My review of the Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection’s new luxury yacht, Evrima, and what you can expect. Plus 8 tips to help plan your luxury cruise adventure.
We recently returned from a 5-night Caribbean cruise with Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection.
Aboard the Evrima.
Can I tell you about it?
Oh good, because you know I’m dying to …
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Jim’s been following the launch of the Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection for several years.
And last year he booked us on a 5-night Caribbean cruise aboard the Evrima.
Come along as I relive our amazing experience.
Evrima, the first yacht of the collection launched in 2022, is a 149 cabin, 298 passenger ship.
Excuse me, yacht.
One does not refer to the yacht as a boat or a ship.
Now that we’ve got that straight, let’s talk more about the Evrima yachting experience.
GETTING THERE
First things first, we had to make our way to San Juan Puerto Rico. We flew American Airlines from San Francisco through Miami to San Juan arriving the evening prior to departure. We checked into the La Concha Renaissance Hotel, recommended by Ritz Carlton, using Bonvoy points for our one-night stay.
The next morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast on our balcony overlooking the ocean and made the easy transition to island time.
By noon we were in the hotel lobby being ushered into a waiting car to be whisk away to board the yacht at the Pan American Dock. The boarding process was a breeze and before we knew it we were making our way up the gangway, enjoying a welcome cocktail and exploring our suite.
Jim and I have very different approaches to settling into a new environment. While I sipped my welcome cocktail and took in the view, Jim set about getting a handle on the technology situation.
THE YACHT – EVRIMA
Evrima set sail in October 2022 under the direction of Captain Kevin Falconer of Scotland (currently residing in Kansas City, when not captaining the yacht.). The yacht has five restaurants, six lounges, at least two pools, a spa and fitness center, cigar humidor/smoking room, boutique and, when at anchor, a marina with kayaks, paddles boards and other water toys available to enjoy right off the back of the yacht. And so much more.
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- Evrima | Ritz Carlton
The main gathering spaces are The Living Room and The Observation Lounge. Both popular spots to enjoy morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea and, of course, after dinner and late night drinks and music. There are four or five really great musicians onboard who played solo and together, as well as a DJ. We were well entertained.
The yacht is elegant and understated, but the vibe onboard is friendly and casual. The dress code is ‘yacht casual’ and three of the restaurants suggest ‘yacht sophisticated’ attire. Interpretations vary. Widely.
Yacht Journey is an onboard app for guests to keep track of their cruise itinerary, maps for navigating the yacht, onboard activities and events, shore excursions, spa appointments, etc. What it does not do is update dining reservations which are booked once onboard the yacht. The app only functions onboard when connected to the yacht’s wifi. The app leaves a lot to be desired, but not to worry, a good old fashioned bulletin is deposited in each suite during evening turndown service and everything you need to know about the next day’s adventures (except dining reservations which you need to keep track of yourself) can be found there.
Evrima doesn’t have a cruise director so to speak. Andrew Kim is the yacht’s General Manager, and there are many concierges always available by phone or in the Living Room gathering space to assist with anything you need.
OUR SUITE
We booked a Signature Suite located on the 6th deck, roughly mid-ship. I loved everything about it and would choose the exact same room again.
Nothing says welcome like a chilled bottle of French bubbles.
The suite has a long entry hall, small dining and sitting areas, a nice bedroom with good storage and fairly spacious outdoor terrace … we couldn’t ask for anything more. Oh, the bathroom was a nice surprise too … more about that in a bit.
All our clothes fit easily into the his and her closets with plenty of room to spare. We packed way too much and I’ll discuss that in part two, What I Packed and Wore, next week.
The entry hall contains lots of storage with hooks, shoe shelves, and a bench. As well as a desk space, espresso machine, a nice selection of coffee pods and teas, a mini-fridge, electric kettle, ice bucket, and coasters. All the things.
While the sitting and dining areas are nice to have and make the room feel more spacious, we spent very little time using them. The table functioned more as a drop zone, and buffet table for our morning breakfast tray. The sofa converts to a bed but I can’t imagine traveling with more than two people in this suite.
