Cruise lines are not only known for what they offer onboard their cruise ships, but also by what you won’t find on them.
With cruise lines adding more staterooms for families and higher fees than ever before, here are a few things you won’t find on Virgin Voyages’ first cruise ship, Scarlet Lady.
Since you already read the title to this article, you should know that there won’t be any kids on Scarlet Lady. Passengers (they will be called sailors on Virgin’s ships) must be 18 years or older to cruise on Virgin. If you are looking for a 100% kid free cruise, then you’ll want to sail on Virgin Voyages.
Another thing that you won’t find on Virgin Voyages are extra fees where you are nickel and dimed. In a recent article, Richard Branson gave the following statement about the cruise line’s commitment to no nickel and diming: “As we build up to the on-sale date for Virgin Voyages (we’re counting down the days to February 14th), we wanted to share how our cruise company is committing to no nickel and diming too. All of our group fitness classes are included. Sailors will have access to complimentary water at all bars and restaurants & Natura filtered water stations too.
What’s more, all restaurant food is included in the ticket price, with no surcharges. There will be no assigned seating in our 20 incredible eateries (that’s right, no buffet – proper, diverse, exciting restaurants) and you will have plenty of choice.
Taken on their own, none of these little touches are extraordinary. But added all together, we believe they help our consumers to relax, reducing their worries about additional costs, annoying surprises and sneaky shocks. No nickel and diming helps our guests do what they want to do – how they want to do it.”
In the statement above, you will see that there also won’t be any main dining rooms or buffets on Virgin Voyages. There will be 20 restaurants that will come complimentary with your cruise fare. That’s right, no extra fees to eat anywhere on the ship.
There will be no forced formal nights, no assigned seating, and many restaurants will remain open into the night.
Lastly, you won’t find any single use plastics like straws, condiment packs, or unnecessary food packaging that’s part of the cruise line’s commitment to sustainable sailing.
Reservations on Scarlet Lady will open for bookings on February 5 for those who placed pre-sale deposits. Reservations will open to the general public nine days later on February 14.
While exact itineraries have yet to be released by Virgin Voyages, we do know that the cruise line will sail to the Caribbean from Miami starting in 2020. Select itineraries will have an overnight stay in Havana, Cuba.
