44 MAIDEN SEASON Ilma The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s second superyacht will spend its maiden season exploring the Mediterranean and Caribbean The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s second newbuild luxury superyacht, Ilma, debuted on 2 September 2024, sailing a seven-night itinerary from Monte Carlo in Monaco to Rome, Italy. Measuring 790 feet long, Ilma features 224 suites, all with a private terrace providing guests with views of the coastline and sea. The ship also has five dining venues, seven bars and a wine vault, as well as The Ritz-Carlton Spa, three fitness spaces, and a pool deck on Deck 10, which acts as an entertainment hub for sailaway parties, themed events and movie screenings. “Ilma brings the exceptional luxury accommodations and personalised service for which The Ritz-Carlton brand is renowned to the sea, further redefining the standards in the luxury industry,” says Jenni Benzaquen, senior vice president of The Ritz-Carlton, Saint Regis, and Bvlgari Hotels and Resorts. The superyacht, named after the Maltese word for ‘water’, spent the first half of its inaugural season sailing itineraries to ports and destinations across the Mediterranean, including Sorrento in Italy, Siracusa in Sicily, the Unesco World Heritage site of Valletta in Malta, Athens in Greece, and the Greek islands of Crete, Milos, Mykonos and Santorini. In early October Ilma sailed a sevennight roundtrip from Civitavecchia near Rome, calling at Malta, Sicily, Sorrento and ports along the Amalfi Coast. From Civitavecchia, Ilma made its way to Barcelona in Spain on a seven-night itinerary, which called at Livorno in Italy, Monte Carlo, Marseille in France and the Bay of Roses in Spain. The ship spent the next 10 nights sailing from Barcelona to Lisbon in Portugal, stopping so passengers could explore Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, Cartagena in Spain, Tangier in Morocco, and Malaga and Cadiz in Spain. On 1 November, Ilma set sail on a 13-day cruise from Lisbon to San Juan, Puerto Rico. During the repositioning cruise, the ship called at the island of Madeira and Santa Cruz de Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, before spending eight days crossing the Atlantic Ocean to the British Virgin Islands, where it docked at Tortola. It then arrived at San Juan on 14 November, before repositioning to its new homeport of Fort Lauderdale, Florida on 20 November. Ilma’s first Caribbean voyage is a sixnight roundtrip from San Juan, calling at Saint Lucia, Guadeloupe, Antigua and Barbuda, and Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. On this itinerary, passengers can visit the rainforest, the Ilma debuted in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in September 2024
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