The terrace is spacious with a couple of chairs, small tables and one chaise lounge. I wish there were two chaises … I hogged ours and spent quite a bit of time on the terrace with my book. I read Anderson Cooper’s Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune over the course of the voyage.
The very best part of the room, the king size bed. The most comfortable bed ever. Ever. We slept like babies and we chatted with other guest who said the same thing. I took a peek at the mattress, it’s Matermoll. Upon further investigation it appears this is a brand specifically for cruise ships and yachts. I’m sure the Frette bedding added to the comfort level. Speaking of Frette, the yachts bathrobes are the softest and coziest I’ve ever experienced. Same goes for the towels … also Frette. Whatever the cost, they’re worth it.
While we’re on the topic of bathrobes and towels, the suite bathroom was a nice surprise. Double vanity, plenty of storage, rain head shower and separate, full-size bathtub. The water closet contains another sink … as well as a second door opening into the entry hall (think Jack & Jill) which I guess makes it a powder room. A nice feature if entertaining others in your suite. I also appreciated the lighted makeup mirror … there’s also a large, lighted pull-up mirror in the bedroom’s vanity.
Leave your hair dryer at home. There’s a hairdryer in the bathroom, in a drawer and plugged in behind so you can’t move it around. I was unable to book a blow-out in the salon mid-cruise so I brought my hair dryer brush along. Unfortunately, the plug is too large for the available outlets near mirrors in the suite, so I used the hairdryer provided and it was fine. My curling iron plugged in without any issues.
THE RESTAURANTS & LOUNGES
Let’s talk about the food. It’s very good. There are five restaurants on the yacht (but no main dining room like a traditional cruise). We enjoyed all the restaurants multiples times. Except for S.E.A. which I’ll talk more about later. Restaurant reservations are made after boarding the yacht. Do this immediately, especially if you’re particular about your dining time.
The Pool House – the most casual restaurant on the yacht overlooking the main pool. It offers breakfast, lunch, dinner at late night dining. The taco trio is delicious and my favorite thing on the menu … that I ordered on repeat. They have a really good burger too.
Mistral – Mediterranean style cuisine, serving lunch and dinner.
Talaat Nam – serving southeast Asian food, Talaat Nam was our favorite restaurant for dinner. The spring rolls are amazing. Everyone on the yacht raved about them. Hot tip – they’re available on the in-room dining menu too. Jim said their sushi was excellent.
The Evrima Room – the largest restaurant on the ship and has the feel of a main dining room. We had dinner here the first night, and it was very good, but it’s all indoor seating and we didn’t return. Had we been on a longer cruise we definitely would have gone back.
S.E.A. – is the only restaurant with an additional charge of $289 per person, plus wine pairings for a five-course European tasting menu designed by Chef Sven Elverfeld of Ritz Carlton’s three Michelin-star restaurant, Aqua. This is the only restaurant that offers advance (before departure) reservations.
The Living Room – The Living Room, on the main deck, serves as a community gathering spot and there are nibbles available throughout the day. This is really nice especially to grab something on your way back from an exhausting day onshore. Afternoon tea is served around 3:00pm and I recommend partaking at least once. And after dinner guests head here to socialize, play board games, listen to live music, dance and enjoy a nightcap.
The Observation Lounge – The Observation Lounge on the top deck is also a gathering spot with amazing views, but for whatever reason we spent more time in The Living Room.
The Bar – At the entrance to Mistral and Talaat Nam
Marina Terrace – on the third deck overlooking the marina is the Marina Terrace that I never made it too. Jim got down there while we were anchored at Virgin Gorda. It’s hard to believe that on a relatively small ship there are many things I missed or didn’t have time to see … bottom line, it never gets boring.
The Humidor – On the top deck just before entering The Observation Lounge is the Humidor. Jim visited The Humidor a couple of times for a cigar and nightcap. I would have joined him just to be sociable, but cigar smoking (any kind of smoking) is only allowed inside the Humidor, and not on the adjacent deck. I didn’t want to get my clothes and hair all smokey.
