Virgin Voyages Debuts the Ultimate Remote Work Experience

Last Updated on March 21, 2024

With remote work increasing since the pandemic, many people have considered the possibility of doing their jobs on a cruise ship, catching up on work during the day, and enjoying life on the ocean at night. Virgin Voyages is seeking to capitalize on this new trend with their new “Scarlet Summer Season Pass.” This pass gives guests a month at sea in some of the most beautiful locations in the world. 

The ultimate remote work experience

The Scarlet Summer Season Pass applies to the Scarlet Lady, which will be sailing the Mediterranean this summer. With this special season pass, you’ll visit nine unique ports two times each. 

This Summer Season Pass is essentially a back-to-back-to-back-to-back (B2B2B2B) cruise. In essence, you’ll be staying on the ship for four different sailings. Guests have four different options for the season pass, all leaving from Barcelona over the summer.

• June 9 – July 7, 2024
• July 7 – August 4, 2024
• August 4 – September 1, 2024
• September 1 – September 29, 2024

They visit popular Mediterranean ports like Marseille, Cannes, Ibiza, Marina di Carrara, and Rome. 

The Internet speed you need on Virgin Voyages

The biggest limiting factor in working from a cruise ship is the internet. In the past, cruise internet was notoriously slow, with frequent service interruptions. But Virgin Voyages has upgraded to Starlink and put ten antennas on each ship. This service uses low-orbit satellites to prove Internet speeds and reliability that rival the service many guests see at home.

Virgin Voyages takes that one step further by partnering with SES Networks. SES uses more traditional medium earth orbit satellites to provide internet. By combining both of these systems and using advanced traffic management, they can route data through both channels, giving guests the best internet access at sea. 

Also, Virgin Voyages allows access to VPNs and Wi-Fi calling, two things often blocked by other cruise lines (Carnival and Princess Cruises block Wi-Fi calling even on their premium packages). Both of these technologies are essential if people will be working from a cruise ship. 

What does the Scarlet Summer Season Pass cost?

Virgin Voyages says the special summer pass will cost $9,990 per cabin, which represents a savings of 30% in value. For that cost, you will get four weeks at sea in a Central Sea Terrace (balcony) cabin. It’s important to remember that Virgin Voyages includes daily gratuities, basic beverages (soda and juices), and almost all dining venues on the ship in these base cruise fares. 

Special perks of Scarlet Summer Season Pass

Virgin Voyages has added quite a few perks to this offer. It starts off with some welcome champagne to kick off your month at sea. The rest of the benefits help make working remotely and living on a ship for a month easier. 

While Virgin Voyages includes internet for every guest, those with a Season Pass will receive free premium Wi-Fi to make working from ship possible. That’s usually an extra $10 – $15 per day.

Need some caffeine to get through the morning emails? Season pass holders get $10 a day towards premium coffees.

Season pass holders will also enjoy access to Richard’s Rooftop, an exclusive area typically reserved for suites and Rock Star accommodations, which cost much more than standard balcony cabins. They’ll also get concierge support for all the booking needs and early access to book dinner and excursions. 

To help reduce the amount of clothes you must bring, Virgin Voyages provides a wash and fold service for season pass holders for each leg of the cruise. 

Is it feasible to actually work from a cruise ship?

Whether or not working remotely is feasible really depends on the type of work you do. We frequently hear travel agents, writers, and financial advisors working from cruise ships. Since most of their work can be done during off hours and typically via email, working on a ship is easy as long as it has good internet. 

Overall, you’d need a very flexible job in terms of working hours and responsiveness. For those who can’t work remotely, you can book any of the individual legs of these cruises and use vacation time so you can truly enjoy the vacation.

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