Cruise in Style with the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection

Welcome aboard! Hi, it’s Christa here! I’m so excited to tell you about our recent vacation aboard the brand new luxury yacht, the Ilma, from the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. It was the ultimate empty nest getaway, and something you’ll definitely want to add to your bucket list! My husband and I had an unforgettable seven-night adventure exploring the Greek islands, indulging in exquisite food and beverages, enjoying on-board entertainment, and taking part in daily excursions. It truly surpassed all our expectations!

Continue reading to discover more about our week-long experience aboard the Ilma, including highlights from both on-board and ashore, as well as tips on what to wear when the dress code calls for “yacht sophisticated!”

Our voyage included seven fabulous nights, waking each morning in a different port:

Mykonos, Greece
Kusadasi, Turkey
Patmos, Greece
Rhodes, Greece
Santorini, Greece
Milos, Greece
Athens, Greece

Style Among Friends has not received any compensation from The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection for this blog post/review. All opinions expressed are our own. It truly was as fabulous as it’s described below!

Getting to Athens for Our Yacht Cruise

From start to finish, everything couldn’t have been smoother. At every step of the way, there was always someone affiliated with the Ritz-Carlton to help us along. They met us in the airport and coordinated the car service to the port. At the port, there was someone there with us until we got through security and out to the ship. When we boarded the ship, there was someone assigned to acquaint us with the ship, share safety information and take us to our room.

Given the long flight (over 9 hours), I packed everything I might need on the plane in my Tumi travel backpack, including my iPad, Kindle, compression socks, charger, contact lenses, and glasses. And I purchased a new small rolling bag that was perfect for a change of clothes when we landed, along with a swimsuit, cover-up, flip-flops, and some toiletries. I wasn’t sure when we’d have access to our luggage on the ship, so I wanted to have some extras in case we decided to relax by the pool upon arrival.

I grabbed my small rolling bag at the last minute, and I’m really glad I did! At the end of the cruise, you leave your luggage outside your door by 11pm the night before disembarkation. This small rolling bag fit everything I needed for our last night on the ship, plus everything I needed for our one night in Athens, so I didn’t have to dig through my big suitcase when we got to our hotel there.

getting to the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Cruise

And a shout out to our pilot…who happens to also be Megan’s friend! Thanks Ed for the behind-the-scenes tour, the blog photo-op and the smooth journey to Athens! 🙂

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All About the Ritz-Carlton Yacht, the Ilma

This was only the third voyage for the Ilma, so everything on board was in pristine condition! Our room even had that “new furniture smell.” And you could sense the crew’s excitement about sailing on this beautiful new ship.

The Ilma features seven levels of suites. We opted for a Grand Suite, with 560 square feet. It includes a sitting area, dining area, two walk-in closets, a full bathroom, a king-sized bed, and a spacious terrace. It was truly impressive—we had to keep reminding ourselves we were on a ship! Additionally, each room comes with a “personal concierge” to assist with anything you need during your stay, making your yacht cruise an exceptional service experience!

You can explore the Ilma on the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection website, and in this review from AFAR Magazine.

Fun fact: There is no shortage of crew on board the Ilma which makes your stay especially fabulous. In fact, there’s about one crew member for every 1.2 guests! Our ship had about 375 guests on board (capacity is 448–the smaller size is definitely a benefit of a yacht cruise).

Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection closets in each room

Pro tip: The ship primarily sailed at night while we were sleeping. Neither of us experienced sea sickness, but I found the motion at sea woke me up during the first few nights. Our steward suggested that next time we consider a mid-ship room for a smoother experience.

Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection spacious bedroom

As impressive as the rooms are, the rest of the ship is also very elegant and spacious. There are plenty of places to relax, sip a drink with your sweetie, read a book or listen to music. There are five fabulous restaurants and eight bars on the ship, plus 24 hour in-room dining. You won’t go hungry (or thirsty)–and all food and drinks are included (except premium-level alcohol and one restaurant).

Dining and Drinks on the Yacht Cruise

The service and food at all the restaurants were top-notch. With food included, we enjoyed almost every meal on board. There are five dining options: we skipped The Beach House since seafood isn’t my thing, and we passed on the private tasting menu at Seta Su Ilma for the same reason. However, Mistral, Memori, and Tides were fabulous! The menus changed every 2-3 days, ensuring plenty of variety. For adventurous eaters like my husband, the restaurants feature locally sourced ingredients and the menus are inspired by the regions where the Ilma sails. For picky eaters like myself, menus always included simpler options like filet mignon, chicken, and pasta. Plus, the Living Room lounge offered light bites and all-day gelato (which definitely contributed to a few extra pounds!).

yacht cruise no diet coke — For my Diet Coke friends…none on board, so I bought my own in Mykonos!

