, hot tub, hammocks and a runway outdoor dining table, where a staircase will help Sailors make their way on top of the table for dancing.
Virgin Voyages is committed to having one of the cleanest fleets at sea. The company has banned single-use plastics on board its ships, including straws, bottled water, other beverage bottles, condiment packets, shopping bags, food packaging, stirrers, and take- away coffee and tea cups. Instead, the company will
emphasize the use of recyclable and reusable materials across the ship. While onboard, sailors will be provided with access to complimentary filtered still and sparkling water.
For more information, visit https://www.virginvoyages.com/
Article by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
Copyright 2019 Sunny Harbor Publishing
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