Virgin Voyages Wants Remote Workers to 'Work From Helm' on Month-Long Cruises The inaugural sailing takes off in June, with new cruises each month through September.
By Emily Rella
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
For remote workers seeking a change of scenery, Virgin Voyages may have the answer.
The adults-only cruise line, which is owned by Richard Branson's Virgin Group, has unveiled the "Scarlet Summer Season Pass," giving cruise-goers a full month (with options available in June, July, August, and September) to sail the Mediterranean aboard the company's Scarlet Lady ship — all while keeping our day job.
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"Take a vacation away from your monotonous work-from-home setup, and start taking calls from your private balcony overlooking the Mediterranean Sea," the company said in a release. "With the fastest at-sea internet on the high seas in the [business], it'll be a breeze hopping on your morning video meeting as you feel, well, the literal ocean breeze."
Prices start at $9,900 for two and include laundry service, "premium" Wi-FI, a dedicated concierge service, and a $10 daily coffee credit.
Each ship will explore different routes and stop at nine ports (two times each) in select locations on the coast of Spain, France, and Italy. All four voyages will depart from Barcelona, which means U.S. remote workers will need to fly to Europe to begin their journey.
"I've never thought of work and play as two different things — it's all just living," Branson said in a release. "We want to give sailors that same opportunity, so we came up with this idea to have them travel the world while working aboard our beautiful ships — though this sounds like a lot more fun than my houseboat."
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Virgin said that there are a limited number of rooms available and that interested attendees must fill out a form online and will find out within 72 hours if they've been selected. If selected, cruises are nonrefundable.
The Scarlet Lady's home port is Miami, Florida, and normally sails to Key West, the Virgin Beach Club at Bimini, Costa Maya, Puerto Plata, Cozumel, and Roatán. It can hold up to 1,150 crew members and 2,762 maximum sailors.
