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Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Inaugural Brochure is Live


jenidallas
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Has anyone flipped through the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection brochure this morning yet?

 

My initial thoughts:

 

* Looks like they've copied a LOT of Seabourn elements (drop-down marina, Seabourn Square - called The Living Room here, all-suites concept)

 

* The pool and surrounding space is tiny for 298 passengers, especially with the marina area sharing that space. It appears to have about the same amount of real estate as the Retreat on the newer ships.

 

* The itineraries are all shorter - 4 to 12 days with 7-10 being the norm. Nothing seems very exotic... almost all places I've been already but certainly bucket list places for travelers who may be newer to cruising or branching out from the standards.

 

* Branding strikes me as very US-centric.

 

* The ship seems designed to appeal to a younger crowd - shorter itineraries, specific mention of a kids club/program - they are definitely going after the still working, already attached to the Ritz/Marriott/Starwood brand from business travel, hotel-at-sea crowd. (To that point, I've had a half-dozen friends/colleagues already forward me a brochure link this morning, all of whom fit that demographic!)

 

* The rooms are very elegant modern... looks like a typical Ritz Carlton room.

 

* Dining choices seem like they are space limited and reservations are mentioned (with owners suites getting priority).

 

* Complimentary Wi-Fi is included (Seabourn, are you paying attention??!!)

 

* Espresso machines in all suites - nice!

 

* I cannot discern what is included and what is add-on (in-room set up only mentions craft beers, not wine or other bar items).

 

* All suites have a "personal assistant" to "arrange your day".

 

* Excursions are coded (seems to be by theme or interest).

 

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ritzcarltonyachtcollection/brochure_2018/

 

I'm intrigued but somehow don't feel like this concept is necessarily for me.

 

I'll be curious to see how they start marketing to the Ritz/Marriott/Starwood loyalty crowd and whether aspirational points redemption options will be on the table. If so, that may make it less personally appealing to me but I can see it being more of a draw for the every-week travel consulting-type crowd to push more stays to their properties.

 

Thoughts?

 

(And yes, I've already reported my own post to see if they can fix the spelling of inaugural!!! Ugh!!!)

Edited by jenidallas
I cannot spell, apparently.
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Without looking, pretty sure your analysis is close to accurate. Personally think Scenic will be taking market share before RC is ready. YTD 25% of Scenic bookings come from USA. Signed up this week for 4th quarter. Frustrated that companies we're accustomed to have abandoned the market they created. Oh well, the bright side is SB will probably remain the affordable option.

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It is impossible to predict what an RC cruise will be like until they are actually up and running and we get some feedback. Personally short cruises to stale uninspired ports are not much of a draw.

 

Perhaps not to us. But to someone like my daughter who is a consultant 'on-the-road', makes a very good salary, has a gazillion SPG points and can never take more than 7-10 days vacation, it could be very attractive.

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Perhaps not to us. But to someone like my daughter who is a consultant 'on-the-road', makes a very good salary, has a gazillion SPG points and can never take more than 7-10 days vacation, it could be very attractive.

 

I think this is exactly their target. I've got colleagues who are atwitter about this... they love the brand already due to years of loyalty (whether on the Ritz, Marriott, or SPG side which are now basically one), have little ability to take long vacations, and like predictability.

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IMO, a Ritz or 4 Seasons “resort” property would never be my vacation choice as I find they cater to everyone including families. I tire quickly by having to endure the experience of dealing with overly entitled families with the means to afford the “resort” but no class or understanding that it is not all about them 24/7. I would be afraid that the Ritz cruise line would be the same experience. Having said that, I would choose to stay at a Ritz or 4 Seasons non-resort property (I.e. a city type hotel) as both brands offer good service and there is a broader clientele. By comparison, Seabourn seems to be marketing to the same demographic as the Ritz”resort” clientele and time will tell how that impacts the overall Seabourn experience.

 

 

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Perhaps not to us. But to someone like my daughter who is a consultant 'on-the-road', makes a very good salary, has a gazillion SPG points and can never take more than 7-10 days vacation, it could be very attractive.

And I'm glad this option will be there for them. I did say personally, so my sentiment applied to my needs, not your daughters

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I was very disappointed in the European itineraries. They are heavy on Northern Europe and leave the med very early in the summer after just a few cruises. The Med is far too cold for swimming before June. I don’t see the point in having small ships with a marina, yet spending almost no time in The Greek islands. For some reason Northern Europe seems to have become all the rage with cruise lines recently.

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IMO, a Ritz or 4 Seasons “resort” property would never be my vacation choice as I find they cater to everyone including families. I tire quickly by having to endure the experience of dealing with overly entitled families with the means to afford the “resort” but no class or understanding that it is not all about them 24/7. I would be afraid that the Ritz cruise line would be the same experience. Having said that, I would choose to stay at a Ritz or 4 Seasons non-resort property (I.e. a city type hotel) as both brands offer good service and there is a broader clientele. By comparison, Seabourn seems to be marketing to the same demographic as the Ritz”resort” clientele and time will tell how that impacts the overall Seabourn experience.

 

 

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I didn’t see any families at the four seasons resorts in Langkawi, Bora Bora or Jimbarran Bay. That was because the accommodation was villas designed for couples.

