Virgin Voyages Cruise Ship Will Have Tattoo Studio

[cmac cruiser]

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8931

I saw this on another thread but thought I'd give it a headline/thread of its own. Who's in?

Edited October 18, 2018 by cmac cruiser

[StknCPA]

Yes, I got an email regarding this. Squid Ink.

There is a drawing for a free voyage for two including a micro tattoo from Squid Ink. I wonder if I can enter but refuse the tattoo if I win? Or if there is a requirement that the tattoo be the Virgin logo?

And, there is going to be an event at Soho Ink in Manhattan--free tattoo for the first 100 people and a chance to win a voyage.

The more I hear, the more I think I should just get my deposit back. Nothing wrong with any of it, probably just not my cup of tea.

[eroller]

I actually canceled my deposit.  I think I'll sail on Virgin at some point, but so far nothing has appealed to me.  Everything I've seen with the ship so far has left me meh.  I'm much more impressed by CELEBRITY EDGE.  I know I'll eventually sail on SCARLET LADY as the concept of an adult only ship that is not a floating nursing home really appeals to me.  On the other side of the coin, do I really want to spend a week sailing with a bunch of Millennials?  Probably not.  That is not my cup of tea either.  I'm somewhere in between I suppose.  

 

So I'll wait it out and see how things evolve, and not pay top dollar to be one of the first.  I think I can live with that.  

[aimee0715]

I really hate tattoos.  I am obviously in the minority on that though.  I just can't see people wanting to get a tattoo while on a cruise.  Doesn't it hurt?  Isn't there a recovery period? Can you get a tattoo and then go for a swim the next day? It's just odd to me.  Then again, it's also weird to me that people will get Botox on their cruise.  It's just not how I want to spend my vacation. I definitely was not excited to see this announcement today.  

[PederLin]

Got the email yesterday and immediately cancelled our deposit reservation. Boxing Punchbags and Tattoos are really not our thing at all. The whole design of the ship is pretty much awful too.  

 

We requested a refund of the $500 deposit by replying to the original Email from the deposit last year and they answered within an hour. Apparently it will take upto 3 weeks to process.

Maybe they are a bit busy with refunding people?

[eroller]

3 hours ago, PederLin said:

Got the email yesterday and immediately cancelled our deposit reservation. Boxing Punchbags and Tattoos are really not our thing at all. The whole design of the ship is pretty much awful too.  

 

We requested a refund of the $500 deposit by replying to the original Email from the deposit last year and they answered within an hour. Apparently it will take upto 3 weeks to process.

Maybe they are a bit busy with refunding people?

 

 

Yes I requested the refund the same way.  I laughed as charging my card was immediate, but somehow processing a refund can take 3 weeks and is a "manual process" according to them.  

Edited October 19, 2018 by eroller

[wwcruisers]

Well, it's nice to know that the original link still at least works, for requesting refunds. I'm still hanging in there, Guys. But, if they don't come out with pricing, and cabin details pretty soon, I may have to pull the plug, as well. We are already booking our 2020 cruises, and this one is still just a BIG "?" 😩

[timf2001]

38 minutes ago, wwcruisers said:

Well, it's nice to know that the original link still at least works, for requesting refunds. I'm still hanging in there, Guys. But, if they don't come out with pricing, and cabin details pretty soon, I may have to pull the plug, as well. We are already booking our 2020 cruises, and this one is still just a BIG "?" 😩

I feel the same way.  They keep wasting time with fluff that I don't care about like tattoo studios but still haven't released itinerary details.  The Caribbean really isn't my first choice for a cruise in 2020, but I'm willing to do it if they throw in some interesting ports I haven't been to.  I'll keep the deposit until they open actual reservations, and will decide then what to do.

