Virgin Voyages Sets Out to Rival Food Scene in World Famous Cities
09 November 2018 - 8:27AM
Sir Richard Branson’s new cruise line’s
food reveal breaks all the traditional industry rules
Virgin Voyages, the new lifestyle brand set to disrupt the travel
industry, today announces the breadth of its onboard eateries,
which include an expansive array of restaurants ranging from haute
cuisine to casual fare. With a total of 20+ food choices onboard
Virgin Voyages’ first ship, Scarlet Lady, the company released new
designs for their restaurants, seaside lounges and casual eateries
by their Creative Collective, which includes world-renowned
designers from Roman and Williams, Tom Dixon, Concrete Amsterdam
and Soft Room, amongst others.
Virgin Voyages does not believe in paying more
for great food and ditched the traditional upcharges levied when
dining in specialty restaurants at sea. Virgin Voyages has
designed all eateries on board to offer exceptional made to order
eats and opted to include all restaurant food in the voyage
fare.
The Virgin Voyages Rebellious Luxe experience is
rooted in the modern romance of sailing: a thoroughly new take on
the formal grandeur and opulence of the ocean liner heyday when
ships were at the forefront of both technology and luxury.
Virgin Voyages will offer sailors a uniquely
elevated and boutique Adult-by-Design experience for the 18+
traveler. Virgin Voyages aims to be one of the cleanest
fleets at sea, with a ban on single-use plastics for its sailors
and no buffet on board the ship, the company will significantly
reduce waste and reinvest savings into clean technology and quality
products for its sailors. The Scarlet Lady is designed to
reflect a yacht’s sleek luxury and will set sail from PortMiami for
the 2020 season with 2,770 sailors and 1,160 crew on an
unforgettable journey to the Caribbean, she will also be the newest
ship sailing to Havana on select voyages.
“There’s a Virgin twist on everything you’ll see
aboard the Scarlet Lady, which means there will be no stuffy
formalities, boring buffets and no main dining rooms. Sailors are
not going to want to leave our ship after they experience how we’ve
designed our restaurants and tasted the dishes we are going to be
serving up in 2020,” said Sir Richard Branson, founder of the
Virgin Group.
THE RESTAURANTSVirgin Voyages
will bring city-like eating to sea and throw out the traditional
cruise dining rule book, with no buffet, no main dining room, no
forced formal wear, no assigned seating, no assigned dining times
and enhanced the choice for sailors to grab a bite by keeping
restaurant doors open until well into the night and in some cases
the early hours of the morning.
With beautifully-designed eateries setting the
stage, Virgin Voyages has expanded its Creative Collective to
include the world class AvroKO Hospitality Group, AvroKO's strategy
arm, Brand Bureau (BB), and their very own Michelin-starred chef
Brad Farmerie. BB took the reigns creating the strategy for the
entire on-board food and beverage experience, viewing it as its own
small city and thinking through what experiences the people of that
city would want and enjoy. Chef Brad Farmerie of AvroKO Hospitality
Group came in to help develop the overall culinary programming
strategy and identify culinary experts in the various cuisine types
to execute each of the exciting menus. AvroKO Hospitality Group’s
portfolio includes Saxon + Parole, Genuine Liquorette, and Ghost
Donkey.
From experimental and haute cuisine to healthy
quick bite options, the onboard eateries are tailored for sailors
to realize new experiences that are grounded in core values of
discovery, transformation, intimate connections and Vitamin Sea -
the brand’s approach to well-being for people and the planet -
whilst always being never normal.
Sailors can dine at a table or opt to enjoy
their meal at the bar, with nearly all restaurants on board
featuring a bar. Each restaurant will be helmed by a leading chef
who leads their kitchen with passion and artfulness. With a
made-to-order philosophy around food, Virgin Voyages pledges to
never have to sacrifice quality for a quick bite.
- WAKE- Designed by Roman and Williams, Wake
offers sailors a dramatic view of the ship’s wake. Serving a
theatrical take on steak and seafood, Wake is the most glamorous
restaurant on the ship, with a dramatic grand staircase
entryway.
- RAZZLE DAZZLE- With an
interior scheme that nods to the namesake, the bold camouflaging of
ships from WWI using patterns of black and white paint, Razzle
Dazzle was designed by Concrete Amsterdam. With vibrant and
creative twists on vegetarian fare and a juice bar. The
“nice” menu offers plant-based vegetarian and vegan dishes
including must have muchies such as the Impossible Burger.
