When Sir Richard Branson first announced he was going to launch a cruise line, he said it would be a cruise line unlike anything anyone has ever seen.
The first of his adults-only (18+ to sail) 2,700 passenger “Lady Ships” arrives in 2020 and will call PortMiami home. He promises passengers, which are referred to as “sailors” in Virgin Voyages speak, will be treated to an atmosphere based on the Virgin lifestyle the globe-trotting, private-island owning, billionaire-entrepreneur made famous.
A few months ago we were treated to a rendering of what one of Virgin’s Lady Ships will look like, and it’s definitely a departure from the norm:
This week, in a Facebook live event, Virgin Voyages introduced the design team tapped to “completely reimagine how sea travel looks and feels” and we were given a glimpse as to what some of the public spaces inside the ship will look like.
Three design firms were chosen, Roman and Williams, Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio and Concrete Amsterdam. Each will create the spaces “sailors” (passengers) will resonate with and will be based around “sleek yacht-like spaces, classic nautical accents, inventive surprises and nods to Virgin’s British heritage.”
According to Virgin, “each area was specifically designed with consideration for the social and creative experiences meant to take place within.
Let’s have a look around:
Designed by Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio, this is the design for the ship’s Mexican restaurant, Pink Agave, and the VIP Deck. Dixon has been tapped to design multiple premium spaces onboard the ship. Virgin describes his designs as “fresh but modern and charmingly eccentric.”
Pink Agave will feature a bar in the restaurant’s entrance and a private dining room for large groups or parties. The VIP Deck, or “Richard’s Rooftop” named after Branson himself, will be a private lounge area with furniture designed for socializing or chilling out.
The design team of Roman & Williams were chosen to design two spaces on the ship. First, is the ship’s nightclub called The Manor, named after Branson’s first Virgin music studio, which is destined to be the hottest spot on board!
The second is The Dock, an outside space “with a focus on comfort, social life and an appreciation for the ship’s gorgeous views.” This area will feature a lounge, daybeds, trees, plants and an atmosphere conducive to socializing (there’s a theme here if you haven’t caught on yet).
Concrete Amsterdam is the team behind the design for the ship’s Test Kitchen and The Athletics Club. The Test Kitchen is designed to look like a lab with the periodic table of elements adoring the entrance while the kitchen itself is full of test tubes and beakers. Details on what this space is really going to be haven’t been released yet, but it could either be a demonstration kitchen, restaurant or a hybrid of both.
The Athletic Club located on the top of the ship where one would usually find water slides for the kids is not exactly what the name implies. Instead of a gym, this athletic club features a bar and the largest seabed at sea. This whole area is one large semicircular lounger with loungers where you can grab a cold drink, sit down, have a chat and mingle with your fellow sailors.
You’ll also find an area made up of 220-square feet of triple netting, like you’ll see on a catamaran, where you can walk on and gaze down at the sea below. Interesting, but not something people are going to make Instagram famous.
One look at these images and you can tell a cruise on a Lady Ship is going to be a cruise like no other. I’m anxiously waiting for more details to come out ahead of the ship’s debut at PortMiami in 2020.