In our current era of go-for-Baroque luxury defined by Mar-a-Lago face, recreational space travel, and Venetian weddings, one question captures the mood: How big is your yacht?
If the Bezoses answer honestly, it’s 417 feet. That’s pretty dainty compared with Luminara. In June, this 794-foot, 226-suite royal-blue ship was blessed by a Spanish deacon to become the third yacht in the Ritz-Carlton’s collection.
If you’re off Instagram, you may have missed the coverage of Bridgerton star Simone Ashley breaking a bottle of champagne against the ship’s hull when it embarked from Barcelona on its inaugural three-night cruise to Rome.
During these festivities, your AIR MAIL correspondent was mostly stuck like a barnacle to a shady spot right next to the oyster bar. Unsurprisingly, the oysters were served with a dollop of caviar.
In an age when the two engines of luxury travel seem to be nostalgia (such as the beautiful new La Dolce Vita Orient Express train) or numbing ostentation, this new trend of small-ship cruising is a nice compromise. (Other hotel brands, including Aman, Belmond, Waldorf Astoria, and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, have launched similar fleets.)
Most cruise ships have memorably ugly décor, so Luminara’s restrained good taste is refreshing. It was done with the help of four different design firms, and the dark oak woodwork, Emperador-marble bathrooms, and smoked glass gave my suite a serene, Big Sur vibe. Art by David Hockney, Paul Klee, Andy Warhol, and Henri Matisse is displayed throughout the ship. The most lavish suites are furnished with statement pieces from Minotti, Giorgetti, Talenti, Poltrona Frau, and Molteni.
Over dinner on the first night at sea, Jim Murren, the C.E.O. of the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, stopped by my table. “Some sophisticated travelers assume that cruising is sort of naff, so we’ve created a bespoke experience that will hopefully persuade them otherwise,” he said. As a doggedly independent traveler with an aversion to tour buses and cattle-call buffets, I’m still dealing with my F.O.C. (“fear of cruising,” in industry parlance). But Luminara went a long way toward my recovery.
Eating is the main activity on any cruise, and it is here where Luminara excels, with five restaurants, seven bars, and a wine vault. The Beach House, a casual Mediterranean restaurant from Egyptian-American chef Michael Mina, offers a menu as delicious as anything found on land.
Seta Su Luminara, from the Washington, D.C.–based chef Fabio Trabocchi, is the headliner. The brass’s decision to orient Luminara’s gastronomic offering toward pasta rather than foie gras may have been controversial, but “it’s Italian cooking, not French, that excites our clientele,” said Frank Koppelkamm, the yacht’s senior director of culinary operations.
The Ozempic set will also find plenty of ways to have fun. A panoramic pool area with two whirlpools occupies Deck 10, and the spa includes treatments by the skin-care lines Espa, 111Skin, and Pisterzi. When the ship is anchored, it releases a tethered platform that allows swimmers to dive directly into the sea, as well as kayak and paddleboard.
Thanks to the Cartier, IWC Schaffhausen, and Piaget shops, retail on Luminara is about a lot more than replacing the left-behind sunscreen. The Boutique, as it’s called, includes a tempting edit of clothing, accessories, vintage, small gift items from Hermès and Chanel, and limited-edition Lululemon pieces.
By the time we disembarked in Civitavecchia, Rome’s seaport, some guests were ready for a water fast. A few days later, the Hollywood set (Kate Hudson, Naomi Campbell, Tom Brady, Kendall Jenner, and Ricky Martin) arrived for an inaugural Luminara cruise of their own; theirs included a private concert by Sting. This summer, the boat weaves its way around Europe before moving to Asia in December, where it will ping-pong between Osaka, Bangkok, and Ha Long Bay. Expect its merry travelers to be Instagramming—and indulging—all the way.
Alexander Lobrano is a Writer at Large at AIR MAIL. His latest book is the gastronomic coming-of-age story My Place at the Table: A Recipe for a Delicious Life in Paris
