Ritz-Carlton is Launching Their Own Luxury Cruise Line
Ritz-Carlton will soon be spreading their luxury brand to the open seas.
Named the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, three cruising yachts will set sail starting in the last quarter of 2019. Typical voyages will range from 7 to 10 days, and the vessels will call on ports in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Northern Europe. Both overnight and daytime ports of call are planned.
On the smaller side of passenger vessels in the world of behemoth cruise ships, the 190 meter Ritz-Carlton Yachts will each offer just 149 suites (all with private balcony) and carry a maximum of 298 passengers. There will also be two penthouse suites being designed by Tillberg Design of Sweden, each penthouse offering 1485 square feet.
When it comes to dining, there will be a featured restaurant by Sven Elverfeld of Aqua (a three Michelin-starred restaurant at Ritz-Carlton in Wolfsburg), a lounge and wine bar with panoramic view, and special epicurean journeys including collaborations with local chefs and musicians.
Keeping in line with the familiar Ritz-Carlton experience, the floating hotels will have signature Ritz-Carlton Spas.
Reservations for the Ritz-Carlton Yachts are expected to open in May of 2018, with journeys starting at the end of 2019.
Click here for a photo tour from Ritz-Carlton’s Yacht page.
A comparable cruise line that comes to mind would be Windstar Cruises, which has 6 yachts. Each vessel holds between 148 to 310 passengers, and because of the smaller size they are also able to call at smaller ports and offer a more intimate experience.
Although I’ve never been onboard a Windstar Cruise and my budget tends to lean more towards cruise lines such as Norwegian and MSC, the photos look enticing.
I look forward to hearing more about Ritz-Carlton Yachts pricing and looking at how it compares to other cruise lines. Plus, I generally think competition is a good thing and if nothing else it’ll give everyone another choice when it comes to floating hotels.
