What's it like On Board Ritz-Carlton's Evrima?

Table Of Content

• Evrima's Passengers Skew Younger Than Other Luxury Ships
• The Marina Terrace
• Included with your cruise fare:
• Onboard Experience - shipboard facilities and amenities

In August 2023, Ritz-Carlton signed a partnership deal with Candela Mamajuana (2016-founded by Alejandro Russo distillery in Dominicana producing the Candela Mamajuana Spice Rum brand). The partnership resulted in the launch of limited-edition Candela MAREA rum crafted exclusively for the Ritz-Carlton's cruise company. Candela MAREA (introduced on the Evrima yacht) features the 40-year-old "Kirk & Sweeney Gran Reserva Superior Dominican Rum" mixed with honey and spices.

Evrima's Passengers Skew Younger Than Other Luxury Ships

Designed for luxury travelers seeking an intimate, residential-style cruise-ship experience, Evrima features spacious suites (the smallest is 300 square feet) with neutral contemporary décor and an elevated culinary program with five dining venues. Amenities include expansive outdoor decks for lounging, airy public spaces designed with open sightlines and floor-to-ceiling windows, two aft infinity pools, a Marina and Marina Terrace for sunning and watersports, and an onboard Ritz-Carlton Spa. It’s all intended to make guests feel as if they’re vacationing on a private yacht—with several hundred new friends—all while earning Marriott Bonvoy points, too. Launched in late 2022 after several years of planning and 14 months of delays, it’s a mega-yachting experience that feels more focused on connections with the destination and the people around you—guests and staff alike. Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection's “shore experiences” with local guides leave plenty of free time for your own adventures (also for a fee), plus multi-day dockings encouraging passengers to step ashore on their own to explore the mainland by day or night. Onboard, live-music in communal bar areas await groups when they return to the ship in the evening.

The Marina Terrace

While it's true that Evrima purposely lacks some of the standard amenities present on cruise ships -- like a casino, a theater, a buffet restaurant or a centerpiece pool deck -- the yacht does manage other spaces in a more traditional fashion. Cabins are distributed across decks 4 to 8, while the spa and fitness studio take up most of Deck 9. The main dining room -- called Evrima Room -- and the reception area are both on Deck 4, while the Observation Lounge is on Deck 10. The company didn't provide images of the Owner's Suites but offered a peek inside a Loft Suite and smaller Grand Suites and Signature Suites. The latter two categories of rooms still are large by cruise ship standards at 587 square feet and 427 square feet, respectively, not including balcony space.

Included with your cruise fare:

Also available are deep muscle massages (starting at $205) and piedras calientes therapy treatments, which use warmed stones (starting at $275). After a day in port, you might want the hour-long black masque Leg Renewal Treatment ($130) that alleviates tired legs by reducing inflammation and encouraging enhanced circulation. Kick-start each night of your voyage with a special cocktail or Champagne toast and stop by for a nightcap after dinner. Finally, the yacht also offers connecting and convertible suites for families and friends traveling together. The All-Day Dining menu features influences from every dining venue on board and a Late-Night Dining menu will also be available. If you love transatlantic sailings, check out Evrima's 13-night April 14 itinerary that departs San Juan and arrives in Lisbon, Portugal with calls on Hamilton, Bermuda; Horta and Ponta Delgada in The Azores; plus nine sea days.

Ritz-Carlton Doubles Down on Cruise Strategy - MeetingsNet

Ritz-Carlton Doubles Down on Cruise Strategy.

Posted: Mon, 09 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Even though the yachts will only host up to 298 passengers at full capacity, there are several distinct dining venues — including S.E.A, designed by chef Sven Elverfeld of Aqua, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg in Germany. Then a Grand Suite — there are 14 of them on the ship — may be right for you since it offers dual walk-in closets. The suite interior is 587 square feet and the terrace is 108 square feet.

Owner's Suite Shines Among Evrima's Luxurious Cabins

Customary tips for spa treatments, salon services, and shore excursion guides can be extended on an individual basis. This philosophy of “savoring the lands you visit” is designed to more fully immerse guests in the culture, traditions, and natural bounty of some of the world’s most compelling destinations. Local sourcing is especially evident in the main restaurant, The Evrima Room, where seasonal menus change to reflect the places visited. Guests can expect fresh Mediterranean ingredients in spring and summer and culture-rich Caribbean flavors in fall and winter. Maybe this will change in the future, but the line's cruise fares aren't solo traveler-friendly. All suites carry a 200% single supplement (i.e., you will pay double the per-person rate based on double occupancy when you travel in a cabin alone).

