r/LuxuryTravel

We sailed on the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Luminara from Hong Kong to Japan (March 2026) and, while there were some positives, the overall experience did not come close to what you would expect at this price point (\~$84K+ for a suite, without excursions or services).

The good:

The suite was beautiful, and the onboard staff were consistently excellent—attentive, professional, and clearly doing their best.

Where things fell apart:

1. Dining & Onboard Experience

Dining was surprisingly limited, with only two restaurants typically open and very little menu rotation over multiple sea days. After a few days, options felt repetitive, and flexibility was minimal. Activities onboard were also sparse, especially for a luxury cruise.

2. Excursions Were the Biggest Issue

The shore excursions were consistently overpriced and poorly executed, but the most concerning was a Seoul experience called “The Glow Up: A Day of K-Beauty” (\~$1,795 per person).

This was marketed as a high-end, curated beauty experience. In reality:

The spa was not professional or hygienic by luxury standards

Key services described (like a makeup session) were not provided

The guide had no expertise in beauty or shopping

The day was disorganized, and at one point we were left without guidance far from the ship

To their credit, staff later acknowledged the excursion had not been properly vetted and removed it—but that doesn’t give us back the experience. This was a major reason we chose this itinerary.

Other excursions (Shanghai, Nagasaki, Kobe) were also underwhelming, with limited insight, weak planning, and pricing that didn’t match the value delivered.

3. Overall Takeaway

This felt like a product still being figured out, not a polished Ritz-Carlton experience. There seems to be a serious gap in quality control—especially with third-party excursions.

If you’re considering this cruise, I would strongly recommend:

Vetting excursions independently

Setting expectations carefully

Not relying solely on how experiences are described in advance

It’s a beautiful ship with great staff—but the execution, especially off the ship, needs significant improvement.

Group of 8 friends looking to rent a house in the Hamptons for a week in August. Budget around $50-$60k for the week. We're in our 30s, and we want to be close to the beach and restaurants, not looking for crazy party scenes but nice dinners and day drinking.

Thinking of Southampton or East Hampton but open to suggestions. How far in advance do we need to book? Any rental companies that are reliable? Also is a car absolutely necessary or can we Uber?

Appreciate any advice from people who've done this before.

My husband and I are planning a big anniversary celebration and we are torn between a luxury Kenya Tanzania safari or keeping it simpler with just one country. We want the Maasai Mara and Serengeti but we are worried the combo will feel rushed with all the transfers.

We have been looking at different packages and it is supposed to be a once in a lifetime trip so I want it to feel special but I don’t want to overpay for something that ends up feeling hectic.

Has anyone here done the two country luxury combo and felt it was worth it or did you wish you had stayed in one place?

I am getting married in November and we are planning to do our honeymoon in Costa Rica for a week. We are going to be spending 4 nights in La Fortuna in mid-November and are between the two Nayara properties. If the difference in price isn’t an issue which property is the way to go? Thanks for any and all insights!

I am in a dilemma about which one to choose. I would appreciate any insights from those who have been there.

Honeymooning in Argentina this October and looking for luxury experiences for the couple days we will be in buenos aires! Can be shopping, entertainment, restaurants, activities, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Amanruya is currently closed due to renovations and it doesn’t look like there’s a reopening date set yet. I’m wondering what other properties people would recommend in Turkiye? I’m open to any city in the entire country, just wanting to enjoy an ultra-luxury experience. Will also consult my travel agent of course but I‘d like to hear a wide array of opinions.

I'm a fashion business student at IED Madrid working on my final thesis. The project explores a gap I keep running into: platforms like Farfetch and Booking.com are great at discovery, but sustainability is either an afterthought or completely absent from how results are ranked.

My thesis proposes a platform that flips this — where sustainability is the default ranking logic, not a filter you have to dig for.

Before I defend it, I need real data. I've put together a 5-minute anonymous survey on how people actually shop for luxury fashion and book accommodation, and whether sustainability plays any role in those decisions.

Would really appreciate your responses — and happy to share the results with this community once they're in.

https://forms.gle/ZtobaMbPRrAbDpLU9

Open to any feedback on the concept too. Thanks!