[teltrainer]

Don’t have deposit down but initial kid free appealed to us. Lately we aren’t impressed. Tattoos onboard. 🤮   Will stay with Celebrity and plan to try MSC Yacht Club sometime. Removed us from Virgin emails since CC posts the ship news here. Will be interesting to see what happens in future 

[RickinNYC]

As much as I love tattoos and have nine myself, including a half sleeve, I can't see a tattoo parlor at sea being a success.  In fact, it's pretty damn stupid.  Immediately following a new tattoo, you can't expose it to direct sunlight, certainly not in the Caribbean sun.  And you definitely can't go swimming in a pool or the ocean due to risk of infection.  Getting one on a cruise?  Hell no.

 

Funny enough, the studio that has partnered with Virgin agrees on aftercare:

http://soho.ink/aftercare/

Edited October 22, 2018 by RickinNYC

[eroller]

3 hours ago, RickinNYC said:

As much as I love tattoos and have nine myself, including a half sleeve, I can't see a tattoo parlor at sea being a success.  In fact, it's pretty damn stupid.  Immediately following a new tattoo, you can't expose it to direct sunlight, certainly not in the Caribbean sun.  And you definitely can't go swimming in a pool or the ocean due to risk of infection.  Getting one on a cruise?  Hell no.

 

Funny enough, the studio that has partnered with Virgin agrees on aftercare:

http://soho.ink/aftercare/

 

 

 

This is the response from VV on FB.  Personally I still don't think it's a very good idea.  Not too much besides the adult-only concept as appealed to me with this ship so far.  The decor so far has left me cold.  

 

We have some brilliant waterproof bandages to protect your tattoo from water and sun. You can leave it on during the entire voyage, and your tattoo will self-heal. Plus, our team on board will be able to assist with any aftercare needs.

 

 

 

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Cruise Critic went to the tattoo giveaway (and our editor got her own tattoo!) She put together a nice write-up on what the line is hoping to accomplish with the studio: https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8940

[PederLin]

Well we got our refund 4 days later after opting out , so that was nice.

Just like to add.  We love the Virgin brand and have been quite loyal to it over the years.

Which is why we had such high hopes for something a little bit different.

A tattoo studio on a cruise ship in the Caribbean though is, quite frankly, a ridiculous proposition. As trendy as it may be, it's just stupid. Bleeding stupid. Infected bleeding stupid. 

We're not fuddy duddy people by any stretch. We've done the Jam Cruise thing (in 2004)

We like freaky people and we really wanted this to be great. 

But the design of the ship turned out to be horrendous and the whole concept is trying way too hard to be hip.

Like an embarrassing dad dancing. The Last Waltz .

 

Edited November 10, 2018 by PederLin

[wwcruisers]

Pederlin -- Sorry that you feel that way -- but, better to know now, than after you'd spent all that $$, for a cruise that you'd hate. Thanks for reporting on VV's speedy refund process. We're hanging in there, with our pre-deposit -- for now, at least. If the cabins end up being un-livable, or the prices are astronomical, we might very well need to avail ourselves of the refund process. Hope not, though...

[B-Rizzle]

Yeah my son is 18 now and he likes the airline, but no... 

 

Not with a tattoo studio and who knows what other saucy stuff they get ideas to start on these ships!

[twodjs]

12 hours ago, B-Rizzle said:

Yeah my son is 18 now and he likes the airline, but no... 

 

Not with a tattoo studio and who knows what other saucy stuff they get ideas to start on these ships!

You're being such a Mom - but that's a good thing! The ship is certainly geared toward adults. Hopefully you have instilled in him the ability to make proper, long-term decisions. But, as a parent, I'd hate to have all these carrots dangled in front of my 18-year-old son as a test.  

The tatoo offering holds no appeal to my wife or myself. But, I'm still interested in the rest of the ship reveals. 

[wwcruisers]

26 minutes ago, twodjs said:

 

The tatoo offering holds no appeal to my wife or myself. But, I'm still interested in the rest of the ship reveals. 

Agreed! Come to think of it, our long-time cruise-line of choice (Celebrity) offers some thing that I would NEVER consider, either -- like: 'Acupuncture at Sea'! 😱

[slugg]

On 10/18/2018 at 8:05 PM, eroller said:

On the other side of the coin, do I really want to spend a week sailing with a bunch of Millennials?  Probably not.