Itineraries

Onboard entertainment includes live performances (jazz and classical) and professional (expert-led) lectures and media presentations. During each voyage, local guests (artists, lecturers, chefs) board the ship for various entertainment acts throughout the cruise. The ship hosted the “first-ever Marriott Bonvoy member reception at sea,” according to Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano, who Zoomed in for the occasion. Although Evrima currently stands as Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection's sole vessel in the fleet, the company has announced the introduction of two new yachts. Ilma is set to arrive in 2024 and will be a larger ship, with capacity for 456 guests. In 2025, the luxury line will welcome Luminara, which is expected to be similar to sister ship Ilma.

Instead of a central atrium or bank of reception desks, there’s a chic-casual lounge area called The Living Room that flows across the width of the yacht with scatterings of plush sofas and chairs. A walkway runs through the middle and on one side is a bar with a performance area for live music and on the other is the integrated library, with around 300 books, and a boutique. The deal with CESCE covered the Evrima yacht's cost overruns, secured the construction of Ritz-Carlton's second vessel (tbn) and also saved the Astilleros Barreras shipyard from bankruptcy. Ritz-Carlton's 3-ship project's equity investor is Oaktree Capital Management (Los Angeles USA-based global investment management firm). The shipbuilding order was supported by CESCE Espana (Madrid Spain-based commercial risk management company/world's 4th-largest, also ECA-Export Credit Agency) and CaixaBank SA (fka Criteria CaixaCorp - one of Spain's largest banks).

Previously, the company announced starting operations in November 2019. Yacht's delivery was planned for 2019-Q4, but reset the launch date to coincide with "Super Bowl LIV" at Dolphins Stadium (Miami FL). The maiden voyage was supposed to start a Caribbean itinerary program extending through March 28, when was planned a 12-day Transatlantic repositioning crossing from the Caribbean to Europe (Barbados to Lisbon Portugal). Ritz-Carlton cruise fares are inclusive of onboard accommodation, dining, beverages (including alcoholic), gratuities (shipboard tipping) and Wi-Fi. A 5% discount is offered with the booking of 2 or more B2Bs (back-to-back itineraries).

We set sail with 220 guests, a handful of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection corporate team members, 245 Ritz-Carlton ladies and gentlemen (as the brand calls those working on board), 1,800 bottles of Moët & Chandon, and one Travel + Leisure editor (me). Prothero explained that this unique layout was because the ship couldn't have balconies on Deck 4. So on these cabins, they compensated by having the balcony and living room area on Deck 5, while the bedroom and bathroom are located on Deck 4. While the Owner's suites are Evrima's most impressive cabins, the 2-Story Loft Suites stood out as the most unusual. But instead of having an open loft layout, they look like two separate cabins on Decks 4 and 5 that are connected by a narrow staircase (and each level has its own entrance). Here are our thoughts -- and those of our members who have been sailing.

A receptionist will explain the options and make your arrangements. An array of facials are also available, including the 90-minute Ultimate Radiance and Renewal Facial ($320) that uses ESPA skincare-brand products. Here you'll find all manner of salon and beauty services as well as treatments ranging from deep muscle to hot stone massage. The line just started sailing and we haven't been on board just yet so we can't tell you exactly what you'll love about this line. But we can make some educated guesses based on The Ritz's track record, the marketing material we've seen so far and early reviews from other sailors. Evrima began its sailing career in October 2022 with plans for a series of five European itineraries before it is set to reposition to the Caribbean, Costa Rica and the Bahamas for the winter.

Marriott Bonvoy elite members are eligible for additional benefits when sailing with The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. The Living Room is a casual gathering spot featuring an espresso counter and bar. Guests can grab a quick snack or a coffee and freshly-baked pastry throughout the day.

