Virgin Voyages first cruise ship, the Scarlet Lady is one step closer to her maiden voyage next spring.
The ship successfully completed its first round of sea trials in Europe last month, sailing from Genoa, Italy to Marseille, France November 15-18 and then back from Marseille to Genoa November 27-30, the cruise line announced Thursday.
Virgin Founder Sir Richard Branson toured the Scarlet Lady with his family and Virgin Voyages executives, including CEO Tom McAlpin, Chief Commercial Officer Nirmal Saverimuttu, SVP of Design Dee Cooper and CEO of Virgin Atlantic, Shai Weiss in Marseille. Branson also ceremoniously painted the first red outline of where the Virgin Voyages logo will appear on the ship's hull.
The cruise line confirmed that the ship has been deemed seaworthy. "Scarlet Lady is smooth, stable and quiet, gliding through the water in various weather conditions for a thoroughly enjoyable sailing experience," Virgin Voyages said.
"We're thrilled to have completed such a significant milestone with our Sea Trials and have our amazing crew to thank for their passion and tenacity in this achievement. We're one step closer to getting our Sailors on the Scarlet Lady and are grateful for all that have chosen to join us on this adventure," McAlpin said in a statement.
Scarlet Lady will set sail on her inaugural maiden voyage on April 1, 2020 but Virgin is offering a pair of Sneak-a-Peek preview sailings in late-March 2020. Bookings for both of the three-night cruises are currently open on VirginVoyages.com.
Virgin Voyages' second ship, the Valiant Lady is scheduled to debut in May 2021 and will sail seven-night Mediterranean itineraries from Barcelona. Bookings for Valiant Lady will open on December 19, 2019.
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