The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
Ultra-Luxury Cruising
Ritz-Carlton has built something genuinely different here — no buffet, no announcements, no cruise director, no casino. Ilma has the highest space-per-guest ratio at sea and it shows. This is for clients who stay at Ritz-Carlton hotels and want that same hushed, anticipatory service on the water. Just note that the entry-level Terrace Suites on Ilma are more studio than suite, so I always recommend upgrading at least one category.
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection represents the hotel giant’s bold entry into ultra-luxury cruising, and it has deliberately avoided building a cruise line at all. The three purpose-built superyachts — Evrima (149 suites), Ilma (224 suites) and Luminara (226 suites) — are designed to feel like a private estate on the water rather than a ship. There is no buffet, no public-address system, no cruise director and no casino. Instead, wide, wood-panelled corridors, an almost one-to-one crew-to-guest ratio, and a deliberate sense of quiet create the atmosphere of a floating Ritz-Carlton property.
Dining is a particular strength. Five onboard restaurants include S.E.A., which serves seven-course tasting menus conceived by Chef Sven Elverfeld of the three-Michelin-star Aqua restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton Wolfsburg. All dining, premium beverages, gratuities, Wi-Fi and a marina watersports platform are included in the fare. Ilma, named Cruise Critic’s Luxury Ship of the Year for 2024, boasts the highest space-per-guest ratio at sea — over 104 cubic feet per passenger — and even when sailing full, the ship feels serenely uncrowded.
The itineraries favour quieter coves and smaller harbours over busy cruise terminals. Guests are more likely to wake up anchored off the coast of Corsica or in a hidden Grenadines bay than alongside a concrete pier. The collection’s inaugural Alaska season aboard Luminara in 2026 signals continued expansion into new waters. The guest profile skews younger than most ultra-luxury lines, with roughly half having never cruised before and around 40 percent already loyal to the Ritz-Carlton brand.
This is not a product for the traditional cruise enthusiast — and that is entirely the point. For travellers who want the polish of a world-class hotel, the intimacy of a private yacht and the freedom to explore coastlines at a leisurely pace, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection delivers an experience that has very few peers afloat.
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