Page 27: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 2019)

Photo: The Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection

By Lisa Overing s privately owned, luxury yachts near the size of the average cruise ship, behold a new option, which is anything but commonplace: The Ritz-Carlton Yacht

Collection. At 624 feet and 11 decks, her exterior pro? le resembles a sleek superyacht design, not a cruise ship on the horizon. Launched in October 2018

A at Hijos de J. Barreras Shipyard in Vigo, Spain, the ? agship of the new brand is now in out? tting and interior ? nishing. The project was co-managed by The Ritz-Carlton

Yacht Collection, Marriott and Tillberg Design of Sweden. With a considerably longer shake

Douglas Prothero, down period than most cruise ships, delivery is expected for year end with the ? rst cruise de-

CEO, The Ritz-Carlton parting Fort Lauderdale for the Caribbean in February, 2020. The build cost of the vessel was

Yacht Collection. not disclosed.

Photo:

Douglas Prothero, Chief Executive Of? cer The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, is a seasoned

The Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection mariner, boatbuilder, ship owner and ? nance professional experienced in yacht charter, adven- ture cruise and shore excursions. He previously ran Capital Canada, a boutique investment bank in Toronto.

Ritz-Carlton announced The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection as its extension in 2017. With headquarters in Miami and of? ces in Spain and Malta, Prothero drafted seasoned veterans from every sector of the cruise industry for The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, which is a totally new offering especially for the loyal luxury traveler. “We’re putting the brand in places where it otherwise wouldn’t appear, often where there will never be a Ritz-Carlton,” said Doug Prothero. “We could safely say we are creating a new type of cruiser.”

Over half of the passengers booked indicate they’re new to cruising, according to Prothero, whose business model is contrarian compared to other cruise ships, but that is by design as part of a totally different guest experience.

There are no show lounges, rather classical music, jazz and local performers. Shore excur- sions are highly curated, with a concierge team onboard delivering a perfectly customized experience for the most discerning traveler.

“We’re not trying to do seven ports in seven days,” said Prothero. “We’ll do four ports in seven days or six or seven ports in 10 days,” he said.

ction, discusses the world’s ? rst luxury cruise ship line.

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