Thinking outside the box…

In February 2020 a super-luxury cruise yacht – the first of a new three-strong fleet of sisterships – will set sail from Fort Lauderdale on its 10-day maiden voyage to Bridgetown. The concept of the yacht-style cruise is not new in the Caribbean. Yet Doug Prothero, the Canadian chief executive and founder of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, believes his Florida-based company has found a promising niche. In an interview with CM, he says the Ritz-Carlton fleet will not only offer a more socially involving and mentally stimulating cruise experience than the mega ship operators but will be ahead of the curve in terms of environmental responsibility.

Q. What led you to come up with the concept of the Ritz-Carlton Yacht?

A. The demand for cruising has increased over 20 per cent in the last five years and in 2018 the Cruise Line Industry Association estimates that 27.2 million people will cruise globally. Meanwhile, despite the rise in demand, there have been few new small-capacity ships entering operation in the luxury cruise market. We saw this void and the opportunity to fill it, but we also knew we had to bring something new to the table. In 2016 over 400,000 Ritz-Carlton guests reported taking a cruise, indicating that there is a huge opportunity for our concept to appeal to The Ritz-Carlton customer base. This led us to a vision of bridging the gap between a yacht and cruise ship experience by offering an aesthetic that was both modern and intimate, providing the anticipatory and personalized service for which The Ritz-Carlton is renowned and creating unique yacht-style experiences both on board and ashore.

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