For so long, I’ve almost exclusively covered airlines and hotels when it comes to the travel front. In recent times, I’ve been warming up more to the concept of cruising.
I recently took my first cruise in around two decades by sailing on Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, and I had an awesome experience. It’s a fascinating period for the industry, given the increasing crossover we’re seeing between luxury hotel groups and cruise ships.
Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has been sailing for a couple of years, we recently saw the introduction of Four Seasons Yachts, and Orient Express Sailing Yachts and Aman at Sea are expected to launch within the next year or so. Competition at the very top end of the market sure is heating up!
In this post, I’d broadly like to discuss the value proposition of luxury cruising, based on my recent experience, because I walked away from the experience with a better impression than I was expecting.
Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is expensive but includes a lot
I’ve written a detailed guide to Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, so I don’t want to rehash everything here. The idea is that the cruise line has three ships, and also has a lot of inclusions. So while sailings are expensive, you should be happy with the experience onboard.
You can expect sailings to cost anywhere from $650 to $2,000 per person per night for a base suite, though of course it fluctuates significantly based on the time of year, sailing, etc. Rates include most meals and drinks, Starlink Wi-Fi, gratuities, etc. It really feels like they don’t cut corners, including with the included alcohol selection. For example, we got off the ship spending zero extra dollars beyond our fare.
Obviously the cruise line is expensive, but when you look at the inflation we’ve seen in the luxury hotel industry, cruising starts to look like a value, by comparison. It’s amazing how many hotels nowadays charge $2,500-4,000 per night for a standard room, while including almost nothing.
In terms of putting the pricing into context for the cruising industry, this is basically at the very top end of the existing market. However, Four Seasons Yachts recently launched and is considerably more expensive, while Orient Express Sailing Yachts and Aman at Sea will be even pricier than that (admittedly those new ventures have even larger accommodations).
If you do plan to book a Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection cruise, make sure you participate in Marriott Bonvoy (given the loyalty collaboration), and make sure you book through a Marriott STARS travel advisor, so you can take advantage of extra perks. Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has pricing parity regardless of which source you book through, so you should maximize your perks.
Why luxury cruising is more appealing than I was expecting
I tend to think that cruising is a pretty polarizing way to vacation — some people swear by cruises and that’s basically the extent to which they travel, while some people would never even consider taking a cruise. So in that sense, I think cruising is really evolving, especially with all of the upcoming entrants into the market.
Fun story — as a kid, I was as obsessed with cruise ships as I now am with planes. 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.
But I think that’s also what’s so fascinating — this is an industry that has evolved so much since I was a kid. 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 on the water, and is instead more like the world’s biggest all-inclusive resort (which can still be a great vacation, especially for families).
On the other end of the spectrum, we’re seeing an ever increasing number of intimate, luxury cruise ships.
I think to some non-cruisers, cruises seem kind of intimidating, and people are concerned that that they’ll feel like outsiders if they’re not taking their 37th cruise. After all, cruising has a cult following. So in that sense, I think that’s an area where Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is really appealing:
- They’ve done a good job getting guests who might otherwise stay at hotels rather than on ships, so at least based on the sailing I took, it was a really pleasant, diverse crowd; maybe my impression is just off, but in my head, it feels like most other high-end cruise lines (Regent, Silversea, Seabourn, etc.) are heavily targeted at seniors, which there’s nothing wrong with, but I like some variety
- What impressed me about Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is that it didn’t feel like corners were being cut, and like they were skimping, despite the inclusive nature of the experience; from great food to Moet champagne, it feels like a “generous” experience
- The ships really are small enough to the point that they feel like mid-size hotels, rather than like floating cities, so I liked that intimacy; for example, when I walked through the ship at 6AM, I didn’t see a single other non-staff member
- A lot of people are just plain exhausted, and I think they underestimate just how easy of a vacation cruising is, in terms of not having to pack and unpack, it being a great option for kids, etc.
Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has some fun itineraries
There’s an argument to be made in general for cruising just being a relaxing and easy vacation, even if the destinations as such aren’t necessarily that interesting. I think the ultimate cruise experience is to somewhere like Antarctica, which just isn’t practical to explore by land. Admittedly Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection doesn’t sail those itineraries, and it’s generally best to go with a specialist for that, like PONANT.
Personally — and it’s just my take — Caribbean and Mediterranean cruises are probably the least interesting, because these are largely destinations I’d rather visit by land, and where I enjoy staying at hotels.
However, to Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s credit, the cruise line has some itineraries that I find to be pretty cool, particularly on Evrima and Luminara.
Evrima, the smallest ship, has some fun voyages, like around Iceland, and around French Polynesia. Of course these places can also be visited by land, but there’s something that sounds really nice about cruising in these areas as well.
I’ve gotta say, maybe I’m just becoming super lame in my older age, but some of the Asia itineraries sound really fun, as an alternative to your typical land-based vacation. Of course many places in Japan are best visited by land, but sailing around Japan also sounds cool!
I wish I had more free time and didn’t have so many commitments, or else I’d love to do a transoceanic crossing, as these are typically the best value, and seem fun to me. While Atlantic crossings are common, I also love the Pacific crossing, like a cruise from Tokyo to Whittier… how fun!
Bottom line
Cruises can be a pretty polarizing way to travel. I was obsessed with them as a kid, but then had a roughly 20 year gap between cruises. With luxury hotel groups increasingly getting into the cruising industry, I’m intrigued by the evolution of the industry.
While there’s no denying that there are cheaper and probably better value cruises out there, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection provides a very well rounded experience, especially if you’re viewing this from the perspective of someone who usually vacations at hotels, where the inflation in recent years has been wild.
I recently took my first cruise in years, and had a fun time. While it’s not the only way I’m going to vacation, or anything, I am planning on being a repeat cruiser. I have Four Seasons Yachts booked for later this year, and am considering another cruise next year.
How do you feel about cruises in general, and the evolution of brands like Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection?
