Virgin Voyages says 86% of staterooms aboard Virgin 1, their first newbuild for the cruise line, will have an ‘ocean terrace’ while 93% of cabins will be oceanview. Virgin Voyages will achieve this with a truly unique ship design that has the superstructure occupying the entire bow area.

The new ship is the first in the ‘Lady Ships’ class and will be for over 18s only, so no family cabins or children’s play areas.

“Today, ships are built in sections; 399 on our ship to be precise. Our keel laying was the lowering of the first section into the drydock. We also welded newly minted coins into the keel for good luck,” the cruise line said in a statement on its website.

The first cruise ship in the Lady Ships class will be sleek and luxurious, according to Virgin Voyages, with “exquisite attention to detail” and a livery inspired by the Virgin Atlantic airline that gave rise to the Virgin Group.

On the bow of the ship, Virgin Voyages says you will find “our beautiful, mermaid guide. Inspired by the traditional bows from ships of yore, she is our ship’s muse. The soul of the voyage. Our elegant leader. The feminine spirit of the ship.”

She was designed by ten international companies that were engaged to handle different aspects of the ship’s public and private spaces. Notably, famous yacht designers Roman and Williams have been brought in to handle the ships public rooms, suggesting she will have a particularly high-end interior.

The official rendering of the ship shows interiors that occupy the full length of the cruise ship, right up over the bow. There is no foredeck on this ship and its to be expected that many of those extreme forward spaces will be occupied by the most expensive staterooms with truly impressive views over the bow.

The bow of the ship itself is unusual but not unprecedented. Like AIDA Cruises new AIDAprime, Virgin Voyages will use a ‘plumb bow’ otherwise known as an axebow, which is more aerodynamic through the water, while also reducing motion at sea by cutting through waves rather than moving over them.

The name has not yet been released and will be decided in a naming contest open to the public, Virgin Voyages says.