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Scarlet Lady to offer 4- and 5-night sailings, longer stays in ports-of-call

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 31 January 2019 31 January 2019

Virgin Voyages has released itinerary details and cabin designs for the company’s first ship, Scarlet Lady. With 4- and 5-night voyages to the Caribbean. It will sail a variety of Caribbean voyages befitting of any curious traveller’s tastes, with 4- and 5-night Havana After Dark itineraries featuring an overnight stay in Havana, Cuba; 5-night Mayan Sol voyages to Costa Maya, Mexico and 5-night Dominican Daze voyages to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Sailors will be able to explore more with extended hours in port with an overnight or a late-night sail away on all voyages.

Itineraries

Sailors will embark on their journey aboard Scarlet Lady from Miami, where they can toast to the Magic City’s colourful evening skyline as the ship sets sail at 7 pm.

“Our research with Sailors unearthed their desire to go to places that allow for a variety of experiences,” said Diana Block Garcia, vice president of itinerary and destination development for Virgin Voyages. “We set out on an adventure to find overnight destinations that have a combination of opportunities for high energy exploration and places for relaxation, as the perfect complement to our Virgin Voyages experience. We have composed itineraries that have a sense of palpable culture, history and above all induce that carefree feeling that you only get while on holiday.”

The Scarlet Lady will offer 4- and 5-night Havana After Dark itineraries that will take Sailors on a cultural quest through Cuba, with an overnight stay in Havana that will afford Sailors ample time to explore and visit Cuba's warm and friendly residents through people-to-people exchanges.

Virgin Voyages’ Mayan Sol itinerary will be a 5-night voyage to Costa Maya, Mexico where antiquity contrasts modernism, with Mayan ruins just a stone’s throw away from the port and colourful coral reefs that lie just off-shore. Virgin Voyages has partnered with ITM Group to bring Sailors to this incredible paradise filled with rich history and excitement.

Sea lovers will revel in the Scarlet Lady’s Dominican Daze voyage, where she will journey to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic on a 5-night sailing. Voyages to Puerto Plata will be an ocean lover’s dream holiday. Puerto Plata is the perfect place for Sailors to catch some waves at surf school, explore trekking through canyons or catch a cable car up the mountain to buy handicrafts in an artisan village or enjoy endless island views.

The Scarlet Lady’s inaugural 2020 season will open for bookings this Valentine’s Day, February 14. On this special day, Virgin Voyages will reveal more details relating to the ship’s onboard experience as well as an additional destination to be featured on all voyages. Details about on-shore experiences offered by Virgin Voyages, or Shore Things as they refer to them, will be released in late 2019.

Virgin Voyages redefines cabin design with first-ever transformational cabin bed

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 31 January 2019 31 January 2019

Scarlet Lady balconied cabin during the day

Virgin Voyages has released itinerary details and cabin designs for the company’s first ship, Scarlet Lady. With 4- and 5-night voyages to the Caribbean [see separate story], Sailors will set sail in sleek uber yacht style with Virgin Voyages’ patent pending cabin design featuring the Seabed, a completely new transformational bed that converts from full-sized bed to lounger. The Seabed allows Sailors the unique opportunity to transform their cabin from a quiet hideaway to relax to a place to revel among friends.

86% of cabins with priviate balconies

While at sea Sailors can enjoy all of the action of the Scarlet Lady and retreat to their private hideaway overlooking the ocean, with 93% of cabins offering an ocean view and 86% featuring a Sea Terrace. The sea will be the headlining star of the cabins aboard the Scarlet Lady with Virgin Voyages’ exclusive patent pending cabin layout designed by PearsonLloyd with Virgin Voyages’ Design team, which uses intelligent architecture to optimize space and views of the ocean. The cabin is custom-created to accommodate the Seabed, the first-ever transformational cabin bed at sea, specially engineered and handcrafted by Walter Knoll in Germany. The concept of the Seabed came from the convivial nature of cruising, and gives Sailors more space for social gatherings in the cabin-- and eliminates the unspoken awkwardness of inviting new friends over with no place for them to sit but on the bed. Instead, Virgin Voyages Sailors can enjoy their cabin in two distinct ways as a place to revel or a place to relax.

“We didn’t want to create the same old box of a bedroom that our Sailors would only use to lay their head down at night, we wanted to reshape the entire cabin experience,” said Dee Cooper, senior vice president of design for Virgin Voyages. “Whether it’s sleeping, socialising or stargazing they desire, our cabins will transform to match our Sailors’ whims. Stylish yet somehow still informal, these cabins change the face of modern sea travel.”

