Virgin Voyages’ adults-only Scarlet Lady arrives in Dover
Virgin Voyages’ first ship, Scarlet Lady, has arrived in Dover – the first of two UK calls ahead of the line’s inaugural cruise in April.
The line will host dozens of agents and other industry partners onboard Scarlet Lady at the weekend before the ship heads to Liverpool, according to TTGmedia.
Virgin’s plans to launch a cruise line date to late 2014. The company, then Virgin Cruises, signed a letter of intent for three ships with Fincantieri.
A steel-cutting ceremony for Scarlet Lady was held in March 2017 before the ship was delivered to Virgin Voyages on 14th February this year.
After its UK visit, the adults-only ship will reposition to its Miami homeport ahead of its maiden voyage on 1st April. It will then embark on an inaugural season of Caribbean itineraries.
The ship will be captained by Canadian Wendy Williams.
Scarlet Lady is the first of four ships which Virgin Voyages ordered from Fincantieri, and was built at the shipyard in Sestri Ponente, Genoa.
Scarlet Lady weighs about 110,000 gross tons, is 278 meters long and 38 wide. She features over 1,400 guest cabins designed to host more than 2,770 passengers, accompanied by 1,160 crew members on board.
Virgin Voyages second ship, Valiant Lady, is currently under construction in the same yard, and will be delivered in 2021, while the third and the fourth units, still unnamed, will set sail respectively in 2022 and 2023.
The name Scarlet Lady (meaning a sexually promiscuous woman who is judged as immoral) was chosen by Branson as it was also the name of his second plane back in the mid-80s, which is exactly where the name should have stayed.
See the build:
According to The Sun, guests on board are promised “no kids and no buffets” in a breakaway from traditional cruise holidays.
Tickets for the first sailing are available for four nights around Miami and Key West, costing $650 (£500).
A three-night sneak preview trip is also on sale online for $825 (£634) as part of a pre-season showing.
Holidays up until the end of October are currently available, with excursions to Florida and Mexico.
Passengers on the ship won’t be bored thanks to a Gym and Tonic bar, sunset yoga, a spa modelled on an underwater cave, and a number of fitness studies and pools. Twenty different restaurants, tattoo parlours and drag queen brunches can also be found on the ship.
Some of the finest rooms to stay on the ship are said to be the RockStar Suites, designed by Tom Dixon.
The megayacht-inspired rooms will include fully stocked in-room bars, ocean-view marble showers, and terraces equipped with hammocks overlooking the sea.
DJ Mark Ronson has already confirmed performances on board, with sailings to take place in July 2020 for five nights around the US. Read more in The Sun.