In addition to the restaurants and lounges, in-suite dining is available 24/7. We opted for breakfast in our suite each morning and placed our breakfast card out before bed every night. Our breakfast always arrived right on time and we ate on our terrace.
All meals and beverages are included in the cruise fare, except S.E.A. There’s a standard wine and spirits menu which is wide ranging and quite good (so says Jim). In addition, specialty spirits and rarer wines are also available at an additional charge.
OUR ITINERARY
We chose a 5-night itinerary. Which is just the right amount of time for a cruise in my opinion. Any longer and I’d have to be carried off the ship in a food induced stupor. Evrima’s itineraries vary from cruise to cruise both in duration and ports of call. The yacht traverses the Mediterranean and the Caribbean depending on time of year. And I believe they offer repositioning voyages. The yacht can also be chartered and the cruise after ours was an 8-day corporate charter. Crew members told us that the yacht has been chartered for weddings, family reunions and other events. How nice!
Ritz Carlton’s The Shore Collection offers a limited number of excursion options in most (not all) ports that can be booked about 30-days before sailing. Make sure to make you reservations right away because they fill up fast.
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO
Our boarding time was 12:30pm so we weren’t able to spend any time exploring San Juan. I’ve visited San Juan in the past and highly recommend a pre or post cruise stay at one of the fabulous resorts on the island. The El Morro fortress in Old San Juan is not to be missed. I suppose we could have asked for a later boarding time, the ship didn’t depart until 7:00pm, and spent the day in San Juan but this was our first Ritz Carlton Yacht adventure so we went with the flow.
Our concierge led us to our suite where we took a quick tour and made our way to The Pool House for lunch. By the time we returned from lunch our luggage had arrived so we unpacked and set off again to explore the yacht.
A Welcome Aboard reception kicked off in the Observation Lounge. Champagne and other cocktails flowed and the Captain and ships officers circulated before scurrying back to the bridge. By 7:00pm we were seated for dinner in The Evrima Room as the ship got underway.
SANDY GROUND, ANGUILLA
We woke up the next morning at sea and enjoyed breakfast on our terrace before anchoring at Sandy Ground around noon.
The yacht’s daily bulletin suggested a couple of nearby destinations and restaurants and The Shore Collection offered excursions to Savi Beach or a snorkeling adventure (these are booked way in advance and most excursions were fully booked). The Marina was also open to guests wanting to snorkel, paddle board or use any of the other toys available off the back of the yacht. We opted to take the day as it came and took a tender ashore, wandered down the beach ending up at the Elvis Beach Bar. The Elvis is a total dive bar experience. Fabulous. We ordered ice cold beer, a couple of tequila shots and scored a couple of chaise lounges on the beach where we were happy to stay put for a couple of hours. We made our way back to the ship in the late afternoon in time to enjoy afternoon tea in The Living Room. A perfect first day.
GUSTAVIA, ST. BARTHELEMY (ST. BARTHS)
We opened our curtains on day two in Gustavia Harbor … and wowza! Jim said the harbor looked like an Oligarch convention in progress … the size of the yachts anchored around us was astounding. And looking toward the shore was the most charming Caribbean architecture … white buildings with red tile roofs surrounded by lush greenery. We were truly in paradise.
We booked a day at the Le Barthelemy Hotel & Spa. One of two hotel-day pass options offered by The Shore Collection. The second group went to The Rosewood Le Guanahani which was pretty much next door. We compared notes once we were back on the yacht and it’s hard to say who had the more amazing experience.
