The 224-room, 240-metre Ilma, the second ship in the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, made its inaugural sailing at the end of this summer. The superyacht from the luxury hotel group aims to deliver just that, a true yachting experience, ensuring guests never have to suffer through the mass-tourism doldrums synonymous with that dirty word, “cruise.” But it begs the question, when is a yacht really a cruise ship; and a cruise ship, a yacht?
As Ilma departed Barcelona at the beginning of a three-night sailing to Monte Carlo, it crept past Costa Toscana, a 2,663-room mega-vessel listed as the ninth largest cruise ship in the world by gross tonnage, in port. Its passengers lined the decks and balconies waving at Ilma. Nobody on Ilma, enjoying a DJ-fueled sail away party, waved back. The sentiment was clear: To quote Kendrick Lamar, “They not like us.” Trips on Ilma are not cruises; the vessel is not a cruise ship or a cruise liner; and guests, assuredly, are not cruisers. That’s at least how the passengers wanted to view themselves, and certainly, it’s a large part of what’s being paid for on the ship.
In Ilma‘s inaugural season in the Mediterranean this summer and fall, a seven-night Rome to Barcelona sailing in mid-October started at RM38,454 per person based on double occupancy. Prices skyrocketed from there, extending up to RM226,544 per passenger in one of the Owner’s Suites. That voyage was followed by a 10-night Barcelona to Lisbon journey starting at RM59,670 and soaring to RM352,2752 per person.
The High & Low Tides of Ilma
One of the vessel’s strongest points is the size and elegance of its staterooms, each of which is a suite with a balcony. Marble-bedecked bathrooms include built-in soaking tubs, and the well-appointed rooms include his-and-hers closet spaces. Those aforementioned Owner’s Suites come in at an enormous 1,033-square feet, showcasing full living and dining rooms, walk-in closets, and expansive terraces featuring private hot tubs.
Moët & Chandon Champagne flowed freely throughout the voyage, and a Macallan whisky cart was on hand for inclusive tastings. Ilma‘s signature restaurants are spearheaded by culinary luminaries Michael Mina and Fabio Trabocchi.
Ilma also shined via the abundance of spaces it had for guests to enjoy, ensuring that no particular area ever seemed overcrowded. The pool always had spots available, tender service to shore was never mobbed, and its many restaurants, bars, and lounges had room to spare.
The sheer mass of the Ilma cannot be disregarded, though. “Yea, that’s a cruise ship,” was the general consensus of several passengers arriving at its embarkation point and soaking up their first views. And delivering a fully bespoke, charter-style experience to as many as 450 guests on the same voyage is beyond the bounds of even the loftiest expectations.
The “superyacht” still proved capable of delivering high-level hospitality, though, thanks to an almost 1:1 staff to guest ratio. The strongest demonstration of that service was delivered by our assigned Suite Ambassador, Bettania. From the moment we hopped aboard she was ready and waiting to help with anything we required, from stocking our bar and noting our preferences to amending our schedule and pressing our clothing, as well as popping in to say hello.
In other instances, Ilma veered dangerously close to the dreaded C word. Changing restaurant reservations proved to be more difficult than expected, and there was less flexibility than imagined in terms of the type of on-demand, say-yes mentality travelers seek from the crew of a charter yacht. “No, you can’t order lunch from the lounge chair by the pool, it’s just not something we’re able to make happen,” despite the fact that food was being served 20 feet away at the outdoor dining tables of its casual, all-day restaurant.
The C word reared its ugly head most prominently during a scheduled offshore excursion in Saint-Tropez for a wine tasting. “Oh no;” “This can’t be right;” “Really?;” “This isn’t what you’d expect from a yacht”— were among the overhead utterances after mere steps ashore, as a group of about 20 from the ship saw they were being led by a tour guide holding a placard up above her head. That isn’t yachting. That’s capital C, dirty word: Cruising.
Guests were then given audio guide headphones and ushered aboard a full-size tour bus, as opposed to, perhaps, the private sprinter van for a small group that would have seemed more fitting and capable of delivering an excursion tailored to one’s personal interests. It was a major miss, and while perhaps not indicative of the true guest experience—this inaugural journey consisting largely of invited guests—it left a sour taste in our mouths.
Back amid the sophisticated comforts of the ship, a different vibe was felt. “As opposed to a normal luxury cruise brand, such as Silversea or Seabourn, we try to go above and beyond,” says Nathan, an associate at the ship’s standout boutiques. “This is different, it’s like a floating luxury hotel.”
Ilma sports a signature Bulgari outpost, stocked with its finest jewellery wares, and adjacent to that, a shop featuring an extravagant selection of Birkin bags and Rolex watches, as well as curated designer clothes, bags, and jewellrey galore. “Will you find anything else like it?” Nathan wondered aloud for our benefit. Matter of fact, no, you wouldn’t. You’d be hard pressed to score that lineup of exclusive designer merch anywhere else.
Perhaps, then, even if the experience was indeed more akin to an elevated, small luxury liner as opposed to a chartered private yacht, Ilma did manage to stand apart from much of its competition. Small factors make a big difference, whether that is the ability to buy a Birkin bag aboard or to sample a tasting menu from a Michelin-starred chef.
One of the most memorable moments of the sailing came on the final morning, as Ilma docked right at the pier of Monte Carlo’s main marina. A mega-cruise ship ain’t doing that. We awoke in the morning and stepped out onto our balcony, the whole of the glitzy enclave within arm’s reach. It provided a fitting capstone to a journey that while not true to the form of a private charter (and how could it be with 450 guests you don’t know sharing the trip with you?) did manage to distinguish itself from a typical cruise.
Room quality, staff ratio, and a certain signature style and pizzazz managed to thread the needle between cruising and yachting and in the process create a third, hybrid category that is all its own. If you sail with the Ritz, you really won’t feel the need to say the C word—as long as they do something about those tour buses and sign-toting guides.
Photography courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
