Some passengers buy professional photos or fridge magnets to remember their cruise holiday but there is also now a more permanent option: a tattoo.
Virgin Voyages is renowned for having the only tattoo parlour at sea, with studios across its four-strong fleet called Squid Ink.
Natalie Watson-Chandler, 38, from West Yorkshire, decided to commemorate her first cruise with Virgin Voyages by getting her sixth tattoo – an anchor surrounded by a wave with a starfish on top – during a roundtrip sailing from Portsmouth to La Coruna, Bilbao and Bordeaux.
Natalie, who runs her own travel agency called Wanderluster Escapes, had both personal and professional motivation to get a tattoo done.
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She told The Independent: “It’s one of the unique selling points of Virgin Voyages.
“The sailings are advertised as an adults’ playground and getting a tattoo epitomises that perfectly.
“As soon as I found out there was a tattoo parlour on board I knew I would be getting one.”
Guests – or “sailors” as Virgin Voyages calls them – need to put down a $200 deposit for a basic tattoo or $250 for a custom one, which goes towards the total cost.
This is generally more expensive than the cost of a tattoo on land, which ranges from £50 for something small to between £250 and £400 for medium-sized artwork.
But clients are buying into the experience. Virgin Voyages typically does around 40 tattoos per week-long sailing but slots fill up fast so it is best to book as soon as you embark.
Natalie had already got a tattoo of an aeroplane during a visit to Las Vegas in April 2023 to mark her love of travel, so she knew she wanted to get a nautical themed tattoo on board. Plus, it was important for her to try experiences she could share with clients.
Her tattoo cost $650 (£480).
Natalie said: “I wanted to be able to learn what it was truly like onboard and use this knowledge to help me pair this cruise line with the right passenger when I get cruise enquiries. I also wanted to be able to offer top tips to my customers so that they will have the best experience they can and get the very best from their voyage.”
It may seem scary and even dangerous to get a tattoo at sea but Virgin Voyages uses experienced tattoo artists.
Tattoo artist Cally-Jo, from Southampton, has an impressive CV which includes pop star Rihanna, so sailors can be confident.
“I’d been following their Instagram page so I had seen the quality of the work,” Natalie added.
“I looked for inspiration on Pinterest, as I said, I knew I wanted it to be nautical themed so I showed my onboard artist, Cally-Jo, the picture and left the rest in her very capable hands.”
The studio won’t operate in really choppy waters and Natalie’s appointment on the final afternoon of the sailing was initially postponed as the sea Bay of Biscay was too rough.
She said: “When I found out that the shop had to close in the days prior to my tattoo because of the rough seas my heart sank.
“I knew there was a good chance mine would get cancelled. When I woke up that morning and it was rough seas again I just knew it was going to be cancelled.”
Natalie got on with her day, knowing the tattoo she had hoped for may not happen. It wasn’t until she was eating dinner that she got a message through the Virgin Voyages app that the studio had reopened. She initially missed the new time slot but the studio managed to fit her in later.
She described the experience as relaxing, adding: “There was a large porthole and I was lucky enough to be on the bench where I could watch the waves. Cally-Jo was great and we chatted away too.
“The ship was still moving with the waves but nowhere near as much as it had been.
“This is the strangest place I have ever got a tattoo and I will never be able to say where exactly I was in the ocean when I had it done, that’s pretty wild.”
The whole tattoo process took one hour and 45 minutes but Natalie said the time and money was worth it.
She added: “My partner was really impressed, he has two half sleeves and recognised how much work had been put in to get such amazing detail.
“I got really great feedback, it was the last night of the cruise and those I ran into were amazed; some thought I was brave, others a little crazy.
“I got lots of positive comments and there were plenty of other people showing off the tattoos they’d had onboard too. Everyone was really pleased.”
Her top tip for getting a tattoo at sea is to make sure you consider the day carefully. She said: “You can’t go to the spa after you’ve had it and you should avoid the hot tubs. At the same time build in a contingency in case of rough seas like I had. Perhaps a few days before the end of the cruise would be the best of all worlds.”
So would she do it again? “Absolutely, who knows what I’ll get next time I cruise with Virgin Voyages – I might even let my customers decide.”
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