23 JUN 2017: It’s a race to be first with the most in luxury yachts. As new ships have been getting ever larger, it’s as though everyone seemed to sense a need to build small, ultra-luxurious ships at the same time. The latest to enter the completion is Ritz Carlton Hotels, the luxury division of Marriott International, which promises its new The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will fill “a void in the luxury cruise market that we felt we were uniquely positioned to fill,” according to the company’s president and CEO, Herve Humler.
That may come as a surprize to Crystal Cruises, and Scenic, which are planning to launch luxury yachts in the same niche in the next couple of years. As well, there’s always been the all-inclusive 100-guest ships of Seadream Yacht Club. And Silversea Cruises has been aggressively expanding its fleet of small luxury expedition ships as well.
There are also Windstar Cruises’ Star Pride, Star Breeze and Star Legend, Silversea’s Silver Wind, Crystal’s Esprit and the ships of France’s Ponant Cruises that are aimed at passengers looking for a small yacht-like ship. Regent Seven Seas also claims its ships are the most luxurious at sea.