With clever cabin lighting, the mood lighting will automatically adjust to enhance the time of day based on where the ship is in the world, reflecting the blue seas and the gold to purple sunsets of the Caribbean waters. The cabins will feature PIR presence sensors that automatically detect when someone has left the cabin and go into energy saver mode, where blinds will close and air conditioning will adjust to an eco-saver temperature, conserving energy to support the company’s commitment to operate one of the cleanest fleets at sea.

With thoroughly thought through design, Virgin Voyages deliberately chose to use top quality materiality throughout the cabins, like a saddle leather chair, complete with refined stitch detail. Most standard cabins will have transitional Seabeds, in-room entertainment with 43”+ 4K flat-screen HDTVs, mini bars, glam areas and flexible wardrobes. All cabins were engineered to optimise bathroom space featuring rain shower heads for a spa-like wash. All terraces aboard Scarlet Lady will feature custom-designed hammocks, handwoven by artisans from Yellow Leaf a social enterprise that fosters women's empowerment and community transformation in rural Thailand.

With several cabin categories there are 1,330 cabins aboard the Scarlet Lady and 78 RockStar Suites. Every Sailor wishing to voyage aboard the Scarlet Lady can find their special hideaway with roomy XL Sea Terrace cabins, Sea Terrace cabins Sea View cabins, Insider cabins, Social Insider cabins that sleep up to four in a chalet-style bunk and Solo Insider cabins designed and priced exclusively for the solo traveller.

Scarlet Lady cabin during sleep

Cruise Ship Interiors Expo announces its first conference speakers

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 31 January 2019 31 January 2019

Cruise Ship Interiors Expo, the world’s first highly focused event dedicated to interior design, architecture, and outfitting in the cruise industry, has announced its first conference speakers and key topic sessions. The inaugural event will take place June 18-20, 2019, bringing together senior delegates to debate and discuss the latest issues, opportunities, and challenges in the cruise interiors industry. The two-day conference is free to attend and CPD-accredited for professionals who collect points in this field.

“The significant passenger demand in the cruise line industry has fueled a rapid transformation in marine interior and outfitting, creating a plethora of experiences for everyone on board,” comments Toby Walters, CEO, Cruise Ship Interiors Expo. “With this in mind, we have curated a conference program that kicks off with a leaders’ debate and follows on with topics including sustainability at sea, color predictions, future design trends, and passenger flow.”

Confirmed speakers include:
- Francesca Bucci, President, BG Studio
- Javier Calle, Founding Partner, Studio DADO
- Dee Cooper, Senior Vice President of Design, Virgin Voyages
- Colin Gant, Vice President of Vessel Refurbishment, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings
- My Nguyen, Deputy Director of Interior Design & Operations, Holland America Line & Seabourn
- Vittoria Garroni, Founder & President, Garroni Design

The event is co-located with Marine Catering Expo, where galley and restaurant stakeholders can meet with qualified buyers from the passenger ship sector. With more than 200 exhibiting suppliers, unparalleled networking opportunities, and live demonstrations of the latest products to hit the market, delegates will be inspired and equipped to grow their business and push their creative boundaries.

Carnival announces Mardi Gras' inaugural season itineraries

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 31 January 2019 31 January 2019

Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras is now open for sale of its inaugural schedule for 2020.

Mardi Gras will offer a diverse schedule with 6- to 15-night sailings visiting top destinations throughout Europe and the Caribbean beginning in summer 2020.

Guests can choose from more than 20 different stateroom categories and multiple levels of suites, more than on any other Carnival ship. A range of stateroom options provides guests the opportunity to further personalize their vacation experiences and includes special staterooms and suites such as Family Harbor, Havana Cabana and Cloud 9 Spa accommodations, as well as a wide selection of suites, balcony, oceanview and interior staterooms.

“For Mardi Gras, we’ve developed some truly exciting and diverse itineraries that will provide our guests with opportunities to experience and explore top destinations in Europe and the Caribbean,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “These itineraries will serve as the perfect complement to the unique shipboard experience that Mardi Gras will offer. We’ve begun releasing some of the new stateroom designs to our guests and travel agency partners as part of today’s announcement and plan to share additional details over the coming weeks.”

