Onboard Obsession is a new series that explores the can’t-miss highlights of the best-loved cruises—from the shore excursions to book to the spa treatments too relaxing to pass up.
No matter how much you plan for travel, it can be a haul—especially right now. So thankfully there are those rare, deep-relaxation moments on vacation; although they can be far and few when you’re on the road, negotiating your time against all that you hope to see. Among some of my personal favorites are two particularly meditative options: The aftermath of a splurge-worthy spa experience; emerging fresh from an intense massage, hot sauna, or soothing skin treatment, wrapped in a warm terry-cloth robe and savoring the buzz in a serene relaxation room where everyone’s a little bit flushed, hair-tousled, and not quite ready to depart their cocoon. The other, for me, is drinking in an ocean horizon line from the bow of a boat—something meditative on its own, but particularly hypnotizing when you can linger over the view, preferably with a beverage in hand, hearing the waves lap the sides of the bow and feeling the salt air whip toward you from an endless stretch of waves.
It’s even rarer to get the opportunity to combine these two supremely tranquil states of being—but that’s exactly the experience that the Evrima, the first ship from Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, has achieved. The hotel brand’s first and only 623-foot ship began sailing the European Mediterranean this fall. (The yacht’s five- to 12-day journeys head for the Caribbean this winter.) At sea since October, the super yacht houses six restaurants, 149 guest rooms (all are suites with private balconies) and will be matched with two sister ships coming in 2024 and 2025.
The Ritz-Carlton Evrima’s ninth deck spa is perhaps the best symbol of the concept that the brand is newly pursuing: All the comforts of a five-star hotel, taken to sea on a vessel small enough to reach ports the big ships don’t. As Ritz-Carlton already has the firepower of a beloved spa concept, the at-sea version of its signature massage delivers: Knowledgeable and experienced therapists (the ship amassed thousands of resumes in hiring for 250 crew positions) who customize treatments to your needs, plus aromatherapy-forward techniques, ESPA products, and high-tech treatment rooms all had me feeling more like I was at a spa retreat rather than floating somewhere off the Cote d’Azur.
On a recent sailing between Antibes and Sanary-sur-mer in the French Riviera, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection CEO Doug Prothero—who’s a former sea captain himself—told me that the Spa Terrace’s creation was a happy accident: It was initially meant to serve as a supplement to the fitness center, reserved for exercise classes. And while it still does serve as such for morning programming options like yoga and meditation, spa-goers have discovered it and made the deck their own. This is perhaps thanks to the hot tub that serves as something of a figurehead of the ship, bubbling steam from the frontmost point of the deck like a beacon in the distance. The wind-screened cabana pods and sun beds facing the sea are also perfect for post-treatment naps to extend that post-spa glow, or for simply taking in the approaching shoreline with a glass of champagne in hand. In my case, the Belle Epoque buildings of fabulous Monaco, where I had spent the morning walking a long loop of the city, were the perfect backdrop to a cool down after a steam in the spa’s sauna.
The happy accident that made the spa deck also makes it evident that hotel-at-sea cruises like Ritz-Carlton’s Evrima are being fluid and agile as the first of their kind at sea. This aims to be a non-cruise, as evidenced by the “yacht” heavy branding. Evrima (meaning “discovery,” in Greek) swaps overindulgence for glamor and relaxation. Anything even remotely resembling a buffet has been nixed for six elevated- to fine-dining food venues—the main star on Evrima, in particular, is a small five-course dining venue by three-Michelin-star chef Sven Elverfeld of the Ritz-Carlton Wolfsbug in Germany (which costs an extra, $285 per-head fee with wine pairings).
The replacement for shore excursions? Ritz-Carlton “experiences” that leave plenty of free time for your own adventure (also for a fee), plus multi-day dockings encouraging passengers to step ashore (or take a small tender boat) to explore the mainland on their own, by day or night. Onboard, live-music in communal bar areas await groups when they return to the ship in the evening. In Prothero and Ritz-Carlton’s telling of the bookings, Evrima passengers are so far made up of non-cruisers seeking more time ashore: A vast majority (about 80 percent) of passengers have never cruised before, and most guests are between the ages of 35 to 55. For two guests, Caribbean sailings start at about $10,000 per week—European itineraries start at about $12,000.
There’s no denying the 623-foot, 300-guest ship is still something of a playground—you could fit three mega yachts (which start at about 60 meters) on the length of Evrima. It’s perfect for those who dream of a Below Deck-style getaway with enough space to make new friends. But it still manages to feel special, especially in its quiet spaces and the moments between tiring yourself out ashore and getting a nightcap amid the Observation Deck’s rowdy piano bar singalongs.
Not usually one to imbibe during a wellness focused activity, I initially turned down a glass of champagne on my arrival to the Evrima spa. But emerging from a dim steam room to the fresh air of the Spa Terrace about an hour later, feeling wholly invigorated, I gave in upon a second offer from a server staffing the terrace. Soaking in Monaco from that wind-whipped perch after working out all the muscle kinks of a morning walking around on shore—that’s one of those rare, slow travel moments I’ll savor for a long time, until I can nab the next one.