My crystal ball tells me that Virgin Voyages will be priced too high for millennials with new jobs, no wealth, and a mountain of student debt. So you may run into the rich ones, perhaps? But not your typical snowflakes.

[RDC1]

4 hours ago, slugg said:

My crystal ball tells me that Virgin Voyages will be priced too high for millennials with new jobs, no wealth, and a mountain of student debt. So you may run into the rich ones, perhaps? But not your typical snowflakes.

I see plenty of urban millennials that have plenty of cash.  Go out on the town on a Saturday evening in New York, Chicago, LA, Dallas, Miami (South Beach),  etc. The same people you see there are Virgin's target market.

 

For that matter just got back from the Grand Hyatt on Kauai.  So quite a few in that age group staying there at $400-$500 dollars per night.  So there are certainly a number with money. (or at least vacationing like they do)

Edited November 13, 2018 by RDC1

[B-Rizzle]

1 hour ago, RDC1 said:

I see plenty of urban millennials that have plenty of cash.  Go out on the town on a Saturday evening in New York, Chicago, LA, Dallas, Miami (South Beach),  etc. The same people you see there are Virgin's target market.

 

For that matter just got back from the Grand Hyatt on Kauai.  So quite a few in that age group staying there at $400-$500 dollars per night.  So there are certainly a number with money. (or at least vacationing like they do)

 

Urban Millennials with plenty of cash, huh...

 

Animal lover that I am, a cougar I am not.

[RDC1]

Keep in mind that when the line was announced.  Branson made it quite clear that he was not planning on competing with the existing cruise lines.  His target were people that did not cruise on any of the existing lines, in an age group that is not the major demographic of any of the existing lines.

 

 

 

 

[wichitastatecruiser]

On 10/22/2018 at 9:58 AM, RickinNYC said:

As much as I love tattoos and have nine myself, including a half sleeve, I can't see a tattoo parlor at sea being a success.  In fact, it's pretty damn stupid.  Immediately following a new tattoo, you can't expose it to direct sunlight, certainly not in the Caribbean sun.  And you definitely can't go swimming in a pool or the ocean due to risk of infection.  Getting one on a cruise?  Hell no.

 

Funny enough, the studio that has partnered with Virgin agrees on aftercare:

http://soho.ink/aftercare/

Not to mention what might happen if you decide to get a tattoo and the seas get rough!

[The_0neuk]

No one considered that maybe its only open during port days???

[SC_GAY_Cruiser]

I guess I just don't understand the issues with a tattoo studio on the ship.   Yes I am biased.   I am a 64 year old man with multiple piercings and quite a lot of ink.    Would I consider getting more ink from an artist I don't know?   Probably not.   And for those who are not inked, the artist is the most important aspect of a tattoo.

 

For those who have cancelled their deposit, I guess you use and visit literally every venue on a cruise ship from the buffet to steak house  and everything in between.  From the water slides to the putt putt to every bar and restaurant and entertainment venue.    

 

So one small space that caters to something your not interested in, your willing to miss out on the experience of a new cruise ship and line?    

[ninjatoes]

 

On 1/26/2019 at 2:41 PM, SC_GAY_Cruiser said:

I guess I just don't understand the issues with a tattoo studio on the ship.   Yes I am biased.   I am a 64 year old man with multiple piercings and quite a lot of ink.    Would I consider getting more ink from an artist I don't know?   Probably not.   And for those who are not inked, the artist is the most important aspect of a tattoo.

 

For those who have cancelled their deposit, I guess you use and visit literally every venue on a cruise ship from the buffet to steak house  and everything in between.  From the water slides to the putt putt to every bar and restaurant and entertainment venue.    

 

So one small space that caters to something your not interested in, your willing to miss out on the experience of a new cruise ship and line?    

 

I suppose it would appeal to folks who want small, simple tattoos as a reminder of their trip. I envision a lot of simple flash work being done, as opposed to larger, more thoughtful pieces.