What It’s Like Onboard the Ritz-Carlton’s ‘Luminara’ Cruise Ship

As Luminara heads from Barcelona into the open Med, it’s clear that this midnight-blue vessel is fundamentally different than the larger, boxier cruise ships in the harbor. It has a svelte profile and sharp bow, very modern and yacht-like compared to the floating high-rises. But is Luminara really a yacht?

That’s the question I wrestled with recently during the 794-footer’s “pre-maiden voyage”—the name given to our three-day excursion preceding the “maiden…