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I didn’t see any families at the four seasons resorts in Langkawi, Bora Bora or Jimbarran Bay. That was because the accommodation was villas designed for couples.
What time of year were you at the FS Bora Bora? We've been during the northern hemisphere's spring break time period and the place was packed with families/kids, including ours.
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* The ship seems designed to appeal to a younger crowd - shorter itineraries, specific mention of a kids club/program - they are definitely going after the still working, already attached to the Ritz/Marriott/Starwood brand from business travel, hotel-at-sea crowd.

 

 

I'll be curious to see how they start marketing to the Ritz/Marriott/Starwood loyalty crowd and whether aspirational points redemption options will be on the table. If so, that may make it less personally appealing to me but I can see it being more of a draw for the every-week travel consulting-type crowd to push more stays to their properties.

 

Thoughts?

I imagine you are very correct in your assessment.

 

As one who owns a consulting firm and has stayed at countless R/M/S's during my career and family vacations, I can tell you the only thing I find intriguing about the new Ritz Yacht is the ability to possibly use the 5+MM points I have accumulated in my account. Otherwise, based on the brochure, I just don't see how Ritz is going to attract the thousands of satisfied passengers from the traditional luxury lines, many of whom have already been to several, if not all, the featured destinations.

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The problem is that RC seems to be approaching these yachts like a hotel business instead of a cruise line. The whole point of a cruise to me is to get to ports and see things that interest me. RC is selling a hotel experience that will happen to stop at a few cliche over visited ports while you are staying on a and RC resort.

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I like the planned size of the RC vessels -- I've been unhappy that SB is trending larger and larger.

 

The RC itineraries aren't very interesting to me (although there seem to be more overnights in port than is typical on SB voyages). I think, however, that the itineraries will appeal to new cruisers, and that the shorter itineraries will be popular with guests who are working rather than retired.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Pricing is now out. It does appear to be all-inclusive in line with Seabourn although there is at least one specialty restaurant with an upcharge.

 

I thought the pricing was fairly high and will be curious to see how much they come down from published rates after the initial booking push subsides. ($7,700 pp + taxes/fees) for a 10 night Caribbean itinerary is more than I’m willing to spend.

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I did find it interesting that they clearly call out a “coming soon” loyalty program that will recognize members of the RC, Marriott, and SPG programs. As someone with lifetime status in two of those programs, that does generate a bit of interest in me. It’s also hand-in-hand with my earlier speculation on what crowd they are targeting to fill their ships.

 

If the 48-weeks a year in a chain hotel for work crowd can use those hard-earned points for a nice cruise, I suspect that will generate some aspirational loyalty.

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Without looking, pretty sure your analysis is close to accurate. Personally think Scenic will be taking market share before RC is ready. YTD 25% of Scenic bookings come from USA. Signed up this week for 4th quarter. Frustrated that companies we're accustomed to have abandoned the market they created. Oh well, the bright side is SB will probably remain the affordable option.

 

Don’t assume all Scenic cruise are not “affordable.”

 

We just booked a 21 day Scenic cruise from Buenos Aires to Lisbon, in April 2020, for less than most Seabourn cruises. It costs us $871/day for two. Scenic is all inclusive including excursions and is ultra luxurious.

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Don’t assume all Scenic cruise are not “affordable.”

 

We just booked a 21 day Scenic cruise from Buenos Aires to Lisbon, in April 2020, for less than most Seabourn cruises. It costs us $871/day for two. Scenic is all inclusive including excursions and is ultra luxurious.

While that is a good rate, TRIPACIAN, you're hardly comparing apples with apples there . BA to LISBON is a TA, which are always the least expensive per day.

Seabourn prices are about the same or less for a TA.

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While that is a good rate, TRIPACIAN, you're hardly comparing apples with apples there . BA to LISBON is a TA, which are always the least expensive per day.

 

Seabourn prices are about the same or less for a TA.

 

 

 

8 ports and 21 days is not a typical TA.

 

 

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8 ports and 21 days is not a typical TA.

 

 

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I was comparing it with Quests 16 ports in 24 days TA for less than $800 per day next year.

https://www.seabourn.com/details?webItineraryIdForAudit=E9T24A&fromSearchVacation=true&guestsCount=2&voyageCode=6920&selectedMeta=Veranda%20Suite&shipId=SQ

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Don’t assume all Scenic cruise are not “affordable.”

 

We just booked a 21 day Scenic cruise from Buenos Aires to Lisbon, in April 2020, for less than most Seabourn cruises. It costs us $871/day for two. Scenic is all inclusive including excursions and is ultra luxurious.

TRIPACAN, I just called up your cruise on the Scenic Australian site.

I agree, the prices are good.

However, you must have booked a fairly flash cabin or else for once Aussies are getting a better deal, as I can book a 40m2 (431sq.ft.) cabin (admiitedly on deck 5) for A$728 or US$545 a day (for 2 )

https://www.scenic.com.au/tour/transatlantic-explorer/7686

We might join you.:D

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TRIPACAN, I just called up your cruise on the Scenic Australian site.

 

I agree, the prices are good.

 

However, you must have booked a fairly flash cabin or else for once Aussies are getting a better deal, as I can book a 40m2 (431sq.ft.) cabin (admiitedly on deck 5) for A$728 or US$545 a day (for 2 )

 

https://www.scenic.com.au/tour/transatlantic-explorer/7686

 

We might join you.:D

 

 

 

Sounds like a great deal, go for it! See you on board.

 

 

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Good price but not a cruise I would be interested in doing.

 

 

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