The “naughty” side enables sailors to order meat “add-ons” and
offers to spike their healthy smoothies with boozy shots. To live
up to the boldness of its name, Razzle Dazzle will not simply
brunch but rather Drag Brunch, where sailors are treated to a
performance by the Scarlet Lady’s resident drag performer and
friends.
- THE TEST KITCHEN - Designed
by Concrete Amsterdam and inspired by Escoffier’s Ma Cuisine, this
laboratory-like eatery is part cooking school and part restaurant,
making it the ultimate place for discovery through cuisine with an
atmosphere that is educational, experiential and social all in
one. The chef-driven set menus are presented in the form of
an ingredient list to Sailors who will discover how the chef
combines the list of flavors throughout the course of the
meal.
- GEONBAE- Geonbae, the equivalent of the
expression bottoms up in Korean, is a Korean BBQ restaurant
designed by Soft Room. Hosted by the loudest servers at sea, each
meal will begin with a complimentary round of soju for the table
and throughout the evening sailors are encouraged to take part in
lively Korean drinking games.
- PINK AGAVE- An elevated Mexican restaurant
designed by Tom Dixon, Pink Agave transports sailors to the vibrant
streets of Mexico City through immersive void lighting.
Offering a wide variety of Mexican specialties that inspire sailors
to discover authentic Mexican flavors including tlayudas, memelas,
sopes, tortas, esquites, and tamales.
- EXTRA VIRGIN- Extra Virgin is the ships
trattoria serving regionally-inspired and approachable food, deeply
rooted in Italian culinary traditions with handmade fresh pasta
made daily. A meal begins with shared antipasti followed by
approachable pasta-centric favorites.
- DOCK- Set in the ship’s sun-dappled lounging
area at the aft of the ship on deck 7, The Dock is a beach
club-inspired space designed by Roman and Williams. Carts of
Mediterranean small plates, salads, dips and mezzes provide perfect
graving options throughout the day.
- THE GALLEY- Modeled on popular food halls
where visitors can taste a cornucopia from different restaurants,
The Galley will be the main space for the quick and casual meal
throughout the day. The food hall will feature a mix of more
than eight shops and food carts, each offering a unique concept
with irresistible signature dishes that changes to suit the time of
day. The Galley’s concepts include a dedicated bakery and pastry
shop, a panini shop, a burger grill, a taco shack, a sushi bar with
bento boxes, a noodle bar, a soup and salad stand, and a 24-hour
American diner.
- THE PIZZA PLACE- Sailors can choose from
the classic menu, or allow them to design their very own bespoke
pizza.
More details on the new lifestyle brand’s
experiences will be revealed throughout the coming year. Those
interested in Virgin Voyages can enter to win a tasty free voyage*
now through November 16 by visiting www.virginvoyages.com and
opting into the sweepstakes by entering their email address.
ABOUT VIRGIN VOYAGESVirgin
Voyages is the new lifestyle brand set to disrupt the travel
industry. The Virgin Voyages experience is rooted in the modern
romance of sailing: a thoroughly modern take on the enchantment and
indulgence of the ocean liner heyday when ships were at the
forefront of both technology and luxury. Featuring spaces
designed by some of the top names in contemporary interiors and
livery by Ben Christie and David Azurdia from the
multi-award-winning Magpie Studio in London, Virgin Voyages will
offer sailors four-star spa services, unique and unexpected
entertainment and shore excursion. With its maiden voyage scheduled
for the 2020 season, Virgin Voyages’ first ship the Scarlet Lady
was designed to reflect a yacht’s sleek luxury featuring a
silver-grey hull and smoked glass with playful red highlights as a
nod to Virgin’s iconic brand. Virgin Voyages is committed to being
one of the cleanest fleets at sea with sustainability at the
forefront: they are the first to eliminate all single use plastics
for their sailors and are developing clean energy technology and
innovative waste management systems onboard. The inaugural season
will host more than 2,770 sailors (18 and over) and 1,160 crew on
an unforgettable voyage to the Caribbean.
*Visit www.virginvoyages.com for official
sweepstakes terms and conditions. Free voyage for two subject to
availability on select Caribbean sailings. Airfare not included
with prize. Sweepstakes open only to legal residents of the fifty
(50) United States and the District of Columbia, and Canada
(excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in the
jurisdiction in which they reside at the time of entry.
MEDIA CONTACTSChristina
Baezmedia@virginvoyages.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/95e3da9e-92fb-4362-9f58-2a524cdd0f45
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/60ccd1d0-353c-4edf-92fe-a4ca8984732e