Tag Archives: Virgin Cruise

Virgin Voyages Announces Ship 3 Name and Itineraries

Posted on by
Reply

Virgin Voyages today announced its third newbuild will carry the name Resilient Lady and will set sail from Athens, Greece, embarking on two, seven-night itineraries starting in July 2022.

“Sailing in the Med is such an extraordinary experience, and we’re so excited to bring the adventure of a Virgin Voyage to this beautiful place,” said Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group. “I’m so proud of the incredible work the team has accomplished to introduce Resilient Lady.”

Further expanding on the brand’s presence in the Mediterranean, Resilient Lady will offer two European itineraries, including:

● Greek Isles Itinerary: Sailors can immerse themselves in Greek history and culture in Athens before island hopping to Santorini, Rhodes, Crete, and Mykonos. The Greek Isles itinerary will feature an overnight stay in Mykonos, offering Sailors a premier location and tender access to the picturesque promenade.

● Adriatic (with Greek Isles) Itinerary: Sailing out of Athens, Sailors will spend their second day at sea before docking in Dubrovnik the following morning. With a 2:00 a.m. departure from Dubrovnik, Sailors will be afforded plenty of time to experience the rich history of Croatia during the day and take part in the active nightlife along the Adriatic Sea before scenic sailing to Kotor, Corfu, and Argostoli.

“Welcoming Resilient Lady to our fleet and revealing these amazing itineraries sets the tone for the most memorable summer voyage,” said Tom McAlpin, CEO, and President of Virgin Voyages. “We know the time to travel is on the horizon, and Virgin Voyages is here so that we can keep dreaming of irresistible vacations ahead.”

Virgin Goes with Bipolar Ionization

Posted on by
Reply

Scarlet Lady.

“HVAC is one of the most important systems aboard a cruise ship. To that end, we designed our ship based on industry best practices, working with Fincantieri and HVAC engineers. We are trading off energy consumption for passenger comfort, quality, and safety,” Andy Schwalb, chief marine and technology for Virgin Voyages, told Cruise Industry News.

“So, instead of building the most efficient air-conditioning system possible, we built the best air circulation system possible for the comfort of our guests and crew,” he added.

Aboard the Scarlet Lady, each public space has its own air-handling system, designed and optimized for each space.

“We are constantly putting fresh air into public spaces and cabins. While other ships may pump in the fresh air too, the question is how often that air is exchanged. Our system is smart and adjusts according to how many people are in the room. So, the air may be exchanged every couple of minutes or every five to seven minutes. It can go faster or slower.

“Some large spaces also have cooling coils that help keep the air cool, but we are not recirculating air.

“We also change the air in every cabin every few minutes. Each cabin has its own cooling unit, and there is no cross-contamination between cabins.”

“There are many ways to clean the air,” Schwalb said. “The most basic is to move fresh air through a filter and suck out the old air. That works up to a point, depending on how often the air is exchanged and how big or small the particles are that go into the filters. Some companies have gone to MERV 13 filters, which have a finer mesh, and some are putting UV lamps in their air handlers.

“We have chosen a different route, covering 100 per cent of the ship with bipolar ionization.”

Schwalb explained how it works: “The fresh air comes into the space ionized with positively and negatively charged ions. They are attracted to particulate matter – pathogens, allergens, bacteria dust – and attach themselves. By doing so, they destroy the pathogens by stripping the hydrogen atom and make them bigger and heavier, which means the filters can better trap them, they are no longer able to attach themselves to people’s lungs, and they also fall to the floor.

“99.92 per cent of viruses are killed instantaneously.”

In-door air quality, in general, is a problem, according to Schwalb, not just on cruise ships. Any building, any enclosed space, has challenges such as norovirus and influenza, for example, and the ionization takes care of all of that.

“In addition, we are also upping our filtration to MERV 13 where it makes sense,” he added. “We are doing absolutely everything that is possible. First of all, we want to keep everybody safe and healthy; and secondly, we think this will improve the (cruise) experience over the long run.”

Excerpt from Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine: Winter 2020-2021

Virgin Voyages unveils Scarlet Lady health plan

Posted on by
1

Our Cruise Ships | Virgin Voyages

New cruise line Virgin Voyages has unveiled its health plan for debut ship Scarlet Lady.

The launch of the ship has been pushed back to October amid the coronavirus crisis, and it will now debut with a reduced capacity to allow for social distancing as well as “virus-neutralizing air filters”, virtual queues, thermal monitoring cameras and regular virus testing for its crew.

The Voyage Well plan was created by the Voyage Well Expert Advisory Group, a partnership of advisors, scientists, doctors and clinicians from the likes of AtmosAir Solutions, EcoLab, Dr Heymann with Vikand, Global Public Health Services and was compiled in collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in line with World Health Organisation guidelines.

“The health and wellbeing of our Sailors is our number one priority, so we rolled up our sleeves with leading experts to further innovate and create an even healthier way to travel and still have an incredible vacation,” said Virgin Voyages chief executive Tom McAlpin. “We appreciate some people will be apprehensive about travelling, so we are committed to being led by science and creating ways to give people the confidence to explore the world while feeling safer, more relaxed and free to enjoy themselves.”

A system has been designed to pump fresh air through the ship’s public spaces and cabins to “effectively remove recirculated air”, which Virgin Voyages says will produce “100% fresh air” through a “bow to stern air purification system”.

“Delivering effective health and safety measures is going to be essential for ensuring consumer trust in the cruise industry,” says Steve Levine, president and chief executive of AtmosAir Solutions. “We’re proud to partner with Virgin Voyages and believe our bi-polar ionization technology will be crucial to creating a safe, clean and sanitized indoor environment throughout the entirety of the Scarlet Lady.”

Other health plans developed by Virgin Voyages include:

Rapid Covid-19 testing for all ‘Sailors’ [passengers] and crew prior to embarking

A post-voyage app-based notification process through which passengers and crew can report on becoming unwell within 14 days of leaving the ship

Pre-boarding health checks and screenings for crew and ‘Sailors’

Thermal camera technology to monitor our crew and ‘Sailors’’ temperatures

Implementing best practices around sanitation, physical distancing, limited occupancy, and health checks on board

Managing ship occupancy to allow physical distancing in public spaces

Using digital technology to limit contact; The Band (for contactless payment), Service Chat (for assistance digitally) and Virtual Queues (for getting in lines for onboard experiences without getting in physical lines)

The line has also introduced a ‘fair and flexible’ booking policy, which includes moving the final payment dates to 60 days, from 120 days, before sailing, and allows guests to cancel up to 48 hours before in return for a 100% Future Voyage Credit for sailings through December 16, 2020.