On The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Ilma, there’s no buffet line, no casino floor and no theater. The 448-passenger, all-suite vessel reconsidered every aspect of the experience, which is perhaps why it won the world’s first Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star cruise ship award.
Ilma’s milestone achievement comes as cruising sees unprecedented popularity. After a record 34.6 million passengers came on board in 2024, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) projected 37.7 million in 2025. The growth is sharpest at the top: cruise bookings exceeding $50,000 surged 43% last year, according to a 2025 Virtuoso report.
The industry is racing to meet the demand — the number of luxury cruises has more than tripled since 2010, CLIA said.
Yet The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection remains the trailblazer. It was the first hotel company to hit the high seas with the 2022 debut of Four-Star Evrima. The fleet expanded with Ilma in 2024, and the celebrity-studded launch of Luminara in 2025. The rest of the luxury hotel industry took notice: Aman, Four Seasons, Orient Express and Waldorf Astoria have all announced ships of their own.
But The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection took a different approach. Its ships ditched the buffets, theaters and casinos — fixtures travelers associate most with cruising — and replaced them with what guests were choosing on land.
“The guest experience was designed to feel closer to a private yacht or a stay at a boutique hotel,” said Ernesto Fara, president and CEO, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. “That meant rethinking certain conventions associated with larger-scale cruising and focusing instead on how our guests prefer to spend their time when they travel.”
The buffets gave way to chef-driven restaurants with à la carte menus. Theaters and casinos became smaller lounges and intimate performance spaces.
Fara said the response has been overwhelmingly positive. “Many share that the experience feels more closely aligned with how they already travel, elevated yet relaxed, immersive without being prescriptive.”
But what arguably sets Ilma apart is bringing The Ritz-Carlton’s service culture to sea, rooted in genuine care, anticipation and personalization. It’s the kind of staff who learns your preferences and acts on them before you ask. “From the very beginning, our vision was to redefine luxury at sea by translating The Ritz-Carlton’s legendary service and hospitality into an intimate yachting experience,” Fara said.
That’s harder on water than on land. The setting changes constantly — weather shifts, itineraries adjust — and the staff has to absorb it all without guests noticing the seams.
Fara said the company has invested heavily in training and onboard culture to make sure The Ritz-Carlton standard holds even when the ocean doesn’t cooperate.
That investment includes a larger staff — Ilma has one of the highest employee-to-guest ratios at sea. And each cabin is assigned a “suite ambassador,” essentially a butler who handles all aspects of your trip, from securing dinner reservations to pressing your rumpled clothes.
Ilma differentiates itself in other ways as well. The 790-foot superyacht features 224 spacious suites, all with terraces. The sleek, contemporary cabins designed by London-based AD Associates have luxurious amenities, such as Diptyque or Bvlgari bath amenities, a separate tub with bath salts, Dyson hair dryers and a Nespresso espresso machine and tea kettle. And passengers get plied with gifts, receiving champagne in the complimentary personalized minibar and surprises like a tote bag, a skincare gift set and premium chocolates throughout the voyage.
There’s plenty to do elsewhere on the vessel. Seta su Ilma, modern Italian fine dining from chef Fabio Trabocchi (known for D.C.’s Fiola), and The Beach House, South and Central American fusion from acclaimed chef Michael Mina, anchor Ilma’s five restaurants and seven bars. The Ritz-Carlton Spa offers 11 treatment rooms, five of which can provide outdoor services, in case you want fresh air with your massage.
According to Fara, one of the most popular amenities is the marina, a hydraulic platform that connects with the sea when the yacht is at anchor, turning the space into something like a private dock. Guests swim in the marina’s “ocean pool,” kayak or paddleboard from it or simply relax along the water.
Ilma also took a different tack to shore excursions. “The focus is for each experience to feel less like a standard tour and more like a thoughtful introduction to a place, shaped by exclusive access and moments guests would be unlikely to arrange independently,” he said.
For example, on select Athens round-trip voyages, there’s a complimentary Evening Beach Soirée in Mykonos. Passengers get to experience the island’s legendary beach club scene with their own private party at Alemagou. The evening unfolds at the bohemian-chic spot with cocktails, Mediterranean canapés, live music and sunset views over the Aegean as the backdrop.
The strategy is attracting a new kind of cruiser. Fara said Ilma’s guests skew younger than the industry norm — the average age is 54, nearly a decade younger than the traditional luxury cruise demographic — and many have never cruised before. They are hotel and villa travelers drawn to Ilma’s intimacy, service and design who seek out culturally driven itineraries, wellness and a more unhurried pace. “Ilma reflects a broader shift in how luxury travelers want to explore the world today,” he said.
For Fara, the Five-Star recognition confirms what Ilma was built to prove: that luxury at sea doesn’t mean sticking to the conventions cruising has relied on for decades.
“Being recognized as the world’s first Five-Star cruise by Forbes Travel Guide reflects years of thoughtful design, operational excellence and dedication,” he said. “Most importantly, it’s a reflection of our Ladies and Gentlemen [staff members], both on board and ashore, whose care, intuition and passion bring this experience to life for our guests every day.”
This week, we revealed our 2026 Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards. Click here to see the list of winners.
