At a time when cruisers are yearning for authentic, mind-blowing cruising experiences, the hotel giant Ritz-Carlton recently unveiled a cruise concept that will combine the lifestyle of luxury cruising and the thrill of yacht vacationing.
Through its unique Yacht Collection voyages, The Ritz-Carlton promises to provide experiences that will redefine luxury yachting – as well as holiday cruising. Their itinerary will include long, pleasurable port calls as well as visits to beautiful, secluded islands.
Ritz-Carlton’s cruises will basically be a luxurious buffet of wonderful cruising experiences. Just like the hotel’s luxury resorts, these cruises are designed to pamper every cruiser’s indulgence. On top of offering countless ways to enjoy yourself, the cruises will also tour exotic locales, offer luxe living spaces, and include many impressive amenities.
Ritz-Carlton may be the first luxury hotel enterprise to venture into small ship cruising, but they aren’t the only players in the luxury cruise space. There are many other cruise lines that offer travelers the exceptional adventures of luxury cruising.
To most people, however, a luxury cruise is no trivial investment. Even though luxury cruise lines try to entice passengers with different offers and competitive prices, the cost of going on a luxury cruise can be prohibitive.
So, don’t do it. Instead, make your cruise luxurious.
You Can’t Afford A Luxury Cruise, So What?
There are simple ways through which you can transform your regular cruise and make it a luxury cruise – without having to pay for a luxury upgrade.
How?
One crucial thing to remember though is that “luxury” is relative. Some may desire fancy lounges and spa experiences. Others might want to wake up in a different location each morning.
The point: you define and make your own luxury cruise experience. What are some simple ways to make your cruise vacation a “luxury” experience?
Pay for Specialty Dining
Specialty dining is another ingenious way of personalizing and upgrading a cruise experience. Most cruises will give you three standard meals in their regular buffets or restaurants.
Nonetheless, some ships have special restaurants that are exclusively available by reservation. Of course, this comes at an additional fee, but the dining experience you receive is definitely worth the spend.
A good example is the Dom Perignon dinner on Oceania. For $300 you get a six-course menu that comes with a vintage.
Many other cruises have specialty restaurants like Oceania’s. Some have even partnered with distinguished celebrity chefs. For example, there’s Jamie’s Italian on the Royal Caribbean that is a partnership with Jamie Oliver.
Get a High-End Room
Every cruise has various room types on offer. When booking, you’ll find rooms ranging from small interiors cabins to full-on royal/presidential suites. You don’t need to book a presidential suite to have a “luxurious” cruise, though.
A recently-introduced class of staterooms might be perfect for a person who desires to have a luxury experience during their cruise without breaking the bank. These suites, which are for private club members, are available on such cruise lines as Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC, and Cunard.
They not only offer private lounges, but also provide private dining – and even exclusive pools for those guests. This is the sort of VIP treatment that’s guaranteed to make a cruise both magnificent and memorable.
Enjoy a Spa Treatment
It’s unlikely that the base fare you pay for a cruise ship will be inclusive of spa treatments. Nevertheless, spas have been and will always remain one of the best ways of pampering oneself while on a cruise.
It might come as a surprise, but cruise ships have some of the best spas on earth. It’s also worth noting that a spa is probably one of the most tranquil places on a cruise ship. This is primarily because a spa will only accommodate a limited number of passengers at a time.
Booking for spa treatment gives you access to onboard spa facilities such as saunas, quiet lounges, and steam rooms. Besides the massages and therapies provided, a spa will probably also have a café that serves healthy food options.
The Sea Thermal Suite on Celebrity Edge, for instance, gives you access to the sea salt room, crystal room, steam room, infrared sauna, and hammam.
These are not the only ways to add a bit of luxury to your “normal” cruise, but they are a great place to start. Ask about add-ons and upgrades when booking, and research methods that others have used to get free (!) upgrades. No guarantee they’ll work, but there’s no harm in trying.
About the Author:
Andrew Winston is a partner at the personal injury law firm of Winston Law. For over 20 years, he has successfully represented countless people in all kinds of personal injury cases, with a particular focus on child injury, legal malpractice, and premises liability. He has been recognized for excellence in the representation of injured clients by admission to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, is AV Preeminent Rated by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, enjoys a 10.0 rating by AVVO as a Top Personal Injury Attorney, has been selected as a Florida “SuperLawyer” from 2011-2017 – an honor reserved for the top 5% of lawyers in the state – and was voted to Florida Trend’s ”Legal Elite” and as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Florida and one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the Miami area for 2015, 2016, and 2017.
