Photo Essay: The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, “Ilma”
As part of a travel agency preview, I toured the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Ilma. It’s not a perfect product, but luxury travelers should take note.
Tour Invitation
As a luxury travel agency owner, I was invited to tour the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Ilma at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale this week. The tour lasted four hours, including lunch with my peers. I have not sailed this product yet so I can’t speak to the experience with service and the ongoing product but comparing the product as I saw it to Explora Journeys or Scenic for example, there are some strengths and some weaknesses.
Living Room
Guests embark through the Living Room which sets the tone as a central meeting place. It occupies the front half of the ship, and offers a number of sections with separation from the rest of the Living Room. One area featured an area for a band with seating that felt more like a jazz club, while another area was surrounded by books like a library.
A bar (with convenient chargers underneath) is perfect for drinks before or after dinner.
During my visit there was a Macallan activation throughout the ship including a cart in the Living Room. I was tempted to request a tasting but I would have been the only one in our group and few passengers were onboard at the time. What an enviable partnership between the brands.
Check-In
As the tour concluded, check-in was beginning for passengers embarking their journey. Check-in was conducted in the Living Room, seated as often is the case for Ritz-Carlton hotel properties. I included this because it was a perfect reflection of the brand’s delivery of a hotel experience at sea rather than a traditional cruise. I saw a number of guests walking around with a guide following check-in that introduced them to the various aspects of the ship.
Quick Bites
At the most forward section of the Living Room, an area for quick bites offered sandwiches, snacks, gelato, and coffee to eat there or take-away.
The Humidor
At the front of the Living Room (bow of the ship), an indoor humidor offers a place to buy and smoke cigars (though guests can bring their own). This is also an indoor area where guests can smoke cigarettes as well – which not every humidor allows.
Boutiques And Services
The Ilma features a Bulgari store onboard and a branded boutique. The store is larger than expected.
The barbershop is split on either side of the ship with a wash station on the other side from the below chairs.
Pools And Around The Ship
Fixtures around the ship and design elements communicate a level of sophistication and quality that is representative of the rest of the ship.
There are two pools on Ilma, an infinity pool at the aft and one on the 10th deck as well. The aft pool had limited seating and would be largely attended, I’d imagine. In both cases, but especially the pool on Deck 10, it was simply too small for the approximately 450 passenger capacity ship. The Deck 10 pool area had lots of seating, loungers, a bar, and some cabanas as well as a place for a band or DJ. This space could have been better utilized in my opinion with a larger pool and fewer loungers as well as the space for the band.
Restaurants
For a ship this small (compared to contemporary ships with 12-13x the passenger capacity) there are quite a few restaurant venues. I will only cover a few I had a chance to visit.
Beach House
The Beach House was light and bright with table service and an open kitchen. The menu is focused on cuisine from Latin America, though lunch featured a Lomo (steak, pepper, and onion) sandwich with fries, or fish and chips. The fish and chips was fantastic, the lomo sandwich left something to be desired .
I could be wrong (and I hope I am) but the guacamole seemed like it might have been purchased in and came from a bag, if made fresh it was disappointing and uninspired. Homemade tortilla chips, and well-seasoned fries carrier the lunch service. A romaine and quinoa salad had mixed reviews, though I personally enjoyed it.
Mistral
On Deck 10, Mistral offers perhaps one of the finest dining choices I have found onboard. Large glass accordion window doors bring the sea breeze inside.
SETA
Michelin-starred chef, Fabio Trabocchi, features a set menu for $250 per guest at SETA and amplified wine lists accompany the meal at $80 and $160 per guest depending on the elevation of the list. This is the only restaurant onboard that incurs an additional charge but it is steep when considering the rest of the cruise cost.
That said, it’s rarified air for this level of cookery and cuisine at sea.
Memori
The pan Asian restaurant onboard, Memori, had significant seating options and a sushi bar beckoning me.
Tides
Fitness Center and Spa
The spa offers a number of massage rooms for both singles and couples. A sauna is available to guests regardless if they’ve booked in for service, one side for males and another for female guests (rather than joint services.)
The fitness center was larger than I could photograph but for the privacy of those working out, I chose the most expansive shot I could without including the guests and staff using the facility.
Accommodations and Suites
All suites onboard feature a terrace (balcony) regardless of type. From just above the entry-level, most included a separated space for a living room. The rooms are all very large, and the hallways run the length of the ship bisecting the vessel with suites on either side.
Signature Suite
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection does an excellent job in ship design utilizing small otherwise overlooked spaces and turning them into more. In the Signature Suite (just one up from the entry-level suite, The Terrace) the hallway is cross utilized for storage and a makeup vanity.
The terraces were small in the suites we visited. While there was space for a table, two chairs, and a lounger, it was tight.
Concierge Suite
The Concierge Suite is large enough to host up to 12 for a cocktail reception with a large sitting area, indoor dining, and a massive outdoor space including a whirlpool.
ADA Terrace Suite (Entry-Level)
I wasn’t shown a standard Terrace Suite, just an ADA version. The space in this suite was expansive and though I used a wide angle lens to showcase it all, the amount of space for an entry-level suite is incredible. The wardrobe was not inside a walk-in closet in this example, but the bathroom remained large as with the rest of the suite.
The design elements were tasteful, elegant, and spoke to the high quality of the suite. However, the couch near the Terrace was smaller than expected for the space and needed a table.
Final Impression
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is one of the highest quality vessels in the space. Regular guests of Ritz-Carlton properties will feel right at home in this unique extension of the brand. In the luxury cruise space, RCYC delivers a compelling hard product with plenty of spaces for guests to explore without getting bored. However, add-on costs like the brand’s famous Kids Club (an element we love at Ritz-Carlton properties) at $45 for daytime visits and $65 in the evening, along with most upscale liquor, and evenings at SETA extend a price point that is already 1.5-2.5x others in the space. Ritz-Carlton guests looking for a new experience will find a home away from home at sea and inline with Ritz-Carlton costs.
What do you think?