Ship will have spa parties, mud room and boxing ring
Health and wellbeing will take centre stage on Virgin Voyages’ first ship, due to launch in 2020.
Details of nine public spaces on the ship were unveiled last week. They include the Crow’s Nest,
a private sundeck that will host sunrise and sunset yoga, and the Athletic Club, which will have an outdoor boxing ring, gymnastics equipment, cabanas and a sports bar. The Runway is a red running
track that wraps around the ship, while the B-Complex will host spin, yoga and cardio classes with views of the sea. Other features include a Wellbeing Pool, which will have fitness equipment, a Gym and Tonic bar, and Redemption, the ship’s spa, which will house a hydrotherapy pool, mud room, salt room, cold plunge pools and quartz beds. At night, the spa’s thermal suite
will host parties with a DJ. The first details of public spaces were announced in May,
Athletic Club training centre,
daybeds (below) and blow-dry bar Dry Dock (below left)
Ships could be powered by waste metal products
Virgin Voyages could power its ships with waste products produced from metal plants as it seeks to have a “completely clean” fleet. Sir Richard Branson said
Virgin Atlantic was working with a company that takes waste products from aluminium and steel plants and turns them into fuel. “Our first priority is to use
it for jet aviation fuel for Virgin Atlantic, and if we get enough, it would be fantastic to use on cruises as well and have a completely clean cruise company,” he said. Unlike a number of cruise lines, Virgin Voyages’ ships will not be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). President and chief executive
Tom McAlpin said: “We looked at LNG, but it didn’t fit for us. The problem is it’s not readily available in ports around the world, so we couldn’t have a ship and not be able to take her round the world. “We are using diesel but
including Richard’s Rooftop, an outdoor lounge named after Virgin Group’s founder, and the Manor, a nightclub inspired by Branson’s history in the music
business and the name of his first music studio. More details about onboard features, including dining and entertainment, will be revealed later in the year.
Line vows to recruit more female technicians and managers
Virgin Voyages is to launch a programme to recruit more female crew members into male-dominated roles. The ‘Scarlet Squad’
initiative is aimed at recruiting and mentoring female crew in onboard areas such as marine, technical and hotel management, which
statistically show low numbers of female staff and senior management. “Across the maritime industry,
we can do better in recruiting and leadership representation for women on board,” president and chief executive Tom McAlpin said. “I want all future crew to know
that Virgin Voyages will create an onboard environment that is fair, inclusive and where everyone has an opportunity to reach their full potential.” Virgin Group founder Sir
Richard Branson said: “If there’s a female captain and a male captain, we will take the female captain.”
we have scrubbers on board, which means that we purify the exhaust gases and take carbon and sulphur out.” The line has vowed not to
feature single-use plastics, including straws, bottled water, sauce packets, shopping bags, food packaging, stirrers and takeaway cups.
Branson hammers home ban on plastics
26 July 2018
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