Over the years, I’ve had many friends insist they’re simply not cruise people, which always makes me think that they just haven’t found the right ship yet. I usually steer those travelers toward smaller vessels and private charters, on which they can enjoy the pleasures of sailing without the drawbacks of a floating metropolis. The 452-passenger Ritz-Carlton Luminara purports to have it all by combining the amenities of a larger ship with the personalized luxury of a private yacht. This summer, my travel companion and I were two of the first guests to try the ship’s Mediterranean sailings before its relocation to the Pacific Rim, where it will spend summers in Alaska and winters in Asia.

After a quick and remarkably smooth boarding process, we were shown to our 417-square-foot Signature Suite with its spacious living area, small dining room and king bedroom. The terrace, outfitted with a table and chair plus two loungers, was an ideal hangout (all cabins have terraces). I also appreciated the his-and-hers walk-in closets. Yet the suite lacked character. Dressed in muted neutrals, it sometimes looked more like part of an elevated airport lounge than a luxury liner.

Public spaces followed suit, with décor that seemed almost aggressively inoffensive. Inexplicably, few of them afforded proper water views. In the Living Room café, where musicians performed nightly, tenders blocked the windows. The Art Bar, one of our favorite venues on board, offered a dramatic wall of glass at the bow, but even that framed only the outdoor seating, not the open sea.