Virgin’s Scarlet Lady Completes First Year in Service

Posted on 7 August, 2022 by Spacejunkie2

Virgin Voyages’ first cruise ship, the Scarlet Lady. completes its first year in service today.

After being delivered in early 2020, the 2,770-guest vessel saw its debut season postponed by over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the entire cruise industry entering a global pause over the health emergency, the ship only received its first paying guests on August 6, 2021.

During the day, the Scarlet Lady departed Portsmouth, England, for a three-night ocean getaway.

Five additional UK sailings followed before the 140,000-ton vessel crossed the Atlantic for its inaugural season in the United States.

In September, the ship docked in New York City before arriving in Miami – its original homeport.

Over 18 months after the initial plans, the Scarlet Lady finally kicked off its inaugural voyage from PortMiami on October 6, 2021.

The vessel then started to offer a year-round program of four- and five-night cruises to the Caribbean and the Bahamas, with visits to Costa Maya, Amber Cove, Bimini and more.

Designed to reflect the sleek luxury of a yacht, the Scarlet Lady offers, according to Virgin, the intimate and elevated experience of a boutique hotel at sea.

An adults-only ship, it has over 20 dining venues, in addition to many entertainment options. One of the highlights is the vessel’s theatre, known as The Red Room.

Considered a transformational multi-form showroom, the area can be used with four different configurations – a traditional Proscenium stage, an alley stage used in fashion shows, a dance flat-floor configuration and a reverse stage setup.

Another unique feature is The Manor, a two-story, 1970s-style nightclub inspired by Virgin’s heritage in the music business.

Following the Scarlet Lady, a second cruise ship – the Valiant Lady – entered service for Virgin Voyages in March 2022.

Two additional vessels – the Resilient Lady and the Brilliant Lady – are also set to debut for the brand in 2023.

Expedition Cruise Ship Grounds in Norway During Shipyard Return

Posted on 6 August, 2022 by Spacejunkie2

An expeditionary cruise ship belonging to Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten ran aground and was later refloated in western Norwegian fjord north of Bergen on Friday. The ship, MS Richard With, was not carrying any passengers at the time and all 67 people on board were not harmed in the incident.

Richard With was returning to Bergen from a shipyard maintenance period when the grounding occurred Friday morning on the northern end of Sognefjord due to a “technical system error which led to the ship temporarily losing control,” Hurtigruten said in a statement.

Following the grounding, the Richard With was joined by the Norwegian coastguard-contracted KV Bergen and the anchor handling tug (AHTS) Skandi Iceman belonging to DOF Group. But the was refloated at the next high tide without the assistance of tugs, according to an update at around 5 p.m. CEST.

Hurtigruten said the vessel sustained only minor damage to its bulb and forward ballast tank and no environmental pollution has been reported. She is currently sailing to the shipyard for repairs.

The 67 people on board at the time comprised of 54 crew members and 14 service personnel performing follow-up work following the shipyard stay.

Hurtigruten said it expects to have the ship ready by its next scheduled sailing date on August 20.

Royal Caribbean Swapping Brilliance and Enchantment Deployment

Posted on 5 August, 2022 by Spacejunkie2

Citing changes in maritime regulations, Royal Caribbean International is swapping the upcoming deployment between two ships.

“The International Maritime Organization recently shared new speed regulations we must adhere to and as a result, we’ve repositioned some of our ships for the upcoming 2023/2024 season,” the company said in a letter sent to booked guests.

With the changes, the Brilliance of the Seas is taking over the itineraries previously announced for the Enchantment of the Seas.

Originally slated for programs in Europe and Florida in 2023 and 2023-2024, the Radiance-Class vessel will now sail in Alaska starting in April. The new schedule includes a series of cruises departing from Vancouver, Canada.

In October, the vessel debuts in the South Pacific, kicking off a winter program in Australia, with cruises departing from Sydney.

The Enchantment of the Seas, meanwhile, is assuming Brilliance’s place and offering similar itineraries in Europe in 2034 and Florida in 2023-2024.

According to the letter, the Vision-Class ship will sail in the Mediterranean between May and November before returning to the United States for the winter.

Sailing from Tampa, the 1997-built vessel is set to offer five- to seven-night cruises to the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

Affected passengers are being automatically moved between ships, receiving cruises departing on the same dates as their original bookings.

The guests are also being assigned to like-for-like accommodations and keeping the originally booked amenities.

Still, according to the statement, passengers are being offered other options as well, including the possibility to rebook on other Royal Caribbean International sailings or a full refund of the cruise fare.

In a separate statement, Royal Caribbean also informed booked guests of the redeployment of the other two ships.

Offering short cruises to the Caribbean, the Voyager of the Seas will now be based in Galveston, instead of Port Everglades.

The Adventure of the Seas, meanwhile, will take over its original schedule offering Caribbean and Bahamas cruises departing from Fort Lauderdale.