Tag Archives: Virgin Voyages

Virgin Rethinks Funnel Design Concept

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Virgin Funnel

Virgin Voyages is promising to reinvent the cruise experience, and one of the most traditional parts of a cruise ship – the funnel – will be rethought and redesigned for the company’s upcoming trio of Lady-class ships.

“We’re at the top of the game in super yacht design,” said Kristian Arens, exterior design lead for England-based Redman Whiteley Dixon (RWD).

The design firm has been tapped by Virgin to redevelop the cruise ship funnel.

“This big cruise ship needed elements to be more of a superyacht than a cruise ship,” continued Arens.

“What Virgin Voyages really wanted to do was to create something very different. They wanted the funnel to be a funnel, but not a funnel.”

Added Adrian Chisnell, project manager:  “It was actually known as the non-funnel … traditionally (the funnel) has been a bit of an afterthought. It has been put on top of the boat.

“This is the first time we know the funnel is not being used in that way,” he said.

The duo from RWD described their design brief for Virgin as luxurious and iconic, while being different, exciting and new.

“The Virgin Voyages ship will hopefully be one of the most recognizable in the world,” Chisnell said.

Virgin Voyages vows to get trade back on board

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Virgin Voyages has confirmed it will sell through agents and instigate an “epic sea change” in the organisation to make the company a business the trade wants to work with again.

Acknowledging that agents in the UK were hurt when Virgin Holidays severed ties with the trade and became a direct-sell-only brand in 2015, vice‑president of sales and business development Stacy Shaw said: “One of my challenges is agents in the UK assuming we won’t be interested in them selling Virgin Voyages.

“But this is more than just having an interest in the trade selling us. My job is one of creating an epic sea change for the organisation and our partners.

“My job is to create a really good news story for the trade that makes us a company that agents really want to do business with.”

Speaking exclusively to Travel Weekly, Shaw added: “However transactionally profitable and amazing selling Virgin Voyages will be, we want to do more than that. We want to focus on the pain points for agents and take them away.”

A new UK-based international sales director is due to be in place by January who will recruit field sales managers. Shaw said: “Their next job will be looking at commission structures, contracts and how we are going to support the trade with marketing.”

She added: “I expect this to take until mid-year, but from then we will really start engaging with accounts and doing a big blitz with the trade.

“We have a big job to do kicking off all the education. One of the most important jobs for next year with the trade is helping them to understand how we’re different.

“We don’t think our product is for everybody and we will be explicit about that. If agents have customers who are looking for Broadway shows and FlowRiders, Virgin Voyages is not for them.”

How will Virgin Voyages navigate adults-only cruising?

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Built to carry more than 2,700 passengers at double occupancy, Virgin Voyages ships will be the largest that won’t cater to families.

The line said last week that it won’t book passengers under age 18. Virgin Voyages is due to launch its first ship in 2020.

“We have seen it work successfully with Viking Ocean’s 18-plus policy,” said Vicky Garcia, COO of Cruise Planners. “Also, on the land side, there are many adults-only resort models that work well when targeted so that the clients know what to expect.”

Most cruise lines that sail with children have an area of the ship that is adults-only, such as the Solarium on Royal Caribbean International’s largest ships, the Sanctuary on Princess Cruises and the Serenity areas on Carnival Cruise Line.

“Virgin Voyages is looking to attract those who probably are averse to cruising because of their impression that cruising is too focused on kids and families, with water slides, rock climbing and such,” Garcia said.

While Virgin could be going after a “party-hearty” demographic, several mainstream cruise lines fill that niche already, especially in the short-cruise segment.

Virgin’s plan calls for seven-day Caribbean cruises from Miami on its first ship.

Some expect Virgin to be aimed at the more sophisticated and lucrative end of the singles/couples continuum.

“I’m foreseeing a very South Beach-style vibe that will attract new-to-cruise passengers,” Garcia said. “It’s hard to know exactly what other vacations their target is currently aimed at, but the brand’s focus on the yacht-like design is unique and super sexy.”

The first renderings of the Virgin ships’ exterior design demonstrated some of Branson’s typical flair.

The ship’s colours will be silver-grey with red accents, including a red funnel. The aft below the promenade deck will be red with the familiar Virgin logo in large white letters centred in the middle.

Virgin also unveiled an image specific to Virgin Voyages: a sexy mermaid with blonde hair and a red tail trailing a flowing Virgin banner in one hand. The mermaid will appear at a modest size on the side of the ship’s bow in line with the bridge.

Virgin said the mermaid was inspired by figureheads on historical vessels and was designed by the London-based artist Toby Tinsley.

The overall shape of the vessel shares some angles and features with recent Fincantieri designs, such as MSC Cruises’ upcoming MSC Seaside and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Project Leonardo ships.

Renderings show a broad promenade at the aft contrasting with a slim tower of upper decks and a bow with a strong vertical aspect. Virgin said that 86% of all cabins will feature a balcony, and 93% will offer an ocean view.

Virgin has begun accepting $500 refundable deposits that will enrol prospective passengers in a presale that takes place before Virgin Voyages goes on sale to the public.