Richard Branson has shared a simple trick that will see Champagne delivered directly to you on cruises.
When asked about his favourite lesser-known feature of his Virgin Voyages cruise line during a trip to London, the business mogul told the Mirror of the very stream-lined process customers can go through to send a bottle of bubble their way.
With the Virgin Voyages app installed on their phone, passengers can give their mobile a shake to see a secret button appear on their screen. Once this has been tapped, a bottle of Möet Chandon Impérial will be delivered directly to them, regardless of where they are onboard.
Sir Richard was in London to promote his cruise line, from the top of a double-decker bus decorated to look like a ship sailing through the streets of the English Capital. He disembarked at several points to hand out free holidays to lucky pedestrians who happened to be passing.
Sir Richard explained how he sat down with his team ahead of Virgin Voyages' launch nine years ago and wrote down all the things they loved and hated about the cruise experience. "They drew this picture of this cruise ship that is more like a private yacht, better than a private yacht. When I walked on there (for the first time) there was nothing I wanted to change. Nothing. Which is rare when you launch a new company."
He added: "It’s been wonderful to go aboard Scarlet Lady this morning, sailing around and surprising lucky Londoners with free voyages. I’m a big believer in it not just being about where you go, but how you get there. Summer is a time for exploration, relaxation, and creating unforgettable memories."
Nirmal Saverimuttu, CEO of Virgin Voyages, was also on hand to share some of his favourite features, which include Richard Rooftop - an exclusive space atop the ship for those who book a suite.
"There is an outdoor workout area onboard, one of my favourite actually is training camp which if this was a kid friendly ship would've been a teen space. When we decided to be a kid free voyage we took all the spaces that would've been for kids and converted them into outdoor workout areas, so we have an indoor-outdoor CrossFit workout area," he explained from Oxford Street as happy members of the public received free holidays nearby.
"One of the big differences with Virgin Voyages is that we didn't want to create any big dining halls, or any big buffets. We wanted to make sure everything was made to order. When people think about cruise ships they think about big dining halls, buffets, we wanted to make it feel like you're going out to dinner in London."
Onboard guests will be pampered through a number of other luxury features including sunrise yoga sessions and even a tattoo parlour. You can find out more on virginvoyages.com.
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