I ordered the charred octopus (all the fish and seafood on board are sourced locally from ports every three days), heirloom tomato risotto, and a lemon tart decked out with mini meringues and sugar-spun ornamentation. Evrima was named for a word of Greek origin that means “discovery.” Explore five restaurants and six lounges; schedule a treatment at The Ritz-Carlton Spa; enjoy a day on the water from the aft marina; or dance under the stars in The Observation Lounge. We never forget that curiosity, awe and adventure are what make travel so transformative, both on land and at sea. At every opportunity, we’ve designed immersive experiences with The Ritz-Carlton sensibility in mind, whether that’s an evening of unexpected entertainment, a truly memorable meal, or a bespoke excursion ashore in one of the world’s most captivating destinations. In April 2018, Ritz-Carlton pushed back its debut (brand inauguration) thru February 1, 2020, when the fleet's first superyacht (Evrima) was planned to depart on a 4-day cruise from Fort Lauderdale FL. Previously, the company announced starting operations in November 2019, with a planned inaugural cruise from PortMiami Florida to Key West FL and Bimini Bahamas.

With every detail considered, you’re free to enjoy each moment of your all-inclusive journey. Highlights of the Caribbean Shore Collection included a tour of Aruba Aloe (one of the world's first companies to manufacture skin and hair products with the plant) in Oranjestad Aruba, paired with an aloe-based treatment at Ritz-Carlton Spa Aruba. In Colombia was offered overland Bogota touring (overnight) with visits to mansions, museums, Monserrate (hilltop church), gourmet dining experiences (cooking class with local chef follows a trip to Plaza de Paloquemao / city's fruits and flowers market).

Expert Review of Ritz-Carlton Luminara Cruise Ship

Table Of Content

• Pool
• Ritz-Carlton Luminara Deck Plans Include All-balcony Staterooms and Spacious Suites
• Other Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection cruise ships
• The Living Room
• The loyalty program

Each suite includes a private terrace, floor-to-ceiling windows, a king-sized bed, and a double vanity bathroom. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection finally debuted its first ship, Evrima, in October 2022, after years of delays. This new small-ship luxury cruise line is currently offering sailings throughout the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. Each sailing is unique, so guests can stack multiple trips together for the ultimate cruise experience. Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear).

Pool

Shirts, shoes, and cover-ups are required when not at the pools and bathing suits and sleeveless t-shirts are not permitted in restaurants during dinner. Only S.E.A. restaurant has a “Yacht Sophisticated” dress code, meaning collared shirts for men are recommended but not required. No matter which method you use to book your voyage, maximize your credit card points when paying for the sailing by using a credit card that offers extra points for travel purchases. This could be the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, which offers 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on travel and dining (excluding the annual $300 travel credit).

Ritz-Carlton Luminara Deck Plans Include All-balcony Staterooms and Spacious Suites

On Deck 8, aft, in front of the pool, this laidback venue was designed for a lunch under the sun or a romantic alfresco meal in the evening. The Mediterranean-style menu features the local catch, and you can order prime cuts of meat from the grill. You can enjoy drinks here, too, as you take in the beauty of the yacht. All suites also have their own private balcony, or terrace as they are called, and another signature feature are higher ceilings, allowing for a more airy feel. Some suites are separated by a soundproof blind wall which slides back enabling them to be combined into larger more open spaces for guests wanting more extensive and flexible accommodation.

Other Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection cruise ships

And just last month, luxury hotel chain Four Seasons announced plans to launch a yachtlike, 190-passenger cruise vessel by 2025. Ritz-Carlton Evrima yacht offers a total of 10 ultra-premium dining options at intimate venues with chef-curated menus, small seating capacity, opened around the clock and without assigned seating or fixed mealtimes. Passengers can eat whenever they want, rather than the traditional pre-set dining times customary on most companies. All-day and all-night dining in cabins (or on their terraces) can be ordered from the 24-hour room service menu (items from all onboard dining venues), as well as during regular hours from the MDR menu. But inside, the space distribution has the familiar feel of a cruise ship.

Can you use Marriott Bonvoy points on a sailing with The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection?

It monitors the vessel's electrical systems and is connected 24-7 to ABB's infrastructure ashore. The system monitors all linked devices and sends real-time data analytics for maintenance (predictive and planned) and online support. In the summers of 2023 and 2024 (April through November) the ship was deployed in the Mediterranean (French Riviera, Adriatic, Balearic Islands, Greek Isles) with itineraries ranging 7- to 11-night in length. Program 2023 featured 5x maiden ports - Melilla (Spanish Morocco), San Sebastian de la Gomera (Canaries Spain), Praia (Santiago Island, Cape Verde), Mindelo (Sao Vicente Island, Cape Verde), Catania (Sicily Italy).

