Richard Branson and Scarlet Lady shaking up the cruise industry

    Shake for Champagne Aboard the Scarlet Lady

    Richard Branson and Scarlet Lady shaking up the cruise industry
     
     

    All it will take is a shake of the cellphone to get champagne delivered onboard the Scarlet Lady, slated to launch next year, a boutique-style, mid-sized 2,770-passenger ship that will be adults only and buffet free.

    Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group is planning to transform the cruise industry with his new brand, Virgin Voyages.

    This new, exclusive on-demand champagne delivery service is called Shake for Champagne. When the Virgin Voyages Sailor App is shaken, a secret Virgin Voyages Champagne button is revealed and, with just one press, a bottle of Moet & Chandon Imperial will be delivered.

    “It is never too early for champagne and there is always something to toast to while aboard Scarlet Lady. We want our Sailors to enjoy a glamorous holiday and what better way to feel like a RockStar than a sip of bubbly whenever and wherever you want it,” said Tom Mcalpin, president and CEO of Virgin Voyages, in a statement.

    Delivered in an eye-catching red champagne bucket, the service includes a 750ml bottle of Moet & Chandon Imperial with two glasses.

    The Scarlet Lady will set sail from Port Miami for her 2020 inaugural season on four and five-night voyages to Havana, Cuba; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and Costa Maya, Mexico. Sailings will also call on Bimini, a tiny Bahamian island where a beach club is being constructed by Resorts World Bimini

    All of the Scarlet Lady’s voyages will stop there for a daylong beach experience.  The Beach Club at Bimini will overlook the ocean and cascade down to the sea with an expansive lagoon-style pool as the central anchor of the club.

    With music at the heart of the Virgin brand, Virgin Voyages will carefully curate the soundtrack for The Beach Club at Bimini, with seven-time Grammy-Award-winning artist and producer Mark Ronson named founding DJ.

    The Scarlet Lady’s first voyage will include Branson, who will host a four-day cruise to Havana to mark his birthday. The cruise departs July 15, 2020. Branson turns 70 three days later.

    Much of the entertainment aboard the Scarlet Lady will be held in the Red Room, said to be the first transformational multiform theater at sea. It will have four configurations, a traditional Proscenium stage, an alley stage, a dance flat-floor configuration and a reverse stage setup. Virgin said part of the idea was to create completely different experiences for each day of the cruise.

    For more information, go to www.virginvoyages.com or click here. (The original version of this story appeared in sister publication, Prevue.)