Touring Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady

Scarlet Lady CGI render
Image from Virgin Voyages
Virgin Galactic
Richard Branson's signature
Published on 15 January 2020

I wanted to start a cruise line when I was 27 years old, so it was wonderful to finally see my dream turned into reality as we stepped on board Virgin Voyages’ first ship for the first time.

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It was particularly special to have my wife Joan and children Holly and Sam alongside me when we toured Scarlet Lady late last year, while the ship was still being fitted out. My vision was to create the kind of cruise ship that ourselves and our friends would want to go on. If we did that, then many, many more people would want to travel on it.

That’s exactly what the Virgin Voyages team have done. They have created magic around every corner you turn on the Adult-by-Design ship. This video only gives the sneakiest of peeks as the ship wasn’t complete then, but head over to Virgin Voyages to see more of the finished product.

Richard Branson with his wife Joan and their children Sam and Holly in front of Virgin Voyages' ship Scarlet Lady
Image from Virgin Voyages

I was honoured to start off the painting of Scarlet Lady on the side of the ship. As you can see, I’m no artist, but the team did brilliantly to complete the job once I put the paintbrush down! After that hard work, I needed a cuppa – could you help me out please, Tom?

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We got a taste of remarkable restaurants like The Test Kitchen, Extra Virgin and Razzle Dazzle, as well as an up-close look at the Rockstar Suites, where I’ll be staying on my 70th birthday cruise this coming July. I also took the running track for a test lap, heard more about the free group workouts and enjoyed some of the stunning sea views.

As Virgin enters its 50th year, there are delightful touches of our brand’s past all around the ship – such as The Manor nightclub inspired by our original recording studio. Most importantly, I know Virgin Voyages will take us into the future too. 

I’m so excited to see Scarlet Lady ready for boarding very soon, as we take delivery of the ship next month and begin our inaugural tour from Genoa to Dover to Liverpool, then onto the US in New York and Miami.

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Then it’s time for Virgin Voyages sailings to begin, with Caribbean voyages starting in March and Mediterranean voyages already open for bookings. We didn’t build a cruise. We built a Voyage.