Cruising News We Love

Luxury hospitality brand Ritz Carlton is building three small-capacity cruise ships that will completely change the way we think of cruising. Designed with a yachting lifestyle in mind, the ships’ intimate size “allows for the vessels to sail into coveted city harbors around the world, and the relaxed pace of the yachts offers both daytime and overnight ports of call.”

According to their announcement, voyages will range from seven to ten nights with ports including Barbados, Cartagena, Bordeaux, Copenhagen, Mykonos, Portofino and many more. The vessels “will accommodate up to 298 passengers and feature 149 suites, each with its own private terrace. The yachts will also feature two 158 square-meter lavish Owner’s suites, each with its own private whirlpool, modern craftsmanship and interior finishes.” As for what to expect while onboard: the company has announced plans for bespoke programming, including cooking classes with guest chefs, private receptions with artists and musicians.

The company’s inaugural voyage will set sail in 2020; reservations are now open.

Ever since Virgin founder Richard Branson announced his new cruise ship venture a few years ago, Virgin Voyages has been slowly revealing how they plan to capture an entirely new cruising audience.

The voyages are exclusively for the 18+ ‘sailor,’ and will feature grown-up amenities like an open-air health club, thermal spa, nightclub, and even an on-board tattoo parlor. Virgin has also thrown out the traditional cruise dining playbook. Guests onboard their first ship, The Scarlet Lady, won’t be forced to eat at the buffet and will not have to adhere to a set dining schedules; instead, diners can eat any hour of the day or night at one of 20 offerings.

The Scarlet Lady will set sail from Miami in 2020. Future sailors can visit www.virginvoyages.com for booking info.

Adventure-lovers have long been seeking out ways to access the far reaches of the globe, and destinations from Antarctica, Greenland, the Galapagos Islands and beyond continue to be popular for the expedition cruise audience.

Like Ritz Carlton, companies offering expedition cruises are honing in on the idea of ‘yachting’ to communicate a higher level of service and luxury. Australian cruise brand Scenic is in the midst of launching an all new class of ships, featuring  six-star, ultra-luxury mega yachts designed for expeditions to the hard-to-reach places across the globe. According to the company, the first of the series, the Scenic Eclipse, is “designed to deliver the ultimate experience of a lifetime for only 228 guests, [and] only 200 in the Arctic and Antarctica." The ship will have a 1:1 staff-to-guest ratio, and more impressively for true adventure seekers, the yacht also will be home to two helicopters and a custom-built submarine for underwater expeditions. This is Scenic’s first ocean-going ship, and certainly takes their brand to a whole new level in terms of innovation. The Eclipse is expected to sail April 2019.