A year ago, the first cruise ship of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, the 149-suite Evrima, took her maiden voyage. The next, to be christened Ilma, plans to begin cruising in September 2024 with 224 suites, and similarly sized third ship, Luminara, began construction is June, with sailings planned for 2025.
While the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection hasn’t formally announced any additional ships, an article in Seatrade Cruise News points to further expansion of not only Ritz-Carlton ships, but vessels aligned with other Marriott brands as well.
Jim Murren, executive chairman and CEO of Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection told the cruise industry publication in September, “We already have plans under way for [Ritz-Carlton] ships four and five, to be built on a different platform, to be disclosed, and beyond that we're looking into maybe getting into the expedition space and other yacht types, to get our fleet up to eight to 10 yachts within the next several years.”
Murren said Marriott was open to branching out and that there are “multiple opportunities to match the right brand to the right product.”
With the three-ship fleet, Ritz-Carlton will sail Mediterranean-Caribbean itineraries. However, Murren said that it’s likely the company will add Asia-Pacific routes with the fourth and fifth ships, expected to have a larger capacity with about 450 berths. 
Since the launch of the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, other luxury hotel chains have announced plans to head to sea. Four Season expects to launch a 95-suite, 679-foot super yacht in late 2025 and a second in 2026. Additionally, Accor’s is building the world’s largest sailing ship under its Orient Express luxury brand. The environmentally friendly Orient Express Silenseas (above) will sail in 2026, powered by both wind and a propulsion system running on liquefied natural gas. The 656-foot ship will have 54-suites.
