THE Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is continually tweaking its product, as it learns more about the cruise sector, and the preferences of its passengers.
Vice President & General Manager Seb Seward said Ritz-Carlton is already looking at ways it can adjust its Asia itineraries, as the cruise line sees good uptake on the newly launched voyages.
Seward explained at this week’s Luxperience luxury travel event Ritz-Carlton is looking to diversify the length of its Asia cruises, which were designed primarily with the American market in mind.
Future seasons will instead likely see a broader mix of cruises, Seward explained.
The Ritz-Carlton head also hinted at a future Alaska season – which appears likely to commence following on from Luminara’s 2026 cruise from Tokyo to Seward.
Other changes will see the cruise line work to incorporate stays at its land-based properties into its itineraries, with Seward revealing The Ritz-Carlton Maldives Fari Islands and The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok as targets.
The emerging luxury brand is also preparing to publicly launch its Mediterranean & Northern Europe program for 2026, Seward added, which will feature a number of firsts for the line.
The season will include 44 voyages across Evrima and Ilma, covering 23 countries, and including six new ports, such as Greenwich in South East London – made possible by the smaller size of Ritz-Carlton’s yachts.
The cruise line will also increase its presence in other parts of the world, such as Greece, Croatia, and Spain, with a season highlight to introduce themed itineraries.
These will include a wine-themed voyage from Lisbon to Portsmouth, visiting multiple tasting regions across Europe; and a golf cruise centred on Scotland.
The cruise line will also begin incorporating the Arctic Circle on its Reykjavik round trips, as it visits the fjords of Norway.
“[Ritz-Carlton is] really trying to expand the range of experiences that are available,” he explained.
“We’re actually seeing that half of our customers have never cruised before, which when I speak to a lot of other cruise lines, they’re very envious of.
“We also see a very high repeat booking rate, so once the customers get on board, between 20-30% of them rebook.”
Ritz-Carlton is also channelling bookings from Marriott’s loyalty program, with Seward revealing three-quarters of all bookings have a Marriott Bonvoy number associated with it.
The update comes as Ritz-Carlton is recruiting for a number of positions in its Asia-Pacific office, including a sales position and a marketing role, based in Australia, as well as a reservation team, which will include a manager, and up to six agents.
“This is a huge cruise market course, and we see huge potential,” Seward said.
“I’m very excited about a marketing position that we’ll be launching here to make sure our message is tailored for the Australian market.”
