GENOA — Virgin Voyages has announced the name of its first ship and just like the cruise line itself, it’s definitely different.
“The Scarlet Lady. There … we said it. The mermaid’s out of the bag! Scarlet is the embodiment of everything this ship represents. As our figurehead, she takes on a role historically dedicated to goddesses, important women in society, and even mermaid figures,” says the company.
Set to launch in 2020, the adults-only Scarlet Lady is currently under construction at Fincantieri shipyard. The steel-cutting for the line’s as-yet-unnamed second ship, due for delivery in 2021, will take place soon.
The cruise line says the fleet’s branding dovetails with the company’s efforts to encourage front-facing female leaders with its Virgin Voyages Scarlet Squad Program. “From engineers to builders, marine tech to crew captains and technical positions, this program is meant to help female leaders break through the glass ocean if you will; it’s meant to create more leadership positions for women on the operations side of the sea travel industry. The multi-pronged approach, supported by skill development, recruitment and mentoring, is something we find incredibly important in areas traditionally lacking female leadership, like marine technical and hotel management.”
Virgin Voyages adds: “All in all, ship is really coming together, quite literally, and more beautifully than we even expected. We can’t wait to see her in final form, but we know that no matter where we go, onboard or on land, our travel is graced by Scarlet’s presence in all of her glorious spontaneity. It’s an aura that permeates everything.”
Onboard amenities in keeping with the line’s ‘Vitamin Sea’ ethos include:
- The Redemption Spa, the satellite mani-pedi spa, the Stubble & Groom barber shop and Dry Dock blow out bar
- Active spaces designed for workouts, recoveries and socializing, from the B-Complex, complete with The Burn, Build, Balance and Bike rooms, to The Beast apparatus for a complete sweat. There’s also a Well-Being Pool adjacent to the Gym & Tonic Bar for socializing
- The Athletic Club, with a history rooted in athletic social clubs of the past, incorporates an active Training Camp room and boxing classes as well as a full basketball court and a cold-pressed juice bar
- A catamaran net for passengers who want to “sit back and watch it all happen from the comforts of the largest daybed at sea”. All of this is situated under a Virgin red sky track called The Runway
- The Crow’s Nest provides a yoga, meditation and stretch-based space on the upper level deck