Book your reservation on Ritz-Carlton’s first ever yacht from its luxurious Yacht Collection, which will sail in the Caribbean in 2019. Baroque Yachts has all the details
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection opens reservations this June for its first vessel that will sail in the southeast Caribbean in November 2019. The first of its kind from Ritz-Carlton, the yacht will accommodate up to 298 passengers and offers a unique combination of yachting and cruising, similar to what the privileged few enjoy on a private super yacht.
Most of the voyages will be between seven and 10 days in duration. All of them initially feature classic Caribbean destinations. An example of one of the itineraries starts from St Lucia, and visits Bequia, Mustique and Tobago Cays in the Grenadines.
The vessel, which has yet to be named, will cruise the Caribbean from November 2019 to March 2020, before heading for Croatia, where it will sail in the Mediterranean from April to June that year. From there it will head westwards, arriving in the Baltic Sea to cruise between July and September 2020. It will then cross the Atlantic to cruise between Canada and New England in September and October.
The ship has 149 suites, but the number can be reduced to 107 by opening wall dividers on the 90 Terrace Suites. The ship will feature five restaurants, including a main dining room seating 140 guests, an Asian fusion restaurant, pool bar and grill, seafood grill and the Aqua Restaurant by Sven Elverfeld, chef of the three Michelin-starred Aqua restaurant that is located in the Ritz-Carlton Resort in Wolfsburg in Germany.
All of the ships will have outdoor platforms for open-air events and parties, and each will offer a number of swimming pools, including an infinity-style pool and whirlpool. There will be an indoor/outdoor solarium and at night, the yacht’s top deck will transform into a nightclub-style space. Each will also feature a fitness center with an outdoor yoga and relaxation space, as well as a social space that serves as library and café.
There are three cruise ships in the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, all built by cruise ship design from Tillberg Design of Sweden. All three will offer unique itineraries visiting destinations that larger cruise ships find hard to access. This includes the Greek island of Kythira and the Tobago Cays in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The second, also unnamed yacht in the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will expand the current itineraries on offer and include the US Great Lakes in the summer. The third super yacht in the fleet will sail in the Pacific.
Prices will be very competitive with other cruise firms, where a typical all-inclusive seven-day cruise in the Med will cost in the region of $5,600 per person.
Ritz-Carlton is aiming to blur the lines between chartering a super yacht and cruising on a small ship. The result will be a luxury resort-style vacation that marries the luxury offered at all of Ritz-Carlton’s resorts with the laid-back freedom felt when sailing on a private yacht. The cruise experience will be all-inclusive, with all drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, available in the suites and throughout the yacht. The fare will also include onboard gratuities and free WiFi. In addition, the yachts will all offer fine dining experiences, a wine bar with entertainment, programs focused on local musicians, lecturers, chefs and artists. And guests can enjoy in-suite dining 24/7.
According to Herve Humler, President and COO of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC, “This unique combination of yachting and cruising will usher in a new way of luxury travel for guests seeking to discover the world in a relaxed, casually elegant, and comfortable atmosphere with the highest level of personalized service.”