The pool deck on Evrima, Ritz-Carlton’s new vessel
(Picture: Jack Hardy / Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection)Whether it’s juice cleanses or vagina-scented candles, Gwyneth Paltrow has a way of making things that we’d never normally consider seem desirable. When in autumn 2022 she took to the Med on her Goop at Sea cruise – nine days of wellness expert talks, detox smoothies and yoga sessions aboard a luxury Celebrity Cruises liner – many of us were left wondering if we had missed something. Er, when exactly did cruising go from naff and crusty to, well, chic?
But it’s not just Gwyneth. The cruising industry has been undergoing an under-the-radar rebrand for years. Plenty of factors are to thank for this sea change, including our style-driven Instagram age, rising eco-awareness and a new generation of experience-hungry travellers that prize feel-good, authentic moments over conveyor-belt sightseeing or bottomless margaritas. In response cruise lines have rethought their offerings to bring us – both figuratively and literally – on board.
