Getting drunk on champagne has never been easier – or smarter, for that matter. The Scarlet Lady, the first of the luxury cruise ships from Richard Branson’s lifestyle brand Virgin Voyages, comes with an app that allows you to order a bottle of the bubbly by simply shaking your phone.
Oh, what a brave new world. And you don’t even have to make too big an effort to get what you want.
The Scarlet Lady is currently in completion and will take its maiden voyage in April 2020, from Miami to the Caribbean, carrying over 2,700 guests and more than 1,100 crew. Reservations are still open, and Virgin Voyages is positive it will “disrupt the travel industry” with a novel proposition: a decadent, luxurious cruise for adults only, with plenty of booze and dedicated spaces to enjoy it. This sounds like a bold claim to make, but wait until you hear how it plans to make it happen.
The Sailor App is part of the proposition: when you shake the phone, it wakes the screen to a button that says “press for champagne.” Once you do, you will only have to wait for a few minutes more before a waiter arrives at your exact location with a 750ml bottle of Moet Chandon Imperial and 2 glasses in a custom red Virgin bucket.
Of course, in order for the waiter to find you, you will have to have location services enabled on the phone. Sailor App uses in-app location services to pinpoint you on the cruise ship and have the waiter bring your booze to you.
“Save water, drink Champagne,” the app says. A noble mission everyone get behind of.
“There’s nothing more luxurious than having Champagne at your beck and call or even a shake,” Nathan Rosenberg, CMO Virgin Voyages, says of the app.
“It is never too early for champagne and there is always something to toast to while aboard Scarlet Lady. We want our Sailors to enjoy a glamorous holiday and what better way to feel like a RockStar than a sip of bubbly whenever and wherever you want it,” Tom Mcalpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages, adds.
Photo: Virgin Voyages
Because occasions to toast champagne abound, the Virgin Lady includes other boozy offerings as well, with the most outstanding being a Champagne and Caviar Lounge called Sip. Sip is a dedicated space for boozing it up, a Virgin Voyages featured champagne house.
With spatial design by HKS Hospitality Interiors, Sip is inspired by the decadence and effervescence of champagne. It features a long marble bar with rose-gold inlay, and is finished in gold and rose-pink hues. Deep watery blues and carrara white marble tables and bars come to provide some much-needed contrast and to complete the picture of ultimate luxury: a place made especially for getting your drink on.
Here, “sailors” can enjoy a wide range of alcoholic beverages, from a $9 glass of regular vino to a $1,000 bottle of vintage wine, together with caviar, sandwiches and signature high tea. The signature English Pale Ale, which Branson himself brewed earlier in 2019, will also be made available.
If there was ever a place to booze it up from dusk till dawn, the Scarlet Lady is probably it.
Photo: Virgin Voyages
The Scarlet Lady is one of the 4 ships in completion from Virgin Voyages, a new, global lifestyle brand that aims to redefine luxury and the very concept of a cruise. Virgin Voyages’ idea of a cruise adult-only (yes, you read that right, no kids are allowed on board), offering a “sanctuary” at sea for the well-heeled traveler. Fine dining, excellent wines and champagne, fitness group classes and “alluring” entertainment are thrown in for a unique cruise ship experience. The on-demand champagne service through the dedicated app falls in this category as well.
First reservations on the Scarlet Lady will receive a limited-edition bottle of Moet Chandon Imperial in their cabin. Because free booze is the best kind of booze.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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