Luxury hotel brands are checking into a new kind of holiday address: the open sea. For Ritz-Carlton, that means taking its signature approach to high-end hospitality beyond its resorts and onto the water, as its yacht collection expands its European programme for 2028.

The move reflects a wider shift in luxury travel, where smaller ships, intimate experiences, and hotel-style service are giving travellers an alternative to the mega-ship cruise experience.

52 European voyages for 2028

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has unveiled 52 European voyages for Summer 2028, sailing aboard Evrima and Ilma from late April through October. The four- to nine-night itineraries span the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, with round-trip departures available from cities including Rome, Monte Carlo, Athens, Venice and Reykjavík.

The programme introduces two new ports for the collection, Gijón in Spain and Portovenere in Italy, while expanding its journeys through the Greek Isles and Adriatic. Other itineraries head north towards Norway’s fjords, Baltic cities and Iceland’s volcanic landscapes. Reservations are already open.

A smaller-scale cruise experience

Despite the word “cruise”, these vessels are smaller than the mega-ships more commonly associated with ocean cruising. Evrima carries up to 298 guests across 149 suites, while Ilma accommodates up to 448 guests in 224 suites. Every suite comes with a private terrace.

Onboard, the focus is on dining, spa treatments, open-air spaces, personalised service and time at sea, rather than the waterparks and large-scale entertainment found on many conventional cruise ships.

Luxury hotel brands are heading out to sea

Ritz-Carlton is also part of a much bigger pivot in luxury travel. Some of the world’s best-known hospitality brands are moving onto the water, bringing elements of their hotel experience into a new type of luxury yacht or cruise.

Four Seasons launched its first yacht in March 2026, carrying 222 guests across 95 suites. Meanwhile, Aman is preparing an even more intimate experience aboard Amangati, which is scheduled to begin sailing in 2027 with 47 suites for 94 guests.

Across the luxury cruise sector, smaller passenger numbers, larger suites, destination-led itineraries, elevated dining and highly personalised service are increasingly being used to distinguish these vessels from traditional cruise ships.

The future of cruising may look more like a hotel

For Southeast Asian travellers, a Ritz-Carlton yacht may remain firmly in bucket-list territory, but the wider trend is worth watching. As more hotel brands enter the sector, the distinction between a luxury hotel stay and a luxury cruise is becoming less clear — with travellers increasingly able to expect the service, space and personalised experiences associated with high-end hospitality at sea.

For travellers who have never considered a cruise, that could make the category look a little different from the mega-ship image they may have in mind.

The Ritz-Carlton Yatch Collection