Any NEWS on VV? Please post it here...

[Biker19]

25 minutes ago, twodjs said:

Couldn't that "price board" simply be a board listing all the coffee choices, more like a menu board without prices?

Since none of that actually exists yet and this is an artist rendering, those boards could say anything in real life.

[timf2001]

33 minutes ago, twodjs said:

Couldn't that "price board" simply be a board listing all the coffee choices, more like a menu board without prices?

 

I guess it could be calorie counts, but it sure looks like a price board given the breakdown of each beverage by size.

[RMS Olympic]

If they don’t have French vanilla creamer, then I’ll stick with mudslides, BBC’s, Long Island ice teas. ,pear tinis and lemon drop martinis. The breakfast choice for champions!

[Lloyd555]

Photo from Le Grandi Navi da Crociera 

 

 

[Biker19]

I'm still puzzled why it will take another year to finish her?

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

I'm still puzzled why it will take another year to finish her?

Was just about to say the same. 

[Oville]

On 4/24/2019 at 6:23 PM, Lloyd555 said:

Photo from Le Grandi Navi da Crociera 

 

 

Thanks Lloyd, you are the best.

[Lloyd555]

Some shipyard employee photos.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2019 by Lloyd555

[kgelner]

On 4/25/2019 at 7:32 AM, Biker19 said:

I'm still puzzled why it will take another year to finish her?

 

A few more days to finish the ship, a year more for Richard Branson to personally sleep in every room for guaranteed quality.

[perditax]

This is paywalled, but maybe there are some WSJ subscribers here.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/these-cruise-lines-want-to-seduce-people-who-hate-cruises-11557245464

 

TARGETING Never Cruisers, two big travel players are leveraging potent brand names to coax the reluctant aboard. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and Virgin Voyages both aim to disrupt the current state of cruising.

[Lloyd555]

 

[Biker19]

If you’re bar hopping in London this weekend, keep one eye on the wall decor. You might just spot a golden ticket to one of the season’s most VIP events.

Virgin Voyages, the Richard Branson-affiliated cruise line that’s nearing launch, has worked with agency Mother New York to develop 50 posters that have been hidden across London. Anyone who finds one should rip it off the wall asap, because it doubles as an invite (with a guest) to the brand’s exclusive “Scarlet Night” event on May 21.

Branson, whose Virgin Group is launching Virgin Voyages in partnership with Bain Capital, will reportedly be teasing the scavenger hunt on his Instagram feed, officially kicking off the search.

The poster design from Mother New York was inspired by the ad supposedly run by Ernest Shackleton in his search of a crew to explore Antarctica with him in the early 1920s.

 

It’s a beloved ad legend, even though it almost certainly never happened and no evidence of such an ad has ever been found. (Tearsheet versions like the one at left were dreamed up by illustrators for books decades later.)

Still, the spirit behind the ad endures—and is reborn for a new nautical purpose with Virgin Voyages’ “Sailors Wanted” poster:

 

[Biker19]

The British travel trade's wishes came true as Virgin Voyages revealed Scarlet Lady will stop at the UK on the way to its US debut.

Scarlet Lady will visit Dover and Liverpool in late February, welcoming first mates (travel advisors), media and VIPs for a number of exclusive events before making her way across the pond to her PortMiami home.

Scarlet Night in London

In London on Tuesday some 1,100 first mates, media, suppliers and partners got an evening of surprises at a star-studded Scarlet Night event that included a set by Academy Award-, Grammy- and Golden Globe-winning artist and producer Mark Ronson.

Ronson, Virgin Voyages' minister of music, will be creating a series of pre-voyage and shipboard playlists for sailors (passengers), as well as curating the vinyl record selection in the RockStar Suites and the ship’s vinyl and music shop, Voyage Vinyl.

At a media briefing ahead of the party Tom McAlpin, president and CEO of Virgin Voyages, told Seatrade Cruise News about Scarlet Lady’s debut visit to the UK ports.

‘There is a great awareness of the Virgin brand in the UK but not so much the cruise venture so what better place to debut the Virgin Voyages brand in the UK than the amazing white cliffs of Dover, which will look good with a touch of red, and in Liverpool, which has such a historic association with British music,' McAlpin said.

Spice Girl breaks the news

The news of the UK port stops was announced by Geri (nee Halliwell) Horner, aka Ginger Spice, at the media briefing. She has had a long association with Branson, and he is promoting the Spice Girls' next reunion tour.

Ronson and Diplo performances

As a part of Virgin Voyages’ On Deck residency program, Ronson has committed to four performances at The Beach Club at Bimini in 2020. His July 9 poolside performance can only be experienced by those who book the July 5 'Mayan Sol' cruise, which stops at Costa Maya and Bimini. 

In addition, it was announced legendary DJ and record producer Diplo will perform at the Beach Club in 2020 as part of the On Deck residency program.

Scarlet Night on board

Plus, Scarlet Night will be one of the signature on-board parties. Conceived, designed and produced by Randy Weiner, the award-winning producer behind Sleep No More, Queen of the Night and The Donkey Show, Scarlet Night promises to be a glamorous occasion.

