We Went for a Cruise on the Ritz-Carlton’s Newest Yacht. Here’s What It’s Like Onboard.

AsLuminaraheads from Barcelona into the open Med, it’s clear that this midnight-blue vessel is fundamentally different than the larger, boxier cruise ships in the harbor. It has a svelte profile and sharp bow, very modern and yacht-like compared to the floating high-rises. But is Luminara really a yacht?

That’s the question I wrestled with recently during the 794-footer’s “pre-maiden voyage”—the name given to our three-day excursion preceding the “maiden voyage” with A-listers such as Martha Stewart, Kiley Jenner, Tom Brady, Kate Hudson, Nina Dobrev and others.

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It’s a question that probably seemed irrelevant to the Instagram and You-Tube influencers in our media group who, in the middle of all this luxury, looked like they’d died and gone to yachting heaven. Still, it gave me the context to compare the new flagship of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, which joins sisterships Evrima and Ilma, with the conventional superyachts I’ve been writing about for 30 years.

“We started by thinking of it as a floating hotel that would associate our luxury hospitality brand with life at sea,” says Ernesto Fara, president and CFO of Ritz-Carlton Yachts, who came up with the idea of a hybrid yacht/cruise ship about ten years ago. “But the ramifications of what we’d created became way more complex than just coming and going from your suite, as you do in a hotel. Here we have a captive experience—in a good way—that let us design many different kinds of moments around how the guests want to live on board.”

The goal was never to replicate a private superyacht, says Fara, but to offer something equally luxurious, more social, and with many more services. Luminara’s more of a cruise experience, he admits, but “for the personalization, attention to detail and interior design we looked to the yachting world.”

The yacht references go beyond the marina and beach club at the stern into the high-end materials used in the suites and common spaces, specific areas of the vessel that are designed to provide privacy, and even the on-deck furniture. “We have someone bring them in each night so they’re dry in the morning—something you wouldn’t get on a cruise ship, but would be standard on a yacht,” says Fara. “It seems like a small detail, but enough things like that can change an experience.”

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The public spaces by Chapi Design create a sense of calm, with contemporary decor, soft lighting and plush furnishings—more Hamptons than cruise ship. Even the staterooms, which come in 10 layouts and range in size from 517 square feet to the 1,047 square feet found in the pair of two-story Owner’s Suites, are more typical of a five-star hotel brand than a cruise liner or even most superyachts.

The 560-sq.ft. Grand-class suite that my wife and I shared was much more spacious and land-like than most superyacht staterooms I’ve toured over the years, featuring a long entrance hallway, generous living room with a dining table and couch, a large terrace outside (where we enjoyed sunsets and one tranquil morning sunrise), a bedroom with a king-sized bed and walk-in closets, and en-suite with a bathtub, shower, two sinks, and separate toilet. Stone floors, marble showers and walls, high-end details throughout.

But you can’t get around the scale of the 10-deck Luminara, with its 226 suites, guest capacity of 452 and crew of 357. That’s certainly more cruise ship than yacht.

By contrast, a superyacht would usually have no more than 12 passengers and about the same number of crew, much more privacy since it’s typically only family and friends in your group, and certainly no waiting for a table or listening to strangers’ conversations at dinner. Yachts have several stewards whose primary duty is to pamper, one chef cooking for a small group, the ability to select menus ahead of time, and the freedom to choose destinations. There are also the intimate Kodak moments: barbecues with friends on the sun deck, diving into the water at sunrise, eating freshly caught lobster or fish. On yachts, water access—swimming, jet-skiing, snorkeling or just landing on a deserted beach with the dinghy—is also a key differentiator from a cruise ship.

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“The connection with the sea was important to me,” says Fara, who came up with the Marina concept to supplement the vessel’s yachting bona fides. The beach club and sea access not only features on its two sisterships, but also on competitors’ hybrid yachts/cruise ships. Deployed at anchor, this rear extension features water toys, personal watercraft, seabobs and a pool with protective netting for ocean swims. “Yachts don’t have this type of pool or, for that matter, many of our other services,” says Fara. “You won’t find seven restaurants or a full spa on a yacht.”

