Table Of Content
The Pool House is the yacht’s casual poolside restaurant that serves cruisers from breakfast through late-night bites in an open-air setting. The Evrima Room is the yacht’s main dining room, serving seasonal specialties inspired by the local cuisine. The View has a double vanity bathroom with a soaking tub and separate shower along with a king-sized bed and a sleeper sofa. Rooms range in size from 544 to 574 square feet with a terrace measuring 108 to 129 square feet.
Sea Cloud Cruises celebrating a debut route from PortMiami with Sea Cloud Spirit
Outside is the adjacent Observation Terrace, a lovely outdoor space to spill out into from the lounge on warm evenings, while during the day this is a quiet hideaway deck with sun-beds and captain’s chairs where guests can enjoy elevated views. Evrima is the first of three sleek superyachts marking hotel giant Ritz-Carlton’s debut in the cruise world as the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. Originally due to launch in February 2020, the all-suite ship suffered a catalogue of delays that caused the maiden voyage to be put back eight times until it finally departed Barcelona in October 2022.
How to book
I talked luxury hotel shop with Theo Lakkas, a food-and-beverage lead who opened Matild Palace, a Luxury Collection, in Budapest. Executive chef John Suley came from Stephen Starr’s team and very seamlessly worked a “Wolf of Wall Street” quote into conversation. I learned about head sommelier Sebastian Pacheco’s vision for the reserve wine list — he wanted to pick up a highly sought-after case from every port city to bolster the already-expansive selection. He came from Francis Ford Coppola’s Inglenook in Rutherford, California, and was working there the last time I visited the Napa Valley winery in 2019.
What It's Like On Board Evrima, The Ritz-Carlton's First Ship
This is a gorgeous area for relaxing with terraced lines of sunchairs and Balinese beds, complemented by tempting infinity hot tubs on both sides of the deck. Overlooking this is a smaller pool up on Deck 8, though while this has a better vantage point there is only room for a handful of sunbeds up here as it is adjacent to the Mistral al fresco restaurant. If you decide to redeem points for a yacht sailing, you’ll need to do it in specified increments. To start, you can redeem 180,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for $1,000 in savings on the cruise fare. Then points can be redeemed in increments of 90,000 for a $500 savings. Additionally, Marriott Bonvoy members can earn Elite Night Credits through The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection to earn higher Marriott Bonvoy status.
The Observation Lounge
Evrima is not particularly aimed at those who would normally choose a cruise, but affluent guests used to staying in Ritz-Carlton properties or equivalent and looking for a similar experience at sea. However, the crème de la crème of Evrima’s culinary line-up is S.E.A. with seven-course tasting menus designed by Chef Sven Elverfeld of the three Michelin-star Aqua restaurant at Ritz-Carlton’s property in the German city of Wolfsburg. One of the most unusual categories are the Loft Suites with the bedroom on the lower level and a staircase leading to the lounge area upstairs where floor to ceiling glass doors lead out to the terrace. The difference between Evrima and other luxury ships is evident as soon as you step aboard. The swish interiors, decorated with a mix of modernist artworks carefully placed throughout and decorating the walls, exude a refined aura.
Hotel brands bring their guests as they enter the cruise game - USA TODAY
Hotel brands bring their guests as they enter the cruise game.
Posted: Fri, 29 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
(We're reaching out to The Ritz to find out the exact cost, but a passenger reported it cost $625 for her and her boyfriend to dine there.) In terms of food, it's a "European tasting menu;" more details to come. 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 next cabin category covers more floor space at 429 square feet and accommodates a king bed plus a convertible sleeper sofa. Ninety cabins in this category are 300 square feet with a 67-square-foot balcony.
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. It's a library and coffee house during the day, but it morphs into a piano bar and dance hall at night. While there is no theater on board the ship, there are opportunities to enjoy live music.
Ritz-Carlton Cruises opens bookings for Ilma ship's inaugural 2024 Mediterranean season
Coffee drinkers and snackers need to memorize the location of The Living Room on Deck 4. It's a place to socialize or just sink into its comfy chairs to read a book from the library. Throughout the day and night, you can order freshly roasted coffees and espresso and pick up pastries and other treats. Passengers on the first sailing reported a breakfast menu that ranged from challah French toast with berries and syrup to a garden frittata, lobster omelet with Hackleback caviar, breakfast tacos, bagels with lox, avocado toast and more. All venues feature fresh, local ingredients while serving cuisine influenced by the destinations the yacht visits. The bathroom features a double vanity, luxury bath amenities, robes and slippers, a vanity mirror and a hair dryer.
The Marina
The onboard boutique showcases luxury goods as well as branded items. In select ports, local artisans that partner with The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection are invited onboard to share their creations. The Marina Terrace is a deck on the back of the yacht that features a sun deck with loungers and easy entry into the water while anchored. Water toys include paddle boards, windsurf boards, kayaks, sailboats, snorkeling equipment, and floating pontoon platforms. For guests who’d rather stay in to enjoy their suite, in-room dining is available featuring menu items from multiple dining locations on board.
Our newest yacht, Ilma — slated to set sail for its inaugural season in 2024 — takes its name from the Maltese word for “water.” Connect with the sea on your private terrace, in open-air lounges or via the yacht’s expanded marina. Savor new flavors in one of five restaurants, and indulge in rejuvenating treatments at The Ritz-Carlton Spa. Ilma ship will feature 228 suites, all with private terraces, including two spacious new upper suite categories measuring 1,076 square feet.
With the number of crew totalling 246, this puts the ratio of crew to guests at 1 to 1.2. You can even book a Ritz-Carlton yacht adventure through Delta's SkyMiles Cruises. For example, at press time, you can book a seven-night Central America voyage aboard Evrima for $5,400 per person. Bonuses include $1,000 in travel credits to get to/from the ship (that can be used on things such as an upgrade to first-class seats, a limo transfer and pier parking), and you can earn up to 10,000 SkyMiles. Then a Grand Suite — there are 14 of them on the ship — may be right for you since it offers dual walk-in closets.
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. Evrima is just one of a number of relatively small, yachtlike cruise ships that are coming to market as hospitality brands see demand for intimate, high-end vessels. Emerald Cruises earlier this year unveiled its first yachtlike ocean cruise vessel, the 100-passenger Emerald Azzurra, after several years of only operating river ships. And just last month, luxury hotel chain Four Seasons announced plans to launch a yachtlike, 190-passenger cruise vessel by 2025. 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.
The emphasis is on marine conservation and there is enhanced programming during summer months and the holiday period. While the official daytime dress code is “Yacht Casual,” the word yacht does imply designer labels, so you can expect some above-average attire amid the typical cruise wardrobe of sundresses, shorts, and t-shirts. 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.
The suite interior is 587 square feet and the terrace is 108 square feet. Another way in which the yacht resembled a Ritz-Carlton property on land, or any other similar luxury hotel, is that certain things that would be included in the fare on a luxury cruise will have a cost on Evrima. Regardless of the yacht or cruise ship label, Evrima's generous size means it boasts considerable space.
Described by Ritz-Carlton as providing passengers with "the lifestyle of The Ritz-Carlton and the casual freedom of a yachting vacation", the ship will offer "the highest space ratios at sea" than is currently available on other vessels, according to the company. 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.
Those in the mood for aquatic recreation can head to the Marina, an aft platform on deck 3 where a stash of complimentary water toys (sea kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, and more) are available when the ship is at anchor. 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.