The Living Room

The Owner's Suites feature a very spacious 635-square-foot terrace with a private whirlpool. The terrace alone is more than twice the size of Evrima's Terrace-category suites (which come in at 300 square feet) and larger than all the other suite categories. If the appearance of Evrima could be defined as superlative yacht or a miniature cruise ship (or both), the essence of the vessel is faithful to its Ritz-Carlton roots. The minute we set foot on the vessel it became clear that the ship feels like a luxury hotel on the water.

The loyalty program

Guests can order frozen drinks or lunch from the nearby restaurant, The Pool House. The Grand has everything offered in The Signature as well as dual walk-in closets. It has 587 square feet of living space with a terrace that measures up to 118 square feet. The Signature is a 429-square-foot room that has a separate sitting and dining area as well as a sleeper sofa and a soaking tub with a separate shower. You'll pay 25% of the first and second berth for infants and toddlers 6 months to 2 years old when reserved as the third berth in a suite. Note that on voyages with three or more consecutive days at sea, the minimum age for children is one year.

Ritz-Carlton Expanding Its Reach - Cruise Industry News

Ritz-Carlton Expanding Its Reach.

Posted: Fri, 12 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

As you may imagine, you can't book a yacht experience on a shoestring budget, but there are some good values to be had during The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection's first sailing season. For a luxury experience of this caliber, expect to pay about $700 to $900 per person per night for Caribbean sailings and from about $1,100-plus per person per night for Mediterranean itineraries. Despite the ship's intimate stature, it offers the amenities you'd expect of a luxury cruise ship. Every ship needs a sushi bar, and you'll find one aboard Evrima on Deck 6 at Talaat Nam, which also offers a family-style table experience and outdoor dining with a view of the ship's wake. While we haven't yet seen the sushi menu, a passenger shared the dinner menu and it looks fantastic.

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection executive attributes this distinction to having a stronger loyalist passenger base and also by being part of Marriott. The fact that you can access any of these 14 suites from Decks 4 or 5 is a pretty neat feature. But quirkiness comes at a price, and we're not talking about the $14,000 per passenger cost of sailing in a Loft Suite. Although their total space is 611 square feet (plus the 81-square-foot terrace), these cabins feel a bit too cramped due to essentially being two 300-square-foot cabins. Ritz-Carlton's voyages 2021 were planned to visit 50+ seaports, premium yacht marinas, small port towns. Most were 7-nights in duration and specially designed to not repeat the same ports on B2Bs (back-to-back cruises).

These sailings offer guests an immersive experience through specially curated shore excursions as well as an opportunity to visit smaller ports. With more than 250 service staff and crew, Evrima has a high crew-to-guest ratio. The onboard team is trained to a very high standard and hails from both luxury hotel and cruise backgrounds. Guests returning after a day ashore are greeted with refreshing cold towels and iced mint water and every stateroom is assigned a Personal Concierge to act as a point person for whatever the guest might need.

Glass doors open to the sweeping staircase leading to Lido / Pool Deck above (aft / on the ship's stern). The Marina is adjacent to an indoor/outdoor solarium (Marina Terrace) which is more a cozy lounge than a conventional sundeck. Sotheby’s-educated art concierge Rafaella Vitale, from the London art advisory world, gushed about the private tours she was planning to do with guests and the mini-auctions she’d curate for each sailing. I watched as Pacheco and Vitale ping-ponged ideas off each other for art-and-wine events they could put on during an upcoming transatlantic crossing, all while sipping Ruinart sparkling rosé from the bottle the three of us were sharing. That particular transatlantic voyage was slated to leave from Lisbon after Evrima’s christening on November 5, sail to Tenerife, Spain, spend seven days at sea, and wind up in Bridgetown, Barbados. Vitale planned to have the Bahamian artist behind the ship's upcoming rotating art exhibit, Lynn Parotti, on board for the crossing and Caribbean sailings.

With a maximum capacity for 26 diners, S.E.A. is small yet not quite secluded. The dozen or so tables are laid out in two sets, flanked by chairs and a wall-length half booth that means your fellow diners are always close. In that sense, S.E.A. reminds us less of a typical sumptuous luxury cruise restaurant and more of a modern venue on land, not unlike what you would find at a luxury hotel. And to be fair, the emphasis is clearly on the food, with the restaurant's setting taking a back seat. Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection's ship Evrima has now been sailing for almost six months since debuting in October 2022.