Booking A Ritz-Carlton Cruise: Worth It?

In 2019, I had booked my first cruise in over a decade, and was really excited. Due to a combination of the ship being delayed, plus this little thing called coronavirus, that never did end up happening. However, I’m now considering dipping my toe back in the water (no pun intended), and am considering booking one… though I’d love some thoughts from OMAAT readers?

I used to be obsessed with cruise ships

Y’all know how obsessed I am with planes. Well, in my pre-teens, I was every bit as obsessed with cruise ships. Living in Florida, my parents would take me on a cruise once a year (typically Carnival), and it was the highlight of my year. The below ad was kind of my jam.

I was so obsessed with cruise ships that I remember when I went to dinner with my parents at a young age, I’d bring all the Carnival brochures that had all of their cruise itineraries in them, and then I’d fake “sell” my parents those cruises (they’d tell me where they wanted to go, and I had memorized all the cruises, ships, etc.).

Yeah, I was a weird kid (and am still weird, so not much has changed). I don’t know at exactly what age it happened, but eventually I lost interest in cruises overnight. I’m not sure there’s a good reason for it, or if it’s just that I moved on. I guess as I got more interested in frequent travel by planes and mileage running, I got less interested in ships.

There’s no denying that the cruise industry has evolved a lot over the years.

On the one end of the spectrum, ships are bigger than ever before, with some having a capacity of 6,000+ guests. Maybe that appeals to some, but it has little appeal to me. It’s essentially a floating city, and it sort of takes away the feeling of being in the water, and is instead more like the world’s biggest all-inclusive resort (which can still be a great vacation, especially for families, but it’s not for me).

On the other end of the spectrum, we’re seeing an ever increasing number of intimate, luxury cruise ships, some of which sail to cool destinations. Along those lines…

Should I take a Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection cruise?

In late 2022, we saw the launch of Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, a new cruise line. Now, this isn’t run directly by Ritz-Carlton, but rather the name is licensed, and the company does participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program.

When the company first announced plans to launch, I decided to book a cruise, since I was intrigued, as it was the first time we see a cruise line essentially marketed as being part of a major hotel group in this way. However, the sailing I was booked on got canceled because the ship wasn’t ready, so it didn’t work out.

I hadn’t put much thought into the cruise line again, until now. I guess I’m back on the Marriott hamster wheel, sort of, given that I’ve earned Bonvoy Ambassador status. I’m not trying to act totally irrationally, though this is making me consider booking one of these cruises sooner rather than later.

Here’s my thought process, I guess:

• I write about travel for a living, so perhaps in a way it’s my duty to revisit the cruising world, and see what the experience is like
• I like being on the water, so the idea of a cruise sounds like a fun and relaxing time
• Given how expensive many hotels have gotten nowadays, the pricing in many cases isn’t that unreasonable, if you ask me
• Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection cruises include a lot, from basic alcoholic drinks, to food, to gratuities, to Wi-Fi

So I’m curious, have any OMAAT readers been on a Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection cruise, and if so, what was your experience like? Will I enjoy it and find it to be a fun and relaxing time, or will I come off the ship thinking it’s not for me?

Here’s my other question. Right now, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has two ships. There’s Evrima, which can accommodate 298 guests, and Ilma, which can accommodate 448 guests. Obviously the latter is roughly 50% bigger than the former, though it’s also newer. Any thoughts as to whether the experience between the ships is materially different, because I’m finding better pricing on some cruises on Ilma (which… maybe that tells me what I need to know).

Where would I sail, and how much does it cost?

Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection ships sail around the world, including in the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and beyond. You can find all the voyages here, and sort them by destination, dates, etc.

If you ask me, one of the arguments in favor of cruising is that you can potentially visit some places that can’t necessarily easily be visited by land, and/or which don’t otherwise have nice accommodations (there are some cruises lines focused specifically on this, like PONANT). With that in mind, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has some pretty cool itineraries:

• In the summer of 2025, there are some Iceland and Northern Europe cruises, which probably interest me most
• In late 2025 and 2026, I see some awesome Asia itineraries as well, ranging from cruises that sail around Japan, to ones that go between Hong Kong and Singapore
• In 2026, I see cruises around Alaska, which is a cool destination that’s otherwise not necessarily easy to get around

Now, here’s the thing. I’m thinking of being super lame and just booking a cruise that has an itinerary that doesn’t necessarily interest me that much, around the Caribbean. Why? Well, a few reasons:

• On a per-night basis, these cruises are way cheaper than the ones in the places that I’d actually find really interesting
• I’d like to do this sooner rather than later, and these are available in the coming weeks, while there are no non-Caribbean sailings right now
• Just to be perfectly honest, I’m just not in a point in my life right now where I can plan major, non-refundable things far in advance, between family health issues, having a toddler, etc.; hopefully I’ll have those chances again in the future, but right now my travel planning is more last minute

For example, if the goal is to get the cheapest cruise per night, an upcoming itinerary in the Caribbean is about as good as it gets.

Meanwhile there are even some three-day itineraries that are the cheapest is absolute terms, but not per night. It would be a nice way to experience the cruise line without a huge time commitment.

Note that with Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, there’s pricing parity regardless of which source you book through. The only thing to note is that if you book through a Marriott STARS travel advisor, you’ll receive a complimentary dinner for two at the ships specialty restaurant (this is the only restaurant onboard that costs extra, and ordinarily this retails for $250+ per person, so that’s quite a value-add).

Bottom line

Cruises can be a pretty polarizing way to travel. I was obsessed with them as a kid, but haven’t taken a cruise in a very long time. I’ve been intrigued by Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection for some time, given the hotel angle. While I had intended to take a sailing when the cruise line first launched, that didn’t materialize, given the delay in launch. However, I’m once again considering this, so would love some feedback from OMAAT readers.

How do you feel about cruises in general? Anyone have firsthand experience with Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection? And would you find this more or less interesting than a review trip with a bunch of new premium cabin products?