Inaugural season

Mardi Gras will offer an exciting inaugural schedule providing guests with myriad opportunities to experience and explore stunning and historic destinations. The schedule includes:

– A 9-night maiden voyage from Copenhagen to Southampton Aug. 31 – Sept. 9, 2020 calling at Kiel (Hamburg), Germany; Gothenburg, Sweden; Oslo, Norway; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Zeebrugge (Brussels), Belgium; and Le Havre (Paris), France.
– A 14-night trans-Atlantic crossing from Southampton to New York Sept. 9-23, 2020, with stops at Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain; and Funchal (Madeira) and Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal.
– A 6-night cruise round-trip from New York to Portland, Maine and Saint John, New Brunswick Sept. 24-30.
– A 15-night Carnival Journeys voyage departing New York Sept. 30, 2020 and arriving in Port Canaveral, Fla., on Oct. 15, 2020, calling at Amber Cove, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Aruba, Curacao, and Grand Turk, positioning the vessel for year-round voyages to the Caribbean.

Year-round Caribbean departures from Port Canaveral

Following a special 8-night Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral on Oct. 16, 2020, Mardi Gras will kick off its 7-night program from the Space Coast Oct. 24, 2020, offering two different three-port, 7-night itineraries, alternating weekly to the eastern and western Caribbean featuring some of the region’s most beautiful and popular ports.

– Eastern Caribbean cruises will visit San Juan, Amber Cove and Grand Turk.
– Western Caribbean sailings will stop in Cozumel, Costa Maya and Mahogany Bay (Isla Roatan).

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection shares new look at suite design and amenities

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 28 January 2019 28 January 2019

Owners Suite

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has revealed industry defining accommodations at sea through thoughtfully designed, forward-thinking suites, which perfectly blend timeless elegance and a warm, inviting atmosphere. Created to feel like a private yacht, the vessel will uniquely feature one designer, resulting in a unified flow of design which is refined, relaxed and unlike any other accommodations at sea.

“The distinct design of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection places us in a new space within the industry where the vessel is a destination in and of itself,” stated Douglas Prothero, CEO of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. “The design of our inaugural yacht and exceptional suites has been a collaborative effort and one that I am particularly excited about as we were able to envision and build a yacht from the ground up that will deliver an unparalleled guest experience.”

The interior design of the inaugural yacht was imagined by Tillberg Design of Sweden in collaboration with The Ritz-Carlton. Each facet of luxury yachting was considered to promise a voyage which combines the lifestyle of the resorts of The Ritz-Carlton with the casual freedom of a yachting vacation. Boasting a residential feel, the suites’ design inspiration includes the sleek and contemporary look of The Ritz-Carlton Residences in Sunny Isles, Miami Beach and Los Angeles, and offers a spacious setting, innovative marine qualities and some of the most design- forward yacht interiors in the world.

“A yacht evokes the feeling of freedom and the ability to go where you want in the world at your own pace. The inaugural yacht of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is designed to reflect this emotion by making guests feel as though they are onboard their own private yacht,” said Fredrik Johansson, Owner and Executive Project Director of Tillberg Design of Sweden. “In addition to a casually elegant atmosphere in the suites, dining venues and open areas to relax, there will be plenty of little escapes and private corners of the yacht, really giving guests the ability to define their experience.”

Complementing the unprecedented itineraries and signature experiences of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, the design of the yacht’s 149 suites is an integral aspect of what sets the vessel apart. In addition to offering a high percentage of large suites, the yacht will also feature several innovative loft suites, a unique two-story accommodation that is ideal for in-suite entertaining. All suites will feature a private terrace, floor to ceiling windows and great ceiling heights, resulting in some of the most airy and expansive guestrooms in the luxury cruise category. Through a soundproof, blind wall, select suites also have the option to be combined into larger, open-concept spaces allowing for more flexibility when selecting accommodations. All suites feature the luxurious amenities that visitors would find at a Ritz-Carlton on land, including a king bed, double vanity bathroom, luxury linens and more. Perfectly marrying form and function, the light-filled accommodations will connect guests to the seas and harbors they are sailing.

The specially designed yacht will measure 190-meters and can accommodate up to 298 passengers. The onboard experience will reflect the sublime comfort and legendary guest service for which the iconic Ritz-Carlton brand is recognized. The yachts will also have one of the highest crew to guest ratios in luxury cruising, with almost one crew member for every guest. Each suite has access to a Personal Concierge, guests’ single onboard touch point there to ensure a flawless, seamless journey from beginning to end. In addition to unparalleled accommodations, guests of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will enjoy an all-inclusive luxury experience including onboard activities and entertainment, beverages, multiple dining venues, onboard gratuities, WiFi and watersports from the yacht’s marina. Signature experiences available for an additional fee include a culinary experience at the yacht’s specialty restaurant designed by three Michelin-starred Chef Sven Elverfeld of The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg, spa treatments at the signature Ritz-Carlton Spa, and immersive excursions offered through The Shore Collection. Voyage prices vary based upon the itinerary and season.