The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection‘s long-mooted inaugural Alaska season has officially been confirmed for 2026 by the mega-yacht operator.

This morning, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection unveiled its deployment plans for Luminara to the Inside Passage and beyond from mid-May to mid-September 2026. Luminara – which is on track to debut in late June – will operate 13 new sailings between Whittier, Alaska and Vancouver, Canada (and vice versa), as well as round-trip voyages from Vancouver (of which there are four).

Last month while in Sydney, Kristian Anderson, SVP of Global Sales, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, eluded to a group of VIP Australian travel partners (and LATTE) that sailings to Alaska were very much in the pipeline. At a special gathering, Anderson said Ritz-Carlton Yacht would introduce a “new, elevated style of contemporary luxury to the Alaskan market.”

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Luminara‘s first Alaska voyage sets sail on 28 May from Whittier and will visit 10 ports over 11 nights, before concluding in Vancouver. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection are voyage durations of 7, 10 and 11-nights, with ports including popular big ship cruise options of Ketchikan, Sitka, Valdez and Juneau (interestingly only once in the whole season); alongside those better-suited to smaller vessels, such as Haines, Wrangell, Petersburg, Prince Rupert and Klawock. A tiny community on the rugged west coast of Prince of Wales Island, Klawock is visited on every point-to-point itinerary.

Destination highlights will include Tracy Arm Fjord and Icy Strait Point, the chance to spot brown bears and bald eagles and other native wildlife, in addition to a collection of ‘Select Group’, ‘Pre-Designed Private’ and ‘Custom Private’ excursions.Seb Seward, Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific said he was thrilled The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection could finally reveal details of Luminara‘s Alaska program.

“We’ve been teasing this for a while so we’re very excited to officially announce our Alaskan itineraries,” Seward told LATTE this morning. “They offer something different to our guests and fit well with the increased demand for “coolcations”, alongside our Northern European itineraries that launch in June this year.”

“We are already seeing repeat booking rates across all voyages of up to 30% which, as well as being a testament to the outstanding service of our ladies and gentlemen onboard, can be attributed to the increased choice of voyages and yachts we are now offering.”

“Alaska is a competitive place; however, we truly believe that our intimate size and ultra-luxury offering provides something unique in the region.”

Seward added that he’s not yet been to Alaska, saying he’ll personally be keen to see the destination firsthand on one of the voyages, “if there’s any space left!”

Prices for The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Alaska sailings lead in at US$8,500 per person twin share on select Vancouver roundtrip and Vancouver/Whittier cruises during the season.

The final sailing of the Alaska deployment is scheduled for 14 September, concluding in Vancouver. After Alaska, a logical deployment could be voyages down the West Coast of the United States or to the Hawaiian Islands, and potentially beyond to the South Pacific and perhaps onto Australia and New Zealand.

Alaska will complement Ritz-Carlton Yacht’s existing itineraries in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Ocean Crossings, Northern Europe & Baltic and Asia.

View the Alaska cruises here.