While waiting to board our transportation to the hotels, we were all oh-my-gawding over the fabulousness that is the Gustavia port. This is not your average cruise port bustling with local vendors and tchotchke’s galore. No, this is a town full of hoity-toity designer boutiques … think Chanel, Dior, Cartier, Bulgaria, Hermes, Louis Vuitton. You get the idea. On our way to the hotels everyone plotted their plan of attack for our return. The yacht didn’t depart until 11:00pm, so we were free to book dinner reservations in town or shop to our hearts content. And many did exactly that. Later than night as we were enjoying a night cap in The Living Room we were highly entertained when a group of women traveling together (perhaps a birthday or bachlorette) stumbled off the last tender laden down with designer shopping bags and in very high spirits.
But back to the Le Barthelemy Hotel & Spa. It was about a 30-minute drive to the other side of the island where we passed many more charming towns packed with high-end shops, restaurants and fabulous villas. We passed the Eden Rock St. Barths, owned by Pippa Middleton’s in-laws, and wondered why they weren’t offering day passes to the lowly Ritz Carlton cruise passengers. Anyway we arrived at the Le Barthelemy Hotel & Spa and were ushered through the open air lobby to the infinity pool where we chose between umbrella covered chaises around the pool or on the Grand Cul de Sac beach. We opted for the beach and settled in for the day.
Our adventure included a leisurely 3-course lunch at Amis, the hotel’s French-Mediterranean restaurant. It was amazingly delicious and the bread was out of this world. Almost as good was the people watching at neighboring tables, guests parading up and down the beach, and table-side fashion show by the hotel’s boutique. We enjoyed seeing the French speaking servers traipse back and forth carrying magnums of chilled French rose. Jim wasn’t shy about waving them over to our table.
After lunch we took a walk down the beach and made our way back to our chaises before we reluctantly returned to the yacht. Before leaving we took a stroll through the Gypset La Boutique and Jim bought a fun shirt which he later regretted when he figured out he’d miscalculated the currency exchange. I was tempted by the cutest woven bag, but surprisingly I resisted. This is exactly how I want to spend everyday of vacation.
Here’s a page from Evrima’s St. Barths activity bulletin.
ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA
Antigua is the only port (besides San Juan) where we docked and could walk on and off the yacht.
Two large scale cruise ships were also in port … not mega-ships, but we were dwarfed in comparison.
We wandered through the town and found our way up the hill to St. John’s Cathedral.
After touring the church and grounds we found a taxi to Casa Roots a beach bar and restaurant on Runaway Beach. We didn’t have a reservation which caused a moment of anxiety, but we were early and managed to snag one of the best tables in this totally enchanting location. I ordered a Painkiller, Jim a sparkling rose and we settled in for another delicious lunch.
Afterwards we took a few steps out onto the beach where the restaurant has a secondary bar and rows of chaise lounges. We wandered up and down the beach before returning to the yacht.
Back on board we headed to the spa for hot stone massages. Heavenly.
SPANISH TOWN, VIRGIN GORDA, BVI
Last stop, Virgin Gorda. We booked an excursion to the Virgin Gorda Beach Baths where we traversed the caves made by massive granite boulders forming ‘baths’ between two beautiful beaches. The seas were rough with red flags warnings so there was no swimming. Back on the yacht it was too rough for the Marina to open up. The Baths is a very popular destination and it was packed. Not exactly a tranquil experience.
Another downside, the tour concluded with a too sweet drink at a restaurant at the top of the hill and we were there way too long. Despite it all, we had fun and I’m glad we went.
The last night of a cruise can be somewhat of a shock when you’re asked to pack your bags and leave your luggage outside your suite by 11:00pm. We knew from past experiences that this is standard operating procedure, but wondered if it might be different on the yacht. Sadly it was not. So we packed our bags before heading off to dinner. After dinner we went to The Living Room for a fun night of music with all the musicians on board getting together to form a band. Then it was time to make our way back to the suite. We pushed our luggage into the hallway at 11:00pm on the dot. It was the first time we’d seen many of our neighbors also out in the hallway suffering the indignity of this inhumane procedure.
SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO
Our vacation is over. What a rude awakening. No sleeping in, no room service … suites must be vacated by 8:00am. What?! We pushed the 8:00am deadline a bit and made it to The Living Room around 8:30am where we enjoyed our final croissants and pastries before disembarking. Everyone must be off the yacht by 9:30am. We headed down the gangway with 15 minutes to spare, claimed our luggage, found our car and were whisked back to where we started, La Concha Renaissance. The disembarking process was every bit as smooth and hassle free as boarding.
PRE & POST CRUISE
Ritz Carlton offers air and land packages both pre-and post cruise. San Juan is a wonderful city with a rich history and many places to explore. We would love to have extended our vacation by a few days, but it wasn’t in the cards.
Had we known we had to be off the ship by 9:30am we would have booked an earlier flight and headed straight to the airport. But we didn’t know so we arranged for a room at the La Concha Renaissance for the day using Marriott Bonvoy points. This is where we stayed the night before the cruise as recommended by Ritz Carlton. It’s an okay hotel but I would not recommend it for an extended stay. We arrived at the hotel before 10:00am, dropped luggage in our room, took a walk on the beach, and had lunch by the pool before heading to the airport.
PRO TIPS
What would we do differently? Well … not much other than book through a speciality travel agent who might have advised us about booking earlier flights, options for shore activities, and provided a clearer picture on what to expect onboard on onshore. Also providing us with a consistent and reliable point of contact. You don’t know what you don’t know and it would have been nice to have had an experienced source to guide us. And that is my number one tip:
- Book through a travel agent. Preferably a cruise specialist. Ritz Carlton’s booking services were frustrating and inconsistent. We were disappointed.
- Book air travel directly or through a trusted travel agent. Ritz Carlton’s air/land desk quoted us airfares at twice the rate we could purchase them directly. For the exact same flights.
- If your cruise departs from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Uber, and Lyft are readily available and significantly less expensive than Ritz Carlton arranged transfers. Significantly less.
- Start following the Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection Instagram account, and the Instagram account of Evrima’s 1st officer, Jack Ramsay. Jack offers glimpses into the yacht’s whereabouts and behind the scenes. Also follow hashtags like #ritzcarltonyachtcollection and #evrima to see what other passengers are saying, doing and wearing onboard.
- Book Shore Collection excursions, spa and salon appointments and S.E.A. reservations as soon as they are available. We received an email announcing that bookings were open about 30 days before sailing. Everything books up fast.
- Book dinner reservations early to get your choice of best tables. All restaurants open at 6:30pm, if you book between 6:30-7:00pm and show up 5 minutes early, you’re golden.
- If you’re not a Marriott Bonvoy member, consider becoming one so you can accrue points for your cruise. Being a member will also give you access to some additional benefits onboard.
- There is no ATM onboard, so bring some cash. U.S. currency is readily accepted in all the ports we visited. And we wanted to leave cash tips for our room stewards and a few others who went above and beyond during our voyage. Otherwise, tips are included in the fare and not expected, except in the spa and salon.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This was our first luxury cruise experience so we have nothing to compare it too. We’ve both been on larger ships, before we met, and one cruise together. That cruise was on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and we were accompanied by a posse of 10 kids ages 20 – 25 (Kyle, the nieces and one friend each). I thought it was great, so did the kids. Jim thought it was too darned big (although he seemed to be having a grand time).
The Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection’s second yacht, Ilma, sets sail later this year. I believe they’re already taking reservations. Larger than Evrima, Ilma has a 456 guest capacity. A third yacht, Luminary, is expected to debut in 2025.
I asked Jim to share his thoughts … and favorite thing and he said … ‘the humidor, obviously, but aside from that the trip exceeded my expectations in every way. From the size of the yacht that made it an intimate experience, never crowded, super low key, and great food, I loved the smaller, intimate feel of the yacht, favorite port St. Barths.’ He’s already looking for our next itinerary … maybe the Greek islands. Or back to the Caribbean?
So there you have it, a review of my Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection experience.
I’ll be back next week with part two of our Caribbean adventure …
Everything I and Wore on the Cruise
If you have questions, by all means drop them in the comments section.
Until then, cheers from Snowberry!
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