It is no longer particularly contemporary to enter the cruise industry with new ships. Nevertheless, the luxury hotel chain Ritz-Carlton dares to jump in at the deep end and wants to operate three ships in the coming years, which are to sail around the world far away from mass tourism with a comparatively small number of well-heeled guests. Ritz-Carlton starts with the “Evrima”, the first of three yachts.
Only marginally larger than private mega yachts
The “Evrima” (to be tracked under IMO 9823687) is so small that it could easily pass for a private mega-yacht were it not for the 149 suites that indicate its operation as a floating hotel. The ship is 190 meters long, 24 meters wide and weighs 26,500 gross register tons.
For comparison: Oligarch Alisher Usmanov’s “Dilbar” is 156 meters long and, at 15,917 gross register tons, almost the same size – and offers significantly fewer people a place to sleep. Quite different cruise ships like the “Aida Prima”, which with a length of 300 meters and 125,572 gross register tons offers space for over 4000 people – and divides them into over 1600 cabins.
Things are much more intimate and exclusive on the “Evrima”. Each cabin has at least one balcony, but often even a terrace. There are no inside cabins. The interior of the ship is spread over eight decks, apart from the cabins, there are three restaurants and several bars and cafes on board.
Michelin cuisine and high prices on board
For the “SEA”, the hotel chain is hoping for the first Michelin star for a restaurant at sea, the menu comes from Sven Elverfeld, who recently cooked up three Michelin stars with his kitchen in the “Aqua” in the Ritz-Carlton Wolfsburg.
When it comes to leisure activities, Ritz-Carlton obviously uses a different concept than Aida and Co., because apart from two small pools on decks 5 and 8, there are hardly any swimming opportunities. The rest of the open space consists mainly of loungers, lounge furniture and a spa area. A water slide – of the kind that often characterizes the upper deck of cruise ships – is not surprisingly not on board.
As expected, the prices for the ship are comparatively high. Seven nights through the Caribbean cost 4,500 euros per person, and a ten-day trip from Panama to Florida costs around 11,000 euros. A personal butler and 24-hour room service are included.
source: Ritz Carlton