Last Friday, Ritz-Carlton announced a new yacht cruise service, while Crystal Cruises cancels its Crystal Skye service.
The world of luxury travel just keep getting more and more interesting. First Four Seasons acquired a Boeing 757 for luxurious private jet tours around the globe. Then Crystal Cruises announced its own private jet services, though that will no longer happen. And finally, Ritz-Carlton announced its plans for its very own yacht cruise line.
Ritz-Carlton Yachts
Ritz-Carlton, a division of Marriott International, announced on Friday a new, super luxe cruise service. This nautical extension of the brand will be called the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. The service will utilize three 623-foot yachts to offer bespoke, 7-10 day cruises. Each yacht will feature 149 suites, with a capacity of up to 298 guests. And much like at their properties on land, each yacht will feature luxurious amanitas, a Ritz-Carlton Spa, and cuisine by three Michelin-Star chef Sven Elvevrfeld.
Beyond the above, not much info. is available at this time. What we do know, is that the first cruises will set sail in 2019, with reservations becoming available in May 2018. For now, take a look at a few renderings of these vessels.
WOW. Now, I’ve never been on a cruise or stayed at a Ritz-Carlton, but these “yachts” look fantastic! But at 263-feet in length, I think these vessels are a bit big to be called yachts. The largest yacht in the world today is the Azzam at 590-feet in length, which is close. However, as a point of reference, the MS Veendam (Holland America Lines) is 719-feet in length. And Princess Cruises’ smallest ship, the Pacific Princess, measures just 181-feet in length.
Crystal Cruises Cancels Crystal Skye
Crystal Cruises has a reputation for being among the best cruise operators in the world. And less than a year ago, the company first revealed renderings of what would be its Crystal Skye private jet service. But unlike the one offered by Four Seasons, Crystal Cruises would not be using a Boeing 757… No, They chose to go with a Boeing 777-200LR.
However, we’ve now learned that Crystal Cruises has cancelled all Crystal Skye itineraries. Passengers that have already paid for their sky cruises will be refunded, but no re-accomodations will be made.
Crystal Cruises will still accept delivery of the aircraft later this year. At that point it will be used for a charter and will be made available for additional charters thereafter. The reason for this drastic shift in strategy hasn’t been disclosed, but I’m guessing that just maybe there wasn’t enough interest in the service for it to become profitable?
After all, the Boeing 777 is a large aircraft, and those seats don’t look like anything special. I’m sure the service and overall experience would be very different from a standard airline, but those look like very mediocre business class seats.
Ritz-Carlton Yachts + Crystal Skye Final Thoughts
The Ritz-Clarton Yachts, while not technically yachts in my opinion, look fantastic. The ships look like they’ll offer a truly unique and special experience. I’m sure the price will be pretty special too. I wonder if they’ll ever let you redeem Marriott Rewards points for one of these cruises? ?
As for the Crystal Skye service, I’d like to really know why they decided to cancel the service. And if they can’t find enough customers to charter the aircraft, then will they just write it off or try to sell it. I still find their sky cruises concept interesting, and do hope they’ll eventually launch it. Not that I can afford it, though ?.