Watch: Richard Branson gives tour of Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady
Editor's Note
Virgin Voyages' first ship has moved one step closer to its first sailing with passengers. Last month, Scarlet Lady, the cruise line's first ship, successfully completed its sea trials on a sailing between Italy and France.
From Nov. 15-18, Scarlet Lady sailed from Genoa to Marseille before returning to its station in Genoa from Nov. 27-30. The return journey was the first round of sea trials, which it successfully completed.
Sign up for the free daily TPG newsletter for more travel tips!
Sir Richard Branson joined the sea trials sailing, along with his family, several executives at Virgin Voyages including CEO Tom McAlpin and the CEO of fellow Virgin group member Virgin Atlantic, Shari Weiss.
Video released by Virgin shows Branson touring the gargantuan vessel.
"I think Virgin's heritage is really well represented on this ship," said Branson. "The name itself, the Scarlet Lady, was the name of Virgin Atlantic's first two planes."
The Virgin Group chairman toured the Manor, a large club aboard the Scarlet Lady. The Manor is named after Virgin's first recording studio, which hosted rock legends like the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney.
Branson said he wanted to avoid the typical stereotype of a cruise ship when creating Virgin Voyages. "If we can create the type of cruise ship that our friends and ourselves would go on, then we'd go on it," he said.
Branson painted the outline of the Virgin flag on the hull of the ship, where the cruise line's logo will appear.
"Virgin Voyages can confirm the Scarlet Lady is smooth, stable and quiet, gliding through the water in various weather conditions," Virgin Voyages said in a statement.
The sea trials completion is the next step Scarlet Lady had to complete, putting her one step closer to her maiden voyage on April 1, 2020. Scarlet Lady is set to sail from Miami to destinations in the Caribbean on four- and five-night itineraries.
In November, Virgin Voyages unveiled its second ship, the Valiant Lady. While Scarlet Lady will be dedicated to Caribbean sailings, Valiant Lady will initially sail seven-night Mediterranean itineraries out of Barcelona, Spain. Sailing on the Valiant Lady is set to begin in May 2021.
Virgin Voyages has branded itself as the cruise line for people who wouldn't typically consider cruising. Each of its ships has a no-kids-allowed policy, and the ships are designed to cater to a younger, millennial audience. Passengers will be allowed to shake their device to get Champagne delivered on demand, stop by the onboard Squid Ink tattoo parlor or go to a drag-queen brunch.
Additional reporting by Brendan Dorsey.
All photos courtesy of Virgin Voyages.
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month