Guests of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection can expect a crowd-free environment, even on days when its yachts are at near capacity, says a senior executive of the ultra-luxury yacht operator.
Speaking with LATTE in Sydney before Christmas, Patrick Mitchell, Senior Vice President of Global Sales for The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, said on a recent near sold-out three-night sampler sailing aboard the 224-suite Ilma from Fort Lauderdale, the onboard operation was flawless, with no lines and no feeling of being in a crowd.
That sailing from Fort Lauderdale on which Mitchell was aboard, sailed on a Friday evening – typically one of the most popular nights for guests to dine out at sea – and yet there were still a handful of empty tables at restaurants. And Ilma‘s key central public gathering venue, the Living Room, was also crowd-free after dinner.
“[Ilma] never feels crowded. Ever,” Mitchell said.
During the Christmas/New Year period, Ilma’s sister-ship, Luminara, arrived in Asia Pacific waters following a positioning voyage across the Indian Ocean via the Maldives to Singapore.
After its debut APAC sailings, Luminara will sail to Alaska in late May where it will operate sailing from Whittier and Vancouver (the 452-passenger yacht’s homeport) along the Inside Passage. The Alaska season will see an interesting new product innovation offered, new to The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s fleet, that is yet to be formally announced but was previewed exclusively to LATTE. Stay tuned for further details.
Mitchell said that after Luminara’s maiden Alaska program, the yacht will return to Asia, where the second seasonal deployment is already actively on sale.
“We’re reducing the average itinerary length from 11 nights to nine, with the addition of a number of shorter cruises,” he explained. One of those is breaking a 14-night sailing into two seven-night sailings, with Ho Chi Minh City now a start and end point.
Mitchell notes that the vision for Luminara will see the yacht based in Asia Pacific for one half of the year, then returning to Alaska during the Northern summer, swapping back and forth between the regions.
Mitchell also indicated that The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is making in-roads with returning clientele, with 25% of guests repeat clients.
“That’s impressive considering the brand is still only three years old,” he said.
Further, Mitchell highlighted to LATTE that The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection never discounts.
“You always know that there will never be a cheaper price than what you get today. We never discount. We don’t do promotions.”
The brand will however introduce “gifts of experience” as a value-added offering, Mitchell noted. Further details will be released in the future.