Groundbreaking music will set the mood as sailors dance the night away at an experience complete with art installations and performances throughout the ship as the night progresses.

An after party will be created by Brooklyn's House of Yes, recently named the No. 2 'Best Thing To Do in the World' by Time Out, and known for their theatre-infused nightclub where a fabulous outfit is a must and highlights include circus spectacles, immersive cinema, cabaret performances and more.

[eroller]

On 4/17/2019 at 3:46 PM, stitchcreek said:

I asked on VV website’s chat feature if the news would affect our itinerary and they said not to worry, we’ll still be visiting Cuba...

 

 

This may put a damper on VV's plans for Cuba, and all cruise lines from the US for that matter.  

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Caribbean-Travel/Trump-administration-takes-an-axe-to-Cuba-tourism?fbclid=IwAR3IgJAm3x1LW-h698biSO-hTZPfE__anIohlt9wJ_XE0y2I_2zsKWZw7rw

[stitchcreek]

Contacted Virgin - TBC on what this means for those of us with existing bookings...

[eroller]

1 hour ago, stitchcreek said:

Contacted Virgin - TBC on what this means for those of us with existing bookings...

 

 

It’s very unlikely they will operate a half booked ship (or less) to Cuba without the ability to book new passengers.  My guess is that Virgin (and all cruise lines) are frantically looking for substitute ports.  The Bahamas will likely be the big winner in all this.  

[stitchcreek]

1 minute ago, eroller said:

 

 

It’s very unlikely they will operate a half booked ship (or less) to Cuba without the ability to book new passengers.  My guess is that Virgin (and all cruise lines) are frantically looking for substitute ports.  The Bahamas will likely be the big winner in all this.  

I think you’re right.

I suspect we might end up with an overnight at the Beach Club in Bimini...

[timf2001]

My sole reason for cruising on Virgin Voyages was to go to Cuba.  I'm not interested in the other ports they currently offer.  Hopefully if they do force the cancellation of the Havana stop, they offer full refunds of the deposit.  I have no desire to do a 4 day Bahamas cruise.

[stitchcreek]

Just now, timf2001 said:

My sole reason for cruising on Virgin Voyages was to go to Cuba.  I'm not interested in the other ports they currently offer.  Hopefully if they do force the cancellation of the Havana stop, they offer full refunds of the deposit.  I have no desire to do a 4 day Bahamas cruise.

I’d like to have the option to consider, Havana was a key reason we booked too.

[JWoodhall]

Ouch for Virgin on the Cuba ban...

 

I’m booked on one of the Havana after darkness routes... I guess we wait to hear what they offer as a replacement.. 

 

For anyone who’s booked a Havana route, would you be happy to go with another itinerary or rather cancel? 

[stitchcreek]

19 minutes ago, JWoodhall said:

Ouch for Virgin on the Cuba ban...

 

I’m booked on one of the Havana after darkness routes... I guess we wait to hear what they offer as a replacement.. 

 

For anyone who’s booked a Havana route, would you be happy to go with another itinerary or rather cancel? 

We were due an overnight too, booked on Richard’s Birthday Bash.

 

It’ll really depend on what the new itinerary is for us... if it includes somewhere we’ve not been and would like to go, e.g. Key West, we’d probably still be interested, but if it’s somewhere we’ve been multiple times, e.g. Nassau, then we’d probably seriously think about cancelling.

 

Part of our justification for going ahead with a pricier cruise was the overnight in Havana though, so another port, even if a new one for us, might not feel like it has the same “value” for us...

[stitchcreek]

Interestingly, they've not taken any of the Havana itineraries off sale...

[crazycatlady11]

2 hours ago, stitchcreek said:

We were due an overnight too, booked on Richard’s Birthday Bash.

 

It’ll really depend on what the new itinerary is for us... if it includes somewhere we’ve not been and would like to go, e.g. Key West, we’d probably still be interested, but if it’s somewhere we’ve been multiple times, e.g. Nassau, then we’d probably seriously think about cancelling.

 

Part of our justification for going ahead with a pricier cruise was the overnight in Havana though, so another port, even if a new one for us, might not feel like it has the same “value” for us...

 

 I tend to agree. I very much want to sail with VV, but what made us sign up the day sales opened to the general public was the Havana overnight. The Bahamas definitely wouldn't hold the same appeal. I would consider one of the other two itineraries, as we haven't been to either. But not if we had to jump to another sailing date. We like the cabin location we have now.

[Kri1970]

7 hours ago, stitchcreek said:

Interestingly, they've not taken any of the Havana itineraries off sale...

looks like they're gone now, just looked and only Dominican or Costa Maya listed. 

[timf2001]

They've also posted this on their home page:

 

How does the Cuba travel news announced on June 4, 2019, impact your plans to sail to Havana?

While we're disappointed about the travel restrictions that eliminate cruising to Cuba, the beauty of sea travel is that we have the flexibility to adjust our itineraries if needed. Our Crew is working hard to make necessary adjustments to any affected sailings that feature a stop in Havana next year, and we’ll be announcing updated voyages featuring a replacement port early next week.