Therein lies one of Luminara’s primary advantages. Unlike a superyacht, where guests are limited to one or two dining venues,the vessel offers ten culinary and cocktail spaces, several designed by world-famous chefs. This diversity is part of the experience, offering luxury without sacrificing choice.

The cruise highlight for us was a memorable evening atSeta De Luminara, established by chef Fabio Trabocchi, who also has a second restaurant aboard Ilma. Best known for his restaurantsFiolaandDel Marin Washington, D.C., Trabocchi designed Luminara‘s exclusive four-course tasting menu that features 11 dishes, each with a wine pairing, that was the most artistic, intricate and delicious meal we’ve ever had—raising what we’d previously considered a high culinary bar.

The meal began with a Venetian olive oil cod fritter with black truffle and sturia caviar, followed with miso-glazed lobster, stracciatella and mint. The second course included an Alaskan king crab, Ikura caviar and Yuzu dish, followed by Hokkaido scallops, calamari and squid ink in a lemon-grass froth. We expected each dish to be the climax of the meal, but the quality and creativity continued all the way to the dark-chocolate Cremeux, Szechuan pepper caramel and orange-blossom dessert. Perhaps because of proclamations to the waiter that the meal was a true work of art, Chef Fabio appeared at our table, thanked us, and headed back to the kitchen.

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We’d also enjoyed an alter-ego, rustic Spanish meal earlier in the day during our field trip into Mallorca. In the charming hillside village of Valldemossa, with its trailing bougainvillea and stone buildings, we learned from one of the chefs at Sonmo, a local farm that grows much of its own food, how to cook traditional Mallorcan fare: crispy patatas bravas with aioli, fried aubergine with honey and mint, tender grilled octopus, and calamari flash-fried in olive oil and lemon, paired with crisp Albariño and bold Mallorcan reds.

The field trip was a much more intimate experience than the typical shoreside expedition. It also bolstered Fara’s point that Luminara can be a conduit for friendships among like-minded people, another thing that couldn’t happen on a family yacht charter. Guests can strike up conversations over Negronis inThe Living Roomor share laughs, as our group did, over the onshore cooking lesson. On our voyage, the other excursions included visits by helicopter to Mallorca’s vineyards, and a coastal sailing trip.

Luminaraalso delivers with a full-service Ritz-Carlton Spa, complete with treatment rooms that open onto the sea, a sauna, and holistic wellness programming—from breathwork classes to ocean-inspired sound therapy. During the voyage, the offerings also included pilates, yoga, tarot readings, cooking lessons (from the two Michelin-star chefs) and skin-care tutorials.

The pool decks fore and aft are expansive, dotted with lounges and exceptional sea views. There’s even an adults-only infinity pool area with panoramic views that stretch to the horizon.

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But perhaps the most intriguing new space onboard is theArt Bar, an intimate gallery-meets-library curated in collaboration with global art advisors. The designers extended Luminara‘s superstructure to create an indoor lounge that also hosts afternoon high teas, lectures and pop-up events. The outside deck, glassed in and covered for sun, also guarantees privacy for those who would rather tuck into the latest Michael Connelly novel than splash around the pool. I found it a refuge to read and write in the mornings.

During our third day at sea, I could see how Luminara is more than a name-grab of a yacht, offering a new type of seaborne lifestyle. Most yacht owners understand the stress of having to manage budgets, oversee captains, hire staff, and choose destinations. Even a superyacht charter’s success depends on the strength and dynamics of the crew. On Luminara, the journey (ideally) unfolds with little friction and consistency across the range of experiences.

“Superyachts and our yachts serve different needs that are complementary,” says Fara. “If you want an easy week at sea and don’t want to think about anything, but still want that elevated, refined experience—that’s where we come in. We think there are elements of the yachting lifestyle that really do fit with our clients.”

Certainly, the addition of Luminara to The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, and the entry of multiple competitors show that a new segment is emerging, what Fara calls a “hybrid tangent point” between two different types of vessels. By the end of our journey in Rome, I could see the appeal of this type of cruise. The experience could never duplicate the intimacy of a superyacht charter, but is special enough to lure travelers seeking a luxurious week at sea in the Med or, later this year, Asia. But as I looked up at the 10-deck vessel from shore, I just wish they could’ve found another name.

Click here to see more of Luminara in photos.

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