The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. has announced it’s headed to sea. Three, 298-passenger luxury cruise yachts are in the works for a new Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, the first of which will begin booking next May for sailings that start in late 2019.
The hotel company, a division of Marriott International, says its first foray into the cruise market will be all first class, with 190-meter (623-foot) vessels headed to ports in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America that aren’t accessible to larger cruise ships. Itineraries, ranging from seven to ten days, may include destinations such as Capri and Portofino in Italy and Cartagena, Colombia, on the Caribbean, the company said. The yachts will be available for private charter.
Accommodations, a design collaboration between Ritz-Carlton and Tillberg Design of Sweden, will include 149 suites, each with a balcony, plus two lavish 1,500-square-foot penthouse suites. A flagship restaurant will be created for the yachts by Sven Elverfeld of Aqua, the three Michelin-starred restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg, and luxury amenities include a Ritz-Carlton Spa.
The three new Ritz-Carlton cruising yachts will each have 149 suites with balconies.
