The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection luxury cruise line has just announced that its inaugural voyage aboard its first ship, the Evrima, is being delayed once again. Previously scheduled for November 2021, the ship's maiden voyage is now set to depart from Lisbon on May 6, 2022.
The famed hotel brand's maritime offshoot cited, "the ongoing impact of COVID-19, combined with related challenges created for construction operations in Europe," for this latest setback.
"While we are eager to welcome guests onboard the Evrima, we have had to re-evaluate the timing of our first voyage given the rapidly changing circumstances and their impact on the Evrima's completion," said Douglas Prothero, CEO of Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. "We remain excited to set sail in the spring and thank our guests for their understanding and patience as we continue to navigate this unprecedented global environment."
This is the fifth time the nascent cruise line has pushed back the date of Evrima's initial sailing, as it was originally anticipated to take place back in January 2020. The ship wasn't completed in time due to issues at the Hijos de J. Barreras shipyard in Vigo, Spain, which Ritz-Carlton subsequently took ownership of.
Various complications seem to have impeded the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection's entry into the industry ever since, as Evrima's debut was rescheduled first to June 2020, then April 2021 and later to November 2021. In each instance, the company pointed to pandemic-related predicaments as the reasons for the delays, though no details were divulged.
As part of its latest announcement, the company said that it was contacting affected guests and travel advisors to reschedule their bookings on canceled sailings to an available departure in 2022 or 2023, or to discuss reimbursement options.
According to The Points Guy (TPG), Prothero said, "We are laser-focused on providing guests with a highly customized, state-of-the-art build that will put Evrima in a class of its own, in addition to delivering a guest experience that is unlike anything else at sea today-blending the legendary service of The Ritz-Carlton brand with unique and distinctive itineraries that are incredibly personalized and culturally immersive. It will be worth the wait."
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