With the Four Seasons Yachts’ first ship’s maiden voyage late last month, the luxury cruise world has a new standard to reckon with.
For the luxury hotel brand, the ship launch marks the beginning of a new chapter in its hospitality journey. You know it’s a big deal when Four Seasons founder and chairman Isadore Sharp and his wife Rosalie Sharp step up to serve as Four Seasons I’s godparents on an auspicious date in the company’s history.
“Four Seasons Yachts debuts on the same day that the very first Four Seasons hotel opened, 65 years ago, making this milestone even more meaningful as we celebrate the history of our company, while looking forward to the bright future ahead,” Four Seasons CEO Alejandro Reynal said in a statement. “Four Seasons Yachts is a continuation of the pioneering ambition on which Four Seasons was built, and will reflect the same genuine care, service excellence, and exceptional moments we create for guests on land.”
But it’s the cruise industry that will truly feel the impact of this new player on the small-ship scene. Four Seasons I brings new ideas about what luxury cruising should be like, challenging legacy concepts but also welcoming newcomers to the joys of vacationing at sea.
That’s a lot of responsibility for a yacht to bear, but it seems like Four Seasons I can handle it.
(Four Seasons Yachts)
A Yacht Unlike Any Other
The 95-suite ship might take inspiration from classic superyachts like Christina O (Aristotle Onassis’s legendary private yacht), but Four Seasons Yachts is leading the way in modern yachting, introducing new concepts within the cruise industry.
“Today’s luxury traveller values time, trust, and authenticity above all,” Ben Trodd, CEO of Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings Ltd., the joint owner/operator of Four Seasons Yachts, added in his own prepared remarks. “With the confidence our guests place in Four Seasons comes an equally high expectation for excellence.”
The residential-style suites aboard Four Seasons I include expansive living spaces, indoors and out, with beds positioned to face the sea (rather than the wall as in many cruise ship cabins). Modular walls allow adjoining suites to easily connect, creating flexible options for large travel groups and families.
The yacht’s showstopper suites will rival existing over-the-top accommodations like Regent Seven Seas’ Regent Suite.
The Four Seasons Yachts’ 10,000-square-foot Funnel Suite is the first four-deck suite we’ve encountered; it wows with a huge primary bedroom that spreads from port to starboard, upper and lower outdoor spaces with a splash pool and alfresco dining area, and a private gym. The 8,000-square-foot Loft Suite might be slightly smaller, but it impresses with its aft-facing terrace and private sauna and steam room. It can also sleep a larger traveling group.
(Four Seasons Yachts)
Water sports marinas have become a staple on cruise yachts, but Four Seasons I reimagines the concept with its unique transverse marina. Here, an interior, open-sided bar is flanked by the swanky marina deck, where guests can sunbathe or take the ship’s water sports toys out for a spin.
The ship boasts Michelin-level dining, but – veering off the typical luxury cruise pricing path – only breakfast, snacks and nonalcoholic beverages are included. Lunch, dinner and alcohol are not included, as they would be in a Four Seasons hotel. The company knows its guests prioritize experiencing the local dining scene, and the policy only encourages them to explore the local cuisine. However, this step away from the all-inclusive model of traditional luxury cruise ships does mean guests should expect to pay around $250 per person, per day, for food and drinks on board.
Four Seasons will also offer onshore exploration in its own way. Each itinerary will offer a selection of small-group Shore & Sea Experiences that can be fully customized. Guests can also work with the ship’s team to create their own private tours.
The yacht will spend its inaugural season in the Mediterranean, exploring ritzy destinations like Saint-Tropez and pulling into the smaller harbors of Greece and Montenegro. It will reposition to the Caribbean and the Bahamas for the winter. In its first year at sea, Four Seasons I will visit 130 destinations across 30 countries.
The Hotel Invasion by Sea
Four Seasons is not the only hotel brand dipping its toes into the cruise vacation waters. Ritz-Carlton was the first, starting the trend when it launched the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection in 2023 with its first of three yachts. Four Seasons is the second, and Orient Express and Aman will follow in 2026 and 2027.
The hotel brands may be looking for new luxury experiences to offer loyal guests (and for some, new redemption options for hordes of loyalty points), but it’s the cruise industry that could see the greatest impact of the yacht launches.
Storied hotel brands building ships give legitimacy to cruising as a luxury vacation option, which some luxury travelers continue to dismiss as mass-market and restrictive. Brands like Four Seasons Yachts will introduce new travelers to the joys of vacationing by ship, benefitting the entire industry.
At the same time, the new yachts’ fresh approach to ship design and onboard concepts has the potential to reinvigorate the luxury cruise space. Legacy brands have been struggling to differentiate themselves and attract new clientele, while also managing rising costs.
Lines like Four Seasons Yachts could be the push they need to innovate and find their place as the luxury small-ship landscape broadens, expanding the idea of what a holiday at sea could be.
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