Where We Stopped on Our Yacht Cruise

There is plenty of relaxation aboard the yacht cruise, but we also wanted to take advantage of the excursions and get a little taste of the islands we were visiting, so we booked a shore excursion for every day. The benefit of cruising on a yacht is that we could stop in some of the smaller ports that aren’t accessible to bigger cruise ships. In many ports, we anchored off shore, and reached the shore by tender boat.

While you can certainly plan your own outings, booking through the Ritz offers key advantages, including hassle-free scheduling. They take care of everything from beach towels to bottled water and dining recommendations. For each port, they offer a variety of excursions, such as 2-4 hour walking tours, challenging hikes, boat rides, wine tastings, and private driver tours.

Mykonos, Greece

Kusadasi, Turkey

Patmos, Greece

Rhodes, Greece

Santorini, Greece

Milos, Greece

Athens, Greece

What to Wear on Your Cruise

My Interpretation of “Yacht Casual” and “Yacht Sophisticated”

When I started planning what to pack for this trip, Google and Pinterest were not much help for “yacht casual” and “yacht sophisticated” attire. So, I was on my own to come up with my interpretation, and I knew I wanted a few things:

Easy one-and-done dresses (because it would be warm) that were also cute with sneakers for touring. (And I wanted one for every day–we’d be sweating!)
3-4 nice dresses for dinner–because they can be worn more than once.
Something fabulous in a blue/white–it is Greece after all! (Boden for the win with the first dress below, and my favorite from the trip!)
By sticking with all dresses, I wasn’t concerned about packing in a color scheme because there was no mixing-and-matching. It was super easy!

After being on the cruise, I can tell you that pretty much anything goes for yacht clothing despite what they say in the FAQs! So don’t stress about what you pack. Look nice, but pack outfits you love and that you feel great wearing! For the Greek islands in September, it is still quite warm. This is a great time to dress up in the evening–wear some fun new outfits and feel beautiful!

What I Wore for a 7-Night Cruise

If you need some packing inspiration for an upcoming vacation (or if you are stumped by “yacht sophisticated” like I was!), here’s everything I wore for our trip:

Seven day dresses for our excursions, with lightweight shaping shorts underneath
Two pair of sneakers. Sneakers are a MUST-HAVE for touring the islands (you’ll find lots of uneven old stone streets and slippery marble walkways, plus lots of steps to climb). Most people on our tours wore sneakers, and I saw lots of Hokas and On sneakers.
One sling bag for touring – my bag from Sol and Serene was perfect and fit way more than expected!
- I also kept a small packable tote in my bag in case we were shopping.
Two swimsuits with coverups and one pair of flip flops
Two pair of flat sandals – not necessary, but I liked wearing them to breakfast/lunch and around the ship everyday

Four dresses for dinners on the ship
One pair of block heel sandals and one pair of higher heel sandals
One clutch purse for evenings

Two pair of pajamas
Two SPANX AirEssentials travel outfits
Jewelry – two earrings, three necklaces, one bracelet

What I DIDN’T Wear…

And, in case you’re wondering what I packed and didn’t wear, the list is actually very short thanks to a lot of careful planning:

a white cardigan sweater and a lightweight white jacket – it wasn’t cool enough to need them on the ship, even in the evenings
three more swimsuits and cover-ups – we thought we’d spend more time by the pool but it was very sunny/windy on the pool deck, and they had a limited number of pool umbrellas (due to the wind, I’m sure)
workout clothes – 10,000 steps a day on our tours was my workout (but the yacht does have an amazing gym/personal trainer available if you need it)

What My Husband Wore for a 7-Night Cruise

When in Greece, linen is a must! Drew found lots of great linen long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirts, shorts and pants from Tommy Bahama and Banana Republic. For shoes, he brought his New Balance trainers for walking all day on tours–knowing he’d be on his feet all day, he wanted the extra support. On board the yacht, he opted for leather flip flops or slip-on shoes that were perfect with some no show socks. And his travel clothes were from Vuori for extra comfort on our long flight, along with his favorite Kizik sneakers.

What was everyone else wearing in Athens?

Generally, our cruise destinations were smaller islands, so the styles were always very laid back. So when we arrived in Athens, I was curious to see what people were wearing in the bigger European city. The locals definitely stood out from the tourists. The general vibe everywhere was midi skirts, slip skirts, and wide leg denim…all paired with fashion sneakers! Looking to embrace the Athens styles? Start with sneakers for a comfortable (and now very chic!) way to dress!

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into our amazing adventure! If you have any questions about our experience, please email me–I’m happy to share any details you need. We loved it so much, we already booked a trip for 2025! xo, Christa

the ritz carlton yacht collection cruise

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Cruise in Style with the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection