Richard Branson, owner of Virgin, has just launched an adult-only cruise line that will begin operating in April, ignoring a difficult time for the sector, hit by the outbreak of Wuhan's coronavirus (Covid-20)
Scarlet Lady, the first of four vessels that will be part of the Virgin Voyages fleet, aims to take "the luxury of boutique hotels to the sea," Branson said after the boat's presentation this Friday in Denver (England).
Although the base of this cruise line will be in Miami to tour the Caribbean, thousands of kilometers from the epicenter of the virus, in Asia, it is still unknown what impact this epidemic will have on the demand of its potential customers. The experience of 3,700 people aboard the Diamond Princess, which has been docked in the port of Yokohama for several weeks after several infections of coronavirus were detected and whose passengers have begun to disembark after 15 days trapped, has made headlines throughout The world and large companies such as Carnival or Royal Caribbean Cruises have already announced that their benefits will be cut by this health crisis.
Virgin's fleet seeks to capitalize on the boom that cruise ships are having among young people. The interior of their boats will be designed by Tom Dixon and Roman and Williams and the facilities will feature gyms in which sports programs and activities such as yoga and 20 restaurants will be offered whose menus will meet the standards of Michelin-star chefs. There will also be space for entertainment with shows and music offered by prestigious disyoqueis.
Among the main cruise operators, Norwegian Cruise Line is the least exposed to Asian markets, followed by Royal Caribbean and Carnival, according to Berenberg analysts. There is still no evidence of how the quarantine coverage of the ship in quarantine in Yokohama is affecting worldwide cruise reservations or the refusal of five countries to accommodate Westerdam passengers, among which there is finally no infected and have already landed in Cambodia.
The Scarlet Lady, built in Genoa (Italy), will cover routes, which include stops in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Key West and Bahamas, where passengers can use their own beach club. Another of the ships will be based in Barcelona and will offer Mediterranean cruises starting next year.