Virgin Voyages celebrated Valentine’s Day by opening up bookings for new cruise ship Scarlet Lady for when it debuts sailing out of Miami in 2020.
It also announced that each sailing will be visiting a private destination on Bimini.
And for those who want to celebrate company founder Richard Branson’s birthday, there’s a four-night overnight sailing to Havana departing July 15, 2020.
“I’ve dreamed of starting my own cruise line since I was in my 20s, and now the launch is finally getting close,” said Branson. “We have taken the time to think about every detail and craft an experience that brings the Virgin brand to life and disrupts the travel industry.”
The first of four planned ships for the line officially opened 4- and 5-night sailings from April 1 through Oct. 21, 2020 at www.virginvoyages.com.
The line’s has three types of sailings: Havana After Dark, Mayan Sol and Dominican Daze. Prices are as low as $725 per person for an inside cabin, based on double occupancy. The high-end, Mega RockStar suites run between $3,450-$7,600 per person for various sailings.
The Richard Branson birthday sailing has inside cabins starting at $1,375 or people can visit RichardsBirthday.VirginVoyages.com through March 31, 2019 to win a cabin for two on the sailing.
For all sailings from Miami, ships will make a stop at The Beach Club at Bimini.
Pitched as a peer of the beach clubs of party island Ibiza, the destination will feature a lagoon-style pool, and areas of what the line calls retox and detox. That includes yoga, meditation in the morning, high-energy afternoons with a DJ-led pool and flotilla party and wind-down evenings with a beach bonfire with acoustic music.
Famed DJ Mark Ronson has been named the founding DJ for the club. He will be featured four times in 2020, although exact dates have yet to be announced.
Complimentary food at the destination will include things like conch and mango salad, banana leaf-wrapped queen snapper and Bahamian rum cake.
The resort also has six bars and things like hammock groves a well as extra-cost cabanas by the beach or pool as well as water sport activities. Suite passengers will have their own dedicated bar, food service, terrace lounge and beach cabanas.
Visitors can also venture off-site and explore the island.
Also announced was the creation of a entertainment program for cruisers designed to offer intimate and immersive experiences. So the ship won’t feature a cruise director, but a group of people organizing “happenings.” The entertainment is designed to allow willing cruisers to partake in the entertainment.
To that end, there is theatrical venue called The Red Room that can transform from a traditional stage, be used for fashion shows, a dance floor or even a reverse stage. There will be six original shows including an offering from producer Randy Weiner (“Queen of the Night,” “The Donkey Show,” “Sleep No More”).
Other shows include “UNITLED DANCESHOWPARTYTHING,” from Sam Pinkleton and Ani Taj, “Phantom Folktales,” that’s like pop-up theater around the ship, contemporary tale “Ships in the Night,” acrobatic Romeo & Juliet-inspired “Duel Reality,” and participatory show “Never Sleep Alone” featuring a humorous relationship therapist.
The 2,770-passenger Scarlet Lady and the line’s three future ships will be for 18-and-older passengers. Fares include all restaurants, group fitness classes, soft drinks and other features that would be upcharges on other cruise lines.
