The herd set sail; our week on Virgin Voyages

If you haven’t already seen or heard, the Loud Llama herd hopped aboard the Valiant Lady last month after being invited by Virgin Voyages. It was the kind of ‘hybrid working scenario that everyone dreams about; hot tub breaks at lunch, endless free food, and the chance to work from sea. Setting sail in Amsterdam, we travelled to Bruges for a couple of nights and then back to Portsmouth where we said farewell…

Let’s talk ship

In truth, Valiant Lady’s distinctiveness is impossible to miss. In a bid to be ‘different’ and break the conventions of cruising, Virgin used designers who had never worked on cruise ships before. The 2,700-passenger ship’s exterior resembles a sleek, giant superyacht, with a glamorous mermaid gracing the liner’s bow.

Virgin Voyages really shook up the status quo. From a tattoo parlour to a basketball court, boxing ring and a club, the ship was aimed at the young at heart. The youngest member of our group was 22 and the eldest 78 but the ship offered something for everyone.

The food was spectacular including the Korean BBQ at Gunbae, where you’re greeted with a shot of Soju and a game of 369.

The entertainment was better than we could have ever expected too, from private karaoke booths to circus performances, live music, and more! As an adults-only ship, Virgin Voyages made sure everything was tailored to perfection and we loved The Manor, the ship’s very own nightclub.?

We weren’t the only sailors

It wasn’t all play. We invited our friends at Populate Social and RCCO to join us, Populate Social is located just down the road from us at Loud Llama, and when Mikey, Head of Sales, rang us for a chat last week, Paris knew she could do better than meeting in a coffee shop. Dan, Mikey, Jordan and Steff jumped at the invitation and we were so excited to hear more about their boundary pushing approach to social media marketing.?

RCCO is a London design agency run by school friends, Jordan and Josh, known as creative pioneers for tech brands (including Google, YouTube and King). RCCO celebrate their 4th birthday this year and it's fair to say, they are smashing it!

Restore and explore!?

From sea to shore, we got to explore some pretty cool places. We spent the weekend in Amsterdam before boarding the ship, cycling around Vondelpark, exploring its museums, and of course, dancing the night away. On days three and four, the ship docked in Zeebrugge, so we hopped on a short 3-euro train into the beautiful Belgian city of Bruges known for its chocolate, beer, canals, and landmarks.?

Some of the team headed for BlackBoxx, a co-working space, for the morning before enjoying all that Bruges had to offer.?

We even met the Captain!?

It was a pretty special trip all around thanks to the head of the herd, Paris, who arranged the whole trip from dinners to experiences and even covid testing.

One of the coolest surprises was a trip to the Captain’s Bridge, where the ship is navigated from. Did you know that they have a flag for every single territory on the Bridge, which they have to hoist up each time the ship sails into new territories?

We sat in the Captain’s chair, explored the extremely-complex equipment, and looked out of the best view from the boat.?

Did I mention you could shake for Champagne?

A casino, boxing ring, basketball court, and tattoo studio all sound pretty cool right? This ship pretty much had it all, and the staff couldn’t have been more helpful. Booking your dinner reservations, spa treatments and more was all done through the Virgin Voyages app on board, and it turns out you don’t even have to lift a finger for a drink!?

If you shook your phone whilst on the app, the screen would fill with golden bubbles and the next thing you know there was a bottle of bubbly sitting right in front of you. That’s right, you shake for Champagne anywhere on board, and Sailor Services will bring it right over immediately.?

And it was all Scarlet

In the middle of the week, the whole boat goes wild for Scarlet Night; everyone dresses in red, the boat is decorated with tentacles and glitter walls, and the staff can be seen dancing and singing everywhere you go!

With an action-packed evening in store, we all headed for the ‘Dual Reality’ performance, which was met with gasps and claps as we were amazed at the circus performance before us! Next it was onto Pink Agave, the Virgin Lady’s Mexican restaurant, and onto the Manor Nightclub where we showed off some pretty awful moves.?

Safe to say we weren’t feeling quite as rosy the next morning.?

Did you miss our trip on social media? Don’t worry, you can see all of the best bits on our Instagram page @loudllama?

Sound like the kind of herd you’d like to do work with? Get in touch [email protected]

Fancy setting sail on Valiant Lady? She will start sailing four different seven-night Mediterranean and French Riviera voyages from Barcelona in May 2022, including overnight stays in Ibiza. In November Valiant Lady will relocate to Miami and the Caribbean for winter. For more information, visit www.virginvoyages.com.